Sleeve Bearings Optimize Automotive Airbag Production
Problem:
Packaging talc was causing needle roller bearings and tensioners to fail.
Solution:
Roller bearings were replaced with Frelon-lined flanged sleeve bearings for superior performance in the harsh talc environment.
A manufacturer of safety equipment for automobiles was looking to upgrade their airbag processing line. With worldwide demand for their products, a higher level of efficiency was needed to meet their goals. One major problem along the production line was a roll folder that was constantly breaking down and causing production delays.
The Challenge
In this specific area of concern, needle roller bearings and thrust washers were being used to support tension roller shafts. These shafts are responsible for smoothing the belts that roll the airbags prior to shipment. As part of that shipping process, the airbag material is coated with talc to prevent the airbags from sticking together.
An unintended consequence of the talc was to dry out the lubricant in the needle roller bearings, resulting in severe damage to the mating shaft of the tension rollers. Damaged parts included bearings, tension roller shafts, and belts that together accrued over five and a half hours of machine downtime within a span of six months (See chart to the right).
The effects of inferior needle bearings and collateral damage over a 6-month span:
Theses images represent the original needle roller bearing (before) and damaged roller bearing (after):
These three images illustrate the decline of the Tension Roller Shafts over a six-month period. On the left is a new tension roller, with the next two images showing the quick disintegration of the shaft, moving from bad, to worse, to catastrophic.
Linear Sleeve Bearing Solution
Engineers quickly realized that a more reliable and self-lubricating bearing was needed. A bearing that was not dependent on lubricants would not soak up the talc and eventually lead to a catastrophic failure. The needle roller bearings were replaced with Simplicity flanged sleeve linear plain bearings (PSF) from PBC Linear. A working test-period of fifteen months resulted in very little wear, avoiding costly downtime and damaged parts. The tried-and-true Frelon liner of the Simplicity plain bearing demonstrated again how it can stand up to a variety of particulates within dirty application environments.
Frelon bearing and tension shaft exhibited no significant wear after 15-month trial run:
