NSK Case Study

Application

Pilger Mill

Cost Savings: $171,419

A steel mill customer was experiencing regular failures on bearings in their Pilger Mill. NSK investigated the application and found that severe operating conditions including high loads and inadequate lubrication were causing the failures. NSK proposed a special Spherical Roller Bearing with optimized internal design and Super Tough (STF) steel. A trial demonstrated performance improvements of dramatically longer bearing life and a corresponding reduction in maintenance costs.

Key Facts

Pilger Mill application
Premature bearing failure as a result of heavy loads and severe operating conditions
NSK solution: special Spherical Roller Bearings made with STF steel
Bearings achieved 2 times longer operating life than conventional design employed previously
Reduced maintenance and plant stoppage

Value Proposals

NSK Engineering performed an application review
Bearing operating life increased twofold
Reduction in maintenance hours, with elimination of unexpected bearing failures and unplanned downtime

Seamless Stainless Steel Pipe and Tubes

Product Features

Advanced Super-TF material composition containing appropriate levels of chrome and molybdenum for increased hardness
Innovative heat treatment technology to optimize retained austenite and formation of finer carbide and carbonitride particles
Significantly outperforms standard bearing steel
Up to 10 times service life with contaminated lubrication; 2 times in clean lubrication
Up to 4 times the service life at 160°C/320°F
Less than one-third the rate of wear
40% improvement in seizure resistance
Spherical Roller Bearings
of STF steel composition

Cost-Savings Breakdown

  Before Cost NSK Solution Cost  
  Bearing replacement $23,357 Bearing replacement $9,433  
  Lost production: 2 hours x $2,412/hr x 52/year $250,848 Lost production: 2 hours x $2,412/hr x 21/year $101,304  
  Labor: $33/hr x 2 hrs x 2 persons x 52/year $6,864 Labor: $33/hr x 2 hrs x 2 persons x 21/year $2,772  
  Other material replacement $4,288 Other material replacement $429  
  Total Costs $285,357 Total Costs $113,938  
Before Cost
Bearing replacement $23,357
Lost production: 2 hours x $2,412/hr x 52/year $250,848
Labor: $33/hr x 2 hrs x 2 persons x 52/year $6,864
Other material replacement $4,288
Total Costs $285,357
NSK Solution Cost
Bearing replacement
 
$9,433
Lost production: 2 hours x $2,412/hr x 21/year $101,304
Labor: $33/hr x 2 hrs x 2 persons x 21/year $2,772
Other material replacement $429
Total Costs $113,938

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.