SKF will highlight its upgraded SKF Explorer self-aligning roller bearings at Hillhead 2012 from 19 to 21 June in addition to showcasing a range of other innovative products for the mining and construction industries, including the new SE bearing housing and the SKF Idler Sound Monitor Kit. The upgraded SKF Explorer range sees the re-launch of a market-leading product line that is now expanded across a greater number of individual products.

All standard spherical roller bearings, spherical roller thrust bearings and CARB bearings now benefit from an upgraded manufacturing process in bearing steel and enhanced component design, improving the ability of SKF Explorer self-aligning roller bearings to resist the heavy levels of contamination present in mining. To accommodate the increased load-carrying capacity of its bearings, SKF has constructed new SE housings from a higher strength cast iron that can accommodate heavier loads. This, coupled with a stiffer, more robust design, also prevents the housing from becoming distorted by over-tightening of the attachment bolts. In addition, the improved machining accuracy used in the manufacture of SE housings results in a more accurate bearing seat in the housing, which reduces vibration.

The company states: “The SKF Idler Sound Monitor Kit is an easy-to-use, rugged and handheld monitoring device for early detection of faults in conveyor belt idlers in heavy industries such as aggregates, cement, metal ore, coal and minerals processing, enabling the prevention of costly belt repairs, lost production and risk to workers that can result from faulty conveyor idlers. Equipped with acoustic enveloping technology, the SKF Idler Sound Monitor Kit distinguishes between the sounds of a good idler and a faulty one even in high ambient noise environments, offering a method of condition monitoring that is swifter, safer and more reliable than a manual operation conducted by listening out for faulty idlers.”