Steelmaker's Milling Machine Saves €35,600 Per Annum By Switching to NSK Bearings
After experiencing ongoing problems with the bearings on a vital milling machine at a steel plant, the management team turned to NSK for a solution.
This decision proved to be extremely lucrative, with the steel mill now enjoying annual savings of €35,600. The steel mill produces rails for lift equipment that require the machining of two flat areas at the ends, which assist the fitting of the rails during assembly.
While the time required to mill these rough surfaces is short, the stiffness of the machine's spindle is critical due to the length of the rails. However, using the milling machine's original bearings, the steel plant noticed that spindle stiffness reduced after just three months, making it necessary to change the spindle assembly, including motors.
Faced with a recurring and expensive situation, NSK was asked to find a solution. Expert NSK engineers visited the plant and analysed the spindle design as part of its AIP Added Value Programme.
Calculations were made based on the use of tooling expected to deliver high cutting capacity and withstand high loads. Engineers also inspected the failed bearings and checked the wear bands of the raceways.
Following their analysis, NSK's engineers recommended that the spindle be redesigned with a four row bearing set, instead of three, thus increasing the radial load capacity and radial stiffness.
The contact angle was also changed from 15° to 25°, to increase the bending stiffness of the shaft. NSK's high precision angular contact ball bearings (ACBB) were selected from its range of standard products.
The NSK high precision ACBB series is manufactured to conform to ISO standards. A choice of three contact angles, two cage designs and two types of ball material is available to suit application requirements.
After the steel mill had implemented the change, the bearings continued working in the milling machine for more than a year, with no failures experienced in the motor or transmission.
Indeed, a full report was produced by NSK to verify the improved characteristics, detailing the enhanced bending stiffness of the shaft and extended operating life from three months to over a year.
When comparing the costs from before and after the adoption of NSK bearings, the savings are clear to see. Today, the steel mill no longer has to endure four production stops a year, while the costs for the replacement spindle assemblies and motors have also been eliminated.
Taking these factors into account, it has been calculated that the plant is saving €35,600 per annum.
NSK Europe Ltd
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About us
Established over 100 years ago, NSK (Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha) is a Japanese-listed company that has evolved from a regional ball bearing supplier to a roller bearing specialist and automotive supplier with a global market presence. Today, NSK employs more than 31,400 employees in 30 countries. As per March 2019, NSK achieved sales of 991,4 billion Yen. This result has been driven by ever-increasing investment in research & development, enabling the company to continuously improve the quality of its products and services. This investment supports NSK’s objective of “No. 1 in Total Quality”. In addition to a complete rolling bearing portfolio, NSK develops and manufactures precision components and mechatronic products, as well as systems and components for the automotive industry, including wheel bearing units and electric power-steering systems. In 1963, NSK’s first European subsidiary, Düsseldorf, Germany, was opened and in 1976, the first European production facility in Peterlee, England. Today, NSK Europe supports pan-European sales with production locations in England, Poland and Germany, logistics centres in the Netherlands, Germany and England and technology centres in Germany, England and Poland. In 1990, NSK purchased the UPI Group including the renowned European bearing manufacturer RHP, with its factory in Newark (UK). Additionally, NSK has developed a comprehensive network of authorised sales distributors. NSK Europe is divided into application-based business divisions: Industry rolling bearing technologies & linear and precision technology (EIBU) as well as bearing modules and steering systems for the automotive industry (EABU & ESBU). In this organisation, NSK Europe's 4,260 employees achieved a turnover of over 1,045 million Euros as per March 2019.
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