The can manufacturer was experiencing regular, unexpected production stoppages due to the premature failure of spray-head bearings in its coating machines.
Repeat failures of the spray-head spindle bearings in the factory’s can-coating machines was causing significant disruption to production and costly downtime on a high-volume production line.
NSK engineers conducted an evaluation of the application, including comprehensive bearing and grease analysis. From this activity, it was possible to deduce that the bearings were seizing due to the ejection of bearing grease by high-pressure air needed for the process. Inadequate bearing seals were failing to prevent this unwanted effect.
As part of a proposal, NSK recommended the adoption of its deep groove ball bearings with VV series non-contact seals and C3 internal clearance geometry. Offering high performance in contaminated environments, this configuration is said to seal without increasing either torque or operating temperature. Notably, the non-contact lip design is expected to reduce bearing drag, an advantage where power loss is critical.
The NSK solution resulted in grease retention while still allowing high-pressure air flow through the bearing as part of the machine’s operating procedure. Additionally, the can manufacturing plant witnessed an increase in bearing life: from seven to 110 days of operation, after which routine maintenance took place.