Turcite B Slideway Liner: Frequently Asked Questions
Grade choice, thickness, cut-to-length ordering, bonding sequence and wear behaviour — the questions buyers ask most often before placing a first order.
Material and grade selection
- What is Turcite B and what is it made of?
- Turcite B is a trade name for a bronze-filled PTFE slideway material used on machine tool guideways. What TEBAK supplies is a Turcite-B-class soft tape: a PTFE-based strip skived to thickness, with one side chemically treated so it can be bonded to cast iron or steel with a two-part epoxy. The light face becomes the sliding surface and is machined after bonding.
- What is the difference between the blue, green, brown and brick red grades?
- All four grades share the same PTFE base, the same standard thickness range of 0.8 to 3.2 mm and the same standard widths. They differ in formulation and colour, which lets a workshop keep a consistent grade per machine type and identify the sliding face on the machine floor. Colour alone does not tell you the wear performance; tell us the application and we will quote the grade that suits it.
- Is Turcite B the same as plain PTFE sheet?
- No. Plain PTFE creeps under load and wears quickly when it slides against metal. A slideway grade is filled — commonly with bronze — to raise compressive strength and thermal conductivity, and it is chemically treated on the bonding face. A plain PTFE sheet cut from stock will not hold a machine tool slide in position over time.
- Can Turcite B replace Rulon or Moglice on an existing machine?
- In most relining work, yes: the liner is a machinable facing, so the same preparation and finishing sequence applies whatever brand was there before. The differences show up in thickness options, bonding method and how the finished face is machined. If the machine was originally fitted with a cast-in epoxy compound rather than a bonded strip, the repair method is different.
- Do you supply the adhesive and the spotting paste as well?
- Yes. Two Part Epoxy-Adhesive is supplied as a two-component system mixed 2:1 resin to hardener by weight, with a pot life of about 60 minutes at 20–25 °C and a 24 hour full cure at the same temperature. Tuschierpaste spotting paste is supplied for checking contact during scraping.
Dimensions, thickness and ordering
- What widths and thicknesses are standard?
- Standard widths are 100, 200, 300 and 305 mm. Standard thicknesses are 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.6, 1.7, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.2 mm. Rolls are supplied in 5, 10, 15 and 20 m lengths, and strip can be cut to length for a specific slide.
- How do I choose the thickness?
- Thickness is set by how much metal has to come off the worn way during reconditioning, plus the clearance the machine design needs. The liner restores centre height, so ordering it before the way has been measured is the most common reason a reline ends up out of alignment.
- Can you cut the strip to my length?
- Yes. Cut-to-length is a standard service: send the length required per slide, together with thickness and width, and the rolls are cut before shipment. For a full slide set, list each face separately so the pieces match the drawing.
- Do you accept OEM and non-standard sizes?
- OEM and custom sizes are accepted. If your drawing calls for a width or thickness outside the standard list, send the drawing and the quantity and we will confirm what can be produced.
- How should the strip be stored before use?
- Keep it flat, out of direct sunlight and away from heat, with the treated face protected. The bonding face should only be handled immediately before bonding — dust, oil from fingers or workshop grit on that surface is a direct cause of bond failure.
Bonding and installation
- Which side of the strip is bonded?
- The treated, darker side bonds to the metal. The lighter face is the running surface and is machined after the adhesive has cured. Bonding the wrong face produces a joint that looks acceptable and fails in service.
- How is the metal surface prepared?
- Clean and degrease the way, then roughen it to a surface the adhesive can key into. Apply the mixed two-part epoxy to both the metal and the treated face of the strip, lay the strip, and clamp it evenly across the full width until cured. Cure is 24 hours at 20–25 °C; mild heat shortens it.
- Can the liner be bonded to a vertical or overhead face?
- Yes, but it needs support. The adhesive has to be thick enough not to run, the strip has to be held against the face mechanically until the cure is complete, and the clamp pressure has to be even. Vertical and inverted joints fail first when the strip is only taped in place.
- Can the liner be machined after bonding?
- It has to be. Milling, grinding or hand scraping brings the face to final geometry and cuts the oil grooves. Take shallow passes with sharp tooling and support the strip from underneath; an aggressive cut loads the bond line and can push the face off true.
- How soon can the machine run after bonding?
- After the adhesive has reached full cure — 24 hours at 20–25 °C — and after the face has been machined and the gibs re-set. Running the slide before cure is complete loads a joint that has not developed its strength yet.
Performance, wear and maintenance
- Why does a machine need a liner at all?
- A liner changes the friction behaviour of a slide. Metal on metal has a wide gap between static and dynamic friction, which produces stick-slip at low feed. A PTFE-based facing narrows that gap, so the axis moves smoothly at crawl speeds and holds position without the servo hunting.
- How long will the liner last?
- Service life depends on load, lubrication and contamination control rather than on the strip alone. A protected way with working lubrication runs for years. A grinder with failed wipers can wear a liner out quickly, because abrasive swarf embeds in the face and laps the counterface.
- What causes a relined way to wear early?
- Three causes dominate: contamination from failed wipers or open ways, lubrication that is not reaching the contact area, and a counterface that was never finished properly. All three are visible on inspection, and all three are cheaper to fix before the liner is bonded.
- Does the liner need running in?
- Yes. A new liner polishes into its counterface over the first hours of use, and the contact pattern improves as it does. Continued wear after that period is not normal running-in and points to contamination, overload or a rough counterface.
Quotation, bulk supply and export
- What information do you need for a quotation?
- Colour or grade, thickness, width, the length required per slide, quantity, and the delivery country. If adhesive and spotting paste are needed for the same job, say so in the same message and we quote the whole reline kit together.
- Do you supply wholesale and bulk orders?
- Yes. Strip is supplied by the roll or cut to length, and orders covering several thicknesses for a rebuild programme are normal. Tell us the annual or project volume and we will quote accordingly.
- Can you supply against a drawing or a sample?
- Yes. Send a photo of the worn face with a scale, the slide dimensions, or the old strip as a sample. A photo of the way with a rule across the wear step is often enough to confirm which thickness to quote.
- How do I ask a technical question before ordering?
- Message us on WhatsApp or email with the machine type, the axis and the problem you are seeing — taper, ripple, chatter, tight ends or a step in the way. We answer specification questions before quoting, because the right thickness and grade depend on the machine, not only on the catalogue.
Still need an answer?
Send the machine type, the axis and the symptom you are seeing. Specification questions are answered before any quotation. Ask on WhatsApp or email info@tebakgroup.cn.