Can your bearings handle the heat?

In industries such as food and beverage or metals, operating temperatures are often extreme. This puts strain on machine components such as bearings, which are often prone to premature failure due to the temperature conditions in which they operate.

Premature bearing failure then leads to unplanned downtime, increased cost to the business or sometimes even catastrophic machine failure. Luckily, SKF has created the perfect bearing solution for these high temperature applications.

SKF high temperature bearings and bearing units have been innovatively designed to operate in temperatures up to 350oC, as well as dry conditions, without compromising on reliability. This makes these bearings ideal for use in applications such as kiln trucks, bakeries and roller hearth furnaces.

These bearings operate virtually maintenance-free, thanks to the superior properties of the graphite-based lubrication solution. Graphite degrades at a much higher temperature than oil or grease, meaning that it doesn’t lose its lubricating properties during operation. Minimal maintenance requirements mean that downtime for maintenance is virtually non-existent, whilst the environmental impact of these bearings is significantly reduced.

A common issue with bearings operating at high temperatures is that when operation ceases and the bearing rapidly cools, the bearing will seize up. This is not the case with SKF high temperature bearings as they are designed to maintain the radial clearance needed for high temperature operation, preventing seizure when cooled rapidly and extending the service life.

SKF high temperature bearings can be quickly and easily interchanged thanks to their ISO dimensions which correspond to those of grease-lubricated bearings. This means that cost savings and production efficiencies can be easily realised with a simple change to this SKF bearing solution.

The range of SKF high temperature bearings includes deep groove ball bearings, insert bearings such as Y-bearings and ball bearing units. H1 food-grade lubricants can be used where incidental food contact may occur, making these bearings ideal for use in the food and beverage industry.