Plant Operations - NSK America Corp.

1:15 to 2:10 p.m. / W-193-A

Session Topic: Spindle Bearing Health Monitoring: Study of Different Methods for Failure Detection

Spindle bearing failures can be a serious nuisance for any machine builder, resulting in significant costs due to damage of the spindle and in some cases associated machinery. Close to 80% of failures for machine tool main spindles can be categorized under the topic of seizure/abnormal temperature rise or abnormal noise. In order to determine the most effective method for prevention of bearing seizure, NSK developed a test rig to monitor failures due to seizures and abnormal noise. Three performance attributes were monitored and evaluated for effectiveness in predicting bearing failures: temperature rise, vibration level, and oil film thickness. This paper will present the tests and results showing how each of these methods can be used and which method was the most effective. The monitoring of spindle bearing behavior can allow for repair of the spindle prior to catastrophic failure or seizure, thereby avoiding damage of additional machine components and added cost.

Bimal Nathwani

IBT Engineering Manager

NSK America Corp.

Bimal Nathwani is the current application engineering manager for NSK Corp. He’s been in the industry for nearly 22 years, working previously in the machine tool segment as a manger and engineer.

Yuu Koiwa

Product Specialist

NSK America Corp.

Yuu Koiwa is the current product manager for NSK Corp., with over 15 years in the industry.

NSK America Corp. provides application support, sales, and repair service for all of our high speed motors, spindles, and micro-grinders for the North, Central and South American markets.

IMTS 2016 Booth #N-7321

www.nskamericacorp.com