I think I spend more time talking about ball bearings today than at any other time in my career. Ball bearings have always had a large place in automotive, but not typically in high demand positions—other than a few niche areas. High demand positions, such as axles and planetaries, were typically reserved for tapers, needles and cylindricals. The landscape is changing quickly.

At this year’s Hannover Messe, NKE Austria GmbH will present bearings for wind turbine gearboxes and generators. The Austrian bearing manufacturer has more than 20 years of experience in the wind energy sector. NKE bearings have been installed in more than 4,000 wind turbines across Europe, the USA and China, equivalent to more than 10,000 MW of installed power. 

Responding to the agriculture industry’s growing need to increase farm productivity and harvest yields, global industrial and automotive supplier Schaeffler is launching its all-new Field Pro tillage hub in North America. Precision-engineered for maximum output and reliability, Schaeffler Field Pro is the direct-fit, easy-to-install solution that farmers need to help ensure a successful harvest.

Solve Industrial Motion Group (Solve), a manufacturer and seller of bearings and power-transmission component parts, announced the acquisition of SPB-USA, LLC., a factory-direct sales and marketing company of Sapporo Precision, Inc., the manufacturer of EZO Precision Ball Bearings.

Elgeti Engineering once again is offering its online bearing seminars for Spring 2023. Special packages are available for online 90-minute sessions.

This article is Part III in a series of articles on speed rating of bearings. Part I appeared in the September 2022 issue ("Ball Bearing Limiting Speeds"), and Part II appeared in the October 2022 issue ("Ball Bearing Thermal Speed Rating"). Bearings with Norm examines the latest in bearing technology and design. 

Vesconite Bearings, through its supply of marine rudder bearings to the MN Colibri charter vessel in June, is proud to be associated with an exciting communication satellite launch that took place in September 2022. The MN Colibri has historically transported launcher components, including communications satellites, for various heavy-lift space launch vehicles, and outfitted with the Vesconite rudder bearings allowed it to transport the Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite, which is regarded as an important addition to global telecommunications infrastructure.

The Timken Company has acquired the assets of American Roller Bearing Company (ARB), a North Carolina-based manufacturer of industrial bearings. ARB's offerings join Timken's industry-leading portfolio of engineered bearing solutions. ARB, which boasts a large U.S. installed base and strong aftermarket business, generated sales of more than $30 million in 2022.

With the new SKF Bearing App for the popular Ansys Mechanical Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software, engineers no longer need to rely on approximations or complex, unreliable models in their simulations. 

Next-generation technology—everything from the electrification of vehicles to e-motors, bearings, mechatronics, and thermal management—was discussed during the Schaeffler Symposium 2022 in Detroit. I sat down with Jitesh Modi, director of engineering, during the event to discuss the “reinvention” of bearings for EV applications.