Success Story
Industry: Cement
Application: Concrete Pipe Cutting
Cost Savings: $40,640
Introduction
A cement customer was experiencing repeated bearing failure on the blade support of a concrete pipe slotting machine. The failures were occurring every 2-3 months, causing 8 hours downtime per failure. NSK Engineers examined the application and determined that ingress of concrete dust was causing premature failure of the bearings. NSK recommended upgrading to Molded-Oil bearings, which would offer better service life. The change in bearing resulted in improved bearing performance with life increasing from 2-3 months to 12 months.
Key Facts
- Concrete pipe slotting
- Bearing replacement every 2-3 months with 8 hours downtime per failure
- Concrete dust contaminated environment
- NSK solution: Molded-Oil bearings
- Significant reduction in downtime, replacement and maintenance costs
- Bearing life increased from just 2-3 months to 12 months
- Concrete pipe
- Molded-Oil
Value Proposals
- The customer experienced bearing failures on a blade support for a concrete pipe slotting machine
- Failed bearing analysis concluded that ingress of cement dust contaminated the grease and caused premature bearing failure
- An application review concluded that the existing shielded Deep Groove Ball Bearings were inadequate for this application
- NSK recommended Molded-Oil bearings with a DDU seal
- A trial was conducted and the results showed no failures over a 12 month period
- This resulted in a significant reduction in maintenance costs, improved productivity and zero lost production
Product Features
- Molded-Oil provides continuous supply of lubrication oil
- Stainless steel for corrosive environments
- Grease-free property with no oil refilling keeps operating environments clean
- Operating life more than twice as long as grease lubrication, in water or dust contaminated environments
- Contact-seal type available in standard inventory for ball bearings
- Achieves extended maintenance-free performance as Molded-Oil provides a continuous supply of lubricant
- Available for high speed applications
- Available on ball bearings, spherical roller bearings and tapered roller bearing types
Cost Saving Breakdown
| Before | Cost p.a. | NSK Solution | Cost p.a. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 failures per year | No failures over one year | |||
| 8 hours downtime per failure $1,270 per hour downtime costs |
$40,640 | NSK Molded-Oil bearings operated without failure for 12 months | € 0 | |
| Total Costs | $40,640 | $0 | ||
Reference:SS-E-2028
