On 1 February 2019, Dr Ulrich Nass (52) assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer at NSK Europe. The appointment reflects the company’s ambition to build further on its growth trajectory in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

When an ore preparation plant began experiencing repeated bearing failures on an air recirculation fan, it turned to NSK for advice. As a makeshift countermeasure, the facility was applying compressed air cooling in an attempt to reduce elevated bearing running temperatures, so the requirement for an urgent long-term solution was clear to see.

Suffering from regular bearing failures on a feed conveyor at an animal feed production plant, the company’s maintenance team contacted NSK to see if the issue could be resolved. The investigations conducted by the expert team of specialists at NSK not only revealed the underlying cause of the problematic failures, but generated cost savings of over €13,000 for the plant, thanks largely to the elimination of machine downtime.

Monitoring the condition of bearings is not only a way to detect the need for their replacement, but a way to draw conclusions about the state of the entire machine or system. To illustrate the benefits of NSK’s Condition Monitoring Service (CMS), two practical examples highlight what can be offered to users of grinding machines.

When a UK-based electricity producer was experiencing frequent breakdowns due to bearing failures in two industrial fan units, the plant requested the services of NSK to propose and implement a suitable solution. After performing an application review as part of NSK’s AIP (Added Value Programme), a change of bearing and fixing arrangement led to significant cost savings.

Bearings are highly-stressed drive components which, over a period of time, become susceptible to wear. With this in mind, it is particularly important to include bearings when developing a maintenance plan, as this strategy will help extend the operating life of machinery or equipment.

The mounting of bearings is a practice that requires the correct knowledge and skills. Historically, this task has seen maintenance personnel make a certain amount of mistakes, which consequently have reduced the lifespan of bearings. Further factors compromising service life include a failure to keep the bearings clean, not respecting the recommended clearances between the bearing rings and the shaft, and failing to use professional mounting tools. However, according to global bearing manufacturer NSK, these errors can easily be avoided.

Following the launch earlier this year of the NSK academy online training platform, the first in a new series of maintenance tutorial modules has now been added to the site. The tutorials show how to use the innovative range of maintenance and service tools offered as part of NSK’s AIP+ Added Value Programme. Providing a guide to best-practice bearing care, the tutorial highlights how the optimised and profitable operation of machinery and equipment can be achieved.

NSK Needle Bearing Poland has been honoured with the Supplier Award 2017 for Achievement in Quality from Toyota Motor Europe. The award was presented during the Toyota Motor Europe Annual Business Meeting 2018, which was held on 27 March at the Autoworld vintage car museum in Brussels, Belgium.

Anyone interested in learning about the best-practice mounting and dismounting of bearings using mechanical tools can register at the NSK academy (www.nskacademy.com) online training platform to discover the latest AIP+ (Added Value Programme) tutorial. Comprising a course, video and questionnaire, trainees can work their way through the new mechanical tools module, receiving a certificate upon successful completion.