Rolling Bearings Are At The Heart Of New Trends In Technology And Products

Schaeffler at the Hannover Messe 2015 (Hall 22, Booth A12)

The global megatrends of mobility and „Industrie 4.0“ as well as the associated further development of rolling bearings, plain bearings and linear guidance systems in terms of loading, operating life and power density are the main features of Schaeffler AG’s Industrial division’s presence at the Hannover Messe 2015. In addition to the perennial themes of increasing performance, economy and energy efficiency, the subjects of sensors, actuators and networking as well as continuous condition monitoring are key focus points in product development. “The drive components with integrated sensor technology and smart actuators we are presenting in Hannover are a prerequisite for networking machinery and plant as well as for the control of autonomous processes in our customers’ value added chain,” according to Robert Schullan, member of the Executive Board at Schaeffler AG and President of Schaeffler Industrial.

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Mr. Schullan emphasized the significance of the Hannover Messe and the MDA as the international platform and leading exhibition for trends in technology in power transmission and control technology. “The MDA provides a complete international overview of this field and highlights current trends. This year we will be highlighting the subjects of „Industrie 4.0“, sustainability and energy efficiency, condition monitoring systems, drive systems for wind turbines and sealing technology,” says Mr. Schullan.

Mr. Schullan stressed the outstanding role of the future market of India, the partner country for Hannover Messe this year. “Thanks to our longstanding and strong presence in the Indian market and our innovative solutions, we will be able to offer significant technological support with the investments that are set to be made in the country’s infrastructure and local industrial facilities as well as in renewable energies,” says Mr. Schullan. Schaeffler is already developing and manufacturing products for the Indian market at four locations. The most important industrial sectors for Schaeffler in India are agricultural engineering, the steel and textile industries, motorcycles and railways, and also production machinery and wind power. Schaeffler has recently certified its first Schaeffler Technology Center in India at the Vadodara site. Extensive engineering and service know-how can now be accessed quickly and locally to provide optimum customer service.

FAG_Smartcheck

Schaeffler’s FAG SmartCheck is an on-line system which provides comprehensive information on the condition of machine components by assessing other parameters such as torque.

Mobility for Tomorrow
Environmentally friendly drives, urban and inter-urban mobility and the broad subject of energy are the specific focus points of Schaeffler’s “Mobility for Tomorrow” strategy. As development partner and global supplier to the automotive and industrial sectors, Schaeffler has a detailed knowledge of drive train systems in both vehicles and industrial applications. Schaeffler’s strength lies in its breadth of knowledge which covers not only the automotive sector but all other types of urban and interurban mobility such as two-wheeled transport, rail and aviation. In the field of energy, Schaeffler is working as a development partner for the generation of conventional and renewable energy as well as the most efficient possible use of applied energy through products with minimum friction. “When it comes to ‘Mobility for Tomorrow’, energy-efficient, cost-effective, and durable components for engines, transmissions, and chassis play a major role when it comes to India’s growing market for two- wheel vehicles, for example. Schaeffler is making a significant contribution to reductions in consumption and emissions as well as to increasing reliability, robustness and economy” says Mr. Schullan.

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The most recent range of fertilizer spreaders from RAUCH include FAG torque measurement units integrated directly into the drive hub. They accurately measure the actual fertilizer flow during the spreading process using contactless technology. Clogging and blockages at the dosing gate can be identified.

„Industrie 4.0“
The „Industrie 4.0“ initiative places particular emphasis on networking components, machinery and production systems by using IT systems which are either top-down or integrated into machines. A prerequisite for this is components which can identify and transmit condition-based information. Rolling bearings have a decisive role to play here as they are responsible for guidance and positioning as well as supporting process forces and movements. “Schaeffler is a leader in the expansion of rolling bearings to include sensors, actuators, control elements, and software components. Our aims range from continuous condition monitoring, for example, to independently locating solutions when error messages occur. Or active process control based on data from the bearings,” says Mr. Schullan.

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Design of the PWG planetary screw drive: The spindle and planetary rollers are manufactured using forming methods. The PWG planetary screw drive is paving the way towards “smart actuators”: extremely high efficiency electromagnetic linear actuators with minimum space requirement.

