Now Available: Long-Life Work Roll Bearings for Rolling Mills

NSK Ltd. (NSK; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO: Toshihiro Uchiyama) has developed a line of long-life four-row sealed tapered roller bearings with water-resistant grease. These new work roll bearings for rolling mills^*1 deliver on the need for bearings that last.

The bearings are packed with a newly developed grease that provides long service life even under severe conditions, such as when water enters the bearing. This longer service life reduces maintenance costs and increases operational efficiency. Since these bearings need replacement less often, they help to reduce CO₂ emissions and resource consumption.

*1: Rolling mills typically use pairs of work rolls to roll slabs of steel or other metals into specific shapes such as sheets.

Work roll bearings (pictured) used in rolling mills face an extremely tough environment. They bear heavy loads at high speeds and temperatures while under constant exposure to water sprays and metal particles. These severe conditions can lead to premature bearing failure (flaking

*2: Flaking occurs when fatigue causes small pieces of bearing material to split off from the smooth surface of the raceway. This creates coarse regions that eventually make the bearing inoperable.

Significantly longer life benefits steel manufacturers through fewer replacements and higher operational reliability. Longer life also reduces material and energy consumption (including CO₂ emissions) relative to the replacement cycles of conventional models.

NSK will continue to develop and produce new products geared toward realizing a sustainable society.