A Tortilla Wrap manufacturer was experiencing short service life on its pillow block bearing units mounted in the multiple belt dough prove section of the process line. Two bearing units were replaced every 6 weeks with resultant shaft damage, leading to high production downtime, maintenance and part replacement costs. Investigations by NSK engineering attributed the failures to ingress of particulates and set screw loosening due to vibration. NSK recommended replacing the standard pillow block units with Self-Lube Bearing Units with Triple Lip Seals and eccentric locking collars. A trial was implemented and the recommended bearings have successfully extended life from 6 weeks to over 1 year resulting in significant cost savings.
Before | Cost p.a. | NSK Solution | Cost p.a. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bearing Costs: 2 bearings replaced 9 times per year | € 660 | Bearing costs: replacement of all prove bearings | € 3.295 | |
Downtime Costs: €2950/hr x 2hr replacement time x 9 times per year | € 53.100 | Downtime costs | € 0 | |
Replacement shaft costs | € 3.180 | Replacement shaft costs | € 0 | |
Fitting costs: €170/hr x 2 hrs per replacement x 9 times per year | € 3.060 | Initial Fitting Costs: €170/hr x 12 hrs | € 2.040 | |
Total Costs | € 60 000 | € 5 335 |
Reference:SS-E-2085