Integrated torque measurement units for maximum precision and efficiency
A highlight from Schaeffler is the new magnetoelastic FAG torque measurement unit. This mechatronic solution from Schaeffler provides significantly more accurate monitoring and control of applications and processes. By offering solutions for bearings and subsystem, Schaeffler is able to provide the torque measurement unit as a ready-to-fit solution, matched to the specific application. Schaeffler is providing an important prerequisite for networked and intelligent processes on the path to „Industrie 4.0“ by offering precision monitoring of a machine’s status and process through measurement of its torque. Torque controlled manure and fertilizer spreaders are already making use of this technology.

Xlife

X-life is the seal of quality used by Schaeffler for products which have a considerably longer rating and operating life due to their increased basic dynamic load ratings in applications where the load and design envelope are identical.

Smart actuators: Innovative screw drives for electromagnetic linear actuators
Schaeffler is presenting a new design and new operating principle to expand its range of spindles by introducing a screw drive with particularly high load carrying capacity and power density. The PWG planetary screw drive is paving the way towards “smart actuators”: extremely high efficiency electromagnetic linear actuators with minimum space requirement. Applications and initial projects can be found in areas like mirror tracking systems in the solar power sector, azimuth adjustment systems in the wind power sector, feed units for sheet metal forming in the mechanical engineering sector, in sheet metal bending machines, in locking cylinders for plastic injection molding machines, in riveting and cutting devices, and in adhesive metering systems. The PWG range is also already being used in the automotive industry in clutch actuators.

FAG TORB

Schaeffler is presenting a new bearing type at the 2015 Hannover Messe with its FAG TORB toroidal roller bearing.

Measurably better with X-life
Considerable potential for increased functionality, economy and reliability in industrial applications is being released thanks to continuous development of rolling bearings, plain bearings and linear guidance systems. X-life is the seal of quality used by Schaeffler for products which have a considerably longer rating and operating life due to their increased basic dynamic load ratings in applications where the load and design envelope are identical. This extends maintenance intervals which leads to an improvement in “Total Cost of Ownership” and an increase in the reliability of the drive or the machine. Alternatively, the increased basic load ratings allow the bearing load to be increased without any detriment to the operating life. Or the customer can use a smaller rolling bearing. This results in a more compact, lighter design. A reduction in friction and noise levels are further reasons to use X- life bearings.

Durotec B

As direct bearing supports: FAG X-life cylindrical roller bearings for planetary gears, featuring rolling elements and inner rings coated with Durotect B. The raceway of this bearing is integrated into the planetary gear.

New bearing design – toroidal roller bearing FAG-TORB in X-life quality
Schaeffler is presenting a new bearing design at the 2015 Hannover Messe with its FAG TORB toroidal roller bearing. This is a roller bearing with angular adjustment in X-life quality. It combines the angular adjustment capabilities of a spherical roller bearing with the axial displacement of a cylindrical or needle roller bearing. TORB bearings allow the operational reliability and cost-effectiveness of locating/non-locating bearing supports to be significantly increased. In addition to steel and rolling mills, the main areas of application also include belt and conveyor systems, paper machines (e.g. in drying cylinders), drives in marine applications, turbomachinery used in power generation (e.g. in ventilators), textile machinery, crushers, food processing machines, and agricultural machinery.

Solutions for preventing white etching cracks
Schaeffler is presenting a comprehensive range of solutions at the Hannover Messe to increase resistance in bearings to white etching cracks and to prevent premature bearing failure. White etching cracks are structural changes in the material that form below the surface of the bearing. Under the influence of external loads, this can lead to premature failure of the bearing in question. This can affect bearings in wind turbines as well as in many other industrial applications. To achieve efficient and economical reduction in white etching crack damage, Schaeffler recommends a statistically proven technical solution of through- hardened bearings combined with black-oxide coating of the outer rings, inner rings and rolling elements using the coating system Durotect B. Where increased basic load ratings are required, Schaeffler offers carbonitrided rolling bearings made from Mancrodur with Durotect B coating. During carbonitriding, the bearings are subjected to a special heating process in which the bearing surface is enriched with carbon and nitrogen. This increases the bearings’ surface hardness and wear resistance. According to current knowledge, Cronidur special steel with a high chromium content can be now used to completely eliminate the risk of white etching cracks.

Contact

Martin Adelhardt
Vice President Communication & Marketing Industrial Schaeffler AG
Georg-Schaefer-Straße 30
97421 Schweinfurt

Tel. +49 9721 91-3400
Fax +49 9721 91-3375

Johanna Katzenberger
Communication Industrial
Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
Georg-Schaefer-Straße
30 97421 Schweinfurt

Tel. +49 9721 91-3873
Fax +49 9721 91-3375

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