News from SMB Bearings

Using chrome bearings to reduce emissions

Bearings 04-11-2019

ABB Group has found, using IEA data, that 51 per cent of all motor failures are related to their bearings. The common causes for these failures include exceeding recommended load ratings, vibrations and overheating. Choosing the right bearing for a motor can not only reduce the change of failures; it can also bring down a business’s emissions and maintenance costs.

Choosing the best skateboard bearings

Bearings 21-10-2019

While most skateboard bearings have a universal size and share the same parts, including rolling balls and retainers, there are plenty of variables that skateboarders must carefully consider, which includes bearing material, ABEC rating and lubrication.

Pharmaceutical plant maintenance

Bearings 16-10-2019

Regulation is at the heart of the pharmaceutical industry — and these guidelines aren’t exclusively associated with research and development. Managing contamination is a huge concern for pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and these sites are usually developed with an intense onus on safety.

Trust in thrust bearings

Bearings 21-08-2019

You might be sat on an office chair right now. Or even better, you may be sat on a swivelling bar stool. Both chairs rely on small thrust bearings to endure the thrust load of the human body sat on them, while still allowing for an easy spin. However, not all miniature thrust bearings can take on such a task.

Weighing up the hybrid bearing debate

Bearings 05-08-2019

The best cyclists have a very special mindset, which allows them to focus on the bike and the road, without distraction, ignoring tailwind, overlooking the rain, appreciating the uphill. These escapes from reality are often beneficial, but there are some misconceptions in cycling that aren’t as helpful.

Analogue tape recording lives another day

Bearings 10-07-2019

Foo Fighters frontman, Dave Grohl, created a documentary about his love for pre-digital recording back in 2013. The landmark film, Sound City, explained how reel-to-reel analogue recording is far from dead in the music industry. But who is keeping this old vintage equipment alive?

Confusion could cause equipment failure

Bearings 20-05-2019

To avoid equipment breakdowns, industry professionals must improve their knowledge of bearing materials — that is the warning provided by SMB Bearings. We have identified a worrying trend related to the terminology used for ceramic bearing types, with many end users failing to differentiate between hybrid and full ceramic variations.

Bearing beauty is only skin deep

Bearings 10-05-2019

Beauty is only skin deep. Albeit cliché, the same is true of ball bearings. External signs of rust do not necessarily equate to poor performance. However, many customers are falling foul of this misconception.

Addressing EU bearing stockpiling

Business 01-05-2019

SMB Bearings, has increased its capacity from 1.5 million bearings to 2.6 million bearings at its Oxfordshire warehouse. The increase in capacity has been carefully planned to alleviate the pressures associated with European customers stockpiling bearings ahead of predicted Brexit shortages.

Ceramic bearings enable new research

Bearings 28-03-2019

The global ceramic bearings market set to grow at a CAGR of around eleven per cent between 2017 and 2023, with lab equipment representing a key application for this growth. We examine the link between ceramic bearings sales and the output of successful scientific research.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing: the cold truth

Bearings 22-03-2019

Low-temperature reactions are widely used in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Temperatures of approximately minus 80 degrees Celsius are sufficiently cold for most cGMP requirements, but as Chris Johnson, managing director of SMB Bearings explains, these extreme temperatures create design challenges for machinery components.

The rise of recycled bearings

Bearings 08-03-2019

Bearings are circular, much like the economy they are used in. As more customers avoid disposing of bearings needlessly, Chris Johnson explains the sudden surge in popularity of reusing and recycling ball bearings through relubrication.