Tribology-The great enabler: 130 years later, the remarkable Kugelmuhle still has a story to tell

摘要

THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM for the 2013 STLE Annual Meeting in Detroit this May includes nearly 50 presentations dealing with some aspect of bearing design, performance and lubrication. When you combine that with a panel discussion and education course on the same subject, it amounts to roughly 20% of the conference program. In late January STLE professional development director Bob Gresham and I visited the Bavarian city of Schweinfurt, which many people regard as the birthplace of modern bearing technology. It's also the home of Schaeffler Technologies AG, which develops and manufactures bearings and other precision products under the INA, LuK and FAG brands. Our host was STLE director Dr. Vasilios Bakolas, Schaeffler's Manager Bearing Basics, who gave us a thorough look at the past, present and future of this critical mechanical component.