# Plastic Washers

Plastic washers are low-friction spacing components commonly used in FRC to reduce wear, prevent metal-on-metal contact, and fine-tune alignment in assemblies. West Coast Products (WCP) offers commonly used versions designed for FRC mechanisms.

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</div>## What They Do

Plastic washers are placed between moving or clamped components to:

- Reduce friction between metal parts
- Prevent scratching or galling of aluminum surfaces
- Act as precise spacing shims
- Improve smoothness in rotating assemblies

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</div>## Why Teams Use Them

Compared to metal washers, plastic washers:

- Are lighter
- Reduce wear on aluminum and steel parts
- Provide smoother sliding surfaces
- Help eliminate binding in tight assemblies

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</div>## Common Applications

- Shaft assemblies with gears, sprockets, or pulleys
- Bearing stacks and spacing control
- Pivot joints in arms or linkages
- Low-friction interfaces in sliding mechanisms

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</div>## Material Properties

Plastic washers (such as those from WCP) typically:

- Have low friction surfaces
- Compress slightly under load for fine adjustment
- Do not corrode or seize like metal-on-metal contact
- Wear faster than metal but are easily replaceable

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</div>## Best Practices

- Use plastic washers where parts rotate or slide against each other
- Avoid over-compressing them in high-load structural joints
- Combine with proper spacers for precise alignment
- Replace if they become excessively worn or deformed

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</div>## Key Idea

Plastic washers are used in FRC to reduce friction and wear while improving spacing accuracy in moving assemblies, making mechanisms smoother and more reliable over time.