Suffering from regular bearing failures on a feed conveyor at an animal feed production plant, the company's maintenance team contacted NSK to see if the issue could be resolved.

The investigations conducted by the expert team of specialists at NSK not only revealed the underlying cause of the problematic failures, but generated cost savings of over €13,000 for the plant, thanks largely to the elimination of machine downtime.B102018-N-Image1.jpeg – An animal feed production plant is saving over €13,000 after adopting NSK Self-Lube Triple-Lip Sealed Bearing Units. Photo: iStock.com/Songsak Paname

NSK´s investigations attributed the conveyor bearing failures to the ingress of hard particulates and moisture from process materials. As a result, it was recommended that the UK-based animal feed plant replace the standard self-lubricating units with Self-Lube Triple-Lip Sealed Units from NSK.

Since installation, the bearing units have been operating successfully for one year, which is in marked contrast to the previous situation whereby standard bearings required replacement every four months on average. These failures led to substantial downtime and costly loss of production.

Now that these costs have been eliminated, and considering that fewer bearings are required over the course of a year, the annual cost savings for the plant have been calculated at €13,309. In addition, there has been a notable improvement in productivity thanks to greater conveyor uptime.

NSK´s Self-Lube Sealed Units feature a nitrile rubber triple lip that is bonded to a protective pressed-steel shield. As a result, longer bearing life is achieved through superior seal performance. In addition, the bearing units provide extended re-lubrication intervals, which in turn greatly reduces maintenance costs and increases the productivity of machinery and equipment.

Self-Lube Triple-Lip Sealed Units offer simple implementation and represent a ready replacement for existing bearing units. They are available for both set-screw and eccentric locking collar insert options. A large size range is offered, in both metric and imperial specifications.