ArvinMeritor Inc. introduced its new lineup of remanufactured brake shoes with PlatinumShield coating which the company said provides industry-leading protection against corrosion and rust jacking.
ArvinMeritor is offering the reman shoes with the new technology at no additional cost over its previous reman product and it includes a threefold increase in warranty protection against rust jacking, three years or 300,000 miles.
The platinum-gray color brake shoes were introduced during the Technology & Maintenance Council meeting and were also presented during Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week in Orlando, Fla., this week.
The brake shows undergo a multi-stage pre-treatment and coating process. “This is not a dip tank [process] with a new liquid inside of it,” said Doug Wolma, general manager of remanufacturing for ArvinMeritor’s Commercial Vehicle Aftermarket (CVA) business.
The development and testing of the PlatinumShield coating took place over at least three years and involved fleet input to create “a true solution,” according to Terry Livingston, general manager for CVA North America. “Everyone will have to move up to that benchmark if they can,” he added. “We invite others to try.”
According to the company, the PlatinumShield coating was developed to resist micro-abrasion caused by the movement of the brake lining against the shoe table during normal use. Rust jacking occurs when rust forms on bare shoe metal under the lining which causes the lining to lift and crack.
The PlatinumShield shield coating will be standard on all Meritor remanufactured production brake shoes with “MA” and “R” prefixes; Meritor MG1, MGL2, MG2, CG and MET OEM aftermarket shoes; and Fras-Le F550, F555, F577, F560, F587, F787T and Combo shoes.
“While rust jacking has been a recurring industry issue, it’s a fact that the increased use of harsh liquid chemicals as winter road solvents can accelerate the formation of rust on shoe metal where the paint has been worn away,” said Wolma.
The brake shoes with PlatinumShield will be remanufactured at the company’s 275,000 square-foot Plainfield, Ind. Facility beginning in May. The PlatinumShield technology will be integrated with new brake shoes later this year.
“PlatinumShield coating represents an entirely new process for protecting brake shows and delivering the performance customers expect,” said Paul Nyers, CVA marketing manager. “The real benefit to our customers is lower overall maintenance costs. The elimination of premature brake jobs resulting from cracked liners will make fleets using these shoes more competitive.”
