Signed, sealed, delivered

Swedish company SKF, a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and related services, is making its high performance RSH seal design available on a larger range of SKF Explorer deep groove ball bearings.

According to SKF, its established RSH seal uses a dual-lip configuration to optimise protection in demanding environments. The company says that this means the bearings last longer, especially in wet, contaminated or dusty operating conditions. This, in turn, can help save money as the bearings need to be replaced less frequently.

A secondary lip on the seal withstands high pressure cleaning and offers increased resistance to the ingress of dust and other contaminants, while the seal’s internal geometry has been optimised for smooth running and improved grease retention.

SKF says the seal is made from acrylo-nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), which is resistant to mineral oil-based lubricants, petroleum products and animal or vegetable fats. It has an operating temperature range of –40°C to +100°C, and even up to +120°C for brief periods.

Previously only available on bearings with a bore diameter of 25mm or less, the RSH seal has now been further developed and tested for use in bearings up to 60mm in bore diameter.

Users can specify SKF Explorer deep groove ball bearings with the new RSH seal installed on one or both sides, depending on the requirements of the end application. The new bearing variants are already being introduced, and the full range will be available worldwide by July 2017.