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#SKFsuccessstories
CEMENT
SKF Cooper split bearings save cement plant over $1.2M
In the fast-paced and demanding environment of a cement plant, unexpected equipment failures can lead to significant downtime and costly repairs. This was the case when an SAF unit on a pan feeder in a kiln operation failed, requiring immediate replacement. Complicating matters further, there was no crane available for the installation, posing a challenge for the maintenance team. However, SKF's experienced engineer proposed a game-changing solution: the SKF Cooper split spherical roller bearing (SRB).
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Corrosion resistant solution saves ice cream plant over $500,000
When an ice cream plant reported that they stopped production every year to replace bearings in their hardening tunnels, we knew there had to be a better way. SKF designed a food-safe, corrosion-resistant engineered hub including SKF Hybrid ceramic ball bearings with high nitrogen corrosion resistant (HNCR) technology, low-temp food grade SKF Solid Oil, machined seals and snap rings. This innovative solution is expected to increase the bearing service life to 4+ years, saving the plant more than $500,000.
AEROSPACE
SKF bearings help NASA’s Perseverance Rover collect samples on the surface of Mars
Each time NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover collects or handles rock and regolith samples in Jezero Crater during its multiple-year mission on the surface of the red planet, key components from SKF will ensure those activities successfully take place. Enabling Perseverance’s core operations in the harsh environment on Mars are Kaydon RealiSlim thin-section ball bearings, designed and manufactured by SKF at the company’s global thin-section bearing engineering center in Muskegon, MI, and its recently expanded manufacturing hub in Sumter, SC. These highly engineered components ensure that the rover’s main robotic arm, sample collecting turret, tool bit carousel and sample handling assembly survive a months-long trip through space and function on the Mars surface.
Please see our press release for more information.
AGRICULTURE
SKF and Great Plains collaborate to reduce tilling machinery downtime and improve farm yields
SKF partnered with Great Plains Mfg., a global manufacturer of agricultural implements for tillage, seeding, and planting, to create a new 7-lip seal package to prolong the life of agricultural tillage equipment. Great Plains Ag, a division of Great Plains Mfg. develops tillage equipment for seedbed preparation, but in the Black Earth Region of Russia, key bearings critical to the operation of tilling equipment were wearing out halfway through the region’s farming season. During analysis by SKF and Great Plains engineering teams, significant dirt pack intrusion was found to be a common issue impacting the function of the bearings and leading to machine downtime.
Great Plains and SKF engineers worked to update the machinery’s design to include a more robust bearing seal that would help better prevent dirt pack-related failures. SKF and its brand PEER, developed a 7-lip seal by redesigning the seal package to help eliminate dirt pack between the bearing, housing and spool, which outperformed the existing seal design. By minimizing the pressure from the dirt pack against the seals, the equipment can operate more effectively for a longer life cycle. In addition to retrofitting prior tilling machinery models with the newly redesigned 7-lip TILLXTREME® seal, Great Plains also included the TILLXTREME® seal on its new Great Plains hybrid tillage solution, the Terra-Max, when it launched in September of 2020.
Please see our press release for more information.
METALS
SKF Cooper split spherical roller bearings saves steelmaker over $350,000
A steelmaker experienced recurring unplanned downtime due to failures in locating spherical roller bearings in three mill converters. The steelmaker turned to SKF to install three SKF Cooper split spherical roller bearings. These new bearings reduced the steelmaker’s repair time by almost 70% and gained a total cost of ownership savings that exceeded $350,000. In addition to reduced maintenance periods and easier bearing installation, worker safety was also improved.
METALS
Rolling mill doubles product life with SKF engineered solutions
A rolling mill experienced problems with a gearbox and turned to SKF for help. The gearbox and couplings frequently failed due to shock loads caused by the impacts between the rolling stock and the work rolls. After analyzing the gearbox failure, SKF determined that the problem was an unsuitable bearing arrangement on one specific shaft.
SKF’s solution was a self-contained unit built around SKF Explorer spherical roller thrust bearings. The solution resulted in cost savings through decreased downtime, easier mounting and lower spare inventory. Mean time between failure doubled from one year to two, and the company achieved a total ROI of 325% over two years.
MINING & MINERAL PROCESSING
SKF Cooper supports mineral processing company during an unplanned shutdown
A high-producing U. S. mineral processing company reached out to SKF Cooper for help when they had to shut down due to a failure with their on-site hammer mill. The catastrophic incident involving the hammers damaged the other critical components beyond repair, including a SKF Cooper Standard Split bearing which had been installed earlier in the year. The company requested SKF Cooper to support the site to get back up and running quickly to avoid 48 hours of downtime.
