NSK's asset improvement programme (AIP), which offers a structured approach to bearing optimisation, can cut plant costs, in terms of bearing replacement and downtime, according to the company.
AIP is about improving the health of equipment and machinery, but also increasing plant engineers' working knowledge of maintenance, engineering and management.
NSK makes the point that rolling bearings subject to contamination may require replacement at a point in their life cycle that is a fraction of the life expectancy that might be achieved, if operating in a clean environment.
Citing the incidence of bearing failures in problem environments, such as food processing and sewage treatment, where machinery is hosed down or exposed to dust, dirt and processed material, the firm urges engineers to remember that bearings are precision engineered components with very small internal operating clearances.
