SKF has announced the development of the first spherical roller bearings specifically tailored for the food and beverage industry. These bearings are equipped with food-grade grease and seals, which contribute to an extended service life and an elevation of food safety standards in the industry.
According to SKF, these Food line bearings reduce the risk of food contamination, enhance machine reliability, and extend maintenance intervals. Benjamin Geiser, application specific offer manager at SKF, states, “This new spherical roller bearing with food-grade grease and integral seal from SKF helps increase both machine performance and hygiene standards.”
The new bearing fully complies with food industry standards and boasts a high load carrying capacity. It is pre-filled with NSF category H1 grease, optimized for food industry use, and features a high-performance, nitrile butadiene rubber contact seal – both FDA- and EC-approved – to protect against water, detergent, and contaminant ingress. The seal is also colored blue, making it easier to detect fragments should they end up in the food.
This self-aligning bearing, manufactured to the Explorer performance class, is made from steel with high fatigue resistance, resulting in enhanced dynamic load carrying capacity and reduced vibration and heat generation. SKF states that the Food line spherical roller bearing prolongs the service life by up to three times compared to open bearings.
SKF also emphasizes the sustainability benefits of using this bearing, including reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions due to its low-friction seal, decreased demand on raw materials, manufacturing, and transport as a result of less frequent replacements, and virtually non-existent grease leakage, cutting the need for repurchase, relubrication, and final disposal.
This new product extends SKF’s food industry offering, following last year’s launch of its Food line deep-groove ball bearing.
