Extreme Condition Bearings

There are some situations and environments in which components within a machine or piece of equipment can come under considerable strain or pressure and so they have to be designed to be able to withstand these factors and be able to perform reliably and efficiently. One such industry which can pose problems for bearings in equipment is the food industry where due to the nature of food and how it is stored and cooked there can be elements of both extreme heat and extreme cold involved. In these situations the equipment that is used has to be able to withstand these extreme conditions and function normally.

One particular piece of equipment which produces extreme conditions is the cooker or oven. Pretty much everybody will use some form of oven for preparing and cooking their meals and these will be used at very high temperatures. You probably don’t give much, if any, thought to how durable the components inside your oven have to be as you are normally too busy and occupied with preparing your food or waiting for your roast dinner to finish cooking. The bearings inside an oven are designed so that they can survive the extremely high temperatures and continue to function properly without their effectiveness being reduced by the heat. As a result of the heat it can often be necessary to regularly replace or maintain components. Parts may need lubricating or replacing due to corrosion which can be costly and time consuming. To combat this it is possible to install units which are specially designed to be maintenance free and to continue working without the need to regularly lubricate them. SKF high temperature bearings are designed to do just that and work efficiently inside your oven without being damaged by the heat.

At the other extreme to the bearings used in ovens are the bearings that are designed to be used in freezers. These bearings are designed to survive in the cold conditions without becoming corroded or suffering any loss in efficiency. The main problem that can be encountered by elements within a freezer is a change in temperature. If a freezer is turned off for a period and then turned back on the change between the temperatures can cause corrosion of some parts. In a similar way if the freezer is cleaned using hot water some damage can be inflicted. It is for these reasons that the bearings used in freezers need to be carefully designed to combat any potential damage that may occur. Low maintenance or entirely maintenance free and to be resistant to corrosion options are available.

Whether it is high temperature bearings or low temperature bearings, there are components which are designed specifically for use in situations where they will have to face extreme conditions and temperatures. You might take the effectiveness of your freezer or oven for granted but this is only as a result of the components being properly designed and working efficiently.