New Bearings Are Gateway To Digitalization And IIoT
Recorded data transfer via a gateway to the Schaeffler cloud, where engineers can take advantage of the company’s rolling-bearing domain expertise. For example, automated rolling bearing diagnosis and remaining useful life calculations can provide precise information on the condition of the bearing and, thus, of the machine being monitored. That, in turn, lets experts recommend specific follow-up actions. It will even be possible to use actual load data to make adjustments to machine operations and processes in real time.
In one case, measuring radial shaft displacement in the bearing lets the software determine the radial force on the sensor bearing. If the model for a specific powertrain is stored in the Schaeffler cloud as an algorithm in the Bearinx calculation software, then forces, displacements and torques on other bearings, gears and other machine elements can also be determined indirectly from these data. This means that the most important values for monitoring process parameters in machines and equipment are known, and that provides significant added benefits for the operator. For instance, information on overloading can be easily recorded and used to limit torques or even switch off the drive if necessary.
Or the concept of digitalizing production can include monitoring machine processes in terms of vibration, force, temperature and pressure and provide critical data for predictive maintenance. Sensors can record information on the operating conditions of individual bearing in a drivetrain and transfer these data to the cloud for analysis and evaluation. Maintenance technicians, in turn, can access the data worldwide via an Internet connection for a report on the machine’s condition at any time. Finally, operators can receive text messages about analyzed damage and can plan maintenance measures before sudden breakdowns occur.
The first range of VarioSense bearings is available for commonly used 6205 to 6210 Series ball bearings. The VarioSense bearings are supplied with an interface box for power supply (in a range from 4.5 to 30 V), signal processing and networking.
Interest from potential customers is wide-ranging, said the company. Suitable applications for the sensor bearings include pumps and electric motors, drives for agricultural and construction machinery, electric vehicles and fork-lift trucks to wind turbines, conveyors and elevators.
Rolling bearings are ideally suited for gathering information, noted Schaeffler officials, because they are located at the heart of a machine’s flow of force and, thus, exposed to all the loads. Combining them with domain expertise about rolling bearings in specific applications made available via the cloud lets this information be used to control processes in a targeted manner. The end results are maximum capacity utilization and optimized product quality. The prerequisite for this is a holistic and standardized infrastructure from the sensor through to the cloud, which Schaeffler now provides with its Smart EcoSystem.
Original article can be found here
Darbar Company is one of the leading suppliers of Power Transmission Products. Consumers in Pakistan looking for bearing products can contact us here
New Bearings Are Gateway To Digitalization and IIoT (Part 1)
In a recent presentation at this year’s Hannover Fair in Germany, Stefan Spindler, CEO of the Industrial Group at Schaeffler AG outlined the company’s vision for the future. Schaeffler has one of the broadest ranges of rolling bearings and power-transmission products in the industry, offers extensive engineering expertise for its customers and strives for the highest possible quality, efficiency and delivery performance, he said
In addition, noted Spindler, the company views Industry 4.0 and digitalization as key opportunities going forward. He spoke in detail about Schaeffler’s Smart EcoSystem, a digital infrastructure for integrating sensor-equipped components into cloud-based systems and specific business models based on digital service—and how it all ultimately benefits the user.
Smart EcoSystem is a comprehensive, cloud-based hardware and software infrastructure that takes into account every stage of digital added value—from components equipped with sensors through to digital services like tracking machine performance and predictive maintenance, he explained.
Components like rolling bearings equipped with sensors are the fundamental “enablers” for these digital services. Schaeffler’s aim is to continuously transform conventional mechanical products and integrate them into the digital world. While bearings and guidance systems equipped with sensors have been on the market for several years, Schaeffler has expanded such capabilities with the new FAG VarioSense rolling-bearing system—one key component of the Smart EcoSystem. It is based on standard products and can be configured in a modular fashion with several different sensors, which allows virtually every desired parameter to be monitored and permits easy access to digitalization and the Internet of Things.
FAG VarioSense bearings integrate several sensor elements into a ring-shaped housing with a section height of only 7 mm. The sensor cluster occupies approximately the same space as a rotary shaft seal, said company officials. For simple handling, the sensor housing is fixed to the outer ring and the sensor ring is fixed to the bearing inner ring, resulting in a compact overall unit.
Customers can set the number and combination of measured values for a specific application. Sensing parameters include:
• Temperature from -40° to 125°C.
• Speed up to 17,000 rpm.
• Rotation direction.
• Number of revolutions or position with 56 to 96 impulses/revolutions (depending on size).
• Vibration signals for long-term trending.
• Maximum radial shaft displacement to a resolution of 1 µm.
The original article can be found here
Darbar Company is one of the leading suppliers of Power Transmission Products. Consumers in Pakistan looking for bearing products can contact us here
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