bearings

bearings
 Features

X-Life quality sealed bearings ward off dust, dirt, and downtime

Bearings on mining equipment rely on three barriers of protection against the ingress of contaminants that are present on mine sites: the housing, the housing seal, and the grease, according to Motion Australia’s in-house bearings expert, Tony Tormey.  In his role as Category Manager for Industrial Bearings, Tony has developed a kind of sixth sense for the subtle differences in bearing performance when they need to contend with dusty and dirty applications such as coal and ore mining operations, aggregate quarries, or mills where raw materials run on conveyors around the clock.  “On heavy industrial applications such as mining and quarrying conveyors, it’s very easy for dust and dirt to penetrate a bearing housing,” explains Tony. “Sometimes when the bearing is being installed, dust in the surrounding air may make contact with the parts as the bearing is being driven up the shaft. Over time, if contaminants continue to build up, the bearing life will start to run down.” “In this instance, any presence of moisture from washdowns or damp environmental conditions will quickly transform dust into sludge further hindering the performance of the bearing,” he continues. “Eventually the bearing will require replacement. And in the worse-case, halt production altogether.” “For this reason, it is extremely important to use advancements in bearings technology to the advantage of our customers that are working with harsh mining equipment,” Tony adds.  On that note, Schaeffler has been on the leading edge of bearings technology since their inception more than 120 years ago. During this time, Motion Australia and Schaeffler have enjoyed a distribution partnership since 1983—when Motion first began stocking Schaeffler bearings products and supplying them to Australian customers.  Tony has been working with Schaeffler’s bearings experts for so long that their team feels like close colleagues, he says. One of Tony’s liaisons, John Tawadros, Head of Distribution Sales at Schaeffler, concurs with this sentiment, explaining how the companies have found the partnership to be mutually beneficial over the years.  “When we find a good joint solutions-based partnership as we have with Motion Australia, it’s all about our combined capabilities,” says John. “As a bearing manufacturer and technology company, Schaeffler’s product expertise and engineering know-how supports Motion, our distribution partner, to develop joint strategies for presenting these solutions to customers.” 
Read More
50 years
 Features, Uncategorised

NTN-CBC: Supporting Australian mining for 50 years

This year marks the 50-year anniversary of the 50/50 joint venture between NTN Corporation and CBC Australia, which began in 1971. According to Fabio Rebecchi, Product Manager for NTN bearings at CBC, as the mining sector has seen increased demand for iron ore and other key minerals over that time, there has been a corresponding need to manufacture larger equipment. “With the tonnages in iron ore, and coal increasing year after year, we have seen an increase in demand for bearings, in particular, large bearings,” says Fabio. “As a result, components and supports have also been made larger for extraction and bulk handling processes, involving heavy mobile equipment, processing plants and conveyor systems.” “Bigger equipment means bigger bearings, and longer lead times on supply,” says Fabio. “That said, there are a lot more bearings operating on sites now than there were15 years ago, but the quality and longevity of the bearings has improved.” Fabio highlights the key areas he has seen improvement in with bearings: longevity, materials, installation processes, and maintenance procedures. “If you look at older catalogues, you can see the evolution of technology across all industries, really.” says Fabio. “Prolonging the life of a bearing has included the incorporation of seals, proper lubrication, and aligning better fits upon installation,” he furthers. “In addition to this, steel technology has become more advanced over the years because of the purity of steel and heat treatment processes applied in the manufacture of bearings. The static and dynamic load capacities have been increasing over time,” adds Fabio. When NTN began expanding their global manufacturing and sales network, CBC became the direct link between the global manufacturing and engineering activities of NTN and the Australian market. At present day, NTN is one of the top five bearing manufacturers in the world, and with backing from CBC, this allows them to deliver a full range of bearings products, technical support, and end-to-end logistics to the Australian market. According to Ross Lee, Technical Manager of Strategic Partnerships – Bearings at CBC, “It’s all about consultation.” “We at CBC are the first point of contact for customers in determining where they have a problem and where NTN can provide a solution. No matter the location in Australia, we have a commercial and technical liaison between the branch, the customer, and directly with the manufacturer,” says Ross. “We have a network of account managers and technical specialists that engage with customers at the regional level, supporting mines and mineral processing plants. From there, we receive application engineering proposals and look at what we can put forward as a solution for a performance or a productivity problem,” he explains. “Australian ingenuity coupled with Japanese product innovation has benefitted mining operations across the nation, through the provision of a wide range of bearing products,” says Ross. “Through NTN, we are always trying to offer an appropriate bearing solution and often we secure agreements based on all of the lines of communication we keep open across our networks,” Ross adds. Within the mining sector, NTN is the direct supplier to major manufacturers of heavy mobile mining equipment. NTN also extensively services the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) segments of these businesses. Read More
solid block housed
 Features

SOLID-BLOCK HOUSED UNITS call for solid training

As far as bearings go, the Timken® Solid-Block Housed units are famous in heavy industry, renowned for their seemingly unbreakable solid cast steel housing and ease of installation. However, industry expert Brad Kemp wants to remind readers that these are highly specialised products, which do require an understanding of the internal componentry in order to be fitted correctly. Brad is the Senior Service Engineer for Timken Australia and has been partnering with CBC representatives to organise proactive training sessions with customers to assist with the Solid-Block Housed unit installation. “The Solid Blocked Housed unit is usually ordered by the engineers who love the concept,” he says. “They order it, the maintenance guys receive it without proper training and then there is frustration with the product. Often the instructions get overlooked or just end up in the bin.” Brad points out that if instructions are not followed accurately, the bearings could become damaged prematurely. “If maintenance teams have not been trained up properly, then a lot of times they will start to do guesswork and make assumptions, which is what we want to avoid,” he explains. “Rather than have reactions from customers who are disappointed that the bearing they ordered was incorrectly installed, we aim to ensure that the engineered componentry, the locking options and the installation process is understood by everyone on site,” he adds.
Read More
Features

Revving the industry’s engine with quality motor service

The journey to growth has not always been easy for Statewide Electric Motor Centre (SEMC) – an Adelaide-based electric motor and pump service company. But as a self-made business owner, Monica Samra knows that being adaptable and offering good customer service are the keys to any small business’ success. Monica entered the world of electric motor repairs after her late husband, who had co-founded SEMC nearly 40 years ago, passed away. Monica became a partner in the business nearly 20 years ago and is currently the sole owner and director of SEMC. She says she is particularly proud of how the SEMC team has enriched its knowledge of the industry over the years to gain the trust of clients in industries such as mining, pumping and air conditioning. 
Read More
Features

Trained to deliver

CBC, the largest distributor of bearings, power transmission and engineering solutions in Australia, offers onsite bearing fitment and laser alignment training courses to their customers.
Read More
 Features

Split bearings offer in situ replacement

Changing out a bearing stuck in between other components on a shaft can be quite challenging under normal conditions. But if this happens to be an emergency breakdown on a mine site, the task of replacing the bearing quickly is enough to give any site technician a headache.
Read More
 News

An engineering taskforce

As mining companies look to get the most out of their equipment, Inenco Industrial Solutions is leading the way in innovation through its engineering arm.
Read More