No products found with the filters selected.
Please clear the chosen filters and try again.
Steel
Split Spherical Roller Bearing and Spherical Roller Bearing
Amount saved: €1,998,970
One of the biggest steel manufacturers in the world experienced an unexpected failure of its main trunnion bearing, and the resulting loss of operation could mean a significant loss in revenue. Following consultation, Rubix provided support specifying the sequence and method to replace the failed bearing to their customer’s requirements. It was recommended that they use a special FAG split spherical roller bearing as a spare to reduce downtime, alongside a solid spherical roller bearing. The work, and unexpected problems that arose, were completed within ten days resulting in a significant cost savings.
Construction
Deep Groove Ball Bearing with DDU Sealing
Amount saved: €733,230
A market-leading manufacturer in the construction industry faced disruptions on a new automated line due to frequent bearings failures on the blade guide rollers of the band saws. With bearings sometimes only lasting for three hours, daily bearing changes became necessary, resulting in costly downtime and increased maintenance costs. Rubix engineers performed a bearing failure analysis and identified contamination ingress as the cause. They recommended implementing Deep Groove Ball bearings with highperformance NSK DDU sealing, using a patented triple lip mechanism. A trial showed an immediate significant improvement in bearing life, resulting in cost savings of €733,230.
Automotive
VV Sealed Deep Groove Ball Bearing
Amount saved: €271,200
The world’s largest car manufacturer was experiencing regular, unexpected, production stoppages due to premature failure of the bearings fitted to the spray heads inside the coating machines. This caused significant disruption to production and high downtime costs. Rubix conducted a full evaluation of the application which included analysing the bearings grease used. This revealed that the bearings were seizing and failing due to grease being ejected from the bearing by the compressed air that was needed in the process. The team proposed NSK non-contact VV seals together with a change to bearing geometry – resulting in good grease-retention, an increase in bearing life from 7 days to 110 days in operation, and cost savings of up to €271,200.
Automotive
Extended Product Life
Cost savings: €190,992
A major multinational in the automotive sector was frequently replacing super precision bearings in a machine tool head. This was due to ingress from the coolant used in the process caused by the tool having to work in an upright position. This caused the bearings to rust. Working with NSK from our branch in San Sebastián, Rubix proposed the fitting sealed bearings series 7013CTRV1RDULP3. This resulted in a reduction in repairs, maintenance costs, downtime and production losses and an extension of the useful life of the product from approximately four months to more than a year. All of this translated to a cost saving of €190,992.
Food & Drink Production Efficiency
OEM Parts Conversion
Cost savings: €240,000
A large manufacturer of soft drinks cans suffered constant production downtime due to the premature failure of bearings. The bearings were part of the process involved in implementing the primer treatment on the steel inside the containers. These failures were causing deterioration due to rusting of the can, which meant that the entire pallet was frequently returned by their customers. Working with NSK, Rubix determined that the rigid ball bearings fitted did not provide sufficient protection against lubricant containment. The proposal was to replace the ZZ shield system they were using with the new VV contact-free seal in addition to using C3 radial play and NSK grease, code AS2. The solution meant that the bearings were replaced every 110 days as opposed to every 7 days which delivered an increase in the useful life of the product and a saving of €150,000 plus a €90,000 reduction in downtime and production losses.
Packaging
Extended product life
Cost savings: €606,000
A bag manufacturer was experiencing problems with a bearing that was failing every six weeks. These defective bearings, installed on 40 ink machines that covered the sides of leather straps, were affected by the penetration of ink into the bearing. Rubix visited the plant along with NSK to investigate the problem. The team recommended replacing the bearings used with sealed moulded oil products and a test set was prepared to see if this dealt with the problem. They operated for over a year without any kind of failure reported and are now deployed as the solution. This resulting increase in useful life of the product and the related equipment along with significant reduction in maintenance time and increased overall production time, provided cost savings of €606,000.
Food & Drink
Production Efficiency
Cost savings: €71,000
This client was experiencing frequent support failures in a fan in an extraction mill which caused the production of the entire plant to stop. The Rubix and NSK team visited the plant and recommended replacing the open bearings with bearings equipped with individual rubber seals made of Viton. After making sure that the bearings were fitted and adjusted correctly during a planned maintenance stop, production has not stopped since. This resulted in increased production time as well as preventing further machine downtime saving the company €71,000.
