Through SKF expertise in clearance modification, a longstanding customer was able to salvage inventory that would otherwise have been rejected, avoiding redundant procurement and scrap costs, and achieving significant savings. The project delivered immediate value for the customer and confirmed an additional capability within SKF’s Reman services, ie, the ability to alter a bearing’s clearance to a specified upper range.
SKF has been supplying the customer, a leading OEM supplier of bulk materials handling equipment solutions to mining and heavy industry, with a range of industrial products and seals since September 2022. “Building on this successful foundation, we have now strengthened our customer partnership by expanding our offering into service solutions to remanufacturing,” says Shailin Govender, SKF key account manager, heavy industries.
SKF South Africa’s specialist Bearing Remanufacturing Centre, located at its Johannesburg head office, demonstrates the company’s commitment to circularity by extending the life of high-value bearings and housings through second, third and even fourth use. Circularity replaces the conventional ‘take make waste’ approach with regenerative cycles that keep products, materials and resources in circulation for longer. By prioritising reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycling, SKF minimises waste, conserves valuable resources and contributes to lower emissions. “However, clearance modification through remanufacturing was a new capability for the team,” explains Govender.
“Our customer had previously purchased SKF 24160CCW33 spherical roller bearings with standard clearance designed for use in the mining industry, specifically in crusher units. However, their end user specified C3, placing the customer at risk of having to scrap the inventory. This prompted them to approach SKF to modify bearing clearance to C3 within the framework of the existing value-based partnership.”
In addition to underscoring the pivotal role of radial internal clearance in bearing remanufacturing, Govender also elaborates on how clearances are defined and applied. He explains that radial internal clearances are set in ranges, with C3 denoting greater than normal clearance, while C4 is larger still. These ranges can be further refined to indicate position within the band. For example, C4L reflects the lower end of the C4 range, whereas C4H marks the upper end. “Such precise measurement provides critical insight into the bearing’s condition and guides the remanufacturing strategy. If the clearance is already at the upper threshold, it is likely to shift into the next class due to material removal.”
“This rigorous focus on clearance secures accuracy in remanufacturing and extends bearing life, while underscoring SKF’s commitment to sustainable practices by responsibly prolonging product lifecycles. We are able to adjust tolerances for multiple bearing types, provided they meet the necessary criteria for remanufacture,” says Govender.
After carefully inspecting the bearings, the SKF Reman team disassembled and extensively polished the units to replicate factory production processes. They were then measured against the defined clearance tolerances for C3 bearings and confirmed to meet requirements, successfully increasing the bearings’ clearance to the specified C3 range while upholding SKF’s stringent quality standards. In addition to delivering value for the customer through its wide scope of Reman capabilities, SKF also achieved notable sustainability gains, including reduced emissions and lower direct energy consumption.
Although the process had never been tested before, SKF successfully demonstrated an additional capability within its Reman services, altering a bearing’s clearance to a specified upper range. By meeting the customer’s requirements, the Reman team salvaged critical inventory and proved its standing as a premium service provider, reinforcing SKF’s reputation for innovation and reliability.
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