Kill bacteria, not bearings

Food and beverage producers must take an uncompromising approach to hygiene, health and safety as a key foundation of business. To accomplish t hese goals, solutions are needed to match expectations while at t he same time reducing operating costs. SKF’s food l i ne Y-bearing units have been designed to do just t hat.

The food and beverage i ndustry is a particularly challenging area for machinery as production areas can be hot, cold or humid, or t hey can be chemically aggressive due to t he process or strict cleaning regimes with f requent high-pressure wash down with caustic antibacterial cleansing agents.

SKF Food Line Y-bearing units are hygienically designed, sealed and lubricated for l i fe. The performance of t hese units i n a wet, abrasive or wash down environment offers maintenance-f ree operation, saving time, money and i mproving sustainability.

Stainless steel bearings are f itted with 2RF seals which provide an i nnovative, effective, proven multi-barrier design t hat prevents contamination and retains t he lubricant during high-pressure wash downs, keeping water and detergents out of seal contact areas.

Lubricated for l i fe f rom factory with a high- quality NSF approved SKF food-grade synthetic grease, it resists washouts even during f requent high-pressure wash downs and can be used i n applications where operating temperatures range f rom –15 to +120°C.

The composite housings are a t hermoplastic with steel coils embedded i n t he housing giving a radial breaking load far greater t han t he static load rating of t he bearing, and possibly t he highest f racture strength of any composite unit available.

A f lat base enables t he unit to meet f lush with its mounting surface, eliminating gaps which otherwise are potential areas for bacteria to harbour and grow, while stainless steel bolt hole i nserts provide added strength to each housing foot.

To comply with health and safety regulations, the composite and stainless steel housed Y-bearing units can be supplied with effective end covers. Closed end covers are tested to withstand a 10 MPa (100 bar) pressure wash for complete security and operator safety. An optional drain hole is part of the end cover design.

The common practice i n wash down environments of relubricating bearing units f requently, often daily, is deemed necessary to purge water and contaminants. Since SKF Y-bearing units require no re-greasing, t hey do not discharge used grease f rom t he seals. This eliminates a major source of wastewater contamination, resulting i n a cleaner plant environment and lower disposal costs for users.

For example, i f a site has 100 bearings which are lubricated on a weekly maintenance cycle on average 15g of lubricant per bearing purge, t his equates to: • 1.5 kg per weekly maintenance cycle • 78 kg of lubricant per year • 100+ minutes of labour per maintenance cycle The cost of maintaining a bearing can easily out way t he i nitial purchase price.