SKF Outlines How to Power the Future at Hannover
Gothenburg, Sweden - SKF will be presenting a selection of its leading products and innovations as well as an innovative technical discovery at Hannover Messe 2015.
SKF has been developing advanced solutions to customers operating across industry since 1907. The company utilises its vast experience and industry insight to continuously produce new technologies, which deliver competitive advantages to customers, such as improved productivity and sustainability.
This experience and expertise has established SKF as an industry leader in product design and development. We attribute this to a forward thinking culture and a commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions that meet the needs of customers, including bearings and units, seals, mechatronics, services and lubrication systems. We call this SKF Knowledge Engineering and it is this approach that will power the future of industry.
SKF launches innovative new bearing rating life model
SKF has launched the SKF Generalized Bearing Life Model, a pioneering new bearing rating life model that is specifically designed to help engineers to calculate a more realistic bearing rating life by considering more influencing factors than before. The new model is a major step forward for the industry, and will play a vital role in enabling OEMs and end users to match bearings and application conditions with even greater certainty, resulting in improved machine life and reduced operating costs.
Developed as part of the SKF EnCompass Field Performance Programme, the new bearing rating life model will enable original equipment designers and end users to more closely match bearings to actual application conditions, therefore further optimising bearing performance.
The current bearing life model is primarily calculated based on damage below the bearing's surface. However, SKF's experience over a number of decades has confirmed that today's high quality bearings rarely fail because of sub-surface damage resulting from inadequate load capacity. They generally fail as a result of surface damage caused by such factors as contamination, inadequate lubrication, surface distress and wear.
Power the future with SKF's new report
In partnership with industrial technology experts and academics from all over the world, we have released a new thought leadership report focusing on the future of manufacturing and engineering. The document, entitled 'Power the Future', features contributions by specialists from within SKF and leading external authorities. It focuses on current and emerging trends in engineering technology and processes, and outlines how the factory, machinery and the workforce will evolve in the near future.
'Power the Future' will enable engineers and students to develop a greater knowledge of the main areas of interest that are predicted to become increasingly prevalent to future technology developments in a variety of key global industrial segments.
The Power the Future report can be downloaded for free from www.skfpowerthefuture.com
Launched at Hannover: SKF smart innovations boost mobility and connectivity
At Hannover, we will be launching a variety of new product innovations that boost mobility and connectivity in industrial applications.
SKF Enlight
SKF Enlight is a package that combines a powerful new mobile app with a special Bluetooth-enabled sensor. It allows non-expert staff to gather expert data such as vibration and temperature information, using standard mobile devices on demand.
The package features three main elements: a mobile app entitled Data Collect, which turns a standard mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet into a data collection device; the SKF Wireless Machine Condition Detector (WMCD), which is a special sensor that measures vibration and temperature data – and relays it to Data Collect via Bluetooth; and – if appropriate – ruggedized Atex Zone 1-compliant tablets and smartphones, if users need to collect data in hazardous areas such as oil gas, refining, chemicals and pharmaceuticals .
TKSA 51
The TKSA 51 is a new SKF shaft alignment tool, which prevents shaft misalignment. Easy to use, the TKSA 51 is the first instrument designed for intuitive shaft alignments using tablets and smartphones. The app makes it quick and easy to set up of motors, drives, fans, gearboxes, pulleys and couplings, even by first time users. It comprises two compact and lightweight laser measuring units, designed to suit almost any application. Using the versatile shaft brackets, the instrument can be mounted on small machines with limited space, whilst extension chains, rods and magnetic holders are supplied for mounting the tool on large machines.
SKF Insight
The company has begun to apply SKF Insight – its revolutionary bearing health management technology – in several new industry projects . The technology, which uses a self-powered, intelligent wireless sensor in the bearing to provide instant condition monitoring data via the Internet, is undergoing trials in challenging projects in the wind turbine and rail industries.
In cooperation with SJ, the Swedish national rail operator, started to run SKF Insight on a railway vehicle. This trial will demonstrate the technical and commercial advantages; including the ability to improve the in-service availability of passenger rail vehicles, while reducing maintenance costs gradually.
SKF Insight monitors dynamic parameters such as vibration, temperature, lubrication condition and load, and informs the user when conditions are abnormal and can threaten to cause bearing damage. When it was launched, at Hannover 2013, SKF Insight was a technology concept – a way in which maintenance engineers might improve condition monitoring by keeping tabs on bearing health. Two years on, it is a fully functioning solution running in customer pilots, capable of supplying data directly to diagnostic centres for better condition monitoring via the SKF Cloud using SKF @ptitude
SKF to showcase a selection of technology innovations at Hannover 2015
Visitors to Hannover Messe 2015 will also get a glimpse of a selection of our other innovations, designed for use in a variety of industries, including Oil Gas, Automotive and many more. These innovations will be displayed on individual exhibits at the SKF exhibition stand.
Top Drive exhibit
The top drive exhibit will showcase a range of our advanced solutions that are helping to improve the operational reliability of critical top drive systems in the oil and gas sector. This includes bearings, seals, lubrication and condition monitoring products.
The latest top drive equipment, used to rotate the drill string during the drilling process, offers a number of important benefits. It can, however, be subject to costly failures due to mud and lubricant contamination, excessive loads and vibration, or electrical discharges and hydraulic blockages. SKF top drive bearing solutions are designed to address these challenges. For example, the main tapered roller thrust bearing has been specifically designed for the drilling industry using the latest SKF modelling programs capable of simulating relevant operating conditions
Sliding Door Damper exhibit
The Sliding Door Damper (SDD) incorporates two gas springs and an oil damper, ensuring that doors up to 400kg in weight can quickly be brought to a soft, safe final position – almost no matter how hard they are closed. As well as acting as a brake, the SDD also positions the door in its closed position and is ideal for use in a range of sliding door structures, such as barn doors, room partitions and French windows.
The design - which is available in four different sizes, each with a different casing length - is a vast improvement on existing systems, which tend to use a single air-gas-oil spring, and are limited to doors up to 100kg in weight. At the same time, they are often bulky, expensive and require an electrical or hydraulic connection. The new product combines three separate functions: regressive braking; cushioned docking; and gentle closing. It decelerates the linear motion of doors, windows and even heavy drawers until they reach a defined end position.
Tyre Pressure Monitoring System exhibit
Meeting the need for safer driving and increased efficiency, the SKF Tyre Pressure Monitoring System delivers reliable and wireless continuous tyre monitoring in trucks and trailers to prevent unplanned vehicle downtime.
Designed to reduce the risk of tyre blowouts, improve fuel economy and cut CO2 emissions, the Tyre Pressure Monitoring system features robust modules that are mounted externally on each wheel. These monitor tyre pressure and temperature and are designed to eliminate the problems of air leakage that can often be found with other methods using external monitoring air-tubes. The temperature and pressure data collected is highly reliable due to using advanced algorithms for calculations and is transferred accurately due to a high signal strength of 2.4 GHz.
For further information, please contact:
Press Relations: Nia Kihlström, +46 31-337 2897; +46 706 67 28 97; nia.kihlstrom@skf.com
SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services which include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 15,000 distributor locations worldwide.
Annual sales in 2014 were SEK 70,975 million and the number of employees was 48,593. www.skf.com
® SKF and SKF Insight are registered trademarks of the SKF Group.
SKF EnCompass is a trademark of the SKF Group.
