SKF knows that any major quarry operation is nothing less than a finely tuned machine, with seemingly innumerable pieces of rotating equipment required to keep it running smoothly.
The prospect of a busy quarry operation can be overwhelming for some, particularly if one of the key pieces of equipment is not functioning correctly. But for SKF it presents a welcome challenge to focus on customers’ specific needs.
As a leading global manufacturer of bearings and associated products with more than a century of experience, SKF understands the need to approach such a situation with a clean and intelligent view, and its new power transmission range of solutions is part of that view.
As SKF’s contract manufacturing and quality manager for power transmission Lloyd Brown told Quarry, the company does not just work with its partners to replace faulty components, but rather to assess the situation in order to understand the causes and repercussions of any issues the rotating equipment might be having.
“A customer may come to SKF with a concern on a bearing, and when investigated sometimes it is as obvious as alignment or a seal arrangement or a lubrication issue,” Brown said.
“However, it is not at all that uncommon when investigated that we find that the power transmission configuration surrounding the bearing could be a contributing factor to the issue.
“Sometimes the conditions of the processes or the equipment change (such as speed, loads, and temperatures); however, the original design of the equipment remains the same.”
SKF has expanded its primary offering of bearings, seals, and lubricants with a wide range of power transmission solutions.
The pain points highlighted by Brown can create a domino effect throughout a quarrying operation, causing premature wear, vibration and failure of components across the plant. This encompasses many aspects of a quarry’s operations, such as a high-speed, low-torque pumps and fans drives, as well as higher demand drives on cone crushers, ball mills, hoists, elevators, conveyors and blowers.
SKF’s extensive power transmission solutions are designed to address the various needs of a quarrying plant and its equipment.
The new range of XP2 V-belts caters to high-power belt drives, while heavy-duty roller, mill and conveyor chains and sprocket drives provide highly abrasive assurance.
“We also offer a number of flexible shaft couplings that are perfect for quarries and mining, such as our grid couplings, gear couplings, disc couplings, or our elastomeric SKF Flex tyre couplings, FRC couplings and even jaw couplings,” Brown said. “Additionally, we have an excellent range of standard shaft bushings including taper bushes, QD bushes, and our FX keyless locking devices commonly used in conveyor drum pulleys.”
In order to ensure the quality of its products lives up to the company’s holistic approach to helping its customers, Brown said SKF power transmission products meet a range of globally recognised compliance standards.
“SKF power transmission products are designed and manufactured to meet international standards including ISO/DIN and ANSI/BS/AGMA. Our power transmission products are also fully RoHS and REACH compliant,” he said.
Of course, it’s in the interest of all – the customer, SKF, and the quarrying industry – that SKF’s power transmission offerings are reliable, ensuring its range of bearings, seals and lubricants remain part of a reliable operation.
“Granted that our SKF main core product is the bearing, the full transmission system has a direct influence and impact on the performance and service life of the rotating shafts and bearings,” Brown said.
“With our SKF power transmission offering, you are guaranteed that the products you use meet the same strict quality standards that the SKF brand name stands for.
“With SKF’s focus on its strong product offering consisting of bearings, seals, lubrication and power transmission, combined with our portfolio of connected technologies capabilities and our vast experience around rotating equipment performance, we are able to offer improved service life and predictive maintenance to increase efficiencies and reduce running costs.” •
Visit skf.com/au to learn more.
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