Hard-wearing Sleeves Make Shafts Good As New

Hard-wearing Sleeves Make Shafts Good As New With the new Speedi-Sleeve from SKF, worn shafts which give rise to defective sealing can be quickly restored to good-as-new condition without the need to dismantle the machinery in which they are used, and without the need for costly regrinding. The result is big reductions in maintenance costs, and in expensive plant downtime. Thin-walled, hard-wearing sleeves with a high-quality finish, Speedi-Sleeves are simply pushed into position over worn shafts to provide them with a brand new sealing surface. The shaft requires no preparation or pretreatment, making installation fast and straightforward; the only tools needed are a mallet, a pair of pliers and the fitting tool supplied with the sleeve. With the sleeve in place, the size of seal which was previously used will still be a perfect fit, eliminating the need to locate and purchase new seals, as is invariably necessary when worn shafts are reground. Standard Speedi-Sleeves are made from high-quality SAE304 stainless steel, with a surface that is machined without directionality to a finish of Ra = 0.25 to 0.5um - a better finish than can normally be obtained by machining the shaft itself. The sleeves are available in sizes to cover common shaft diameters from 12 to 203mm and, subject to minimum order requirements, custom sizes can also be produced. Although standard Speedi-Sleeves will satisfy most requirements, for applications where abrasive wear is a particular concern, SKF also offers Speedi-Sleeve Gold. Identical in all other respects to their standard counterparts, these products have a special coating that significantly increases surface hardness to approximately 2300 Vickers. This makes them an ideal choice for use in high dust and grit environments, particularly when they are fitted in conjunction with SKF long life seals.