Posted to News on 27th Jun 2014, 00:00
Tough and durable rolling bearing cages
NKE Austria has introduced rolling bearing cages with DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) coating. NKE says steel cages coated with DLC are tougher and last longer than the standard, uncoated brass variants, and are ideally suited to harsh operating conditions. Other bearing components besides cages can also be treated with the amorphous carbon coating.
>As part of its continuous effort to improve the performance capabilities of its rolling bearings, NKE researches surface coating technologies and uses alternative cage materials. Bearings that are used in machines with high radial accelerations, centrifugal forces or vibrations are typically equipped with inner-ring or outer-ring guided, primarily one-piece, solid brass cages in order to minimise any undesirable effects the cage may have on the motion characteristics of the rolling elements. Examples of typical applications include big end bearings, fast accelerating gearboxes or generator systems.
>Although solid brass cages are an acknowledged standard, there are still operating limits. In applications with heavy loading, excessive wear or abrasion of the cage guide surfaces, and/or mechanical failure can occur.
