FAG self-aligning cylindrical roller (SACR) bearing installations by Schaeffler Australia have increased production time and reduced downtime by solving a lubrication and premature failure issue for one of the world’s leading packaging, paper and recycling companies, Visy Pulp and Paper. The $1billion Visy Tumut Kraft Paper plant in NSW replaced original toroid roller bearings in the plant’s dryer section, tender side, with FAG SACR bearings, which are part of a specialised paper mill bearing range engineered to reliably withstand the often arduous operating conditions. A total of more than 20 of the FAG SACR 565688K.C5.W209B bearings have been installed in place of the former roller bearings used at Tumut, which had to be replaced every twelve months. During the first five years’ operation of the new SACR bearing, no replacement was necessary. Savings over the first five years were estimated at more than $A650, 000,” said Schaeffler Australia Pty Ltd - Pulp & Paper Sector Manager Mr David Dickie. Challenge for Schaeffler Because the dryer section tender side bearings were prematurely failing due to lubrication issues, Visy requested assistance from Schaeffler Australia to solve the problem. Schaeffler Australia – which markets the FAG, INA and Luk brands - is part of the Global Schaeffler organisation, which employs more than 82,000 people, including more than 6,000 at 16 research and development centres dedicated to high-performance, low-maintenance bearing technology. Schaeffler bearings are backed in Australia by product selection and packaging solutions, installation expertise, online condition monitoring, and lubrication technology for optimal performance. Experts from Schaeffler Australia provided Visy Pulp and Paper with a technical solution recommending the FAG SACR bearing with centre feed lubrication setup. A six -month testing phase followed, during which an application engineer from Schaeffler installed the first SACR bearing. Major steps in the process included: * Dismounting of the original bearings * Drilling of lubrication hole * Installation of a 5mm inboard spacer * Mounting of SACR bearings of 120mm width, 220mm bore diameter, and 370mm outside diameter * Modifying of the internal spigot of the housing end cover * Reconnection of oil inlet and outlet pipework Customer Benefit “Not only did the FAG SACR bearing increase production time and reduce down time, but also the technology delivered unique features valuable to manufacturing,” says Mr Dickie. “The bearing can handle misalignment and thermal expansion, for example. The inner ring can be offset to the outer ring prior to machine start up, to allow for such expansion. “An additional benefit is that this solution has minimized vibration levels and decreased operation temperatures. Cost savings “The solution can also be applied to other paper machines if issues arise in the dryer section tender side setups. “The FAG SACR bearing is a retrofit solution which can replace spherical roller bearings (SRB) without any change in the lubrication intake.”