product NOVEMBER Q&A - bearings
2019
Q&A:
ROLL WITH IT
Advances in automation and digitalisation are
having a dramatic effect on the development and
application of bearing technologies.
What trends / customer requirements
are driving developments in your product
area?
PB: As many industrial companies
introduce digitalisation to boost
productivity and efficiency, raise
product quality and make supply chain
improvements, our service offering has
shifted to embrace this.
Although SKF’s primary expertise
is in bearings, the way in which we
provide that expertise is changing. We
continue to help customers improve
their Rotating Equipment Performance
(REP), but this is increasingly being
achieved through digitalisation: adding
sensors to machines, combining
different data sources, analysing by
combining the data with our application
expertise and providing the right
recommendations for corrective actions
at an early stage and in real time.
While the technology itself is vital
in gathering and crunching the data,
it is the remote diagnostic service –
where SKF experts interpret the data
and make recommendations – that
ensures optimal performance. Big data
is the currency of modern industrial
performance, but must be properly
July 2020 / www.theengineer.co.uk 30
Give one or two examples of how your
products are helping customers meet the
challenges that they are facing?
PB: Digitalisation can be applied to
any business and we’ve seen mining
companies adopt it as readily as
automotive companies, once they
understand its benefits. In the mining
industry, a customer installed 8,000
sensors on its production lines,
monitoring 2,400 critical assets
including pumps, fans, gearboxes and
large rotating grinding mills. We have a
continuous service agreement in place
with the mine owners. As a result of
digitalisation, SKF can show that these
predictive maintenance measures are
saving the company nearly £7 million
per year.
SS: Schaeffler smart automatic
lubricators for bearings ensure machine
availability by delivering precise
amounts of grease, reliably and when
required to bearings in motors, pumps,
fans and compressors – this frees up
maintenance staff to concentrate on
other tasks which require human
intervention. It also helps to keep people
safe, as they don’t need to access areas
that are difficult or dangerous to reach.
MA: The isense system is a revolutionary
product. Having a system that has
the ability to predict any required
maintenance before failure, is crucial in
almost all industries. Having adaptable,
off the shelf standard products that
are lubrication-free, maintenance-free
and intelligent are all helping to reduce
bearing failures, maintenance and
downtime. Having a low-cost intelligent
range of products creates more efficient
production whilst avoiding failures and
allows companies to remain competitive
by keeping costs down.
What’s the key product for you currently
and how is it being applied?
PB: Industrial plants have hundreds
and thousands of sensors continuously
collecting assets’ data. Automated
Machine Learning (AutoML) sifts
jon excell reports
interpreted if it is to be of maximum use.
SS: Customers are increasingly looking
to maximise availability, not only of
equipment and machines but also
of personnel. This means having
real time, holistic knowledge of an
entire production facility, not just
key machines. Implementing smart
devices can help free up maintenance
staff to concentrate on more important
planning tasks and to prioritise
immediate and future maintenance
requirements.
MA: Automation continues to be a
growth area in manufacturing. This
includes factories, production and
assembly and now increasingly, the food
production sector with vertical farming
as well as traditional agriculture.
With the use of intelligent technology,
which igus calls isense, a monitoring
system which accurately measures
wear and reports back to master
control, igus products offer predictive
maintenance in areas with minimal
direct human operation. This is driven
by environmental considerations such
as the requirement for the elimination
of lubrication and the necessity of low
energy production.
Smart
condition
monitoring
technology is
at the heart of
SKF’s offering
MEET THE
EXPERTS
Phil Burge, PR and
Brand Awareness
Manager at SKF.
Sally Sillis,
Schaeffler
Technology
Centre Manager,
Schaeffler (UK)
Limited
Matthew Aldridge,
Managing Director,
Igus.
big data is the currency of modern
industrial performance, but must be
properly interpreted Phil Burge
/www.theengineer.co.uk