Sam Turner, Key Account Manager - NTN-SNR
At the heart of our commitment, NTN innovates and designs differentiating products to deliver the perfect solutions to the issues and constraints of today and tomorrow. As a world leader in precision mechanics, safety and customer satisfaction is paramount in order to provide the best solutions to the markets we serve. In line with these values of “bringing the best solutions and innovations to your production”, we are unveiling the “SENTINEL SERIES” solid lubrication bearing solution. This eco-responsible innovation, which has met with great success across the Atlantic, was designed to improve the safety, efficiency and production for food manufacturers.
Introducing the Sentinel Range
The food industry is a highly competitive market requiring robust bearings, they must be able to meet strict hygiene and environmental standards while ensuring safety and productivity. With this in mind, NTN has chosen to deploy a range of certified, premium bearings with a high level of sophistication. This range is perfectly adapted to the food-processing market and reduces overconsumption of grease, costs associated with maintenance and frequent bearing replacement.
Launched in the USA in 2017, the SENTINEL SERIES range has proven itself in one of the world’s most dynamic markets. A significant commercial success and a great technological achievement, it was awarded the product design award twice in 2018 and 2019. This SENTINEL SERIES all-stainless steel designed to withstand corrosion, is currently applied to two types of products: insert ball bearings with stainless steel or thermoplastic bearing units and standard ball bearings 6000 to 6008 and 6200 to 6208 series.
SENTINEL SERIES bearings are commonly used in food processing for conveying, filling machines and brushing machines. But they can be used on all applications exposed to corrosion, high-pressure washing or where a high level of cleanliness is required. Thanks to the use of solid lubrication, grease leakage is limited.
The special feature of this range is its composition. The standard grease is replaced by a porous polymer matrix filled with an NSF category H1 certified food-grade lubricant. It thus acts as a “sponge”: at each rotation it releases the quantity of oil necessary for the proper functioning of the bearing and then absorbs the excess when the machine is stopped. In this way, the flow of oil is regulated, which ensures the cleanliness of the machine and increases the service life of the bearing.
Unlike conventional greases, this solid lubrication is not forced out or dissolved from inside the bearing, especially during machine washing. It also contains 3 to 4 times more oil than standard grease.
This system, which combines technical quality and high-performance materials, ensures safety and reliability. It also enables NTN to guarantee users benefits in terms of productivity and profitability thanks to extended service life, longer replacement intervals, re-greasing made unnecessary and reduction in downtime.
Eliminating grease leaks on production lines for improved quality and safety also creates a positive perception during customer audits and visits.
This range is also part of a 100% eco-responsible approach by fighting against waste and the concept of “wear” parts. By reducing bearing waste, grease consumption and maintenance interventions, it enables the food processing sector to be perfectly in line with their ISO 14001 certification and/or any corporate CSR approach.
First For Bearings
This article features in Issue 5 of First For Bearings magazine, the official publication of Hayley Bearing Solutions. View this issue online, or download it, by clicking the button below.
