The three new needle roller bearings include the X-life machined needle roller bearing version D; the X-life machined needle roller bearing with TWin Cage; and a slimline drawn cup needle roller bearing, which has a radial section height of 1.5 mm.
Schaeffler's version D has a new profiled steel cage provides a significantly higher load carrying capacity and is designed so that the number of needle rollers and the length of needle rollers can be increased without increasing the overall dimensions of the bearing. By using more rolling elements and by extending their load-bearing length, the new X-life needle roller bearings version D offers an increase in load ratings of up to 25%. This means that bearings installed in the same mounting space can be subjected to significantly higher loads without increasing the physical size of the bearings. It is also possible to reduce the physical size of machines and systems while still achieving the required bearing performance.
The machined needle roller bearings with TWin Cage use two short needle rollers rather than a single long length needle roller which reduces friction by up to 25% compared to conventional needle roller bearings. Tests at Schaeffler have shown that bearings with a TWin Cage benefit from a significantly increased operating life.
Schaeffler's slimline drawn cup needle roller bearing has a radial section height of 1.5 mm, a reduction in terms of slimline drawn cup needle roller bearings. For a drawn cup needle roller bearings with diameters from 15-50 mm, a section height of 1.5 mm is the current limit in terms of how small the bearing and cage can be manufactured. Currently, the smallest section height available from most other bearing suppliers is around 2.5 mm. By developing new manufacturing methods for the cage, Schaeffler has been able to produce bearings to extremely fine tolerances.
