Bearing Units Replaced to Dramatically Extend Component Life

The customer, a leading producer of tortilla wraps was experiencing short service life on its pillow block bearing units. These units were mounted in the multiple conveyor belts of the dough-proving section on the production line.

At six-week intervals, two bearing units were being replaced, causing high maintenance costs and high levels of downtime.

Hayley Group worked closely with their strategic supply partner, NSK, who had already been on-site to perform an application review. The investigation attributed the failures to ingress of particulates and set screw loosening due to vibration. Hayley recommended NSK Self-Lube Bearing Units as a solution.

The recommended units would have triple lip seals and eccentric locking collars to help cope with the continuous exposure to flour particulates and dough.

A twelve-month trial using the NSK Self-Lube Bearing Units proved to be incredibly successful. There was no requirement to replace any bearings over the period, with this figure previously standing at approximately 17 bearing replacements being carried-out.

Thanks to the superior resistance quality and seal performance, the life of the bearings and shafts have been extended. This has resulted in an overall annual cost-saving of around £50,000 being achieved, when component replacement, production loss and maintenance costs are all considered.