INA and FAG Beware the dangers of bogus bearings

INA FAG is warning that fake bearings can have dangerous consequences for end users and their consumers around the world. What looks like a real bargain at first sight can turn out to be a real danger later on. Kate Hartigan, INA FAG Managing Director, commented: 'Roller bearings are safety critical products'. 'Only when they have passed a series of extensive tests and quality inspections are INA and FAG bearings for cars, trains, aircraft or machinery introduced to the market¡¯. Cheap counterfeits have not undergone such inspections. 'Cheap counterfeits are often made of inferior materials instead of high-grade steel and lubricants', Hartigan continued. When it comes to precision and service life, cheap bearings often fail shortly after the running-in stage. At best, the user does not enjoy the anticipated bearing performance, however, the consequences can be much worse, including total machine failure and safety risks. INA FAG warns that independent dealerships and workshops may be purchasing the counterfeit bearings from rolling bearing bazaars in Damascus, Dubai or Bombay, where junk and cheap forgeries are sold after being manufactured in 'flying factories'. Flying factories refer to the manufacturer being in a position to constantly change addresses after being closed down by the state authorities. If production is stopped, the manufacturer is already prepared to continue production at another location the following day. INA FAG is currently taking court action against illegal dealers who have sold counterfeit FAG bearings to one of its regular customers. The forgery was uncovered when the customer complained to its normal distributor about faults with several bearing types. When these bearings were sent to FAG, a closer examination found that the bearings were forgeries. There were inaccuracies with the packaging date, the raceways were poorly ground and the bearings had unclean marking punches instead of the usual clear laser etching. Inspectors also found the bearings did not have any lubrication grooves in the outer ring. INA FAG¡¯s sales engineers in Dubai were able to give the Jordanian authorities in Aquaba on the Red Sea information which led to the seizure of nine tonnes of counterfeit FAG taper roller bearings worth hundreds of millions of euros. The Jordanian government has declared war on this increase in counterfeiting. INA FAG is now training the Dubai police force to recognise bearing forgeries. Counterfeit bearings may be identified through poor quality or inaccuracies in packaging, while 'real' copies, those that look exactly like the original, are more difficult to identify. Problems with these forgeries are more serious, with faults including the raceways not being hardened, there being no protection against corrosion, seals and lubricant will not serve their purpose or the manufacturer has used standard steel instead of the necessary high-nitride special steel. Therefore, customers should pay particular attention to the stamping and should compare the bearing¡¯s catalogue number. We strongly recommend that customers use authorised distribution channels or deal directly with the INA FAG sales company to ensure products are legitimate and bring the highest quality and guaranteed safety, Hartigan said.