Company Announcement - It is vital for bearings to last and deliver reliable quality service irrespective of temperature and application. SKF extreme temperature bearings are capable of operating at 350°C without the need for re-lubrication. Extreme temperature bearings are high quality units that deliver numerous cost saving solutions to applications that require optimum bearing performance in hot, dry environments on slow rotating machinery.

Grease lubricated bearings often fail at temperatures exceeding 250°C because even special greases lose their ability to lubricate adequately above this temperature. In contrast, the SKF extreme temperature bearing is lubricated by a graphite cage up to 350°C, allowing for the bearings on any equipment to run at its optimum rate. 

Field experience shows that bearing service life in high temperature applications can be dramatically increased by using graphite lubricated extreme temperature bearings. For example, in a cooling bed for sheet metal manufacture, bearing service life was increased by a factor of three. In a typical application such as this, a single bearing of this kind can save up to 4,6 kg of CO2e and 1,5kg of grease per year.

A cooling bed equipped with 5000 bearings can save 7,5 tonnes of grease and 23 tons of CO2e per year. This is equivalent to an 82% reduction of the climate impact compared to using grease-lubricated deep groove ball bearings. These calculations are based on both bearing and grease savings.

The replacement of conventional grease lubricated bearings with SKF’s extreme temperature bearings will reduce costs across the board. Production does not need to be halted for maintenance purposes to allow for the continuous replacement of lubrication or re-lubrication. As the bearings are able to withstand the temperature extremes they are exposed to, bearing reliability is boosted and bearing service life is improved. This all leads to maximised plant availability and production and ultimately tremendous tome and cost savings for the end user. The extreme temperature bearing is included in the SKF BeyondZero* portfolio.