NSK has developed energy-saving bearings for high-efficiency motors which halve the friction loss of rolling bearings used in conventional products and which can contribute to the reduction of electric power consumption desired by users of high-efficiency motors.
Motors account for 75 per cent of industrial power consumption, says NSK, and so efficiency regulations for motors are in place around the world. In 2008, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) created global standards for motor efficiency.
Almost 90 per cent of motor efficiency issues are caused by iron loss, copper loss, circuit loss, and windage loss, whereas mechanical loss related to bearing friction accounts for only about ten per cent. In the coming years, as the efficiency level for motors progresses to IE3 and IE4, the demand for bearings with low friction loss will increase, forecasts NSK.
These new bearings from NSK clasim extremely low friction loss — optimisation of the bearing design is said to have made it possible to reduce friction loss by half. They conform not only to JIS motor efficiency standards but also to the extremely demanding IE3 and IE4 efficiency standards of the IEC, making it possible to reduce the power consumption of bearings in industrial motors.
This reduced bearing friction loss means bearings operate at lower temperatures, which increases the reliability of motors and other devices.
