Northern Rare Earth Employees Extend Bearing Life with Homemade Protective Covers

Recently, a self-improvement project led by grassroots employees at the Northern Rare Earth Smelting Branch (Huamei Company) has achieved tangible results. By installing a simple protective device on the filter press bearings, a long-standing corrosion problem was successfully solved, achieving both stable equipment operation and optimized operating costs with almost zero additional cost.

It is understood that the bearing housings of three filters in the western post-processing section of Workshop 2 at the company were severely corroded due to their design, as they were constantly exposed to the working environment and frequently came into contact with highly corrosive liquids. Previously, each machine required bearing replacement twice a year, with spare parts procurement costs exceeding 20,000 yuan. The high frequency of maintenance disrupted continuous production, becoming a major bottleneck to efficiency.

Faced with this persistent problem, frontline employees took the initiative, using recycled waste PP sheets to design and manufacture a special protective cover that fits the bearing structure. Although the device is simple in structure, it cleverly changes the flow path of the corrosive liquid—effectively blocking and guiding the liquid away from the bearing housing area, cutting off contact with the corrosive medium at its source.

After implementing these improvements, the results were quickly apparent:

Bearing lifespan was significantly extended, reducing the annual replacement frequency and directly lowering procurement costs; Reduced maintenance frequency not only saved labor costs but also lessened the burden on operators; Equipment operation became more stable and reliable, providing solid support for the continuous and efficient operation of the production line.

This small-scale improvement leveraged significant benefits with minimal investment, achieving a double reduction in spare parts consumption and maintenance costs, and a double improvement in operational stability and production efficiency. The project not only demonstrates the innovative wisdom of frontline employees in solving problems within their roles but also provides a replicable practical model for enterprises to promote lean management and reduce costs and increase efficiency.