-
NSK doubles bearing life in continuous casting machine application
Cylindrical roller bearings mounted to a continuous casting machine were only lasting 1-2 months prior to failure at a major steelmaking plant in Europe. To remedy the situation, the facility invited NSK’s team of experts to review the application and operating conditions, a process that ultimately led to the adoption of NSK’s sealed spherical roller bearings. The result: annual savings of €14,850 in downtime and maintenance costs. The machine in question produces I-section beams using a series of rolls to maintain pressure on the profile as the molten steel solidifies. Shaft-mounted bearings support each set of rolls. At the steel plant, the cylindrical roller bearings were lubricated with oil via…
-
NSK renews A-series Agri Disc Hubs with AS range launch
As part of an initiative to ensure its products continue meeting the latest demands of the agriculture industry, NSK is bringing to market a renewed range of A-series Agri Disc Hub bearing units. The new AS series Agri Disc Hubs will be available from stock to meet Europe-wide demand for quick deliver. Quality, performance and cost were the three primary factors in NSK’s renewal of its AHU28117A series Agri Disc Hubs. The new range, denoted by the AS suffix, covers three popular sizes: AHU28117AS-01 (four holes), AHU28117AS-02 (five holes) and AHU28117AS-03 (six holes). These new products deliver a number of attributes that help to enhance performance in challenging agricultural applications,…
-
NSK develops self-lubricating deep groove ball bearings for submersible pumps in cryogenic applications
For use in submersible pumps that handle cryogenic gases such as hydrogen and LNG, NSK has developed rolling bearings that do not require external lubrication. These stainless-steel bearings with a cage made of self-lubricating fluoroplastic are seeing increasing adoption in submersible pumps from leading manufacturers. A growing number of projects worldwide are today promoting the use of hydrogen as an energy source. These projects often use special submersible pumps that can reliably pump gaseous and liquid media in continuous or intermittent operation – at low temperatures down to around -200°C. In such pumps, the double bearing of the pump shaft is a critical design element. Corrosion resistance is essential, and…
-
All five NSK European production plants sourcing green electricity
NSK has signed a contract with the electricity provider of its two UK manufacturing facilities in Newark (industrial bearings and linear guides) and Peterlee (automotive bearings) that ensures the supply of ‘green electricity’ generated from wind power. In other words, the provider confirms that it is producing green electricity from renewable sources to match the consumption demands of NSK’s UK-based plants. With these contracts, all five NSK European production plants – including Munderkingen in Germany and Kielce and Wałbrzych in Poland – are now sourcing green electricity, as is the company’s European headquarters and technology centre in Ratingen, Germany. This positive development is one of many steps that NSK is…
-
NSK Super-TF spherical roller bearings offer long service life in contaminated environments
Unforeseen bearing failures in production-critical machines and equipment can prove extremely costly in replacement parts, labour and downtime, all of which have a negative impact on bottom-line profitability. This problem becomes worse in contaminated environments, such as those prevalent in steel manufacturing, which is why increasing numbers of steel plants are turning to the advantages offered by NSK’s long-life Super-TF spherical roller bearings. Manufactured from a specially developed, proprietary material, these bearings are able to increase service life and uptime significantly. NSK Super-Tough (Super-TF) bearing steel is a proprietary material that is not only ideal for very high load applications, but has a proven ability to reduce surface-originated flaking from…
-
Achieve competitive gain with NSK TL spherical roller bearings
NSK TL series spherical roller bearings are active across the world in a host of papermaking machinery applications. Set against conventional spherical roller bearings with standard heat treatment, this advanced product is proving increasingly popular due to a number of distinct benefits that include enhanced inner ring strength, longer service life and dimensional stability at high operating temperatures. The original development of TL (tough and long life) bearings was to solve a specific problem: inner ring fractures of spherical roller bearings with tapered bores, particularly when used with a relatively high interference fit. This issue can occur on dryer cylinders (including Yankee dryer rolls) and calender rolls, where super-heated steam…
-
Changing to NSK Molded-Oil bearings reduces maintenance costs at a car wash
The operator of a car wash line in Germany repeatedly had to replace bearings in the rotary unions of the system’s wash heads, leading to costs of over €12,000 per annum for spare parts alone. However, maintenance costs were reduced to zero after replacing the bearings with NSK Molded-Oil deep groove ball bearings featuring DDU seals. An average car wash in Germany cleans more than 110,000 cars every year. In terms of the drive components in the wash bars and heads, the application is equivalent to an endurance test with water and cleaning agent spray. The bearings in the rotary unions of the wash heads undergo the same treatment, and…
-
NSK SWR spherical roller bearings overcome challenges of continuous casting
The bearings used in continuous casting machines have to endure arduous operating conditions that include high temperatures, heavy loads, ultra-low speeds, water/water vapour and scale. As a result, bearing failures such as wear, flaking and fracture are commonplace, prompting increasing numbers of steel manufacturing plants to adopt NSK SWR (Super Wear Resistant) spherical roller bearings. These advanced bearings provide several times more wear resistance, flaking life and outer ring toughness than standard counterparts made from AISI 52100 bearing steel. Among those enjoying the benefits of the NSK SWR series is an international steel manufacturing plant that was previously experiencing regular bearing failures in a continuous casting machine. The machine produces…
-
NSK triple lip seal provides ultimate bearing protection
Bearings that operate in conditions with a high degree of contamination must offer many attributes. A highly efficient sealing arrangement is priority number one. However, these bearings must also be cost-effective and provide easy, quick and convenient fitting and removal, including the capability to counter any misalignment during assembly. To help meet all of these demands, an increasing number of OEMs and manufacturing plants are finding the optimum solution in NSK’s Self-Lube® bearing units with triple lip seal. Self-Lube® bearing units help users to combat extreme condition challenges through a broad portfolio of reliable inserts and housings. Notably, these cost-effective units provide a simple and fast solution for mounting bearings…
-
Big performance from small NSK ball screws
A new high-speed series of miniature large-lead ball screws from NSK Linear Motion Control offers a number of important benefits to users, including reduced product takt time, the potential to downsize equipment, and reduced power consumption. Among the applications set to benefit are semiconductor chip mounters and parts aligning equipment. The performance attributes of the new ball screws, together with a large lead and small diameter, make the products optimal for equipment used in the semiconductor industry, where demands include exceptionally high levels of throughput and chip mounting accuracy. NSK has successfully reduced the load on motors by making the ball screw shaft diameter as small as possible to reduce…
