Bearings deliver major savings at snack food plant
June 2024
Motion Control & Drives
Production uptime is vital in process industries such as food and beverage. Many companies in this sector operate a business model based on high volume throughput and narrow profit margins in order to remain competitive in a fierce marketplace. Any line stoppages can therefore have a highly detrimental effect on the bottom line.
A case in point is a producer of snack foods that began experiencing frequent bearing failures on its process-critical cutter lines. To resolve the situation as quickly as possible, the plant turned to the expertise of NSK. As part of NSK’s Added Value Programme, AIP, a process map survey was conducted on site. This involved an investigation into the failed bearings by NSK’s experienced engineering team. This identified the problem as grease expulsion to line washdown procedures. The issue was prompting bearing replacement every six weeks during routine planned maintenance to help prevent unplanned stoppages. However, failures sometimes occurred before scheduled maintenance, resulting in the loss of valuable production time, the cost of which ran into six figures a year.
NSK proposed replacing the incumbent bearings with the company’s Life-Lube housed bearing units. The Life-Lube series combines the corrosion-resistant properties of NSK’s Silver-Lube thermoplastic (paint-free) housings with the excellent sealing and lubricating properties of the company’s Molded-Oil inserts, which feature solid lubricant. This proprietary material consists of lubricant and a polyolefin resin with an affinity for oil. Grease is released steadily and continuously over a long period. The operating environment stays clean, as there is no need for replenishment and no lubricant can escape.
Life-Lube units are specifically for use in applications where contact with water and process fluids is unavoidable, and where long lubricant life is necessary. NSK therefore identified Life-Lube as the optimal solution for the snack food plant and its detergent-based washdown procedures. NSK proposed a trial of Life-Lube housed bearing units on one of three cutter lines at the plant, the monitoring of which would determine suitability. After one year, the bearings were still performing well with no failures, eliminating production downtime entirely. In addition to substantially lower costs for parts and maintenance labour, the plant is seeing impressive annual savings of €134 478.
Further reading:
Sinamics G210 versatile drive for continuous motion applications
Motion Control & Drives
Siemens has expanded its drive portfolio with the Sinamics G210, a versatile converter for continuous motion applications that combines motor openness with modular hardware, software options and flexible communication on a scalable OEM platform.
Read more...
Trends and outlook for actuators in humanoid motion
Motion Control & Drives
The humanoid robotics industry is shifting from prototype development to early commercial adoption, with electric actuators dominating current designs and materials innovation set to define next-generation hardware. IDTechEx forecasts a 47% compound annual growth rate for humanoid unit sales over the next decade.
Read more...
Specialist girder frame trailer solves challenging transformer delivery
Motion Control & Drives
Mammoet used its high-capacity girder frame trailer to transport an oversized Hitachi Energy transformer 130?km by road from Ludvika to Köping Port in Sweden, then completed a RoRo transfer to a heavy-lift vessel bound for China.
Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE to exhibit energy-efficient automation at Propak Cape
SEW-EURODRIVE
Motion Control & Drives
SEW-EURODRIVE will showcase its MOVI-C modular automation portfolio at Propak Cape, demonstrating how integrated drive and automation technologies can help processing and packaging companies reduce energy consumption and improve production consistency.
Read more...
XPlanar aids innovation in laser processing
Beckhoff Automation
Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
Aalborg University is among the first in the world to test Beckhoff’s XPlanar intelligent transport system in advanced laser processes, achieving micrometer-precise workpiece positioning and dramatically shorter lead times compared with traditional tool-based manufacturing.
Read more...
Sinamics G210X for advanced pump, fan and compressor applications
Siemens South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
Siemens has introduced the Sinamics G210X, a frequency converter for pump, fan and compressor applications combining easy engineering, IP55 protection and integrated S2 system redundancy for reliable operation in demanding infrastructure environments.
Read more...
Pittsburgh’s Commercial Street Bridge replaced in under 24 hours
Motion Control & Drives
Mammoet used specialist skidding equipment to slide a 10?000 ton replacement bridge into position on Pittsburgh’s Commercial Street in a single day shift, cutting what would have been four years of traffic disruption to just 17 days of closure.
Read more...
Managing inertia, loads and speed in modern linear motion systems
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
Motion Control & Drives
BMG, through its partnership with Rollon, supplies advanced linear motion systems for high-load, high-speed robotics and automation applications. Specialist guidance on inertia, mechanical stress and cantilevered loading helps engineers select the right solution for demanding environments.
Read more...
Mammoet completes major bridge replacement at Amsterdam Centraal Station
Motion Control & Drives
Mammoet completes the second of five major bridge replacements at Amsterdam Centraal Station, transporting steel deck sections by water to keep the station open throughout the works.
Read more...
ndustry expertise drives SEW-EURODRIVE’s Electra Mining Africa presence
Motion Control & Drives
SEW-EURODRIVE will showcase industry-specific drive technology, modernisation services and expanded aftermarket support at Electra Mining Africa 2026, with a focus on lifecycle support and operational optimisation.
Read more...
printer friendly version