Correct handling maximises bearing operating life

摘要

Experience shows that up to one third of bearing failure can be attributed to improper handling and faulty mounting. Moreover, these problems get worse as bearing tolerances become more exacting. Today, precision bearings can work to tolerances of 1 micron, yet handling such bearings without protective gloves can place fingerprints on the bearing surfaces that are 13 microns high. Dust particles are even worse, at 25 microns, and human hairs, relatively colossal, at 76 microns. For the bearing user, the implications of this are major changes to the way in which bearings, and precision bearings in particular, are handled. No more the traditional image of the greasy workbench with the ever-present hammer. Rather, the clean room type conditions that prevail in, for example, electronics production. The best approach is to regard every kind of foreign material - dust, moisture, fingerprints, solvents, lint, and dirty grease - as abrasive, corrosive or otherwise potentially damaging to the bearing precision.