Mechanical Components

What do clocks, skateboards and industrial machinery have in common? They all rely on bearings to maintain their smooth rotational movements. However, to achieve reliability, they must be maintained and handled correctly. This will ensure a long bearing service life, preventing many common issues that can result in bearing failure and costly down time. Here Chris Johnson, Managing Director at SMB Bearings, explains ten top tips for optimal bearing maintenance care.

With 13% of bearing failure attributed to lubrication factors, bearing lubrication is a fast-evolving area of research, supported by academics and industry alike. Here, Chris Johnson Managing Director of SMB Bearings, explains how new innovations in polymer-based lubrication could increase lubrication life, while reducing maintenance needs and contamination risks for food production plants.

A bee can travel over five miles and then remember its way home, despite possessing a brain the size of a pinhead. Scientists have been putting them in virtual reality simulators to help improve Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or drone technology. While the honey bee currently has the edge, drone technology is catching up. Here, Chris Johnson, Managing Director at SMB Bearings, explains the potential value of drones for maintenance inspection of oil pipelines and cooling towers.

Volunteers at the St Albans Head Coastwatch Station are keeping people safe - thanks to a special pair of binoculars and a gift from igus. The station, based along Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, received some much-needed help from igus.

The humble bearing has many geometric factors such as radial play, axial play and the contact angle which are interlinked and must be carefully considered to ensure the optimal performance of the component. Here Chris Johnson, Managing Director at SMB Bearings explains what design engineers need to know about radial play.

A new chainflex cable box is proving a best seller for igus. The chainflex CASE, a new logistics solution from this global manufacturer of energy chain systems and polymer plain bearings, is saving customers both time and money.

Virtual Reality (VR) means much more than video games, as when purchasing an electrical device you’re invariably presented with a table featuring the part’s working parameters and operational limits. Discovering these limits takes a lot of testing, so can simulations simplify this process? Here, Steve Hughes, Managing Director of REO UK, discusses the details that go into simulating, stress-testing and prototyping electrical components.

There are a huge number of variables you need to weigh up when selecting the right types of bearings for your project. There is no doubt things can get confusing, particularly if your project is non-standard. Here, Chris Johnson Managing Director at SMB Bearings, explains one of six important bearing selection considerations.

Up to 40% of a vegetable crop can go to waste due to the aesthetic requirements of some supermarkets. While a wonky vegetable may not be the most visually pleasing, it possesses the same nutritional value as its perfectly proportioned counterpart. Here, Chris Johnson, Managing Director of SMB Bearings, explains why not all bearing surface damage should cause alarm and future headaches for offshore oil and gas plant managers.

Bearing buyers often request bearings with a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours of operation. While the bearing manufacturer has done its own testing to validate the lifespan against different loads, it doesn’t paint the whole picture of how a bearing will endure the buyer’s specific application. Here Chris Johnson, Managing Director at SMB Bearings explains how sophisticated bearing simulation software can be used to support application specific bearing design and analysis processes.