Custom thermoplastic solutions

James Walker has been pioneering the use of Devlon sheaves in industry for the last 30 years. During this time, we have gained a breadth of experience in the capabilities of our proprietary range of materials, leading us to supply wire rope sheaves across various industries, most prominently offshore oil and gas. 

Produced in the same sizes as their metallic counterparts, Devlon sheaves can also be used for similar rope tensions and in many installations have actually resulted in substantially increased periods of service life.

Typical applications:

• Mobile drill rigs
• Launch and recovery systems
• Pedestal cranes
• Truck mounted cranes
• Gantry cranes
• Marine hoists
• Tele-handlers
• Forklift trucks  

Benefits of Devlon sheaves:

• Extended wire rope life
• Extended service life of sheave
• Reduced weight
• Improved manual handling
• Overall cost reduction versus metallic equivalent
• Corrosion and weather resistance
• Vibration dampening

Wear plates perform a vital role in accurately maintaining the position of the roll chock whilst still enabling ease of adjustment to suit the various material gauges produced. 

To ensure product quality is maintained and longevity in service is achieved, it is essential that the materials from which these parts are made have a high load capacity and abrasion resistance. 

James Walker offers these components in three materials, each application being reviewed independently to ensure the most appropriate material and design is chosen to optimise ease of fitting and service longevity.

Devlon support rollers have been supplied by James Walker with great success into numerous industries and applications around the world for many years. Drawing on this breadth of experience and knowledge of both the product and its typical applications, James Walker is able to offer an accurate evaluation of any given application and advise on the best Devlon material grade to suit the specific conditions.

With very low weight compared to metal equivalents, Devlon materials present an attractive prospect offering a number of key benefits including high durability and wear resistance, lower noise in operation and lower wear rates to mating surfaces/products, all without any compromise on function.

In metallurgical applications, tasked with transferring the drive load to the mill, bearing slipper pads must withstand sustained friction and high loads.

Commonly used brass or equivalent soft metal bearings are prone to stress cracking, leading to increased downtime. They are both costly and difficult to replace due to their weight, which also creates potential health and safety risks.

At approximately ¹/₇th the weight of the equivalent product in brass, Devlon materials offer much easier handling without detriment to performance and service lifetime. Where deemed appropriate, James Walker can review the specifics of a given application and, comparing to known pressure / velocity limits, advise on material suitability.

Commonly found in large vehicles and lifting equipment, bushes and bearings are traditionally manufactured from bronze, steel or thermoset / laminate materials. 

Typical applications

• Oscillating hitch bushes
• Bucket pivot and linkage bushes
• Balance beam pivot bushes
• Steering bushes
• Axle pivot bushes
• Lift arm bushes
• Mast tilt bushes
• Stabiliser leg bushes

Benefits of Devlon bushes and bearings:

• Directly interchangeable with existing components so simple to replace bronze, steel parts
• Significantly extended bush and shaft life
• Low friction and outstanding wear resistance
• Little or no lubrication required, therefore extending greasing intervals
• Service downtime is reduced
• Corrosion free