Bale out then wrap up
March 1st 2009 The ability of Igus to design bespoke bearings allowed McHale Engineering to gain the advantages of plastic bearings that require no oil or grease
McHale Engineering, based in Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Eire, was established as an agricultural machinery dealer in the mid seventies.
McHale as we now know it was founded by brothers Padraic and Martin McHale when they saw a need for machinery to cut silage in the West of Ireland. At the time machines, which were being imported, found it hard to deal with the grass type in the area. As a result the brothers decided to design a machine, which would do a better job. The first product was a "Silomac" Blockcutter.
In 1988,McHale manufactured its first round Balewrapper and made a conscious decision to specialise in this area. In the early years a lot of time was spent developing this product in line with end user requirements. The company subsequently developed a range of round bale wrappers for field and static wrapping. McHale are now firmly established as the leaders in grass processing agricultural equipment. This success is attributed to the company philosophy of specialisation, R & D and intensive testing in the field. McHale export their products to over 40 countries in five continents, and export sales account for 90% of current business. The modern purpose-built facility in Ballinrobe employs over 200 people and has state-of-the-art CNC laser cutting equipment, robotic welders and the latest CAD - CAM design and manufacturing systems.
McHale recognised that there is constant pressure on business to reduce costs. In response to this,McHale developed the Fusion Integrated Baler Wrapper which combines two traditionally separate jobs and integrates them into a single operation, which can be done by one man and one machine.
When McHale decided to develop the Fusion 2 Integrated Baler Wrapper, they were looking to work with companies who could offer technical solutions which were costeffective as well as improving product life.
McHale had been using iglidur self lubricating plain bearings for many years, and had been impressed with the durability and performance of these maintenance-free components. However, in one area of the machine, a standard part could not be used as the McHale design required a different diameter and tolerance to standard.
One feature of igus has always been to offer quick design consultation and to provide customised solutions. So when McHale contacted igus to investigate the possibility of a special design, the reaction was fast and positive. Drawings were exchanged, a face to face meeting was scheduled to fully understand the application and finally a proposal was offered. A part could be manufactured customised to McHale's design, in the same iglidur G bearing material which had proved to be durable in existing McHale applications.
Also, igus was able to analyse the application, and give an accurate prediction of the bearing life time of iglidur G and other alternatives from the igus self lubricating bearing range. A special tool was then manufactured, parts submitted for life testing, and soon the product had the approval of McHale. The part is now in full volume production, and joins the growing list of iglidur bearings used by McHale.
Rob Dumayne, part of the igus engineering team involved in the design of the bearing commented, "It was a pleasure working on such an interesting application, where we could really draw on the benefits of iglidur G bearings to provide a customised part which proved perfect for the application".
The tribo-optimised 'iglidur' plastic plain bearings from igus require neither oil nor grease. They are lubricant-free, so that no contaminants escape into the environment.
Due to continuous advanced developments the bearings specialist igus now supplies alternatives more in line with environmental considerations for more and more applications that work with lubricated metallic plain and rolling bearings. iglidur G plain bearings are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, including flange, thrust washer and sleeve. If an iglidur G is not available in the size and shape a customer needs, igus will gladly custom mould a bearing to meet the exact requirements of the application.
igus Eire can provide quick response support and advice for any plain bearing application, enquire to find out more: More articles from igus® Ireland: | 
