Cast Iron is a great material for many pillow blocks, but when you’re dealing with a particularly harsh environment, it might not be enough. Instead of continually replacing them when they prematurely fail, maybe you need to talk to your ErieTec friends about getting you something stronger, like cast steel housed bearings.
Success Story – “Blue Brute” Cast Steel Housed Bearings
Industry – Metal and Steel
Region – Southwestern PA
Cost Savings – $146,500/year
Problem
The feet of standard cast iron pillow blocks were snapping off in a cable powered manipulator application at a forge. These were in a tough-to-reach area and caused significant downtime and loss of production every time they failed, which was approximately once per month.
Solution
ErieTec suggested they switch to “Blue Brute” cast steel housed bearings by Timken. They’re able to withstand the harsh conditions and shock loads that come from multiple directions in the manipulator application.
Savings Calculation
Standard pillow blocks replacement 1/month x 4 pillow blocks = $14,500
Unplanned downtime (production costs) @ $10,000 per month = $120,000
Maintenance cost = $1,000 per month = $12,000
Total = $146,500
When you have an application that is harsh or difficult to manage and you’re facing repeated failures and downtime events – call us! You know your operations better than anyone, but we know our components just as well, and we can put our decades of experience to work for YOU.