Bearing Repair

Bearing Re-Manufacture and Reclaim
We also offer Component Repair and Gearbox Repair

How Does the Remanufacture Process Work?

On receipt of the basket at our repair facility in Pittsburgh, we will clean, disassemble, inspect and gauge all critical dimensions of the bearings. This inspection report, along with our recommendations for repair and salvage rate are forwarded to the customer. The re-manufacture process will not commence until the customer gives us the approval to proceed with repairs. Even if the customer decides against the repair, the inspection process is at no charge.

Once the repair is approved, the bearing races will be ground to remove blemishes, surface imperfections, and brinelling. Oversize rolling elements are manufactured to ensure that the original specified radial clearance is maintained. The cage pockets might or might not have to be bored oversize to accomodate slightly larger rollers. The cage is then sandblasted to remove burnt grease and metal fragments. The bores and ODs are merely cleared up and are thus not changed dimensionally. The bearing is then re-assembled and final inspected before it is marked as a re-manufactured bearing. Then it will be dipped and wrapped.

How Does the Reclaim Process Work?

The reclaim process is very similar to the re-manufacture process, except that no stock removal from grinding takes place. Instead, the bearing races are polished to remove minor blemishes, slight surface imperfections, rust, or burnt grease. The rolling elements are vibratory tumbled to remove similar imperfections, and the cages are sandblasted to remove burnt grease or metal fragments. This procedure allows the bearing to still operate within its original radial clearance parameters. The bores and ODs are merely cleaned up and are thus not changed dimensionally.The bearing is then re-assembled and final inspected before being marked as a reclaim. Then, it is dipped and wrapped. The bearings are then shipped back to the customer warehouse. The customer is billed for salvaged bearings only.

Difference Between Re-Manufacture and Reclaim

Cost
Re-manufactured bearings: Approximately 40-50% of the cost of a new bearing reclaim bearings: Approximately 25% of the cost of a new bearing.

Stock Removal
The stock removal on remanufactured bearings can be significant due to the grinding process. The races will therefore be cleaned up entirely and be free of any blemishes. The stock removal on reclaim bearings from polishing is minimal and removes only slight imperfections and blemishes.

Component Replacement
Re-manufactured bearings are equipped with new sets of rolling elements. The cage may or may not be modified to accept larger rolling elements and in some instances, new cages are manufactured as well. In some cases, new outer or inner rings are also made, but costs would increase for that level of repair.

No new parts are made for reclaimed bearings. All original parts are used.

Application
The re-manufacture program applies to the following bearings:

• All types of cylindrical roller bearings and ball bearings
• Sendzimir bearings (Z-Mill)
• Tapered roller bearings/Slew bearings

The reclaim program applies to the following bearings:

• Spherical roller bearings
• Tapered roller bearings
• Spherical plain bearings
• Journal boxes
• Pillow blocks
• Flange units
• Take-up units
• AP units
• Large table bearings/Slew bearings

Smaller, low cost, high production type bearings are not normally suitable for these programs because the cost of the process would not warrant a feasible return compared to the cost of a replacement bearing.