Bearings provide increased options for designers.
Press Release Summary:
SKF Explorer Angular Contact Ball Bearings exhibit up to 3x longer service life than conventional angular contact bearings. Bearings come in single or double row designs. Single row bearings are for pumps requiring high speeds and heavy axial and radial loads. Double-row models have 30° contact angle for heavy thrust loads and shock loads caused by cavitation and are for ANSI and medium-duty pumps. Both models come with ABMA ABEC3 precision levels.
Original Press Release:
SKF Introduces New Performance Class of Bearings for Pump Applications
SKF® Explorer Angular Contact Ball Bearings add value, design flexibility and field reliability to pump manufacturers and users
KULPSVILLE, Pa. - A new performance class of bearings that enables pump designers and manufacturers to add value to their products by way of increased service life and reduced warranty claims is now available from SKF®. The new bearings, called SKF Explorer Angular Contact Ball Bearings (ACBB), are specifically designed to withstand the toughest pump operating conditions. Under extensive laboratory testing the bearings exhibited up to three times longer service life than conventional angular contact bearings. The increase in bearing performance offers pump designers and manufacturers vital new design options, including those for downsizing or extending mean time between failure (MTBF). Pump users can expect greater reliability and smoother operation of the pump system.
Increased options for designers
Drawing upon the latest advances in materials research and manufacturing precision, engineers developed SKF Explorer ACBB bearings to maximize the effects of lubrication while minimizing the effects of friction, wear and contamination on bearing and pump service life. Their unmatched level of performance increases the options open to pump designers and manufacturers. For example, using SKF Explorer ACBB bearings in place of conventional bearings in existing designs can increase a designer's options for using different impellers within the same basic pump size and also provide increased ability to handle cavitation. If there is no need for increasing output, speed or load, using SKF Explorer bearings of equal size in existing designs can extend a pump's MTBF through prolonged seal life, reduced operating temperatures and lower vibration levels.
Downsizing
By specifying SKF Explorer bearings in new designs, pump designers can use physically smaller bearings in smaller pumps to achieve the same output as a larger pump using conventional bearings. Such a reduction in overall dimensions translates into lighter, more energy efficient designs, providing for lower operating temperatures and increased speeds. Then, too, designers can use lower profile SKF Explorer bearings with the same outside diameter as conventional bearings to develop "stiffer" new designs with larger shafts but capable of operating at the same or higher speeds.
SKF Explorer ACBBs are available in single or double row configurations. Single-row SKF Explorer ACBB are typically used in pumps designed for operational reliability in applications requiring moderate to high speeds and heavy axial and radial loads. Double-row SKF Explorer ACBB, due to their excellent load and speed capabilities and their ease of mounting, are used extensively in ANSI and other medium-duty pumps. The double-row models have a 30-degree contact angle to accommodate heavy thrust loads and shock loads caused by cavitation. Both single and double-rows come with ABMA ABEC3 precision levels as standard.
Pump users
SKF Explorer ACBB adds value to pump users as well by providing more consistent, reliable operation. Because of the design and manufacturing improvements, these pump bearings will be less sensitive to overloads, poor operating conditions, and based on testing will run cooler and quieter. A modified, more robust retainer or cage in double-row bearings is especially suited for use in ANSI style pumps.
SKF is the leading global supplier of products, customer solutions and services in the rolling bearing, seals, and related businesses. SKF's offerings range from bearings, seals and greases, to fully integrated systems providing solutions that contribute to reduced operating costs, higher efficiency and productivity, increased safety and environmental protection, and greater reliability. With operations in more than 130 countries, SKF employs 40,000 people, and has 83 manufacturing locations. SKF has sales companies in 70 countries that are supported by approximately 7,000 distributors and dealers. Visit: www.skfusa.com
