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ARTICLE you scrap a component, you are not just throwing away the material it is made from – but all its embedded energy and carbon all the way back up the value chain. For this reason, lengthening lifecycle is of huge benefit. Within material handling, many lift manufacturers now insist that components last the life of the product. This can be achieved by specifying low-friction bearings-such as SKF Explorer bearings. SKF recently introduced a new range of small, sealed SKF Explorer spherical roller bearings that can prolong – or even eliminate – service intervals. Fitted in a gearless traction motor in a heavy-duty elevator, it lowers energy consumption by around 145kWh per year – equating to a CO2 emission saving of two tonnes over the motor’s lifecycle. These cut friction by as much as 20%, with a subsequent up to 20 degrees Celsius reduction in working temperature, extending bearing life to match that of the lift system itself. This helps deliver the ‘maintenance-free’ regime that is important to lift manufacturers. The sealed SKF Explorer spherical roller bearings form part of SKF’s Beyond Zero portfolio of products, which are designed to impart real sustainable benefits in their applications. There are many examples of how sealed bearings extend the service life of elevators: one Asian elevator manufacturer switched its entire production to sealed SKF Explorer spherical roller bearings, as a low-maintenance solution that would last for at least 20 years. Similarly, a European elevator manufacturer used them with adapter sleeves when it needed a quickly mountable bearing on its first high-rise gearless traction machine. Handling baggage There is no particular sector within material handling that leads the way on embracing sustainability. Rather, there are individual companies that are taking the lead. A good example of this is Vanderlande, which has designed a baggage handling system using a ‘Cradle to Cradle’ (C2C) approach. It is an excellent illustration of a company developing a product with sustainability in mind. Its ‘Blueveyor’ system – which has been running at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport since June 2014, consumes around half the energy of a conventional baggage system. C2C principles require the product to be fully recyclable at the end of its life, meaning that SKF had to adapt its Y-bearing unit slightly to accommodate this. It meant removing all polymer from inside the seal, and lubricating the bearing with biodegradable grease. The bearings are used in belt conveyors on the handling line, with four used on each conveyor. Vanderlande specified the C2C guidelines to SKF, which was then responsible for developing the bearing solution based on this approach. The two companies have worked together extensively in the past, and SKF has a similarly progressive attitude to sustainability as Vanderlande. Engineers love a challenge and there is none greater than helping to protect the planet and create a more sustainable future for all. Ultimately it is the role of engineers in projects like those demonstrated earlier, that will be crucial in helping to arrest the effects of climate change. www.skf.com may 2018 Global MDA Journal 21