SKF and Proximion AB, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hexatronic Group AB, Gothenburg, Sweden, have entered into a development partnership for the industrialization of fibre-optic sensing systems.

The parties will work together to combine SKF’s fibre-optic bearing sensing technology with Proximion’s application integration experience and knowledge within development and production of advanced fibre-optic sensors and data collection hardware units.

“Fibre-optic sensing technology is an exciting opportunity, as it enables bearings to become process- and quality-control instruments,” says Victoria Van Camp, CTO and president, innovation and business development, SKF. “We have worked for some time to develop these sensors, and by taking the next step together we will be able to speed up the process of integrating these into customer applications.”