Friday, December 11, 2015
Top Bearing Events for 2016!
With the new year rapidly approaching, Bearing News has published a document listing their choices for the top industry events in 2016. Take a look at the link above and let us know if you plan on attending any of them!
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
"Smart" Bearings A Big Advantage for the Industry
An interesting read from Auto Service World on how "smart" bearings are adding an advantage to various industries.
Imagine a bearing that could detect problems, communicate wirelessly, and could take advantage of the inherent rotational energy to self-power the electronics.
The SKF Insight is a new bearing health management technology that uses self-powered, intelligent wireless sensors in the SKF bearing to provide instant condition monitoring data via the Internet. SKF Insight monitors such dynamic parameters as vibration, temperature, lubrication, condition, and load, and informs the user when conditions are abnormal and can threaten to cause bearing damage. This technology is now undergoing trials in various projects. Traditional condition monitoring can detect bearing damage, of course; but with SKF bearing health management algorithms applied to the dynamic data, SKF Insight can spot the abnormal conditions that cause damage and can take actions to prevent it. “These innovations are set to revolutionize condition monitoring for bearings, especially in critical machinery and technically challenging applications. SKF Insight technology will make condition monitoring more widely available, especially in applications where it was previously impossible or impractical,” says SKF president and CEO Tom Johnstone. “With our integrated diagnostic technology, our customers can get even better control over the life cycle of their machinery, leading to lower total costs with higher reliability and machinery uptime.” According to Alan Begg, SKF senior vice-president, group technology development, “Three years ago we had a vision to create an integrated, self-powered sensor package that could wirelessly communicate the condition of a bearing at any time – making a smart bearing capable of sending a message when something happens to it.” Following extensive R&D work, including miniaturizations, solving power generation challenges and developing unique packaging of sensors and electronics, the introduction of SKF Insight technology makes this a reality.
Miniature electronic circuits powered by the motion of the bearing itself transmit this process data via a wireless link; no external power supply (or wiring, for that matter) is required. “This means it will work in places that would previously have been impossible. With SKF Insight, signals can be taken from anywhere, and we are already developing solutions in challenging applications in wind turbines and steel manufacturing,” says Begg.
“We developed SKF Insight because we know that bearings rarely fail in service, under normal operating conditions, due to factors such as subsurface fatigue. Instead, the cause of failure is usually misuse or neglect: insufficient lubrication, for example, or running the bearing under conditions outside those originally specified. Insight’s embedded sensor measures the critical parameters that cause early bearing failure, such as lubricant contamination or temperature, allowing operators to take corrective action while the machinery is still operating. The direct result is that expensive, disruptive failures can be prevented, reducing the total cost of asset ownership and extending machine operating life. It also makes it simpler for engineers to gain a far more detailed appreciation of the varied causes that can affect the calculation of bearing life,” explains Begg.
Tough Working Conditions
SKF Insight also offers huge potential benefits to many industries like wind energy, where the cost of maintenance is astronomical. In some offshore wind applications, changing the main bearing on a wind turbine is so expensive that it undermines the business case for building the turbine in the first place. Used here, intelligent bearings could monitor loads and lubrication conditions in service, giving plenty of time to prevent the development of damaging process conditions.
A similar solution is being developed for wheel-end bearings. These critical components are normally changed at set intervals, regardless of their condition. SKF Insight creates a cost-effective way of collecting condition monitoring data so that service bearing life and change-out intervals are determined based on actual, rather than predicted, operating conditions. The ability to monitor and transmit information on operating conditions will bring about a revolution in bearings in terms of maintenance planning, total cost of ownership, and maximizing machine efficiency. Bearings have long been considered the heart of rotating machinery. Now, by imbuing them with intelligence, SKF Insight makes them the brain as well. It goes beyond traditional condition monitoring, into what might be called “future reliability” – identifying potential problems before they occur, and taking immediate corrective action.
