Clive Reviews the New SKF Rolling Bearing Catalogue
Nobody is more passionate about bearings than our very own Bearings & Maintenance Product Manager and resident bearing hero, Clive Simkins. So, when asked if he would review the long awaited SKF Rolling Bearing catalogue, of course he jumped at the chance!
In their new catalogue, SKF revert back to what they are best at, which is Rotating Equipment Performance - because the condition of the bearing is at the heart of any machine, and as I always say, a happy bearing is a happy machine!
With lots of subtle changes, starting from the contents table, the tone of the catalogue is geared more towards bearing selection rather than technical product information. Below I have listed what I consider to be the most important changes in this edition.
SKF Care
SKF have now included what they call ‘SKF care’, this is a breakdown of SKF’s core and basic values that ‘help to create value for business partners, the environment, our employees, and the communities.’
Bearing Basics
Rather than gearing this new edition towards product information on the assumption that everybody will understand, SKF have included a much-expanded section on the basic properties. An example of this is the types and terminology of bearings, including Why Rolling Bearings!
Bearing Selection
To compliment the basic knowledge provided, SKF have created an extensive guide on the bearing selection process. This guide helps to ensure that the bearings selected achieve the required level of equipment performance at the lowest possible cost for existing applications, and those that are still in the design process. This tool also takes in to consideration all possible factors that could affect bearing choice including: sealing, mounting, dismounting and lubrication selection.
Lubrication Selection
As part of the bearing selection, the guide helps you to find the best lubricant for your bearing and the conditions it will be working in. This section has been expanded, providing more in-depth information on the selection process and lubricants in general, including the best products for common applications.
Popular Items
SKF have now indexed their most popular items to indicate those that have high stock levels. This is particularly useful when designing applications as it means those products are produced in large quantities, making costs lower. It also helps prevent long lead times for lesser or rarely produced bearings, as the one-off production of these units can increase prices and waiting times massively.
Product Updates to watch:
Sensor bearing units - Expanded the product detail, with new part number listings
Solid Oil Bearings - Instead of incorporating the Solid Oil and stainless-steel bearings into the main Deep Groove Ball Bearing section they have been separated into their own chapter and given a much better storyline
INSOCOAT bearings - Coatings have been upgraded to provide higher Ohmic resistance.
No Wear - Information available on the range of products has been expanded
Taper Rollers - Now includes 600mm outer diameter with upgraded & dynamic load ratings
Angular Contact Ball Bearings - 25° new raceway geometry
Spherical Roller bearings - Now including Spherical Roller bearings designed for Wind Energy applications
This splendid tome is aimed at the serious engineer and the student working on their degree. Well laid out, it will become compulsive reading in the long winter nights!