In the world of rubber and plastic industries, two roll open mixing mill is a piece of essential equipment mainly used for compounding, sheeting, and plasticizing rubber and plastic.
When chose the mill quality , many people may only attention to the design of rolls, gears, reducer and frames etc, but ignore the importance of supporting system of these two rolls.
So many manufacturer may be confused with bearings and nylon bushes , or even some may know nothing about that . They are mainly used to support the rolls, that is why most of manufacturers and users prefer open mixing mills with bearings but not with nylon bushes.
The reason is not just the performance, durability and efficiency is better than with nylon bushes , but also the bearing mill can save lots of cost benefits from long-term maintainance and serve.
In this blog ,let us explores the differences between open mixing mills with bearings and with nylon bushes , their advantages, disadvantages, and suitable applications.
⚙️ Open Mixing Mill with Bearings – Why It’s Preferred
1. Precision and Stable
Bearings can be roller or spherical style, they support the rolls ,ensuring low-friction rotation , and maintain the alignment and stability of the rolls. Stable roll positioning is critical to avoid sudden vibrations, excessive wear, or roll collisions.
Bearings in a two-roll mill provide accurate roll alignment, ensuring consistent sheet thickness and compound uniformity in each batches. It also reduce energy consumption, minimize maintenance and prolong machine durability , ensuring stable and safe operation.
While lab two roll mill with Nylon bushes wear down faster, which cause misalignment and uneven mixing. it also takes the risks of producing inconsistent batches and may even pose safety hazards.
2. Energy Saving
The bearings are specially designed to withstand heavy loads and continuous operation. They can be designed as cylindrical roller bearings, tapered bearings, or spherical bearings, which depend on load of compound s and design.
The rubber mixing mill with bearing system run with low friction due the the bearings, which thus reduce power consumption and improve production efficiency.
On the other hand , the two roll mill equipment with nylon bushes generate more friction on the mixing process, it therefore increase motor load and electricity costs, accordingly increase the power consumption.
3. Durability and Longevity
Bearings are built to withstand heavy loads and continuous operation for the rolls.
Just with proper lubrication, bearings can last for years. However ,the longevity of a two-roll mill equipment is very linked to its bearings . A heavy-duty, properly designed bearings can withstand continuous high loads and temperature variations, extending the machine’s service life.
While the nylon bushes are not so durable ,it easily and quickly wear out , as the worn out nylon bushes are not replaceable , they require frequent replacement.
4. Heavy Loads Compounds
Bearings are designed to withstand continuous high loads and temperature variations, they can be used for either labs or industrial-scale, heavy-duty compounding production.
While nylon bushes are inexpensive ,it is usually suitable for light-duty or laboratory applications, but not so ideal for large-scale mixing mill for industrial production .
5. Long-Term Cost Savings
Although the initial cost of a bearing-based mixing mill is higher, yet consider these factors , like the reduced energy consumption, lower downtime, and less frequent maintain , the bearing-based mixing mill equipment is actually economical compared with nylon-based mill on the long-term term.
The nylon bush mixing mills may be cheaper at first , but when you consider the other invisible cost ,like higher maintenance, frequent downtime and energy consumption etc , the total cost is actually much higher than two roll mill with bearings.
Comparison Table – Bearings vs Nylon Bushes
| Bearings vs Nylon Bushes | ||
| Factor | Bearings | Nylon Bushes |
| Initial Cost | Higher | Lower |
| Energy Efficiency | ✅ Excellent (low friction) | ❌ Poor (high friction) |
| Durability | ✅ Long service life | ❌ Shorter lifespan |
| Load Handling | ✅ Heavy-duty capable | ❌ Only light-duty |
| Maintenance | Moderate (lubrication needed) | Frequent replacements required |
| Precision | ✅ High roll alignment | ❌ Decreases as bushes wear out |
| Preferred For | Industrial & continuous mixing | Labs, low-budget setups |
In summary , Both bearings and nylon bushes have their place in open mixing mills. But it is very clear and obvious that open mixing mill with bearings is better than nylon bush systems in mixing mill equipment in terms of precision, efficiency and durability.
Bearings based mill equipment excel in industrial-scale, high-precision, and energy-efficient operations , because they perform reliability, consistent mixing quality, and reduced operate cost over time.
Nylon bushes based mill equipment offer an affordable, simpler option for small-scale laboratories or light-duty mixing tasks.
In one word, the final decision mainly depends on your budget, workload, and performance requirements.
For anyone serious about rubber mixing, an open mixing mill with bearings is the better option .
If you are looking for quality rubber mixing mill bearings , or nylon bushes in mixing mill , or want to how to select quality two roll mill equipment, you can refer our blog here .
And you are also welcome to talk Simptek expert now, these rubber compounding kneading machinery can be tailored in our manufacture .