NSK – What’s New in ’22?

Dennis Briggs-Price, UK Aftermarket Field Sales Manager

 

The modern industrial world is emerging from an unprecedented period. Covid-19 bought numerous challenges, prompting many to predict a prolonged economic downturn. But industry has bounced back more strongly and quickly than any could have anticipated. Sure enough, some challenges remain which industry is working hard to overcome, with raw material increases and soaring energy prices being the main concerns.

The upshot of these effects is companies focusing more than ever on driving new efficiencies. Here, reliance on new products and services will be essential as the manufacturing sector ‘engineers’ its way back to full strength.

AIP - The Way to a healthy machine

NSK firmly believes that in addition to providing high quality products, it is also the company’s duty, working with Hayley, to make customers more profitable through the provision of a range of technical consultancy, analytical and value-adding services. NSK’s AIP Added Value Programme is a real opportunity to unlock additional profitability through improved machine reliability.

Finding ways to improve machine reliability, increase the working knowledge of engineering and maintenance personnel, and reduce working capital are all central to the AIP programme.

Identifying an efficient bearing solution is often a complex task that requires expert knowledge and experience. It also calls for a carefully planned approach, which must achieve a specific goal: increasing the productivity of machines and plant. The AIP value cycle is a standardised, tried and tested process, which has proved successful in a large number of client projects. NSK fully trains its engineers to find the causes of pain and recommend proven solutions that help enhance the reliability of the machine or system. Initially, it is often difficult to identify the factors which contribute to high production costs. Sometimes problems can go undetected for years, driving up costs and reducing profitability. Identifying the factors which contribute to high production costs takes an expert eye for detail.

NSK experts take a close look at working practices, production processes and bearing choices, to assess the areas likely to offer the best returns. Notably, bearing users receive a comprehensive review which highlights opportunities for improvement. Based on collected plant data and the condition of machines, NSK can recommend the optimum bearing solution. The company also provides information on machine component design, available part numbers and running conditions.

Where bearings have worn prematurely or failed there are usually several reasons. Using state-of-the-art bearing failure analysis, lubricant analysis and dimensional measurement equipment, NSK can identify the root cause of problems and make recommendations for improving bearing choice and machine design.

Furthermore, NSK’s range of training supports maintenance personnel, enabling them to strengthen their bearing knowledge, leading to optimum use of NSK products and genuine TCO (total cost of ownership) savings. As an important point, the company tailors its training to match the needs of each bearing user.

Innovate to accumulate

NSK has a long and proud tradition of bringing new products to market that make a genuine difference to productivity, reliability, or bottomline profitability. A case in point is the company’s new ECA series spherical roller bearings, which supersedes the CAM series, and is completely interchangeable with existing solutions. NSK’s next generation spherical roller bearings deliver 47% more dynamic load rating, 22% more static load rating and 20% higher limiting speed. The result is  longer service life and reduced maintenance costs for users in industries that include agriculture, steel and metals, material handling, quarrying and mining, industrial gearboxes, cement, paper, and petrochemical.

The benefits arrive courtesy of an optimised design and advanced NSK technology. For instance, the next-generation precisionmachined solid brass cage with contoured roller pockets significantly reduces unnecessary roller motion during rotation. The new design also packs in more rollers of a larger size for world-leading load capacity. Along with higher limiting speeds and high temperature dimensional stability, customers upgrading to the new series spherical roller bearings can reduce total maintenance costs and increase productivity.

Ultimately, customers want and need suppliers that are genuinely capable of helping them to identify the reliability and process failure issues that are proving costly and then provide solutions that eradicate them. In partnership with Hayley, NSK has the product quality, technical expertise and solutions within its capabilities to be one such supplier, adding real, long-lasting value to its customers.