Quadrupling Bearing Life in Concrete Pipe-Cutting Applications
A customer in the cement industry was facing ongoing operational issues due to repeated bearing failures on the blade support of a concrete pipe slotting machine. The bearings were failing every eight to twelve weeks on average, with each instance resulting in approximately eight hours of unplanned downtime.
After the customer reached out to us, NSK engineers conducted a thorough bearing failure analysis and Application Review. It was determined that traditional Deep Groove Ball Bearings weren’t able to stand up to a harsh environment filled with abrasive concrete dust. Specifically, it was found that ingress of said dust was contaminating the bearing grease and directly causing the premature failures.
"NSK’s Molded-Oil bearing technology can transform performance and reliability in harsh, dust-laden environments"
Anton Mozhaev, NSK Europe’s Sector Manager for Cement
We saved them €38,400
To address the issue, NSK recommended the customer adopt Molded-Oil bearings with DDU contact seals. These bearings, and their grease-free lubrication system, are uniquely designed for use in contaminated environments. The Molded-Oil technology features a solid lubricant material, which continuously releases oil into the bearing during operation, removing the need for relubrication and significantly improving contamination resistance.
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‘This case clearly demonstrates how NSK’s Molded-Oil bearing technology can transform performance and reliability in harsh, dust-laden environments like cement manufacturing,’ said Anton Mozhaev, NSK Europe’s Sector Manager for Cement. ‘By identifying the root cause of the failures and implementing a targeted, durable solution, NSK helped this customer achieve lasting performance improvements alongside substantial cost savings.’
The customer agreed to carry out a trial, and adopted the Molded-Oil bearings on the blade support of the concrete pipe slotting machine. Over a full 12-month period, the customer reported zero bearing failures, where they would previously have expected four to six; a significant improvement. This in turn led to a dramatic reduction in maintenance interventions and a complete elimination of unplanned downtime over the course of the year. With fewer replacements, lower labour costs, and improved machine availability, the customer achieved cost savings of €38,400.
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