Power Transmission Components from Forest City Gear, Kaydon Bearings and Maxon Motors help power NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover.

In this Ask the Expert article, Hans Wendeberg from SKF discusses some of the things you need to know when calculating bearing diameters.

SMB Bearing Offers Unique Solutions for NorthwoodsFB finger-size skateboards.

The complete Industry News section from the October 2012 issue of Power Transmission Engineering.

Waukesha Bearings is known internationally for its capabilities, technology, size and application experience in the rotating (turbo) equipment industry. Following is a brief selection guide intended to assist engineers, specifiers, integrators and others in choosing the right bearing—and bearing technology—for the application.

A reader asks whether sleeve bearings can take the place of more expensive tilting pad bearings in a high-speed compressor application.

More than a decade of intensive research and development has resulted in two new technologies that, when used in combination, expand the performance of rolling element bearings well beyond previous limits.

All major manufacturers of 3-phase AC induction motors offer "inverter-duty" or "inverter-ready” models, but while these motors have inverter-rated insulation to protect the windings, the bearings--their most vulnerable parts--are too often ignored.

Seal design engineers and end users are continually seeking improved sealing systems and materials. This paper describes the potential of a new thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material to deliver improvements in pressure, speed and temperature capability, which are presented as comparisons to proven industry standard materials. Performance is demonstrated by virtue of test bench results of seals made from MDI-, PPDI- and NDI-based materials.

Passenger transport today moves significantly faster than ever before, often operating on separate tracks especially designed for high-speed trains. Accordingly, high-speed rolling bearings are very important components in the bogies of trains today. Maximum train speeds currently reach 380 km/h (236 mph) in the latest high-speed applications - 80% higher than in the earlier days of high-speed traffic. This paper presents two application examples of modern, high-speed traffic, together with some typical bearing arrangements and housings. It provides insight regarding measures taken in the bearing industry to meet the requirements of contemporary, high-speed traffic, and it cites important standards and regulations applicable for - but not restricted to - European applications. To be precise, the focus here is on journal bearings; information on traction motor bearings, transmission bearings and housings is included, but described in less detail.