An Italian paper company was experiencing reliability problems in a combustive air unit of a continuous paper machine. The bearings within the application were only lasting 4 months on average. In some cases, they broke down prematurely causing unplanned maintenance. The customer requested an NSK technical proposal in order to increase bearings life. NSK engineers analyzed the application and found that the high temperature was causing bearing failure. NSK proposed a high temperature specification bearing (heat treatment, seals and lubrication grease). Since implementation the bearings are still running after 12 months. The solution reduced maintenance requirements and in addition, re-lubrication operations are no longer necessary.
Before | Cost p.a. | NSK Solution | Cost p.a. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bearing replacements | $312 | Bearing replacements | $122 | |
Maintenance time 3 hours/failure Costs $27/h x 3 people |
$972 | Maintenance time 3 hours/failure Costs x $27/h x 3 people |
$243 | |
Downtime x 3 hours x $748/h 4 replacements |
$8,976 | Downtime x 3 hours x $748/h 1 replacement |
$2,245 | |
24 operations x 5 min x $27/h | $54 | Lubrication no longer necessary | $0 | |
Total Costs | $10,314 | $2,610 |
Reference:SS-E-4005