Schaeffler Innovations for Production Machinery

Schaeffler Group Industrial’s trade fair appearance at METAV 2008 in Düsseldorf will focus on INA, FAG and IDAM-branded solutions for linear and direct drive technology as well as their innovative spindle and rotary table bearing supports. In linear technology, integrated valves for roller monorail guidance systems enable the precise metering of lubricant quantities. Equipped with standard steel rollers, FAG high-speed cylindrical roller bearings now exceed the speeds achieved by hybrid bearings with ceramic rolling elements. A novel combination of rolling bearings and passive magnetic bearing supports increases the load carrying capacity and limiting speeds of rotary tables. IDAM’s refined linear motor series L2U offers peak forces of up to 13,000 N and achieves maximum guidance accuracy. These are just a few examples of the numerous innovations for production machinery which will be on display at Schaeffler Group Industrial’s exhibition booth A 54 in Hall 03 from March 31 through April 4, 2008.

Precisely metered lubrication for roller monorail guidance systems
The reduction of lubricant consumption, and thus the protection of resources and the environment, is becoming an increasingly important aspect also when it comes to bearing technology. INA Linear Technology has therefore developed special valves for RUE-E type roller monorail guidance systems that reduce the quantity of lubricant required. Taking into account the mounting position and operating conditions, these integrated valves ensure that the lubricant can be precisely metered to the required minimum during relubrication. This saves costs and spares resources. As the lubrication duct is always filled, the rolling elements are reliably supplied with exactly the right lubricant quantity. In this way, there is neither a risk of lubricant starvation nor overdosing. Only one lubricating hole per carriage is required, independent of the mounting position.

High-speed cylindrical roller bearings with steel rollers
Through consistent friction minimization measures, Schaeffler Group Industrial has succeeded in developing a high-speed cylindrical roller bearing with steel rollers that reaches 80 percent higher speeds compared to conventional cylindrical roller bearings and thus even exceeds the speeds achievable with hybrid bearings and brass cages. The load carrying capacity of the new bearing is only slightly lower. The bearing features optimized contact geometry and an outer-rib guided cage from PEEK which comprises significantly lower friction than solid brass cages guided by rolling elements. The lower operating temperatures resulting from reduced friction ensure lower stress on the lubricant in the rolling contact. In turn, this leads to increased grease life.

Symbiosis of rolling bearings and magnetic bearings
With a combination of rolling bearings and passive magnetic bearings, Schaeffler Group Industrial increases the load carrying capacity and limiting speeds of rotary tables. The magnetic bearing support is integrated in the rotary table in such a way that the rotating magnets in the table and the stationary magnets in the machine bed repel each other. The static force acting on the rotary table from above, for example a weight, does not have to be accommodated by the rotary table bearing support alone, but is partly compensated for by the repelling magnetic forces. This results in longer bearing life if the bearing size remains unchanged and/or higher limiting speeds when using another bearing design of a comparably smaller rolling bearing.

Linear motor with guidance skills
With the IDAM linear synchronous symmetrical motor series L2U, IDAM offers a fundamentally refined motor series that reaches peak forces of up to 13,000 N with a deadweight of about 45 kg. This means it is now possible to equip large machining centers with these motors. The main advantage of this motor technology is the compensation of magnetic forces of attraction between motor and magnets. The resulting unloading force leads to a clearly longer service life. Moreover, accuracies are maintained for a longer period and friction-induced heat generation is reduced. This is achieved with an iron-core linear AC synchronous motor with two symmetrically opposed secondary parts. The reduced iron content in the movable primary part additionally reduces the mass in the three-phase motor. The lower deadweight of the L2U motors relative to the payload has a positive effect for highly dynamic tasks with relatively low payloads (up to ten times the mass of the primary part).

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