Vlier Introduces Ceramic Ball Plungers: Breaking Boundaries in Performance and Customization
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This article is sponsored by Vlier, a trusted manufacturer of custom-engineered parts.
In today’s modern era of manufacturing, industries are demanding greater levels of precision in engineering and increasingly stringent quality control standards. This means that equipment must also evolve to meet these demands by providing higher levels of performance, durability, and customization. Traditional ball plunger technology — long regarded as a reliable solution that provides precise positioning, locking, and pressure application — is revealing its limitations which fail to meet the evolving demands of certain modern applications. Vlier, a pioneering company in the field, has risen to the challenge by innovating a game-changing solution: the ceramic ball plunger.
Utilizing the exceptional properties of ceramic materials, Vlier has successfully addressed the limitations of traditional ball plungers. Their solution offers outstanding durability, enhanced corrosion resistance, and excellent electrical insulation when compared to steel-constructed ball plungers. Steel ball plungers are prone to corrosion, susceptible to abrasion, and possess magnetic properties, preventing their use in corrosive environments such as marine or medical applications, as well as applications in scientific research and electronics where the use of nonmagnetic materials is vital to ensure the integrity of the data and equipment.
“We take immense pride in our company's continuous commitment to innovation, even after 80 years of operation. Our roots trace back to supporting World War II efforts, and here we are, eight decades later, consistently pushing the boundaries with new products and designs,” said Zach Hill, senior mechanical design engineer at Vlier. “What sets Vlier apart and solidifies our strong reputation is our unwavering focus on quality and our ability to cater to unique requirements. We excel at producing custom parts based on special requests, allowing us to serve various applications effectively.”
Using their advanced manufacturing techniques and custom engineering capabilities, Vlier has introduced a ball plunger solution to the market that industries can rely on in applications where traditional ball plungers fail to perform.
Get to Know Vlier
- Vlier specializes in custom engineering and has manufactured custom parts for a diverse range of industries, including producing components for the International Space Station.
- Partnering with a global network of distributors, Vlier is proud to offer a selection of over 3,000 custom and standard solutions available in an extensive range of sizes and materials.
- Placing an emphasis on quality, Vlier holds both ISO:9001 and AS9100 certifications.
Thomas Insights (TI): Can you tell our readers how this product came to be and how it has impacted your customers?
Zach Hill (ZH): The original idea for this product came from a special request from a client in the medical field. They needed a tool for a spinal surgery procedure that would mitigate the amount of pressure placed on the bone. Because of its hygienic and non-marring nature, ceramic was the ideal material for this application.
We created a ceramic ball plunger with the ability to set a critical torque value appropriate for the procedure that ensured there would be no damage incurred to the patient’s bones. This case was the impetus for our new line of ceramic ball plungers. With the natural benefits of ceramic materials, we immediately recognized the value of this new product in countless other industries, and we’ve had numerous requests for similar parts since then. We are the first to bring a standard alumina oxide ceramic ball plunger onto the market.
Ceramic has many unique properties that make it an excellent solution for a wide range of applications in many industries. It is abrasion-resistant and low friction, and it's harder than steel while being lighter in weight. Ceramic also works as an excellent electrical insulator, so it won’t conduct electricity. It has a much better temperature tolerance than steel, and it’s less likely to mark up its mating piece. Because of these characteristics, our ceramic ball plunger is extremely versatile and, though it's new to the market, we anticipate it making an impact in many industries, including automotive, electronics, and scientific research — just to name a few.
TI: What is one of the biggest questions you get from your clients and how do you respond to them?
ZH: Custom parts are our specialty. Our clients regularly come to us with a part and say “We need this part, but we need to make it with this specific modification.” Whether they need the part in a different length, thread size, force, or material, our answer is virtually always, “Yes.”
If one of our customers comes to us with an idea, we always make efforts to follow through on it if it presents a real opportunity to create a useful product with longevity in the market. We have further illustrated this commitment with the introduction of our new line of ceramic ball plungers, which, as I previously mentioned, was a request for a custom-engineered solution from a client in the medical industry. As a company, we pride ourselves on being able to create a truly custom solution for any application.
TI: As a company with a diverse portfolio, have you identified any trends in the industries you work with and what are you doing to stay ahead of the curve?
ZH: Our parts are everywhere. The chances are high that there is something in your office that has one of our parts in it. We don’t just make spring plungers. We also make leveling devices, locking pins, mechanical components, and more. Because we work with so many industries, it is critical that we keep up with the quality and regulatory requirements for each one. We want quality to be synonymous with the name Vlier.
Recently, we have seen a growing usage of our parts in the automotive industry. This has led us to tighten our quality standards for reporting and documentation to meet their requirements. This will benefit our clients in other industries, as well. We’ve noticed that a lot more parts requests are coming in from varying industries with requirements for higher-quality documentation and testing. We have elevated our processes and standards preemptively in an effort to get ahead and familiarize ourselves with the proper way to report this data before it becomes a requirement. So, when it does, we are already prepared to deliver a higher level of quality at a faster rate — which is what we’re known for.
Learn more about how Vlier’s ceramic ball plungers can work for you.
