The steel plant was seeing
up to three bearing failures a year on a rotary coal valve used in its ore preparation process. In addition to the cost of replacement the bearings, the failures had knock-on effects in terms of lost production, downtime and damage to associated components. To help, NSK conducted a full
application review, which included a temperature survey and a bearing condition report. The review revealed that the current bearing was inadequate for the high process temperatures, while the lubrication quantities and frequencies were incorrect. So, NSK recommended a customised RHP Self-Lube HLT bearing insert within an RHP Self-Lube cast iron FC housing, plus a bespoke adaptor plate and a special heat-isolating spacer. As the name suggests, re-lubrication capability is standard. RHP Self-Lube units include two basic
components, the insert and the housing. Each unit consists of a sealed single-row ball bearing with spherical outside diameter and extended inner ringmounted in a high-quality flanged housingmade froma rigid one-piece design. Importantly, spherical seating accommodates any initial misalignment whenmounting. Self-Lube inserts, which feature
hardened, high-quality steel for inner and outer rings, also offer optimised internal
geometry, a two-piece riveted high- strength steel cage, high-performance grease and durable silicone seals. The HLT inserts implemented at the steel plant provide opportunities to reduce maintenance, downtime and replacement costs when operating at temperatures up to 180˚C. According to the company, the units are
available with various lockingmethods for close-fit shaftmounting. This feature, combined with a complete range of sealing solutions for all environments,makes NSK RHP Self-Lube a very versatile product. For the rotary valve bearings at the
steel plant, NSK also recommended changes to the lubrication quantities and frequencies, and oversaw the fitting of the new bearings as part of a trial. Following 12months in operation, the
bearings had still not failed and delivered a total annual cost saving for the customer of 292,136 Euros. This calculation includes cost savings associated with: the elimination of downtime due to bearing failures; fewer bearing purchase orders; reduced bearing replacement time; and the removal of compressed air cooling to help control the overheating of previous bearings.
Linear actuators are frequently used with
sensors and integrated machine controls where systems of this type facilitate indexing, positioning, holding, removing and manipulating workpieces; or for equipment under operation via manual or electric motor control. Typical applications include the functioning of valves, workpiece holding, clamping, and automation of machine components, especially in conjunction
with other robot or engineering elements. These linear actuators are said to enable precise
control of components and processes with human or automated/robotic control interfaces. They are offered with the GN 391 connecting unit and a range of clamp bases and connectors for easy mounting. The round and square body sections of the GN 291 series house AISI 303 stainless steel trapezoidal wormscrews and offer stroke lengths from65mmto 720mm.
Solarmid and iglidur P UV are said by the company to
last much longer than standard polymers, especially in 2P (two-in-portrait) tracker applications where the bearings have to withstand direct sunlight for hours. In field tests, the materials’ properties were shown to have up to three times the UV resistance of other tribo polymers. In solar farms all over the world, more operators rely on
bifacial solar modules, which capture incoming sunlight from both the front and back of the solar panel. Thesemodules have to endure thousands of hours of bright sunlight, and often sand, dirt and wind. To ensure that themodules are securely stored on square tubes, igus has produced a solution using its igubal bearings, which have proven themselves successfully in thousands of applications worldwide for years. Until now, the bearings were classically installed mainly
behind the solar module and were therefore only partially exposed to sunlight. In order to further increase the utilisation of solar farms, which convert sunlight into electricity, operators increasingly rely on two bifacial modules that are installed on top of each other, also known as two-in-portrait, or 2P, configuration. Themodules are arranged at a set distance, with the housing
bearings located in between, where the bearings are nowmore exposed to UV radiation. For this application, solarmid and iglidur P UV tribo polymers are used for the solar panel housing and the dome. The materials are lubrication-free and maintenance-free, while at the same time are resistant to dirt and dust, and they have extra UV protection,making themideal for the solar power industry, the company explains. Tested in accordance with ASTM-G154, a standard test for
plastics, it was found that after 2,000 hours under extreme UV irradiation, the bending properties of these new materials changed by only 5%. In comparison, the materials previously used in the solar industry have changed by 14%, the company states.
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