Bearings in a tyre soaping station withstand solvents and alkalis for years

Profile

• What was needed: A lubrication-free flange bearing for a tyre assembly line.
• Manufacturing process: Turned from bar stock
• Requirements: Durable, resistant to water and solvents
• Industry: Tyre production, car washes
• Solution: iglidur ® W300 spherical ball, housing made of igumid® G
• Success for the customer: €2,440 savings in repair costs, €8,400 savings due to prevented machine downtime, savings in maintenance costs

The two fully automatic tyre fitting lines at MC Syncro Supply GmbH fit a tyre onto a rim in an average of approx. 7.5 seconds each. The lines usually run 5 days a week in a 3-shift system, which corresponds to around 120 hours per week. At the so-called tyre soap station, the diameter of the tyre is determined from the inside and the inner bead of the tyre is wetted with soap using brushes. This runs into the brushes from above and the excess flows back into the storage container via a trough. The tyre is transported to and from the tyre soap station via toothed belts mounted on two brass shafts.

Both tyre fitting lines showed different defects that could be attributed to wear. Quick solutions were therefore needed. The first machine had the damage described above. The bearings were rusted and the shafts in the bearing seat had already run in. As the bearing seat had run in, iglidur ® four-hole flange bearings were inserted on the inner part of the shafts. This meant that no new shaft had to be inserted.

The second machine did not yet have any bearing damage, but was close to it. To prevent this, igus® supplied one metre of iglidur® bar stock. This was used to re-turn the bearings and replace the metal bearings with the new semi-finished bearings. The cost savings for repairs, spare parts, maintenance and the elimination of machine downtime now amount to several thousand euros per year.