Back in 1913, in Ann Arbor, MI., Leander J. Hoover founded the Hoover Steel Ball Company. In 1990, Tsubaki Nakashima company of Japan acquired the US ball manufacturing company and is currently the biggest manufacturer and supplier of precision balls in the world. Its first markets were the growing automotive and precision bearing industries. More than a century later, the electric vehicles (EV) market is becoming more and more relevant, though the combustible auto industry continues to grow. Its market for high-quality precision products has extended to medical, aerospace, military defense, and critical applications. After the great age of steel, a new era opened wide spaces for more extreme materials which paved the way for ceramics. 

NSK Ltd. has released a new gas turbine generator bearing for eVTOLs including large drones, which is expected to extend drone flight range. The new product was used for the gas turbine generator of a large drone (high payload emergency supply delivery drone equipped with a gas turbine generator) equipped with an 80-kw hybrid drive system for a regional reconstruction and practical development promotion project in fiscal 2023 and delivered to Fukushima Prefecture on February 21, 2024. 

Elgeti online engineering seminars start next week. Registration is available for "Bearing Supplier Development" and "Failure Analysis." Additionally, Elgeti offers customized and private sessions if needed.  

The Timken Company board of directors has reached an agreement with Tarak Mehta to become Timken's next president and chief executive officer Sept. 5, 2024. Mehta is currently president of the Motion business and member of the Group Executive Committee at ABB Ltd., a $32 billion leader in electrification and automation. Mehta will be appointed Timken president and CEO after he completes a transition period with ABB.

The inaugural North American version of the Lubricant Expo and The Bearing Show took place last week at Huntington Place in Detroit. A vibrant conference/education schedule balanced an informative group of exhibitors discussing component challenges, system upgrades and future trends. Innovation in the automotive, transportation and energy industries is keeping R&D departments busier than ever. Here’s why: 

The Bearing Show is North Americas newest exhibition and conference, connecting the evolving needs of bearings end-users with the latest technologies serving, OEM development, maintenance professionals and R&D engineers. Meet visitors from OEM’s, machine manufacturers, industrial plants, global distributors, and more. Matching the needs of end-users with the innovation and opportunities occurring throughout the supply-chain is essential. PTE recently interviewed Thomas Harris, event director, Lubricant Expo and The Bearing Show North Americas, to discuss the evolution of the event and what to expect from the show in late March.

Modern spindle applications of rolling bearings require very high speeds and very high loads, often combined with poor lubrication conditions and/or high solid contamination. Examples of these applications are high-speed and high-cutting rate machine tools, where rolling bearings need to survive very though conditions. Rolling bearings in high speed and high load conditions might suffer from poor lubrication and potentially surface distress and adhesive wear. 

Mark your calendars for March 19–21, 2024, as the Bearing Show—colocated with Lubricant Expo—descends upon Huntington Place in Detroit. As North America’s premier exhibition and conference dedicated to bearings, this free-to-attend event promises to be a groundbreaking convergence of industry leaders, technological advancements, and invaluable networking.

NTN Bearing Corporation, the parent company of BCA Bearings and Bower Bearings, is pleased to announce the addition of Kevin Huckins to the automotive aftermarket sales team. Huckins is joining NTN’s automotive aftermarket business unit as regional sales manager, western region.

The Xtreme 6000 ZrO2 Series of Full Ceramic Radial Bearings from CeramicSpeed are designed to provide levels of performance in extreme environments beyond the capabilities of steel and even hybrid bearings. The complementing components of these bearings were carefully selected to provide the highest levels of performance in high temperatures, and adverse environments such as: Submerged in water, high pressure steam, chemicals, and caustic fluids.