| In the case of one cement producer, screw | | | | life of bearings. For screw pumps that operate |
| pump failure due to failed bearings was resulting in | | | | continuously, monthly relubrication is |
| high replacement, maintenance and downtime | | | | recommended as is monthly preventative |
| costs – something the company couldn’t | | | | maintenance. During the relubrication process, |
| afford to ignore. Because screw pumps | | | | check the grease for oiliness and dirt |
| operating in a cement plant are subjected to | | | | contamination and adjust the relubrication schedule |
| extreme levels of cement dust and dirt, dust | | | | accordingly. |
| contamination was determined to be the ultimate | | | | - Operating temperatures can be used as a guide |
| cause of the bearing failures. | | | | for lubrication – a sustained temperature drop |
| Impeller pumps require specific installation | | | | could indicate insufficient lubrication prior to the |
| practices to ensure that they achieve top | | | | addition of grease, while a noticeable rise in |
| performance under contaminated conditions: | | | | temperature could indicate excess grease. |
| - When the bearing assembly is not held in place | | | | An application such as this demands not only |
| by the fit between the shaft, the sleeve and the | | | | correct installation and maintenance procedures, |
| bearing, all metric bolts in the bearing assembly | | | | but the right product choices. To achieve the |
| need to be torqued correctly and LOCKTITE | | | | highest level of contamination resistance NSK |
| must be used. This practice ensures that the | | | | engineers recommended the Tough Steel series, |
| bearing assembly does not spin on the shaft. If | | | | designed to resist contamination when operating in |
| your bearing is slipping on the screw bushing and | | | | some of the harshest industrial environments. The |
| or the screw bushing is slipping on the shaft, the | | | | NSK team trained the customer’s staff on |
| bolts holding the plate that is pressing against the | | | | correct installation and maintenance, and |
| bearing inner ring are the wrong type, wrong | | | | supervised the change-out. After the switch, the |
| torque, or both. | | | | company realized more than $53,000 in savings |
| - Bearing lubrication can have a significant impact | | | | and gained valuable employee knowledge. |
| on the operation of bearings and machinery, | | | | NSK’s Asset Improvement Program (AIP) is |
| especially in contaminated environments. For | | | | designed to reduce costs and improve |
| slurry pumps, a highly stable EP grease is the best | | | | productivity through correct product choices, |
| option, preferably with a Bentone base, which is | | | | specialized application knowledge and expert |
| suitable for antifriction bearing lubrication at | | | | technical support. To learn how NSK AIP can |
| temperatures from 0F to +300F. | | | | create value and maximize uptime for your |
| - Maintenance and relubrication are also vital to the | | | | business, contact us today! |