Rilsan® Refinishing Process

Columbia Rubber Mills understands the printing business. There are many steps to properly refinish rollers and apply anti-wear coatings on cams, and a few of them are illustrated below. The process is straight forward, yet requires a great deal of attention to such factors as humidity, application time, temperature and the materials in use. The bearing grade (type N-11) nylon we use is called Rilsan®. Rilsan® is a trade name of the french company that manufactures it, Elf Atochem. Elf Atochem is a world respected manufacturer of nylon and other synthetic materials, having been in the business since the late 1940's.

We have found Rilsan® to be the best nylon on the market for the thermal spray process. Nylon is an excellent product for any kind of anti-wear application. We precisely machine the roller undersize by a few thousandths of an inch before applying a coating of Rilsan®. The Rilsan® is applied using a unique process called "thermal spray", where a closely regulated flame is used to build up a tough wear resistant coating on the surface. The temperature is maintained at less than 400 degrees fahrenheit (notice the hand-held infrared thermometer shown in the last photo) by a skilled operator, who precisely controls temperature on the roller.