SKF has announced the upgrade of its popular Cooper roller split bearings, improvements it says will optimise machine availability and uptime, reduce operational costs and, ultimately, increase plant production.
“Featuring several ground-breaking designs, these roller split bearings offer a cost- and time-efficient solution in the ‘trapped’ bearing position of machines,” the company said in a statement.
“The argument for split bearings as the optimum solution for certain applications is simple. When using a split bearing, the drive coupling or the cantilevered drive and gearbox do not need to be dismounted during bearing replacement. As very few changes are required to the shaft alignment or driveline, realignment can be avoided altogether.”
This means the bearings can be more easily replaced in situ, making them especially suited for tight, difficult-to-access locations. This, the company added, helps to minimise downtime during machinery maintenance and service with a reduction in Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) of up to two-thirds.
“In addition to boosting production and shrinking maintenance costs, the reduction in the number of maintenance steps such as, for example, the need to lift heavy equipment in order to replace conveyor pulley bearings enhances worker safety.”
The new E-Series is dimensionally interchangeable as it incorporates an extended range of series 01 and 02 bearings in bore sizes up to 150 mm. “This enables customers and end-users to conveniently replace existing 01 and 02 bearings with new bearings in the same dimensions.”
The entire product range is available in sizes up to 300 mm, making the E-Series suitable for a wide range of applications on industrial and marine equipment including belt and screw conveyors, industrial fans, industrial drive shafts, water turbines and propeller shafts.
The upgrade also sees a unique and patented brass cage design with an optimised roller complement that delivers benefits such as increased carrying capacity, greater safety margins, longer L10 rating life and subsequent improved service life.
