NHK Spring group company 特殊発條興業 (Tokuhatsu) has developed a new differential washer, a sliding component inside differentials, that uses microgroove technology to reduce its size, stabilize the oil film and lower costs by eliminating surface treatment. Supply to domestic automakers has already begun from the Mita Plant.
The new differential washer uses ULTRA FINE TEXTURE (UFT), with a design that forms fine grooves on the sliding surface to retain lubricating oil and stabilize the oil film. Conventional products used PTFE-based nickel plating for surface treatment, but the new product forms the grooves through press processing, eliminating the surface treatment process.
The product is highlighted for reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining seizure resistance equivalent to that of conventional products. The retention of lubricating oil in the microgrooves, combined with the new technology, may also contribute to weight reduction in sliding components inside differentials.
The differential washer, jointly developed with a domestic automaker, is now being supplied from the Mita Plant in Sanda, Hyogo Prefecture. Its future product rollout will be closely watched.