Case Study: Consolidating Components for a Cost Effective Solution

Major appliance OEM consolidates bearing design with a more cost effective 2 piece solution saving assembly related costs.

The Customer's Challenge

Our customer needed a more cost effective solution for dryer roller bearings. Previous to implementing our design, the customer used a standard, three piece bronze bearing design to support dryer drums being built in their facility. Moving forward, they would need an innovative bearing, allowing dryer drums to rotate smoothly and quietly while keeping costs as low as possible.

Our Solution

The most common solution in the industry today is comprised of three components: a bronze bearing, a hard plastic core, and a rubber-like outer, which adds additional assembly costs. Our team provided a two-piece over molded solution made primarily out of our unique Thomson Nyliner Engineered Polymer (TEP) material.

The original bearing design was consolidated by combining the hard plastic core with the bronze bearing. This innovative composite shape made from our TEP material reduced the number of components and overall cost for the customer.