Schaeffler Offers Radial Insert Ball Bearings for Food & Beverage Applications

The INA Stainless Steel radial insert ball bearings (RIBBs) have mounting configurations in both stainless steel and thermal plastic housings. These bearings are engineered to meet the specialized needs of a sector that demands high standards for hygiene and corrosion resistance.

The bearings are IP69K certified, providing robust protection against liquid and solid contaminants. This certification is especially critical in environments where high-pressure washdowns are common, ensuring that the bearings can withstand rigorous cleaning procedures without compromising their functionality.

Key features of the RIBBs include:

Advanced sealing technology. Bearings are equipped with advanced cartridge seals that. Utilize NSFW/H1- certified food grade grease, which enhances their ability to resist contaminants and retain lubricants.

Corrosion-resistant design. Made from high grade stainless steel, the bearings are specifically designed to perform well in harsh operational environments prevalent in the food and beverage industry.

Flexible sizing options. Available in both inch and metric bore sizes, the bearings can accommodate a variety of mounting needs, including standard and offset configurations.

Durable housing choices. Stainless steel housings provide strength and durability. And thermoplastic housings offer a lightweight and economical option that also resists high temperatures and electrical currents.

Maintenance-free operation. The bearings are designed to be lubricated for life, significantly reducing maintenance requirements and downtime.

Machine Design had a few questions about the bearings, so we reached out to Anant Bhat, director, Strategy & Portfolio Management, Bearings & Industrial Solutions, and Agricio Pereira, product manager, Mounted Products & Spherical Roller Bearings, both at Schaeffler Americas.

Editor’s note: The following Q&A may have been edited for style and clarity.

Cutaway of Schaeffler ball bearing. — Here we see a cutaway view of Schaeffler’s stainless-steel radial insert ball bearing.

Machine Design: What design challenges does this product aim to address, and how does it facilitate problem-solving for Machine Design’s audience?

Anant Bhat/Agricio Pereira: One of the key challenges faced by Schaeffler’s customers in the food & beverage industry is the absolute necessity to ensure a contamination-free production environment. Maintaining this clean environment mandates frequent high-pressure washdown procedures, which the manufacturing facility’s production machinery must be able to withstand without adversely impacting output and quality.

To address potential corrosion issues resulting from frequent high-pressure washdowns, Schaeffler’s new radial insert ball bearings (RIBBs) are made from stainless steel. In addition, these bearings can be further protected inside housings that are available in either stainless steel or thermoplastic. The latter material is also resistant to electrical currents and elevated temperatures.

To withstand the high-pressure, high-temperature water jets that are part of every washdown procedure, Schaeffler’s RIBBs feature a unique seal design that helps prevent the ingress of water, thereby enabling the grease (and, by extension, the bearing and associated machinery) to last longer. The seal also prevents the egress of food-grade grease to avoid contamination within the production environment as well as the product being produced. Accordingly, Schaeffler's new RIBBs are IP69K-certified, which currently represents the highest-possible rating on the ingress protection (IP) scale.

MD: Can you explain the user experience and interface of the product as it pertains to MD’s audience of design and mechanical engineers—what makes this product intuitive or user-friendly?

AB/AP: Schaeffler’s new RIBBs and housings are a drop-in solution that is fully interchangeable with industry-standard radial insert ball bearings and housings. As such, they require no special mounting or maintenance equipment to perform their intended function. And thanks to their advanced seal design, the bearings require no relubrication.

In addition, the housings are available in an optional “stand-off” design that raises the housing off the mounting surface to minimize contact points—thereby inhibiting bacterial growth. One of the particularly user-friendly features is the QR code that is laser-etched on the product to enable quick retrieval of Schaeffler’s mounting instructions.

Cutaway view of ball bearing — Here is a cutaway view of Schaeffler’s stainless-steel radial insert ball bearing and stainless-steel housing.

MD: Can you provide insights into the R&D process behind this product, and were any innovations discovered along the way?

AB/AP: Schaeffler focused on designing a solution that meets the rigorous sanitation and operational standards of the food & beverage industry. The result is a bearing that has been crafted from corrosion-resistant steel, whereby each component—from the inner and outer rings to the rolling elements and cages—has been designed to withstand the harshest operating environments.

The bearing inserts feature an advanced cartridge seal, packed with NSF/H1-certified food-grade grease, which offers superior protection against contaminants while preventing the lubricant from leaking out. Extensive testing has shown Schaeffler’s new stainless-steel radial insert ball bearings to outperform leading competitors with respect to running friction (which offers both cost savings and sustainability benefits) as well as grease retention and water ingress.

MD: What are the sustainability features of this product, and how does it contribute to eco-friendly design practices?

AB/AP: Schaeffler’s new lineup of RIBBs offers lower drag torque as compared to the competition. This leads to reduced amp draw on the electric motor that turns the shaft—which enables our customers to use less electricity, thereby improving the sustainability of their operations. And in addition to avoiding potentially disastrous contamination problems for both manufacturers in the food & beverage industry as well as their customers who consume their products, preventing grease from leaking out of the bearing offers sustainability benefits with regard to reduced waste (using less grease means consuming fewer resources).

Moreover, keeping grease inside the bearing means the lubricant is not escaping into—and potentially contaminating—the environment. Finally, offering laser-etched, QR code-based access to digital product support materials eliminates the need for printed materials (i.e., paper).

Schaeffler ball bearing — Schaeffler’s stainless-steel radial insert ball bearing and thermoplastic housing are pictured here.

MD: Can you talk about any use cases or applications that our audience can consider in relation to this product?

AB/AP: Schaeffler’s new lineup of radial insert ball bearings and housings are primarily intended for conveyors utilized in food & beverage production facilities such as meat and poultry processing plants, bottling plants and industrial baking operations. They are also an excellent solution for any manufacturing process requiring frequent equipment washdowns.

By keeping out contaminants and maintaining optimal lubrication, these innovative bearings and housings help ensure reliable production operations that safeguard the health and safety of consumers purchasing the products manufactured in these facilities.