Mackay - Rubber Vibration Isolation and Suspension Products

Mackay designs and manufactures a wide range of rubber vibration isolation and suspension products for the rail industry. Mackay’s product range is extensive and includes: primary suspension and secondary suspension bogie springs; traction pads; bushes; buffers, engine and transmission and raft mounts. Mackay also manufactures and supplies a wide range of ancillary equipment vibration isolators.

Specializing in the design and manufacture of engineered rubber products across a wide range of industries and manufacturing processes, Mackay can draw upon a significant depth of experience stretching over more than 75 years and servicing OEMs in the rail, automotive, defence, marine and offshore and mining industries.

Rubber vibration isolation and suspension products for the rail industry

Low volume design and manufacture of engineered products is a notable expertise of Mackay, an expertise which has been honed through the design and manufacture of components for a small but demanding and highly competitive market place.

In the rail industry this has resulted in Mackay being selected for many relatively small projects for the design and manufacture of replacement and upgrade components. Projects as small as components for four locomotives or three-car passenger sets have been undertaken by Mackay

Accredited to ISO9001 and TS16949 (Automotive), and employing CAE methods, Mackay designs the product, develops the rubber compounds in-house and manufactures using a wide range of processes.

Custom rubber component design and manufacturing

Mackay focuses upon the design of custom engineered products and the re-engineering of existing products to achieve improved durability and performance. Mackay does not focus upon selling existing designs which may not be the best engineering solution.

The highly competitive and technically demanding Australian market has formed Mackay into a responsive and flexible rubber design and manufacturing facility with an ability to meet demanding specifications at relatively small volumes.

Mackay’s elastomeric bogie components have been selected for use across the Australian network, the China-Tibet rail link, China's mainland railways, Singapore, Thailand and are under consideration in a number of new markets.

Engineering design and materials development

Non-linear FEA, kinematic modeling and modal analysis tools are used in the engineering design of elastomeric rail products. In-house compound development in an accredited laboratory, combined with in-house compounding facilities, ensures that Mackay uses closely controlled and custom-designed materials for specific applications. The result is product in which all components are specifically designed to suit the application.

The strength of Mackay is design of replacement and re-engineered products which have been re-evaluated and re-designed after examination of the original product’s durability and performance in service.

Passenger and locomotive primary suspension elements

Primary suspension mounts for driver and trailing cars, and locomotives, with and without integral hydraulic damping. Mackay has re-engineered existing designs to provide improvements in creep performance by materials development, to provide improved damping performance and eliminate hydraulic fluid leaks.

Locomotive secondary suspension

Design and manufacture of original equipment for locomotive secondary suspensions is a core skill of Mackay. Mackay has designed and manufactured secondary suspension elements for over a decade.

Bearer and traction pads, bushes and bump stops all work together during bogie operation. Mackay models the resilient element interactions to ensure bogie operating specifications are met.

Engine and transmission vibration mounts

Detailed design of engine and transmission mounting systems is required to ensure the appropriate levels of isolation are achieved. Mackay models the entire engine and transmission raft mounting system to ensure all elements work together to achieve specifications. Mackay designs and manufactures new mounts where necessary to achieve the optimum solution.