Barden irons out problems with obsolete bearings

Tag : deep groove ball bearings

In addition, there may be other design features about the bearingsthat make it equally unattractive, or even impossible, for asupplier to adhere to.
For example, the bearing may require special materials, speciallubrication, certification, special features, or may need to fit anImperial chassis size.
There are similar issues in the nuclear industry too.
Bearings are commonly found in nuclear power plants as part ofactuation systems, which position the control rods into the fuelbundle.
In an emergency situation, the control rods are dropped into thefuel bundle to absorb the reactor heat, which dictates that thebearings must not, under any circumstances, fail.
This means bearing suppliers must offer full manufacturingtraceability, controlled lubrication and complete retention ofrecords, similar to the aerospace and defence industry.
The solution for the system operator is to find a bearing supplierwho is able to manufacture the specified bearing to the same (orhigher) quality standards as the original.
The supplier must also willing to supply in small batch sizes,anything between 10 and 500 units.
The Barden Corporation manufactures a range of super precision,angular contact and deep groove ball bearings.
The focus is on special configuration bearings that add value andprovide engineered solutions for the customer.
Robin Kyte said: 'In the UK and most of Europe, the problem ofobsolete bearings is predominant in the military aerospace andnuclear sectors.
'The problem usually arises when the mechanical system is very old,usually more than 25 years.
'In this scenario, many customers approach Barden because we arewilling to manufacture direct replacement bearings in relativelysmall batch sizes and we have the manufacturing capability toproduce special engineered bearings.
'Barden also have a strict non-obsolescence policy.' Bardenbearings are manufactured and controlled under strict aerospaceprocedures that the company employs, providing full traceability,controlled lubrication and complete retention of records.
'Often the bearing drawings on such legacy products will defineonly the chassis size, with little or no information regarding theinternal design, materials or tolerances.
'With such a basic specification, a wide range of bearings couldmeet the requirements, ranging from low precision,commercially-produced bearings to high-precision bearings with fulltraceability and inspection,' added Kyte.
'Some of these bearings may be relatively inexpensive to buy, butthey were never designed to operate in these types of environmentsor applications.
'Often, the buyer doesn't actually realise that the bearing theyhave just purchased is not a like-for-like replacement.
'Certification, full traceability and quality should be the keyissues here.' Kyte also said that some of Barden's customersactually visit the company's manufacturing plant to witness thecorrect lubrication of a bearing.
'When you consider the potential risks of fitting an incorrectlylubricated bearing for a nuclear or aircraft application, you beginto understand why the customer wants to witness the lubricationthemselves,' said Kyte.
'The customer may pay more for our bearing compared to acommercially-produced one, but they get a guarantee of bearingquality and know that we will produce custom bearings in smallbatch sizes.' Cleanliness of bearings is also important and forthis reason, Barden's manufacturing plant in Plymouth boasts morethan 1,700m2 of clean rooms for contaminant-free assembly andinspection of bearings.
The company designs and manufactures super-precision bearings to aminimum of P4/ABEC 7 quality standards.
Bearing sizes range from 5mm to 250mm outside diameter.
Most bearings manufactured are either angular contact ordeep-groove types, but the company can also now produce rollerbearings.
Being able to produce bearings from special materials and coatingsto suit the application or extreme environments is critical.
Barden offers bearing rings in SAE 52100, AISI 440C, Cronidur 30(high corrosion resistance and high temperature operation), M50 andBG42.
Balls can be made from silicon nitride, TIC-coated, zirconiumdioxide or tungsten carbide.
Cage materials can be specified in steel, bronze, phenolic,polyamide, polyimide, PEEK or PTFE-based.
Lubricants used include hydrocarbon, synthetic esters andhydrocarbons, silicone and perfluoralkypolyether.
Barden is capable of manufacturing bearings to a geometrictolerance of P2 or better and envelope dimensions to P4 or better.
Raceway roundness is better than half a micron, with racewaysurface finish better than 1 micro inch Ra. Request a free brochure from The Barden Corporation ...
• The Barden Corporation: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Processingtalk email newsletter
• Processingtalk Home Page Search the Pro-Talk network of sites