How to Recognize the Causes of Bearing Failure

When you have expensive machinery to maintain, you know how frustrating that bearing failure can be. No matter if you are running a massive international assembly line or a small manufacturer making just a few products, any sort of slowdowns or shutdowns caused by component failure can be disastrous to your production schedule and to your bottom line. If you are dealing with bearings, you need to know the conditions that can cause bearings to fail, and more importantly, the steps you can take to minimize these types of issues or avoid them altogether. If you can address these issues ahead of time, you can maximize productivity and profitability by prolonging the life of these bearings. Read further for more information about what you can look for to prevent bearing failure for your business’s machinery.

Common Causes of Bearing Failure

Your machinery is crucial to the life of your business, and there are a number of things that can adversely affect the way your machinery performs. This is why it’s so important to make sure that your workers are properly trained and educated on how to operate and maintain this machinery and equipment. In terms of bearing failure, it’s more than likely that you will be dealing with one of the following causes:

• Corrosion – if bearings are contaminated with water, they will rust and corrode
• Electrical Plating – depending on the material used, electrical plating can corrode and affect the functionality of the bearings
• Improper Fit or Installation – if the bearings are the wrong size or not properly installed, it can cause serious problems with the machinery
• Improper Adjustment or Maintenance – without proper maintenance, the bearings will corrode and stop working properly
• Mishandling – handling bearings improperly can introduce media to the bearings that can result in the bearings malfunctioning
• Dry or Improper Lubricant – without proper lubrication, the added friction can cause the bearings and machinery to seize up, requiring expensive repair or replacement
• Impact Load – if the bearing being used cannot handle the workload, it is doomed to failure

Proper Training is the Best Course of Action

Of all the ways you can take care of your equipment and machinery, training your employees to properly use and maintain the equipment is the best thing that you can do. This ensures that your workforce is on the same page and maintaining the same standards. If you have an issue trying to find the time and capability to train your own employees, then we can help with that too. Bearing Service offers numerous training courses to make sure that your employees understand everything from bearing maintenance and installation to the linear motional fundamentals. If you are interested in learning more about our Training Courses, feel free to contact us and let us know how we can assist.

At Bearing Service, we strive to provide the best bearing products and services on the market. If you’re looking for a supplier to help your equipment run as smoothly as your company does, contact us today to learn how we can help.