Rethinking Maintenance
SKF Insight gives maintenance engineers a powerful new tool to keep machinery in prime condition, giving them capabilities way beyond traditional condition monitoring. It means that maintenance can be carried out at exactly the right time (so-called adaptive maintenance), rather than being guided by a strict schedule that is unrelated to the actual condition of the machinery or its components.
The intelligent wireless technology inside the bearing has other functions as well. The technology allows bearings to be configured in smart networks, which communicate via wireless gateways. The gateway can be local to the machine or to the plant. System information can be provided to the customer for analysis using SKF @ptitude Analyst, or sent via the SKF cloud to a remote diagnostic centre. From here, dashboards and reports can be supplied to the plant operator, machine manufacturer, SKF, or any other authorized person with Internet access. The inclusion of SKF in the list of recipients is an important one, as the firm’s deep bearing and machine knowledge can provide vital assistance in gathering and interpreting the data. Because the bearings are self-contained, they can be used right in the heart of a machine, where it was previously impossible to embed sensors. This is a huge step forward in real-time condition-based maintenance, and provides a vastly improved understanding of the operating environment. Having such a deep knowledge of operating conditions, in real time, could even make it possible to upgrade a machine, extending its life or power rating beyond its initial specification. “The sensors communicate through each other, and the wireless gateway, to create a ‘mesh network,’ providing both machine-wide and plant-wide information,” notes Beggs.
Monitoring Directly On The Bearing
Prior to SKF Insight, condition monitoring techniques could only monitor damage after it had occurred. Now, by sensing directly on the bearing, SKF is able to monitor the damage from the first microscopic effects as it is happening; armed with this information, customers can take remedial action to reduce the reason for damage in the bearing – adding lubricant, mitigating transient overloads, etc. In addition, by monitoring the load directly on the bearing, SKF Insight makes it possible to measure the load the bearing actually experiences, rather than what it was designed for. This valuable information can be routed back into the design phase to improve both the system and bearing design.
With SKF Insight technology integrated into bearings, it will be simpler and more convenient for customers to enter into condition-monitoring activities. Better operational knowledge, better maintenance planning, optimized manpower, and spare part management will lead to lower cost of operations.
Imagine a bearing that could detect problems, communicate wirelessly, and could take advantage of the inherent rotational energy to self-power the electronics.
The SKF Insight is a new bearing health management technology that uses self-powered, intelligent wireless sensors in the SKF bearing to provide instant condition monitoring data via the Internet. SKF Insight monitors such dynamic parameters as vibration, temperature, lubrication, condition, and load, and informs the user when conditions are abnormal and can threaten to cause bearing damage. This technology is now undergoing trials in various projects. Traditional condition monitoring can detect bearing damage, of course; but with SKF bearing health management algorithms applied to the dynamic data, SKF Insight can spot the abnormal conditions that cause damage and can take actions to prevent it. “These innovations are set to revolutionize condition monitoring for bearings, especially in critical machinery and technically challenging applications. SKF Insight technology will make condition monitoring more widely available, especially in applications where it was previously impossible or impractical,” says SKF president and CEO Tom Johnstone. “With our integrated diagnostic technology, our customers can get even better control over the life cycle of their machinery, leading to lower total costs with higher reliability and machinery uptime.” According to Alan Begg, SKF senior vice-president, group technology development, “Three years ago we had a vision to create an integrated, self-powered sensor package that could wirelessly communicate the condition of a bearing at any time – making a smart bearing capable of sending a message when something happens to it.” Following extensive R&D work, including miniaturizations, solving power generation challenges and developing unique packaging of sensors and electronics, the introduction of SKF Insight technology makes this a reality.
Miniature electronic circuits powered by the motion of the bearing itself transmit this process data via a wireless link; no external power supply (or wiring, for that matter) is required. “This means it will work in places that would previously have been impossible. With SKF Insight, signals can be taken from anywhere, and we are already developing solutions in challenging applications in wind turbines and steel manufacturing,” says Begg.
