Beneficial bearing solutions

Removing many of the steps involved in replacing traditional solid bearings reduces downtime. The new FAG Split Cylindrical Roller Bearing Housed Assembly from Schaeffler is engineered and manufactured in halves for this purpose. “You basically assemble the bearing components together around the shaft—with little to no disturbance of a machine’s other components and systems,” explains Rob Schoenherr, Schaeffler Americas senior product manager for mounted products.

By comparison, mounting and dismounting a conventional solid housing and bearing on a shaft typically requires removing parts such as couplings and gears, taking off drives and gearboxes, cutting off the old bearing (or sliding a new one on, if you’re mounting it), and, frequently, stripping the line shafting, Schoenherr explains.

To support carbon neutrality, a new 100% bioplastic heat-resistant cage for rolling bearings is available from NSK. Compared to conventional plastic cages made from fossil fuels, use of the plant-derived material contributes to reducing CO2 emissions. Plastic cages are also lighter, achieve lower friction, and support more advanced, complex shapes than steel cages. Functional evaluation tests of air conditioner fan motor bearings with NSK bioplastic cages versus conventional plastic cages confirmed equivalent performance in noise level, friction, and operating life.

A new CO2 dashboard from SKF helps industry to understand carbon emissions related to the production and use of bearings, including frictional power losses and grease consumption, for different industry applications. When optionally used with SKF’s Bearing Select software tool, users can get a more detailed estimation for single rolling bearings.

“Like SKF, our customers are taking more care when it comes to their carbon footprint. This tool makes an impactful step forward in this regard. We believe that this information will help customers take more data-driven decisions on working towards their CO2 emission targets,” says John Melanson, VP of application engineering at SKF North America.