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NSK Case Study
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Application
Plate Rolling Mill
Cost Savings: $50,279
A major steel manufacturer was using open work roll bearings in their plate rolling mill. The mill maintenance team was investigating grease alternatives to gain efficiencies. NSK was asked to provide a potential alternative for the bearing application with associated cost savings. By using an NSK Sealed Clean 4 row tapered roller bearing assembly, the customer’s daily re-greasing requirement was eliminated. In addition, reduced grease disposal costs, bearing protection from external contamination and continuous operation were achieved.
Key Facts
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Plate Rolling Mill |
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Open work roll bearings required daily maintenance and regreasing |
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Efficiency improvement sought by the customer |
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NSK solution: Sealed Clean technology |
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Benefits: improved grease retention, improved bearing protection, reduced disposal costs and maintenance time |
Plate Rolling Mill
Value Proposals
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Analysis of the existing bearings showed that grease retention and excessive maintenance were a major issue |
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NSK Engineers were able to recommend Sealed Clean bearing options together with improved material technology |
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Consideration of the existing bearing arrangement allowed NSK to make recommendations on best fit and appropriate bearing design |
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Technical support was then provided to trial the proposed bearing arrangement |
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Results showed a significant reduction in grease usage |
Product Features
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Available with Super-TF or WTF steel material, providing significantly longer service life under heavily contaminated operating conditions (STF) and water and metallic contamination (WTF) |
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Higher load capacity achieved with optimized internal design – wider cage diameter, increased number of rollers and larger rollers |
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Helical bore groove prevents creeping on the shaft |
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Advanced compact main seal / seal holder and bore seal designs |
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Bore seal prevents the buildup of negative pressure that can cause the entry of water through the main seals |
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Sealed-clean solution significantly reduces grease consumption |
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Extra-Capacity
Sealed-Clean
Four-Row Bearings
Sealed-Clean
Four-Row Bearings
Cost-Savings Breakdown
Before | Cost | NSK Solution | Cost | |||
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Greasing open bearings: 1.2 times per day x 4 kg of grease x $4.30/kg x number of bearings x 350 days a year | $28,929 | NSK Sealed Clean design: bearings x 6 kg of grease x $13.94 | $688 | ||
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Grease disposal | $22,109 | Grease disposal (per re-grease) | $71 | ||
Total Costs | $51,038 | Total Costs | $759 |
Before | Cost | |
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Greasing open bearings: 1.2 times per day x 4 kg of grease x $4.30/kg x number of bearings x 350 days a year | $28,929 |
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Grease disposal | $22,109 |
Total Costs | $51,038 |
NSK Solution | Cost | |
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NSK Sealed Clean design: bearings x 6 kg of grease x $13.94 |
$688 |
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Grease disposal (per re-grease) | $71 |
Total Costs | $759 |
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.
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