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Introduction

Customer was experiencing ball bearing failures every 4 – 6 weeks on their production conveyor line. Regular high pressure wash-downs led to corrosion, seal damage and grease wash-out, resulting in regular maintenance and production downtime. NSK reviewed the bearing application and recommend NSK Life-Lube® as a solution. Trial bearings were purchased and tested in the application. This resulted in significant improvements in bearing life with no failures during the trial period. The NSK solution increased reliability and reduced unplanned downtime.

Key Facts

  • Food production conveyor
  • Bearing corrosion, seal damage and grease wash-out due to high pressure wash-downs
  • NSK Solution: Stainless steel Molded-Oil bearing inserts
  • 12 month trial on 10 bearings
  • Highly increased life-time: No failures after 12 months in operation
  • Cost reduced for replacement bearings, lubrication and maintenance
  • Productivity improvement
  • Conveyor belt
  • Molded-Oil Bearings

Value Proposals

  • NSK reviewed the bearing application and discovered that bearing corrosion and grease wash out were the main issues
  • A trial was proposed using Stainless steel Molded-Oil bearing inserts
  • After 12 months the bearings were still performing well with no failures
  • From this trial the solution was applied to other similar applications generating significant cost savings
  • This success was then transferred to other production sites within the company

Product Features

  • PBT thermoplastic resin housing
  • Molded-Oil inserts (with solid lubricant)
  • Martensitic stainless steel
  • Nitrile rubber seals
  • Available in Pillow Block, 2 and 4 bolt flanges and take-up unit housings
  • Bore size 20mm - 40mm
  • Corrosion resistance
  • Paint free housings, preventing chipping & flaking
  • Resistant to contamination increasing operating life
  • Ideal for operations where process fluid is unavoidable
  • No need for re-lubrication

Cost Saving Breakdown

Before Cost p.a. NSK Solution Cost p.a.
Bearing Replacement: Regular bearing failures every 4-5 weeks on two key process lines. Annual bearing costs: $983 per line × 2  $1,966 Bearing Replacement: No bearing failures in 12 months, resulting in inventory reduction. $568 per line × 2 $1,137
Maintenance costs: including re-lubrication, labour, overheads: $1,753 per line × 2  $3,506 Maintenance Costs: No re-lubrication needed $0
Downtime: Lost production (12×/year). $35,061 per line × 2  $70,122 Downtime: No production lost  $0
Total Costs $75,594 $1,137

Reference:SS-E-2003