Friction components
Tribological expertise and technical solutions for industrial performance
Combining technical features with reduced maintenance
Range of metal components
The metallic friction components developed by HEF are benchmark products in numerous industrial sectors, such as civil engineering, agriculture, and the steel industry.
The main range consists of PEL™ bushings. These are machined bushings that offer exceptional resistance to wear and galling, thanks to the combination of a duplex treatment and a specific surface topography with integrated lubricant reservoirs.
PEL™ bushings are designed for demanding working conditions: high pressures, corrosive environments, abrasion, and mechanical shocks. They make it possible to significantly increase the service life of the assemblies, extend lubrication intervals, and maintain guiding precision over time.
From an economic point of view, they provide significant advantages:
- Direct savings, by replacing copper alloy bushings and/or dimensional optimization (“downsizing”)
- Indirect savings, thanks to the reduction of maintenance operations, the simplification of lubrication systems, and the extension of service intervals
The PEL® range is available in different technologies, depending on the application requirements:
- Technologies with cavities (PEL T, PEL BH, PEL BHR, PEL BH2, PEL BH3), intended for joints subjected to extreme pressures and with minimal lubrication needs
- Cross-hatched technologies, suitable for applications with automatic lubrication systems or low-amplitude oscillating movements
HEF also offers specific solutions for particular environments:
- High temperatures: TESCO™ range, operational up to 500 °C
- Abrasive environments without lubrication: Mangachoc™ and FAM™ ranges
- Corrosive environments or steel industry applications: COD11™ range
These technologies can be adapted to different geometries, such as shafts, sleeves, washers, sliding elements, and spherical bearings. Like the friction bushings, these components are the result of decades of expertise and tests carried out on state-of-the-art test benches.
Range of composite components
Excellent friction performance and wear resistance without external lubrication
H-Liner™ is HEF’s range of composite friction components. It is designed to withstand moderate to high loads, offering very low friction coefficients and excellent wear resistance.
Available in multiple geometries—bushings, spherical bearings, guides, among others—the H-Liner™ range allows for a significant weight reduction compared to metallic solutions, thus facilitating installation and simplifying maintenance operations.
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- H-Liner™ M products are obtained through full-thickness filament winding of the friction material. They are fully machinable and are supplied in the form of flanged bushings, washers, plates, or guides. They are mainly used for their low water absorption and their ability to compensate for misalignments.
- H-Liner™ S products consist of a wound friction layer on a fiberglass composite structure with high mechanical strength.
- H-Liner™ S1 products incorporate an even more wear-resistant friction layer, combined with a reinforced composite structure that guarantees superior durability.
Other custom components
HEF also manufactures a wide range of customized mechanical parts, such as shafts, spherical bearings, and sliding elements. These components integrate HEF’s technologies and know-how, offering greater resistance to high loads, galling, abrasion, and corrosion.
The parts produced by HEF guarantee a longer service life, reduce maintenance costs, and ensure reliable operation in demanding conditions.
PEL® IGO Innovation
Maintenance-free guiding throughout the machine’s service life
Developed for operating conditions similar to the PEL™ BH range, PEL™ IGO completely eliminates joint maintenance throughout the equipment’s service life.
PEL™ IGO operates without lubrication under high-pressure and high-speed conditions, reducing the environmental impact by eliminating lubricant consumption and associated maintenance tasks.
Main advantages:
- No machine downtime
- Reduced life cycle cost
- Maintenance practically eliminated
- Greater guiding precision
- Increased operator comfort
- Environmentally friendly innovation
Friction components and digital transformation
HEF combines digital technologies with its expertise in tribology to reinvent friction components and develop predictive maintenance solutions for joints in public works machinery and infrastructure subjected to severe conditions.
PEL™ 4.0 Innovation
- Multi-level wear sensors
- Flexible dimensions, compatible with all types of machines
- Wireless communication
- Battery-free operation
- Resistance to harsh weather conditions
Metallic components are the core products. They are designed using specific surface treatments and optimized topographies that allow for high-precision guiding, even in extreme environments with high loads, abrasion, impacts, or corrosive conditions.
Composite components, the second product family and currently experiencing rapid growth, are designed to operate without maintenance or lubrication. They combine very low friction coefficients, excellent wear resistance, high load capacity, and reduced weight, making them particularly attractive solutions for modern industrial applications.
Applications
Our range of friction components
