A steel manufacturer was experiencing continued failures of bearings on their Cold Rolling Mill. NSK engineers conducted an application review and found the highly contaminated operating conditions were causing the unexpected failures. This resulted in costly unplanned shutdowns and a reduction in production ratios. NSK STF bearings, made of a long-life Super-Tough Steel, were recommended. STF is made specially to combat debris contamination that enters the lubricant. After a four month running trial, the bearings were sent back to factory for inspection. The laboratory found a residual life between 29-50 months. To date the customer has replaced the bearings once per year during the annual scheduled maintenance.
Before | Cost p.a. | NSK Solution | Cost p.a. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Costs for standard Spherical Roller Bearing per year | $10,290 | Costs for Super-Tough Steel Spherical Roller Bearings per year | $3,430 | |
Three hours/stop to replace bearings Three unexpected stops/year |
$9,647 | No unexpected downtimes Bearings are replaced in the annual scheduled maintenance |
$0 | |
Three hours of downtime to replace bearings Three unexpected stops per year |
$1,286 | Mounting Costs Included in the annual scheduled maintenance |
$321 | |
Total Costs | $21,223 | $3,751 |
Reference:SS-E-7004