Bearings for harsh conditions on steel mills

January 2024 Motion Control & Drives

When a steel mill was experiencing regular failures of the bearings on its pilger mill, the plant turned to the expertise and experience of NSK for a robust and economic solution. By recommending bearings with 200% more life than the units they replaced, NSK provided the mill with annual savings of €159 933.

To identify the root cause of the issue, NSK’s engineering team performed a technical application analysis, discovering that the main problems were severe operating conditions, exacerbated by high loads and inadequate lubrication. The engineers proposed a special spherical roller bearing, with optimised internal design that took advantage of the company’s proprietary Super Tough (STF) steel.

Durability in extreme operating environments is critical for steel mill bearings. The reliable, uninterrupted performance of rolling components that endure heavy loads and high heat, amid water and scale, is vital. NSK bearings made from STF steel offer outstanding toughness in harsh operating conditions, providing long service life and superior resistance against wear, seizure and heat.

A trial at the steel mill showed that the new bearings had double the operating life. Reductions in production downtime, maintenance labour, replacement bearings and other material replacements led to annual costs savings of €159 933 for the steel mill. NSK offers a complete product line for steel mill processes. NSK bearings can cope with heavy shock loads and vibration, and operating speeds that range from extremely slow to very high, coupled with rapid acceleration and deceleration.

Further reading:

Novel bearing steel next generation of aeroengines
SKF South Africa Motion Control & Drives
SKF continues to re-imagine intelligent and clean rotation with the development of an innovative temperature-resistant, corrosion-tolerant steel called ARCTIC15 designed for aeroengine bearings.

Read more...

---

Products from maxon
Motion Control & Drives
A wide range of new products is available from motion control specialist, maxon. with a diverse technology portfolio ranging from highly integrated robotic actuators to powerful servo drives and controllers.

Read more...

---

Actuators for precise hexapod movements
Motion Control & Drives
Aerotech, manufacturer of high-performance motion control and automation systems, is expanding its Automation1 platform. These compact hexapod devices enable the complete integration of six-axis motion systems into existing control

Read more...

---

SEW-EURODRIVE service centre transforms future of drive repairs
SEW-EURODRIVE Motion Control & Drives
In a momentous step for the local industrial gearbox and drives market, SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa has formally opened a new service and repair facility alongside its headquarters in Aeroton,

Read more...

---

Strategic system upgrades beat mining obsolescence and drive productivity
Motion Control & Drives
Mining operations are under constant pressure to maintain output while controlling costs. One persistent challenge continues to confront the industry, knowing when and how to upgrade aging systems before they become a liability.

Read more...

---

Precision meets performance: The ELGD Axes Family from Festo
Festo South Africa Motion Control & Drives
Festo has introduced the ELGD axes family, engineered for the demands of future-focused industries. With cutting-edge guide technology, exceptional rigidity and high load capacity, these axes deliver more performance within the same installation footprint.

Read more...

---

Condition monitoring in hazardous areas
SKF South Africa Motion Control & Drives
SKF is further strengthening its condition monitoring offer portfolio by a newly developed hazardous area version of its Microlog Analyzer dBX portable vibration analyser.

Read more...

---

Rip-and-ship solution speeds up nuclear decommissioning project
Motion Control & Drives
When removing steam generators from decommissioned nuclear reactor buildings, the most economical method is to remove them in one piece. Mammoet was commissioned by Framatome to support with the removal of four steam generators from PreussenElektra’s Nuclear Power Plant Unterweser in Germany.

Read more...

---

WearCheck turns the focus on friction modifiers
Wearcheck Motion Control & Drives
One of the most important features of a lubricant is the reduction of friction between two surfaces.A dditives like friction modifiers are added to perform this function. Wearcheck turns the focus on friction modifiers

Read more...

---

SEW-EURODRIVE transforms drivetrain uptime
SEW-EURODRIVE Editor's Choice Motion Control & Drives
The DriveRadar IoT Suite from SEW-Eurodrive is an ideal solution for industrial condition monitoring. This powerful ecosystem of intelligent sensors, edge devices and cloud-based analytics ensures that customers have full visibility and control of their operations.

Read more...

---