SKF Service Centers provide the equivalent of custom bearing production, without the associated lead times.Downtime can be an expensive proposition for companies in any industry. But when it comes to machine tool spindles, the cost and inconvenience can be substantial.

   Original equipment manufacturers in the transportation, machine tool and high-tech industries – as well as machine shops which supply them – all rely on high-precision machine tool spindles to keep their production lines moving smoothly. So when bearings need to be replaced on those machine tool spindles, speed is key. Unfortunately, most spindle bearings aren’t standard, off-the-shelf components – resulting in long lead times and significant downtime costs.

   Recognizing this acute problem, SKF USA took the initiative to develop a long-term and cost-effective solution – one aimed at helping customers to get precisely the spindle bearings they need as quickly as possible. The result is the SKF network of Spindle Bearing Service Centers – three facilities that provide fast service on customized spindle bearings for customers around the globe.

   SKF’s Spindle Bearing Service Centers are staffed and equipped to provide customers with high-quality spindle bearings, modified to their unique specifications on a fast schedule. Located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Villa Perosa, Italy, and Chino, Japan, the three centers are designed to significantly reduce the lead times and inventory costs commonly associated with spindle bearings. The Service Centers have the capability to support a full range of machine tool bearing needs – including ABEC 7, ABEC 9 precision bearing run-outs, small ball, ceramic ball, and precision cylindrical roller bearings.
Customer-driven

As SKF Product Manager Tom Wenck points out, spindle bearings are high-precision components that can cost anywhere from 10 to 20 times more than a standard bearing of the same size. That means keeping a large inventory of spares on hand isn’t a viable option.

   When ordered new from a supplier’s factory, machine tool spindle bearings typically require a lead time of three to four months. SKF’s Service Centers can reduce that lead time dramatically – providing customized bearings in just two to three weeks on average. Customers that require even faster service can opt for the centers’ “Sudden Service” program, which gets customized machine tool spindle bearings out the door in just a few business days.

   “No other bearing supplier provides customized bearings using this type of accelerated process,” Wenck points out.
As you like it

While quick turnaround is certainly a key benefit, customers who use the Service Centers don’t sacrifice quality or service for the sake of speed. In fact, each center is staffed and equipped to provide a wide range of services for customizing and delivering spindle bearings – exactly as customers need them.

   “Our approach is to provide the equivalent of custom bearing production using off-the-shelf components as a starting point,” Wenck says. “That allows us to respond quickly to very unique customer needs.”

   The centers focus specifically on providing ABEC 7 and 9 precision ball bearings and ball screw support bearings. With these components as a starting point, specialists at each center have the experience and resources to alter pre-loads, match duplex, triplex and quad sets, convert all-steel bearings to hybrid bearings, provide special greases, and perform other services that are considered custom modifications. The centers’ greasing services allow customers to order bearings that are already lubricated, saving time and labor expense. Likewise, the ability to handle hybrid conversions means the centers can help customers cut costs and downtime.

   “Some machine tool applications require spindle bearings with ceramic balls,” Wenck explains. These superior quality hybrid bearings are too costly to stock in large quantities, so SKF Service Centers offer the ability to custom-create them as needed. The Service Centers also have the ability to customize small lots of bearings quickly – a service many companies find it difficult to find elsewhere.
Wenck notes that some bearings can have as many as 40 different arrangement possibilities – making it nearly impossible to stock each variant. But the SKF Service Centers are equipped to provide those variants, even on short notice. Specialists at the centers have the resources to customize standard bearings in any arrangement, modified to meet the precise pre-load and lubrication requirements of each customer. The result is customized bearings – without the long lead times and high premiums typically required for custom products.

   “By cutting lead times and keeping costs in check, SKF Service Centers can reduce the expense involved in ordering these specialty bearings,” Wenck says. In some cases, the savings can approach hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Backed by SKF

Even under these tight schedules, SKF imposes stringent quality standards on each bearing that is customized by the Service Centers and takes numerous steps to assure quality throughout the process.

   For instance, Service Center staff conduct complete sound testing on each bearing, using advanced testing equipment to check for unusual noise. “The quieter the bearing, the better the quality,” Wenck explains. All customization work is handled within a high-tech clean room environment for additional quality assurance. Once the bearing is ready to leave the Service Center, it does so carrying the full SKF manufacturer’s warranty.

   “Before the Service Centers were established, customers in need of customized spindle bearings had few desirable options,” Wenck says. Some handled the modifications themselves – incurring high labor costs in the process – while others endured the long lead times involved in ordering custom bearings, which also resulted in high costs. With the Service Centers in place, SKF now offers customers a better alternative – one with very tangible, substantial benefits.