Ball Bearings Tolerate Washdowns

Ball Bearings Tolerate Washdowns Baldor has launched washdown versions of its Dodge Grip Tight adapter ball bearing. Now offered in polymer and stainless steel housings, in addition to cast iron, the maintenance-friendly features of these ball bearings can be applied to reduce equipment lifecycle costs in washdown-duty zones of food, pharmaceutical and chemical processing plants. Dodge Grip Tight offers a much lower cost of ownership than a conventional ball bearing system because it features an easy-off adapter system and housing designs that will accept as many as seven different sizes of fully concentric, 360-degree shaft rings. The concentric bearing adapter press-fits onto the shaft, and automatically loosens for maintenance or replacement by simply turning a nut which pulls the bearing off and pushes the adapter in the opposite direction.This avoids any need for forcible removal or expansion heating, eliminating fretting corrosion and preventing shaft damage.The technology featured in the Dodge bearing also reduces system vibration and allows quieter operation. Dodge Grip Tight bearings are also ngineered to run at higher speeds and operate cooler for longer grease life.This reliability is aided by a Proguard Plus Seal with flingers, which keeps lubricants in and contaminants out. Significant inventory reduction will also be possible for many users because one bearing and housing design accepts a range of adapter sizes.Instead of stocking many individual bearing systems, many customers will be able to reduce their inventory with a universal housing plus a range of bore size adapters. Washdown Dodge Grip Tight adapter ball bearings are available with corrosion-resistant ball bearings for sizes up to 50mm.The range is manufactured from standard bearing-grade steel, with rugged cast iron housings for metric or imperial shaft diameters of 17 to 90mm, or 1/2 to 3-7/16 inches. A range of different housing styles is available including pillow block, tapped base, two, three, and four-bolt flange, piloted flange and take-up.