SKF recently launched SKF Insight, an intelligent bearing technology that enables bearings to communicate their operating conditions continuously with internally powered sensors and data-acquisition electronics.
"These innovations are set to revolutionize condition monitoring for bearings, especially in critical machinery and technically challenging applications," says Tom Johnstone, SKF president and CEO. "SKF Insight technology will make condition monitoring more widely available, especially in applications where it was previously impossible or impractical. With our integrated diagnostic technology, our customers can get even better control over the life cycle of their machinery, leading to lower total costs with higher reliability and machinery uptime."
Previously, condition-monitoring techniques could only monitor damage after it had occurred. Now, by sensing directly on the bearing, SKF is able to monitor the damage from the first microscopic effect as it is happening. With this information, users can take remedial action to reduce the reason for bearing damage, adding lubricant, mitigating transient overloads, etc.
In addition, by monitoring the load directly on the bearing, SKF Insight makes it possible to measure the actual load the bearing experiences rather than the load for which it was designed.
A global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems and services, including technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training, SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has approximately 15,000 distributor locations worldwide. For more information, visit www.skf.com.