“We developed SKF Insight because we know that bearings rarely fail in service, under normal operating conditions, due to factors such as subsurface fatigue. Instead, the cause of failure is usually misuse or neglect: insufficient lubrication, for example, or running the bearing under conditions outside those originally specified. Insight’s embedded sensor measures the critical parameters that cause early bearing failure, such as lubricant contamination or temperature, allowing operators to take corrective action while the machinery is still operating. The direct result is that expensive, disruptive failures can be prevented, reducing the total cost of asset ownership and extending machine operating life. It also makes it simpler for engineers to gain a far more detailed appreciation of the varied causes that can affect the calculation of bearing life,” explains Begg.
Tough Working Conditions
SKF Insight also offers huge potential benefits to many industries like wind energy, where the cost of maintenance is astronomical. In some offshore wind applications, changing the main bearing on a wind turbine is so expensive that it undermines the business case for building the turbine in the first place. Used here, intelligent bearings could monitor loads and lubrication conditions in service, giving plenty of time to prevent the development of damaging process conditions.
A similar solution is being developed for wheel-end bearings. These critical components are normally changed at set intervals, regardless of their condition. SKF Insight creates a cost-effective way of collecting condition monitoring data so that service bearing life and change-out intervals are determined based on actual, rather than predicted, operating conditions. The ability to monitor and transmit information on operating conditions will bring about a revolution in bearings in terms of maintenance planning, total cost of ownership, and maximizing machine efficiency. Bearings have long been considered the heart of rotating machinery. Now, by imbuing them with intelligence, SKF Insight makes them the brain as well. It goes beyond traditional condition monitoring, into what might be called “future reliability” – identifying potential problems before they occur, and taking immediate corrective action.
Rethinking Maintenance
SKF Insight gives maintenance engineers a powerful new tool to keep machinery in prime condition, giving them capabilities way beyond traditional condition monitoring. It means that maintenance can be carried out at exactly the right time (so-called adaptive maintenance), rather than being guided by a strict schedule that is unrelated to the actual condition of the machinery or its components.
The intelligent wireless technology inside the bearing has other functions as well. The technology allows bearings to be configured in smart networks, which communicate via wireless gateways. The gateway can be local to the machine or to the plant. System information can be provided to the customer for analysis using SKF @ptitude Analyst, or sent via the SKF cloud to a remote diagnostic centre. From here, dashboards and reports can be supplied to the plant operator, machine manufacturer, SKF, or any other authorized person with Internet access. The inclusion of SKF in the list of recipients is an important one, as the firm’s deep bearing and machine knowledge can provide vital assistance in gathering and interpreting the data. Because the bearings are self-contained, they can be used right in the heart of a machine, where it was previously impossible to embed sensors. This is a huge step forward in real-time condition-based maintenance, and provides a vastly improved understanding of the operating environment. Having such a deep knowledge of operating conditions, in real time, could even make it possible to upgrade a machine, extending its life or power rating beyond its initial specification. “The sensors communicate through each other, and the wireless gateway, to create a ‘mesh network,’ providing both machine-wide and plant-wide information,” notes Beggs.
Monitoring Directly On The Bearing
Prior to SKF Insight, condition monitoring techniques could only monitor damage after it had occurred. Now, by sensing directly on the bearing, SKF is able to monitor the damage from the first microscopic effects as it is happening; armed with this information, customers can take remedial action to reduce the reason for damage in the bearing – adding lubricant, mitigating transient overloads, etc. In addition, by monitoring the load directly on the bearing, SKF Insight makes it possible to measure the load the bearing actually experiences, rather than what it was designed for. This valuable information can be routed back into the design phase to improve both the system and bearing design.
