NSK Case Study

Application

Cold Rolling Mill:
Steel Strip

Cost Savings: $28,288

A major steel producer was dissatisfied with the performance of their Four-Row Tapered Roller Bearings installed in their cold rolling mill. Steel shavings from the production process were entering the bearings resulting in a detrimental effect on bearing reliability. NSK performed a detailed on-site analysis of the bearings along with inspecting a failed bearing and lubrication analysis. After thorough review, a recommendation was made to adopt NSK Tough Steel technology which offers an excellent resistance to damage caused by the ingress of contamination.

Cold Rolling of Steel

Key Facts

Cold rolling mill
Damage of the bearings due to ingress of steel shavings from the production process
NSK solution: Bearings of Water Tough (WTF) steel
More than 3X longer bearing life – reducing bearing consumption, downtime and maintenance costs

Value Proposals

Analysis of the bearings, grease, structure and roll design
NSK WTF steel bearings – designed for extreme operating conditions including solid and liquid contamination – were recommended
Technical support including on-site engineering consultancy and lab-based bearing analysis

Product Features

Advanced WTF (Water-Tough) material composition containing appropriate levels of chrome and molybdenum for increased hardness
Innovative and patented heat treatment technology to optimize retained austenite and formation of finer carbide and carbonitride particles
Significantly outperforms standard bearing steel in seizure resistance, rate of wear and service life
Available for four-row cylindrical and four-row taper roller bearings
Bearing life is 3 times longer than that of conventional bearing
Grain boundaries have been strengthened to help prevent the propagation of cracks
Four-Row WTF
(Water Tough)
Tapered Roller Bearing

Cost-Savings Breakdown

  Before Cost NSK Solution Cost  
  Bearing life of the previous bearings: 4 months, Lost production: $1,071/hr downtime X number of replacements X 4 unexpected downtimes per year $47,147 Bearing life of the new bearings: 12 months Lost production: $1,071/hr downtime X number of replacements X 1 unexpected downtime per year $18,859  
  Total Costs $47,147 Total Costs $18,859  
Before Cost
Bearing life of the previous bearings: 4 months, Lost production: $1,071/hr downtime X number of replacements X 4 unexpected downtimes per year $47,147
Total Costs $47,147
NSK Solution Cost
Bearing life of the new bearings: 12 months Lost production: $1,071/hr downtime X number of replacements X 1 unexpected downtime per year
 
$18,859
Total Costs $18,859

Your Partner for Machine Optimization

Our AIP Added Value Program is based around a simple proposition: ‘improvement pays’. By working with you throughout the AIP Value Cycle, we will help you achieve improvements in machine reliability, productivity and performance, all of which carry a tangible and measurable cost benefit – and we have the tools to prove it! That’s what we mean by improvement pays.