Schaeffler United Kingdom and Ireland

During maintenance work, many bearings are replaced even though they have not yet reached the limits of their performance capacity. Reconditioning of rolling bearings may represent an economically attractive alternative here.

The advantages for the customer are as follows:

• longer useful life due to high quality maintenance work
• short downtime periods due to swift implementation of the maintenance process
• little mounting work, since the bearings are returned in a condition ready for mounting
• reduced maintenance costs due to preventive maintenance

Reconditioning levels
Before reconditioning, the bearing is dismounted, cleaned and examined. The processing steps required are established and a proposal is prepared. The scope of rolling bearing reconditioning is subdivided into 4 levels.

Standard bearings up to 425 mm outside diameter and wheelset bearings for rail vehicles
In particular, bearings with smaller dimensions are regularly replaced during maintenance work although they could be recon ditioned with little work and then used for a further period. The same applies to the wheelset bearings of rail vehicles. These are among the most heavily loaded of vehicle parts and are subjected to regular maintenance. Schaeffler therefore offers operators of all rail vehicles the opportunity to have their wheelset bearings professionally dismounted, cleaned and reconditioned.

The Schaffler service portfolio applies to:

• all wheelset bearings as well as cylindrical, spherical and tapered roller bearings up to a maximum width of 180 mm and a maximum outside diameter of 425 mm
• products from all rolling bearing manufacturers
• all rail vehicles

The service comprises:

• professional dismounting, cleaning, failure analysis and reconditioning of bearings in the Schaeffler Service Centre
• identification marking of each individual bearing before dismounting
• where required, documentation for each bearing of all maintenance activities carried out.

Reconditioning locations

Large rolling bearings of outside diameter greater than 425 mm
Through professional cleaning and reconditioning, it is also possible to return larger standard and special rolling bearings to an acceptable, functionally secure condition. In general, the costs of such rolling bearing reconditioning are significantly lower than the costs of a new bearing – and delivery times are shorter in most cases.

In individual cases, customers may also receive the same warranty on the reconditioned bearing as on a new bearing.