Success Story
Industry: Automotive
Application: Machine Centre
Cost Savings: € 266 000
Introduction
A worldwide manufacturer of automotive components was having significant unplanned stoppages due to the failure of the Ball Screws in the Machining Center. This had a major effect on the manufacturing output resulting increased costs and reduced machine reliability. The average life of the Ball Screws was about 6 months. NSK analysed three of the failed Ball Screws to determinate the main reason of the failure. NSK's Technical Department developed a special design to improve all the technical characteristics, especially the high-performance sealing design. Two Ball Screws were installed in the most critical points in the plant. This was successful and led to a cost saving and reduced machine downtime and a massive increase in lifetime.
- Machining Centre
- Ball Screw with High-performance X1 Seal Design
Key Facts
- Machine centre with very arduous working conditions
- Malfunction of the Ball Screws due to high loading and agressive environment
- NSK Solution: High-performance seals and high-speed/high-load Ball Screws
- Nut design Ball Screws to maintain better stiffness and improved quality
- Increased lifetime by 6 times and still continue working
- Reduced production downtime and material costs
Value Proposals
- Plant survey to inspect the machine environment and working conditions by the NSK Engineers
- Analyse three Ball Screws to observe the running paths and lubrication conditions
- NSK Technical Department designed a special Ball Screw that could be assembled without any change from customer's side
Product Features
- High-performance seal design to work in a hard environment
- Decrease in the operating temperature and wear (precision and preload)
- Increase of the lifespan, due to the greater load capacity and the lower preload per ball
- Reduction of the torque required, due to a lower degree of preload, with a corresponding reduction of the energy consumption of the machine
- K1 lubrication system included for reduced maintenance
- Substantially longer grease life
- Optimum lubrication even with high loads and hard operating conditions
- No contamination of cutting/cooling liquid with grease
Cost Saving Breakdown
| Before | Cost p.a. | NSK Solution | Cost p.a. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearing Costs: Costs for Ball Screws x 2 machines | € 8.400 | Bearing Costs: Costs for Ball Screws x 2 machines | € 4.000 | |
| Costs of lost production: Production costs: 6 hours/stop x 12 stops x 360 pieces/hour x 10€/piece | € 259.200 | Costs of lost production: No failures in 36 months | € 0 | |
| Engineering Costs: 4 hours for each Ball Screw x 50€/hour x 14 changes | € 2.800 | Engineering Costs: 4 hours for each Ball Screw x 50€/hour x 2 changes | € 400 | |
| Total Costs | € 270 400 | € 4 400 | ||
Reference:SS-E-7028
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