Automotive
Extended Product Life
Cost savings: €5,100
The client contacted Rubix in order to try to extend the useful life of its Capper bearings, as some had failed and had to be replaced approximately every 12 months. Rubix found that the constant failures were due to poor lubrication and corrosion and therefore proposed a test using SKF Solid Oil bearings. The bearings were made specifically by SKF. A set was issued free of charge to the customer, who tried the solution – and the result was monitored for 6 months. The life of the bearings was extended to up to 24 months, saving the cost of a year’s maintenance. This resulted in an additional order being placed for two further sets of Solid Oil bearings.
Food & Drink
Product Substitution
Cost saving of €16,704
A food manufacturer was purchasing significant volumes of 22315K spherical roller bearings annually for use on the lines. Rubix proposed investigating an alternative in order to reduce costs but with the important proviso that quality and life expectancy was not inferior to their existing bearing products. Due to Rubix’s excellent relationships with its suppliers, they identified a cheaper ‘drop in’ replacement from an equally trusted major brand – Timken. The Timken equivalent was tested to make sure the quality and life expectancy of the bearing was equivalent to the existing bearings. It was found to meet the client’s requirements and fulfil their needs as well as delivering valuable savings. Throughout the following year the manufacturer purchased a total of 464 units. The price difference was €36 per unit, resulting in a cost saving of €16,704.
Metal
Cylindrical Roller Bearings
Amount saved: €41,240
A metal mill client faced recurring bearing failures every two to three months. After trying alternative products without success, they sought assistance from Rubix. Following an assessment visit, Timken’s Cylindrical Roller Bearing proved to be the fastest and easiest bearing to fit. Rubix supplied, fitted and now annually service the bearings along with providing expert advice on maintenance, sealing and lubrication. By shifting to running a full complement of Timken bearings, the mill now enjoys a bearing life exceeding five years, resulting in significant ongoing cost savings.
Food & Beverage
2 and 4 Bolt Flange Bearings
Amount saved: €295,751
Over a year, one of the largest snack foods manufacturers experienced 30 hours of downtime at one of its sites due to bearing failures. This downtime resulted in a significant loss of production, at a cost of €12,000 per hour. With just 18 days between failures and a full replacement needed every 2.5 months, there arose a pressing need for a solution. The Rubix Insite worked with SKF to identify and supply SKF Food Line bearing units, which were much more suitable to withstand the harsh environment and meet the site’s food safety requirements. As a result, downtime was reduced to five hours per year and substantial savings of €295,751 were made.
Metal
Schaeffler Optime System
Amount saved: €121,400
A leading manufacturer of copper strips faced significant downtime and damages due to a bearing failure in a fan system. Seeking a preventive solution, they contacted Rubix who discussed condition monitoring solutions with them and recommended Schaeffler’s Optime system. By installing 60 sensors and lubricators on two ventilation systems, the status of the bearings and fill levels of the lubricators can be monitored at any time, preventing major future issues and unscheduled downtime.
Films, Adhesives and Printing
Self-aligning Bearing System
Amount saved: €126,360
A leading polyester film manufacturer was experiencing shaft problems due to the housings and bearings used in its industrial fans. After examination, a self-aligning bearings system was installed. This included a CARB toroidal roller bearing in the nonlocating position and a self-aligning spherical roller bearing in the locating position to enhance operating conditions and machine performance. The new system accommodated misalignment and axial displacement without friction, and eliminated corrosion, helping improve reliability and productivity. The system allowed the customer to achieve cost savings of €126,360 through increased bearing service life, extended maintenance intervals, and reduced component and grease consumption.
Cement
Solid Block Housed Unit
Amount saved: £73,420
A customer asked for advice on identifying new bearings that would last longer, together with housing that would be easier to change to increase performance. The customer had been experiencing significant downtime as existing bearings were failing due to ingress and required replacing every 3 months. The existing blocks also took two hours to change resulting in a large impact on lost stock. Following a visit from Brammer’s Centre of Excellence the customer’s existing bearings on their C2 Conveyor were replaced with a solid block housed unit. The new bearing has been running for over a year, with no issues. As well as a much longer bearing life the fitting times were also reduced to half an hour per unit.
