SKF recently presented a selection of its products and solutions at PTC Asia 2015 in Shanghai, China, from Oct. 27-30.

This year, SKF demonstrated the new SKF EnCompass Field Performance Program and a range of solutions for industrial electric motors, elevators, centrifugal compressors in chillers, gearboxes, remote diagnostics and other products.

New small sealed SKF Explorer spherical roller bearings with improved performance were one of SKF’s exhibits at this year’s PTC. The bearings prolong service intervals and needs for re-lubrication for gearless traction motors and reduce environmental impact. The range of bearings uses a new seal design, given the designation ‘RS’, which reduces overall friction in the bearing by up to 20 percent. In representative running conditions, this translates into calculated annual energy savings of up to 145 kWh. For a typical gearless traction motor in a heavy-duty elevator, replacing two sealed SKF Explorer bearings with the newly optimized design could cut CO2 emissions by up to 100 kg annually. Over the motor’s lifecycle, it can add up to a two-ton reduction in CO2 emissions.

The new small sealed SKF Explorer spherical roller bearing is part of the SKF EnCompass Field Performance Program. This program provides users with a more detailed analysis of the factors that influence bearing service life and enables users to optimize bearing selection and design for improved performance in real-world conditions.

Also on display were the new oil-free pure refrigerant lubricated bearings for centrifugal compressors in chillers. The new bearings are an oil-free solution for direct drive centrifugal compressors in chillers that uses low-viscosity refrigerant as the bearing lubricant.

SKF also showed off a new magnetic system, an oil-and contact-free drive for centrifugal compressors in chillers. Combining a high-speed permanent magnet motor and active magnetic bearings with integrated controls, the magnetic system can operate with variable speed drives from various manufacturers to deliver energy savings of at least 10 percent versus conventional centrifugal compressor designs. This technology also reduces maintenance costs for the users and provides them with reliable and cost-effective air conditioning.

SKF’s HRS seals were also shown at the exhibition. The new generation HRS seals can extend the service life of heavy-duty equipment operating in difficult conditions, and are manufactured in a full range of standard sizes to suit heavy-duty applications in a range of industries, including wind energy, cement manufacture, mining and tunnel boring equipment.

SKF also demonstrated their SKF Insight technology, which enhances bearing condition monitoring management in railway and wind power industry. SKF Insight creates a cost effective way of collecting condition monitoring data so that bearing life and change-out intervals are determined based on real operating conditions.