With SKF Insight technology integrated into bearings, it will be simpler and more convenient for customers to enter into condition-monitoring activities. Better operational knowledge, better maintenance planning, optimized manpower, and spare part management will lead to lower cost of operations.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Bearing Reliability Conference and Expo 2016
The BRCE is set to take place March 22-23, 2016 in Dortmund, Germany. The purpose of this conference and expo is to bring top leaders in the bearing industry together in order to discuss and create strategies on how to make bearings more reliable.
There are four different attendance package options for this two day event, including conference, workshops, conference and workshops combo, and a package for exhibitors.
The conference will also include key note speakers from all over the world presenting on a variety of topics such as: Equipment and Bearing Reliability, Bearing Maintenance, and Bearing Lubrication.
For more information, or to register for this event, please visit: http://www.bearingreliabilityconference.com
Friday, October 9, 2015
2015 EPTDA Conference in Barcelona a success!
Last month, EPTDA (EMEA Power Transmission Distributors Association) hosted their annual convention in Barcelona. 30 different countries were represented and out of these, close to 100 delegates were newcomers to the convention. Many noteworthy events occurred at this year's conventions such as:
- EPTDA hosted its most successful MD-IDEX sessions
and
-EPTDA elected a new board of directors and President for 2016.
In addition to creating more business opportunities between manufacturers and distributors and distributors and distributors, EPTDA also raised €10,295 to be donated to Salesians Fundacio Magone. a charity that supports vulnerable youth.
Next year's convention is planned to take place September 21-23 in Berlin!
For more information about this year's convention and plans for 2016, please visit: http://www.eptdaconvention.org/
Resource: http://www.bearing-news.com/eptda-annual-convention-in-barcelona/
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
2015 NMSDC Conference Participant!
TSB Industrial Supply is thrilled to be a newly certified member of the National Minority Supplier Development Council. In a few short weeks we will be attending the 2015 NMSDC Conference in San Diego. We are looking forward to establishing new business relationships with companies in need of bearings, belts, chains, seals, and other industrial parts.
In addition to being nationally recognized as a Minority Owned Enterprise, we are also certified by the City of Houston as both a Minority and Woman Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE), a Small Business Enterprise (SBE), and a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB).
To get more information, please contact us at sales@tsbindustrialsupply.com or 713-731-7200 OR visit us on the web at http://www.tsbindustrialsupply.com.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
DIYing with Bearings! (vol. 1)
You probably have two thoughts that come to mind when ball bearings are mentioned: either, "what are those?" or perhaps some industrial/mechanical thought. However, expand your mind, and bearings can be used for much more than just assembly lines, automobiles, buildings, etc. Why not use ball bearings to enhance your DIY lifestyle? Being a pinterest obsessed girl myself, I began to wonder, "how can I incorporate ball bearings into my habit of crafting?" A little poking and prodding via the ever helpful Google machine, and voila! A list of crafts (from the simple to complex) that incorporate the use of ball bearings:
With the holidays right around the corner, why not grab a simple deep groove ball bearing and stack steel balls of descending sizes, top it off with a nut and washer "top hat", and you could even attach bobby pins as arms. There you have a festive snowman to place on the mantle, or as table decor.
If you're looking to make a unique card for the mechanically inclined guy (or gal!) in your life, consider using ball bearing stencils or patterned backing papers available via Crafty Ferret.
Super into fitness? You can make your own jump rope with just a few simple items and steps. Directions here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Jump-rope-with-ball-bearings/
(ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED.)
It's easy to make a kit (under $5!) to clean your bearings- especially for those of you who enjoy riding your skateboard or longboard. The best part about this one is that you may already have some of the materials needed at home.
Instructions here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Longboard-Bearings-Cleaning-Kit-Under-5-in-/?ALLSTEPS
If you're particularly mechanically inclined, take a jab at this DIY camera slider. Total cost is under $100, and the photographer in your life would certainly enjoy this handy accessory.
Instructions here: https://camera47.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/diy-slider-with-bearings-for-under-100/
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