Many grease-lubricated bearing applications don’t require additional grease during the bearing life since the grease’s service life outlasts the bearing life. SKF offers ready-greased bearings and bearing units with built-in seals or shields for these applications, which are suited for maintenance-free operation.
The grease service life is evaluated using operational data to determine whether a maintenance your bearings-free solution is feasible. The type, size, speed, operating temperature, grease type, and bearing environment are the primary determinants of grease service life.
Regular and proper lubrication of bearings is highly important. It will help to run the bearings for a longer duration. Lubrication bearings may mean an easy job, but it is a complex process since one needs to understand the mechanism of the machine parts.
Lubrication needs to be done following many factors such as
- Lifecycle of the bearings,
- Hours of use and
- The amount of load it takes daily.
Lubrication gives better reliability for the working of the machines. It includes several aspects to be considered like –
- Maintenance of the machine
- Engineering aspects of the machine
- Physical Asset Management.
Guidelines for keeping bearings up-to-date:
Handle carefully –Bearings are easily destroyed since they are so sensitive. As a result, they must be kept in their original packaging and stored properly in a tidy, dry environment. They should not be exposed to any airborne contaminants because even a very small amount of dirt can result in early failure. Never hammer, pound, or exert direct pressure on them or their outer ring as this could harm the rolling elements and lead to misalignment. The most crucial rule to follow is to keep bearings in their package until they are ready to be used.
Oil Analysis – Oil analysis helps to find out any faults in the machine or bearings even before the machine fails. The quality of the machine is affected due to improper fixing of the seal or a broken seal. It can contaminate the bearing by allowing water, metal fragments, and dirt into the wheel. Oil lubrication bearing needs to have skilled and experienced hands to handle the bearings well.
Proper storage facilities – Lubricant is a sensitive material that requires good storage conditions. It should be stored in perfect conditions where there is no contamination of different materials or mixing of two oils. Care should also be taken to prevent exposure to extreme weather conditions.
Using quality industrial lubricants – Specialized industrial lubrication bearings should be used for the proper maintenance of the bearings. Proper techniques to lubricate help to maintain your machines for a longer period.
Always apply the proper tools – The installation and unmounting procedures should make use of specialized instruments such as bearing pullers, bearing fitting tool kits, oil injector kits, hydraulic nuts, or induction heaters. To reduce the risk of harm, these tools make sure that mounting and demounting go smoothly.