Avoiding Bearings "Made in Wherever"

You can always tell when times are good in the automotive market due to the flurry of acquisitions, mergers and divestitures. As we are coming off a record 2016 in vehicle sales, many companies are flush with cash burning a hole in their billion-dollar pockets. There isn’t enough front-page space for the number of companies reporting record profits for 2016. Others, however, realize that if they didn’t see black in 2015-16, the writing is on the wall and it is likely time to start looking for a willing buyer ready to spend some new money on a discounted, struggling company.

As they say around here, “If you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em.”

In Detroit we saw some huge, industry-changing acquisitions, with AAM buying Metaldyne; Dana buying part of USM; and FCA looking for a buyer while GM is in THE process of dumping Opel. Many companies are doubling down on domestic manufacturing; meanwhile,  Chinese companies continue to aggressively invest in U.S. markets.

All of this churn in the marketplace can make it tricky to differentiate the real competition from dotted line allies. As we deal with the Big 6 global bearing companies — Timken, SKF, NTN, NSK, JTEKT, Schaeffler — and an ever-increasing powerhouse — Nachi, along with the emerging Chinese behemoths ZWZ, LYC, HRB, TMB, Wanxiang, C&U and CW — you may be frequently left with the question of who exactly is doing what. Out of the thousands and thousands of bearing companies, (someone told me there were around 9,000 bearing companies in Ningbo China alone) only a small fraction is actually producing bearings. Indeed, the companies mentioned above produce well over 90% of the world’s bearings. Of course, many, many smaller bearing companies do produce their own products. In global terms however, those numbers make up a very small part of the market. Supporting this ~ $70 billion roller bearing marketplace are what I would call assemblers, partial manufacturers, resellers, re-branders and distributors.

Now, more than ever before, it is common for bearing companies to purchase components that are in the least bit unfavorable to the bottom line. In this incredibly competitive marketplace the public companies need to show profitability to keep the stock price stable. This often means that if they are faced with the option of producing a custom ring at a single digit or flat rate of return, they are likely to shop out the business to another manufacturer. These deals are usually kept very close to the vest for obvious reasons, a major one being that if you spent tens of millions of dollars in marketing to tell people that your product is the best, people expect it to be your product.

The point I am making is the need to hold your suppliers accountable. Often a large supplier will not tell you whom they are buying your components from, but you absolutely have the right to know where your parts are being manufactured. If you are paying top dollar for what you believe to be top quality steel from a top quality producer, you don’t need to be shy about asking questions. If you can’t get a plant tour of where your bearings are being manufactured, there is a good chance it is because they are buying it somewhere else. If they are buying cheaper offshore rings — and then finishing them in a high-priced manufacturing country so that they can stamp them with “Made in Wherever” — you have some work to do, my friend.

The original article can be found on: PowerTransmissions Blog

Darbar Company is one of Pakistan's leading distributor of various types of bearings. Check out our home page to see which brands of bearings we carry

Do’s and don’t of cam follower installation

If you have cam follower bearings installed in your facility, then maintaining a great performance from those bearings will be something you are interested in. You can help obtain great bearing performance if you keep some particulars in mind during installation.

DO

1.     Do install the oil hole plug in applications where the bearing will not be re-lubricated. Because it’s an optional part of the installation, in applications where re-lubrication will be performed, the user may be inclined to discard the oil hole plug. Installing the plug helps protect the bearing from contaminant entry, such as fine grit, metal dust, or liquids, promoting longer life. Longer life means less down time and fewer bearing replacements.

2.     Using a press fit on the stud helps to create proper support of the stud in application; it can be used when installing stud-type cam followers. Press fitting is when you have an interference fit requiring you to apply pressure on the stud end face of the bearing. Be sure to apply the pressure through the stud end face, preferably using an arbor press.

3.     Specifically, for the yoke type bearings: please do back up the bearing’s end plates. Yoke type bearings require a housing to support the end plates. Do not shirk on keeping the end plates supported. Keeping those end plates supported maintains the bearing’s proper assembly in operation, and helps avoid premature application breakdown and possible injury due to disassembly. It will also prevent unnecessary bearing replacement and unnecessary cost.

4.     You may know the stud type cam followers require a certain amount of torque applied to the locking nuts, in order to adequately lock the stud in place. Overtorque can cause bearing damage and undertorque can allow bearing disassembly. Excessive torque can result in stud elongation or fracture. Inadequate torque can allow the cam follower to become disassembled from the housing. Keeping the proper torque as shown in the bearing’s chart will maintain clamping pressure adequate to lock the stud in place, keeping the bearing in its intended position.

5.     Some applications need little maintenance, such as those involving slower speeds, fairly clean environments and ambient temperatures. However, re-lubrication becomes more crucial as application speed, temperature, or contamination levels increase. Do regularly inspect and as necessary re-lubricate your bearings. Keeping your bearings in top condition maximizes their operational performance and life. Regular check-ins are also a good opportunity to inspect the state of their installation and working environment.

DO NOT

1.     During installation, do not hammer directly on the bearing! Doing this can cause damage to your bearing or injury to those involved.

2.    Don’t neglect your bearings. I don’t need to tell you that negligence can result in permanent damage and shorten operating life. In short, you’re wasting money.

Darbar Company is Pakistan's leading supplier in Cam Followers. You can send your particular inquiries by filling out this form

Original article can be found in the February issue of Bearing-News Magazine