Rotary bearings are an integral part of any rotating machine or mechanical equipment and facilitate a wide range of applications in engineering. Ensuring their reliability extends the expected service life of the equipment in which they are being used. When properly maintained, the bearing life can be lengthened, and unscheduled costly downtime will be reduced because dirt and grime can cause damage or diminish bearing performance. This entails correct degreasing and re-lubrication. The degreasing process is important, as bearings can easily be damaged if they are mishandled or mistreated.

Rozone Solves Degreasing and Maintenance

What can make the process come unstuck is that there is little guidance regarding the degreaser needed to remove the oils and greases when maintenance is required. The Scientific Manager and experts in oils and grease at Rozone would argue that using the right degreaser is as equally important as using the right lubrication. Nearly all bearing, hydraulic component, and power transmission original manufacturers have a recommended lubrication approval table which should be used to choose the best lubrication for each product. No such supervision or direction exists for degreasing.

Why choosing the right Degreaser is important for Bearing maintenance

Choosing the right degreaser is critical, as it directly leads to reduced maintenance costs and downtime. The degreaser must be compatible with the bearing material. Using the right degreaser prevents corrosion and it is important that no residue is left behind which will interact with the re-lubrication procedure.

Rozone’s Degreasing Expertise

We are supporting the bearing, hydraulic, and power transmission trade with water-based degreasing systems and solutions which:

• Comply with Health and Safety regulations
• Reduce the associated hazards with solvent-based solutions (such as fire and health risks)
• Provide the industry with sustainable products that are innovative and safe for the operators
• Improve cleaning performance
• Lower the cost associated with maintenance schedules
• Reduce environmental impact

Degreasing Solutions for the Industrial Market

We currently have two dedicated degreasing solutions for the industrial market, ROwash 03 and ROwash 06. The ROwash solutions are designed to degrease parts quickly and effectively and when used in our ROwasher parts washer is heated to between 37°C to 42°C which helps to reduce the viscosity of oil and grease making removal from parts easier.

What influences the life span of a bearing, and why is this so important?

This is affected by several key factors, including making the correct selection and design, ensuring the product is correctly stored, handled, and installed, then lubricated as specified by the manufacturers approved list, plus regular preventative maintenance inspections.

Avoid Bearing Failure

According to Bearing-News, around 80% of bearings fail because of lubrication-related issues. To be able to improve the life of the bearings and reuse this product, it is important to clean out the bearing and bearing housing (where practical) during maintenance or full-service schedules. The lubrication must be correct according to the manufacturers specified table. To do this successfully, the lubrication must be as clean as possible and free from any foreign contaminates.

This is where the ROwasher range of degreasers will:

• Reduce the surface tension of the lubricant
• Ensure the lubrication is washed away
• Leave no residue on the bearing surface
• Reduce any hazard associated with solvents degreasers as it is a water-based products, with plant-based surfactants

The ROwash degreasing solutions are:

• VOC free
• pH neutral
• NSF approved
• Have no flash points
• Incorporate plant-based surfactants
• Fully biodegradable in their raw state

Why is it important to use solvent-free products?

Dr Ibrahim Khalil, our Scientific Manager at Rozone: “We are focussed on non-solvent industrial cleaning options because solvents such as methylated spirits, kerosene, or diesel, pose health and safety risks. They increase the hazards in usage, storage, and handling, and all solvent-based products escalate the associated cost of responsible waste disposal.

“Our ROwasher bioremediating parts washer, filter mat, and water-based degreasers are as effective as solvents but without any of the associated risks; they reduce hazards in the workplace but have improved cleaning performance.”

Dr Khalil continues: “The ROwasher is a manual bioremediating parts washer that is free from costly service contracts. The ROwasher dramatically reduces waste fluid generation because of the three-way bioremediating system using the machine, filter mat, and degreasing fluid. 

“The ROwasher is the first UK-designed and manufactured parts washer and has been developed by our scientists to address the decades of no innovation in the sector. We are delighted that the ROwasher performs better than any other parts washer on the market and significantly outperforms our previous machine in terms of running costs (54.5% cheaper), consumables used (30-37% less), energy used (<40p per day) and evaporation rates (54% less evaporation). *

“The machine is effectively a recycling container, and it is used with our fluid degreaser and the microbial filter mat, which is home to 200 million microbes. It only needs a monthly filter change and fluid top up, to ensure that the eco-army of specially mixed microbes is maintained to cope with all the different oils and greases.”

A full explanation of the science of bioremediation can be found here. 

Aerospace Industry Specialists

ROwash 06 is the degreaser of choice in the Aerospace Industry and is tested and approved in accordance with:

• Boeing BSS7432B
• AMS1526C
• Douglas CSD#1
• Airbus industries AIMS09-00-002

For more information and expert advice, please call the Rozone Team on 0121 514 0607. Find out more about the workshop money-saving ROwasher here.

 

*Based on controlled laboratory trials in 2022