The SKF Cooper team worked with a local distributor and within three hours, the parts for the Quick-Change were identified, modified and prepared for shipment. The team expedited the order, and the site was up and running two days earlier than initially anticipated, avoiding costly days of lost production.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
SKF Kaydon Slewing Ring bearings reduce failures at a bottling company
A leading bottling company contacted SKF due to frequent bearing failures with a bottle-filling machine. The slewing ring bearing was corroding under the high-pressure washdowns. The failures caused unplanned shutdowns and were time-consuming, expensive and impacted productivity at the facility.
SKF engineers designed a custom slewing ring bearing featuring Kaydon’s proprietary corrosion-resistant Endurakote® plating along with a double lip external seal. This solution eliminated the detrimental corrosion and kept the bottling line running smoothly. The customized product resulted in improved uptime and reduced maintenance costs. By using the custom-made slewing ring bearing, the bottling company saved approximately $100,000 a year and increased productivity.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Snack food manufacturer saves thousands with SKF PEER FaBXTREME® bearings
A Midwest Fortune 500 snack foods manufacturer saved thousands over two years by replacing a competitor’s bearings with SKF PEER FaBXTREME®. The manufacturer had been replacing all bearings in a deep fryer application twice a year during planned shutdowns and still experienced sporadic failures. Since installing FaBXTREME bearings two years ago, the manufacturer has not had to replace any bearings.
SKF PEER FaBXTREME bearings are maintenance-free and require no additional routine service. These bearings provide the highest contamination and corrosion protection levels incorporating an advanced sealing design and manufacturing process, with superior stainless steel.
MEDICAL
SKF helping in the early detection of breast cancer
When it comes to identifying and treating breast cancer, early detection is key. Technology like the vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB) needle device makes early detection possible, and SKF is proud to provide our customer a customized sealing solution for these devices to help make this possible.
Prior to working with SKF, our customer, an industry leader in electronic manufacturing services, were challenged with meeting friction requirements. SKF developed a customized sealing solution for both rotary and linear movement, which retrofit the existing customer hardware configuration. SKF not only offer products, but, above all, complete and reliable solutions. SKF is proud to have a part in the fight against breast cancer.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Food processing plants saves thousands with SKF Pulse™
When the electric motor on a critical line at a food processing plant experience increased vibration, the maintenance team feared failure was imminent. With the reliability manager off-site, they made the call to order an expensive new motor. When the reliability manager became aware of the issue, he used his SKF Pulse sensor and app to collect vibration data from the motor. Within 24 hours the plant received an SKF Pulse Check report, with a recommendation to inspect the process mill attached to the electric motor. The inspection confirmed there was a coupling issue with the process mill but the electric motor was fine. The plant was able to cancel the new motor and saved thousands thanks to SKF Pulse.
METALS
Steel mill turns to SKF for major savings on grease costs
When a steel producer wanted to save on annual grease costs, it turned to SKF. SKF outfitted the mill stand bearings with rubber clad heavy-duty metal-cased industrial seals for immediate and dramatic improvements. When the mill is fully converted to SKF industrial seals, grease consumption will be cut nearly in half, resulting in major savings for the steel mill.
MINING
Cloud Peak Technology drives down maintenance costs with SKF remote monitoring
Given the extremely challenging market conditions in the coal industry today, the pressure to increase profitability is greater than ever. Cloud Peak Energy, one of the largest U.S. coal miners, turned to SKF to find savings for its sizable fleet of mobile equipment.
The SKF Multilog on-line IMx system with 16 channel parallel processing capability and wide dynamic range provided equipment data sent directly to engineers, saving time and money. The system has decreased expenditures and improved asset availability for draglines, shovels, haul trucks and plant machinery and helped the mine avoid over a million dollars in parts and labor alone.
PULP & PAPER
Mill converts failures to savings with SKF Three Barrier Solution
When a large manufacturer of recycled paperboard was having trouble with seals on a paper machine, it turned to SKF. The seals on bearings located in difficult positions on the machine didn’t provide the needed protection for the mill’s harsh, wet environment. SKF and a local distributor recommended SKF’s Three Barrier Solution to replace the bearings and seals experiencing repeated failures. The solution is recommended for highly contaminated environments because contaminants must pass through three barriers to reach the bearing.
The SKF Three Barrier Solution was installed and the average mean time between failure went from 3 months to 15 months. Over two years later, the bearings and seals continue to provide reliable operation. The mill has saved thousands on bearing purchases, machine downtime and labor.
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