The Fassi Group, one of Europe's foremost manufacturers of hydraulic cranes, found its material solution in Nylatron 703 XL plate.

A crane's ability to efficiently and safely position its load requires a virtual absence of vibration during both fine and gross movements of the boom. Lubrication of moving parts helps to achieve this, but more and more, heavy equipment manufacturers are searching for lubrication-free materials that minimize or even eliminate stick-slip influences during operation. The Fassi Group, one of Europe's foremost manufacturers of hydraulic cranes, found its material solution in Nylatron 703 XL plate from Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products (QEPP).

QEPP's nylon material helped to endow Fassi's equipment with very accurate, smooth control over linear boom movements.

Further, it helped to eliminate chatter as sliding parts overcome inertia as they begin to move.

The material's static and dynamic coefficients of friction, which are consistent at virtually every point over its useful range, allowed Fassi's cranes an unprecedented degree of control.

QEPP developed Nylatron 703 XL nylon to meet the increasing demands for precise motion control, safety and elimination of lubrication in the construction industry.

In addition to its low coefficients of friction, the material offers a superb combination of high strength and stiffness as well as high wear-resistance.

Nylatron 703 XL's particular benefit to manufacturers of material handling equipment, however, is its ZERO 'stick-slip' during initial and continuous movements.

Comparative tests performed by an independent research institute established that Nylatron 703 XL has the lowest dynamic and static coefficient of friction of any commercial nylon tested against unpainted services.

Preliminary tests against painted surfaces show identical results.

Fassi's application represents the first commercial use of Nylatron 703 XL parts formed in customized low-pressure casts.

Low Pressure Casting (LPC) processes offer improved economies for plastic parts ranging from a few grams to several kilograms in weight, that carry no wall thickness limitations and that run in series from a few hundred to a several thousands parts per year.

LPC's lower processing temperatures and injection pressures also enable the use of aluminium tools rather than hardened tool steel, further benefiting small volume series and parts produced for evaluation purposes.