A market-leading manufacturer of insulation products for the construction industry
turned to NSK for help in solving repeat bearings failures on its band saws. Thanks
to NSK’s intervention and subsequent bearing and seal proposals, the plant is
witnessing impressive annual savings of €648,880.
The manufacturer of insulation solutions for the construction sector had recently completed
the commissioning of a new automated production line and was looking forward to the
benefits that its investment would offer. However, production proved erratic due to repeated
failures of bearings on the blade guide rollers of the production line’s three band saws.
The situation escalated and soon became critical with bearing changes taking place on a
daily basis. On occasions, the blade guide bearings were only lasting three hours, leading
to costly downtime and increased maintenance. Some bearing failures were even resulting
in damage to the saw blades.
NSK received a request for help on behalf of the band-saw manufacturer to help identify the
root cause of the failures and offer solutions. An engineering team from NSK reviewed the
application at the customer’s site, performing a comprehensive failed bearing analysis. This
activity revealed that bearing failures were occurring due to the ingress of contaminants,
which duly led to the recommendation of NSK’s deep groove ball bearings with high-
performance DDU sealing, using a patented full contact sealing mechanism. The contact
seal design offers maximum protection against all contaminants, including dust and water,
while simultaneously ensuring good grease retention.
A trial showed a significant improvement in bearing life. Whereas before around one-third of
the blade guide roller bearings would fail every day, now the plant changes its NSK
bearings every 3-4 months as part of a planned maintenance schedule.
Reductions in production downtime, maintenance labour, replacement bearings and
damaged saw blades is resulting in significant annual cost savings of €648,880.
Press pictures
1) Bearings were failing every day on the blade guide rollers of the factory’s band saws.
Photo: Mr.1/Shutterstock
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2) Cutaway of an NSK deep groove ball bearing featuring DU seal technology. Photo: NSK
About NSK Europe
NSK Europe Ltd. is the European organisation of the Tokyo-based bearing manufacturer NSK, which was
founded in Japan in 1916 and today employs nearly 29,882 people in its worldwide operations. The products
and solutions provided by the industrial and automotive supplier can be found wherever things move. In addition
to nearly all types of rolling bearings, the company’s portfolio includes housed bearings, linear technology,
wheel bearing units, transmission and engine bearings and steering systems. The company is oriented to
perfection in all of its business activities. Its aim is quality leadership in its industry, which it strives for through a
continuous process of improvement, excellent product development, optimised production processes and
customer-oriented service processes. In fiscal year 2022, the more than 4,030 employees of NSK Europe Ltd.
generated sales of over € 893 million.
