NSK has been showing, with solid cases in several industries, an advance in the mission to change the relationship of companies with the maintenance of bearings. The purpose is to prove that the process must come out of the straw of costs and start to be seen as a way to boost results and make savings, consequently increasing profitability.

The company's effort in this direction took the form of Asset Management programs, the AIP and AIP+, in addition to free training carried out throughout 2021.

“These initiatives are directly linked to NSK's purpose, which, in turn, are connected to customer expectations, which are: to have quality products and services available that deliver performance, productivity and profitability. Consequently, these expectations are in line with environmental responsibility through better use and reuse of natural resources”, says Daniel Vieira De Almeida, Engineering & Services Supervisor at NSK.

The first step, however, is to know exactly when and how maintenance should be done so that the process generates really expressive results. According to the professional, the periodic maintenance of bearings, in addition to reducing costs and increasing profitability, allows for a longer useful life and increases the reliability of the operational process.

“Maintenance of bearings is essential and has an influence on the entire production process, as it helps the component to be used for a longer period of time, preventing operational downtime”, he emphasizes.

Also according to the specialist, the years of studies and analysis of bearing failures by the NSK technology center – BTC (Brazilian Technology Center) and the Application Engineering team, which works directly with customers, show that the main causes for bearing failure. Bearings are linked to the lubricant (quantity, relubrication period, contamination or viscosity), contamination, from the environment or factors related to assembly, and aggregate deficiency.

“This is due to the lack of adequate training and recycling for employees, requirements to put the equipment back into operation quickly, lack of resources to properly carry out maintenance procedures, among others”, he says.

Some tips from the NSK engineer can help in the preservation and proper use of the parts:

Frequency

Regarding the viable time for maintenance, it is necessary to consider the conditions of use such as: working temperature, operational rotation, applied loads, work place (to check for contamination by particles or humidity), lubrication, equipment installation, storage, among others. others.

Signals

Indicatives such as temperature, vibration, noise increase, variation in lubrication conditions are some factors that indicate the time to supervise the bearings.

Preservation

Some precautions help to preserve the equipment. In storage, consider an environment free from dust, humidity, sunlight and vibration, do not stack large numbers of parts, use the equipment in the order they arrive and keep them in the original and sealed packaging.

When installing, use appropriate tools, assemble in a clean environment to avoid contamination, never heat the bearing with a torch, avoid falls and impacts and lubricate correctly.

During operation, monitor vibration, noise, temperature, lubrication and also evaluate equipment aggregates, such as seals, pulleys, shaft, among others.

inappropriate use

To diagnose if the bearing is being used incorrectly, it is important to be aware of the incidence of fracture, impact marks, oxidation and early failures. Also note that there is no absence of components, which also compromises the functioning.