Oil, Gas, and Energy Industries
The oil, gas, and energy industries require parts machined to perform in some of the harshest environments, such as high pressure, extreme temperatures, high wear, and chemical conditions.
At Advanced Industrial, we deliver high-performance plastic parts to meet or exceed industry demands for safety and reliability. Our custom parts are machined from select materials to solve industry challenges and perform in various applications.
Oil & Gas Industry Challenges
The oil, gas, and energy industries face several challenges.
Industrial equipment often processes elevated heat, so workers face safety risks when handling it. In addition, problems with heat regulation and exposure to the elements—including salt water and temperature fluctuations—pose challenges to daily operations. Just as we have solutions for the defense industry, we are able to meet the needs of our energy industry clients.
These issues influence the industry’s material choices. High-performance plastics can resist weather, friction, and extreme temperatures for long periods, protecting workers from injuries and exposure. These materials are also chemical-resistant, non-corrosive, and pressure-tolerant, ensuring exceptional performance throughout the equipment’s lifespan.
Oil, Gas, and Energy Parts and Applications
The oil, gas, and energy industries rely on precise, high-performance plastic parts. At Advanced Industrial, our CNC plastic machining capabilities allow us to make the following components for our customers.
- Plastic parts: Our plastic parts include tubes, sheets, rods, and bar blanks. We can machine parts with tight tolerances to a wide range of specifications. Our state-of-the-art equipment and high-performance materials deliver heat tolerance, dimensional stability, improved flexure, and reduced chipping risk.
- Custom bearings: Custom plastic bearings can be machined from many materials to deliver ideal performance. Plastic bearings can operate in high temperatures and allow for wet or dry self-lubrication. They are low-friction, chemical resistant, wear-resistant, and maintenance-free.
- Custom gears: Custom plastic gears offer high performance at a fraction of the price of traditional metal gear hobbers or modifying off-the-shelf solutions. Plastic can offer similar or better performance than metals.
The oil, gas, and energy industries depend on high-quality plastic parts, including seals, gaskets, rings, bearings, sleeves, bushings, and brackets for various applications. These are some of the top applications for these parts:
- Railing systems
- Pressure heads
- Pump heads
- Drillships
- Submersible rigs
Advanced Industrial Materials for the Oil, Gas, and Energy Industries
The oil, gas, and energy industries rely on several top-class plastic materials for safety and reliability in harsh environments. Advanced Industrial produces the following materials to meet these needs.
PEEK
Polyetheretherketone, or PEEK, is a machinable organic thermoplastic with a semi-crystalline structure. It offers mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and excellent resistance to environmental conditions. PEEK also resists salt water, chemicals, creep, and solvents. The durable plastic can withstand consistent temperatures up to 250 °C (483 °F) and has a melting point of 343 °C (649 °F). In fact, PEEK is safe to use with open flames because it emits very low gas and toxicity.
Nylon
Cast nylon polyamide, or cast nylon 6, offers excellent bearing properties, mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and fatigue resistance. It can be cast in large sizes, making it excellent for sprockets, sheaves, gears, bearings, and wear pads. Nylon is lighter and easier to maintain than many metal counterparts.
Acetal
Acetal, or polyoxymethylene, is a plastic suitable for many applications and available in several grades. It is machinable to tight tolerances and offers longevity, wear resistance, low friction, rigidity, and wet or dry performance. Acetal can be a low-cost replacement for metals like aluminum. Applications include insulators, wear parts, nozzles, fittings, scraper blades, seals, rollers, bearings, bushings, pump components, and gears.
PTFE
Polytetrafluoroethylene, sometimes called Teflon, is an ideal plastic for sealing due to its softer composition. It offers better performance than elastomers due to its low coefficient of friction and wear resistance. PTFE can meet most tribological, chemical, and thermal requirements, retaining its soft structure at extremely low and high temperatures. Seals and wear components typically rely on PTFE for its structure and slick surface without lubrication.
Custom Performance Parts for the Oil, Gas, and Energy Industries
The harsh conditions and employee safety risks of the oil, gas, and energy industries require high-performance solutions. At Advanced Industrial, we deliver custom precision machined parts from a vast selection of materials for industries from the medical to semiconductors. Our solutions will meet or exceed expectations for your specific application. Contact us to learn more about our capabilities.
