Custom Miniature Thrust Ball Bearings Extend Life & Reduce Maintenance Costs in Screw Driving Spindles

Auburn Bearing was able to engineer a custom bearing solution for a Customer's application that extended bearing life, reduced maintenance costs, and cut downtime.

The Application:

Custom Screwdriving Spindles. The thrust bearings are located on shafts that are parallel to each other on 0.750" center lines.

The Problem:
The Customer had been purchasing a standard-sized miniature thrust bearing from a large bearing manufacturer for many years. The 3-piece bearing was being used in a fairly high volume (20 to 30 bearings per month) in the custom screw driving equipment and was being replaced on a regular basis.

Because of the bearing's open style, it is subject to all sorts of contaminates and hard to keep grease in. The bearings needed to be completely taken apart and lubricated on a weekly basis. With this weekly maintenance, the typical life of each bearing was 3 months, and at the end of its life, you could see significant wear on all components of the bearing.

The Solution:
The Customer came to us frustrated by the loss of time and productivity they were experiencing from replacing a significant amount of prematurely failing miniature thrust ball bearings. They were looking for a new solution that would extend the bearing's life by keeping lubrication in and keeping debris out as well as reduce the downtime and inconsistencies caused by these bearing failures.

Auburn Bearing proposed a one-piece banded thrust ball bearing that would utilize a special lubricant. This custom design would serve to protect the bearing from debris and other contaminants as well as contain the grease inside the bearing. After a three-month trial run using this new solution, the Customer found that the bearing race and balls remained in great condition without having to perform any maintenance on them.

"Frankly, I don't pay much attention to these bearings any longer. With the new design, it has gone from a headache to a non-issue. Therefore, I would rate this a great success. These bearings have proven to be far superior to our current option. Machine consistency is the biggest improvement. Also, the inability for a maintenance person to assemble the old 3-piece bearing incorrectly. The custom solution was by far the better solution to anything I could find on the market. I will certainly reach out to Auburn for future custom issues." - Brett S., Engineering Manager, Bemis Manufacturing

Auburn Bearing was able to engineer this custom bearing solution for the Customer's application. It significantly reduced operational downtime, maintenance frequency, and replacement costs.

• Increased the life of each bearing by over 200%
• Improved machine consistency by reducing bearing contamination and bearing failure
• Reduced the cost of labor and downtime by eliminating the need to clean and re-lubricate bearings, previously performed on a weekly basis

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T.J. Davies' Retention Knobs

T.J. Davies' Retention Knobs

Our retention knobs are manufactured above international standards or to machine builder specifications. Retention knobs are manufactured utilizing AMS-6274/AISI-8620 alloy steel drawn in the United States. Threads are single-pointed on our lathes while manufacturing all other retention knob features to ensure high concentricity. Our process ensures that our threads are balanced (lead in/lead out at 180 degrees.) Each retention knob is carburized (hardened) to 58-62HRC, and case depth is .020-.030. Core hardness 40HRC. Each retention knob is coated utilizing a hot black oxide coating to military specifications. Our retention knobs are 100% covered in black oxide to prevent rust. All retention knob surfaces (not just mating surfaces) have a precision finish of 32 RMA micro or better: ISO grade 6N. Each retention knob is magnetic particle tested and tested at 2.5 times the pulling force of the drawbar. Certifications are maintained for each step in the manufacturing process for traceability.