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We have been manufacturers of steel bushings for over 45 years. Our production is automated, utilizing cutting-edge technology with a keen attention to detail and precision. We can customize our bushings with specific treatments to meet your needs. Moreover, we assure 100% Made in Italy quality and pay the utmost attention to the treatment of raw materials.
We produced over a 1,6 milion bushings last year, a number that allowes us significant economies of scale.
We ship to the five continents, we assure quality and 100% made in Italy.

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“Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail”
Leonardo Da Vinci

The Bagger 288, crafted by the German company Krupp, stands as a colossal titan amidst bucket wheel excavators, emblematic of engineering prowess and industrial might. This huge machine, born in 1978 after a meticulous five-year design and manufacturing phase followed by another five years of assembly, commands attention with its height reaching 96 meters, a length spanning 225 meters, and a weight reaching 13,500 tons.
Notably, the value of this engineering marvel is estimated to be around 100 million dollars.

Bagger 288 boasts an unparalleled capacity, capable of moving an astonishing 240,000 cubic meters of coal and overburden in a single day—an equivalent workload to that of 40,000 laborers or more than 10,000 dump truck loads. Its operation is driven by aoperator stationed within the cab, overseeing every movement of the behemoth with precision and safety ensured through comprehensive safety mechanisms.

In the heart of Germany’s Rhineland lies the Hambach open pit mine, the operational epicenter where Bagger 288 works. Here, the machine’s efficiency is showcased as it facilitates the extraction of approximately 40 million tons of coal annually. Meanwhile, the discarded overburden, amounting to around 250 million cubic meters per year, finds its resting place on the periphery of the worked-out sections of the mine.

Bagger 293

In 1995, TAKRAF constructed the Bagger 293, which is used in a lignite mine near Hambach in Germany, the same location as its sibling, the Bagger 288. The machine stands 96 meters tall, weighs 14,200 tons, and requires five people to operate. It can move 240,000 cubic meters or 218,880 tons of soil per day, matching the capacity of the Bagger 288.

Bagger and Music

Beyond its industrial significance, Bagger 288 has also garnered cultural attention, immortalized in a song by British comedian Joel Veitch as a guardian against apocalyptic threats, juxtaposed with footage from a German TV documentary chronicling the saga of bucket wheel excavators in the Ruhr area.

Similar machines are also the set of famous music festivals, like the one in Ferropolis, where you can see and touch 6 of the biggest machines in the world.

The term spare in English has its roots in Old English “spær,” which means “sparing, scant.” This Old English term, in turn, is derived from the Proto-Germanic sparaz.
Spare parts are components or pieces of a device, machinery, or vehicle that can be replaced when failures or wear occur. These replacement parts are designed to be compatible with the original object and can be supplied by either the object’s manufacturer or specialized third parties in the production of spare components.

Spare Parts Classification: commercial uses

From a commercial perspective, spare parts can be classified into three types:

OEM

(Original Equipment Manufacturer): These are replacement parts that are produced by the same manufacturer that produced the original object. These parts are generally considered to be of high quality and perfectly compatible with the original object.

Alternative or Aftermarket Parts

These are replacement aftermarket parts that are often not produced by the original manufacturer of the vehicle or machine, but by a separate company. These parts can be used as economical substitutes for OEM parts.

Used or Second Hand Parts

These are oem parts or aftermarket parts that have been regenerated and resold at a lower price.
Additionally, there are original equipment parts that cannot be classified as spare parts, as they are installed as an original part of the machine and not as a replacement part.

Spare Parts Classification: Use and Position

Spare parts can also be classified based on their use and position. These classifications can vary depending on the context and terminology because, as we will see, the distinctions are subtle and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably.

Consumable

These are parts that are designed to be consumed and replaced during the normal use of a device or a machine. These can include things like brake pads on a car, blades on a saw, or the bucket teeth of an excavator.

Service Parts

As the word itself suggests, these are parts that are replaced during a service or scheduled maintenance. These are not specifically built to be consumed and replaced but are when they reach the end of their life. These can include things like oil filters or transmission belts.

Interchangeable Parts

These are parts that can be replaced by another identical part. These parts are designed and manufactured to be exactly the same, so they can be swapped without altering the performance of the device or machine. Examples of this include screws and bolts, this concept is fundamental for mass production and industrial efficiency.
The most generic definition would be service parts. As the word itself suggests, it falls into the service, so in the parts changed during the service phase.

Spare Items and Spare Components

Spare items is a general term, while spare components refer to specific parts designed for a system. They are crucial for maintaining operational efficiency and longevity of a system. The quality can vary based on whether they are OEM, aftermarket, or used parts.

Bearings, pins and bushings

Bushings and bearings would fall into the category of spare parts and could be considered both as wear parts and service parts, depending on the context. They are essential components that allow the fluid movement of other mechanical parts and can be replaced when wear or failures occur. Furthermore, since bushings can be manufactured to be exactly the same as each other, they can also be considered as interchangeable parts. However, the specific classification can vary depending on the specific application and context.

Speaking of bushings, you can always request our steel bushings catalog for more information.

Spare Parts: The Movie

ts is also the title of a 2015 film directed by Sean McNamara, set in California. The film tells the story of a group of young people who find themselves participating in a robotics competition. Due to a lack of funds, they must seek to gather the necessary resources for the spare parts of their robot. In this context, the term spare parts takes on a deeper shade of meaning, tied to the concept of being replaceable and not feeling unique and special within society, much like a spare part.

Bushings, bushes and bearings are often used interchangeably to refer to the same mechanical component: an element inserted between two parts to reduce friction during movement. However, it’s important to note that these terms, while similar, are used with subtle differences depending on the specific context and application

Bushings or Bushes terminology 

This is a general term, that refers to a cylindrical element between two parts to reduce friction during movement. The term originates from the Latin word “buxida”, meaning box.

In the context of mechanical engineering, the terminology can differ based on the variant of English being used. In American English, the term bushing is typically used. However, in other parts of the world where English is spoken, you might hear either bush.

Usage and Applications

Bushings are essential components utilized across various industries. They are commonly employed in agriculture, construction, mining, and manufacturing equipment.

In agriculture, bushings ensure seamless operation in tractors, harvesters, and other farming machinery by facilitating movement in linkages and steering mechanisms. Similarly, in construction equipment like excavators and loaders, bushings enable essential components such as boom arms and buckets to move efficiently.

In the mining sector, bushings withstand harsh conditions and heavy loads, contributing to the functionality of equipment like conveyor systems and drilling machinery. In manufacturing, they support rotating and sliding shafts in machine tools, presses, and industrial robots, ensuring smooth operation.

The term is often used to define the position of the bushing within a mechanical system, such as reduction bushing, traction bushing, centering bushing, guide bushings, etc.

Bushings vs Bearings

While a bushing is a type of bearing, not all bearings are bushings. Bearings encompass a broader category that includes elements like ball bearings, roller bearings, and bushings. Specifically, bushings are a type of plain bearing that provide low-friction support for rotating shafts without the need for rolling elements.

Sleeve bearings and Sliding Bearings

The bushing is a type of bearing with specific characteristics. Often, the term “bearing” is used to refer to bushings, with terms that refer to use: sliding bearings, sleeve bearing.

In the mechanical industry, a sleeve typically denotes a cylindrical tube that serves to shield or encase another component. However, when the term sleev” is combined with bushing, it specifically refers to a type of bushing known as a sleeve bushing.

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