SKF's advanced products and technology will help Indian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to meet increasing demands for greater productivity, reliability and safety in their challenging applications.

Complete wheel end units for driven wheels, patented sealing products and novel lubrication solutions for hydraulic hammers are just three examples of the extensive range of products and solutions from SKF.

"We have identified SKF products and services that will make a difference in performance and add value for Indian OEMs and their customers. For the OEM, SKF solutions can help reduce assembly times and improve machine operations. These innovative solutions can increases productivity and provide other benefits for end users, including lower total cost of operation achieved from increased reliability, reduced environmental impact and increased operator safety," explains Victoria van Camp, Global Segment Manager, SKF Off-highway Cluster.

Wheel-end solutions

For driven wheels, SKF has a range of standard and customised hub solutions that are pre-set in the factory and incorporate bearings and heavy-duty seals for harsh environments. "In fact, SKF has pioneered many of the major advances in wheel-end technology since the invention of the automobile and this has been also used in the construction sector. With expertise in not only bearings but seals, lubrication, and electronics integrated into mechanical parts to control machine agility, SKF is able to look at wheel-end technology from a systems viewpoint. The result is improved functionality, reliability, efficiency, and safety. Plus, our virtual testing capability shortens the time to market," notes Van Camp.

Sealing solutions

SKF Mudblock and SKF Trackstar are just two of the seal types specifically for the construction industry. SKF Mudblock seals are widely used in wheel-end applications in the front and rear axles where the requirements are to provide increased life under harsh conditions and to ensure the exclusion of external contamination. SKF Mudblock seals integrate both seal and counterface with an integrated sleeve for the sealing lip. This feature reduces the need for costly shaft machining. These seals incorporate a multi-lip sealing design to keep out contaminants.

SKF has developed a nitrile compound used in the SKF Mudblock seals that is compatible with most transmission oils and greases. The final design is a product with the best sealing performance, together with good wear and ageing resistance, compared to competitive designs that have been tested.

SKF Trackstar seals are a patented design for track pins in undercarriage applications in tracked typed tractors and have the function of retaining oil internally in the track pin and helping avoid the entrance of external contaminants. These seals build on SKF's long experience of designing with the key sealing materials such as polyurethane and rubber moulded into metallic reinforcement. Polyurethane, used in this seal, reduces the wear and increases service life. SKF has many patented designs and has successfully solved sealing problems associated with track pins for several global OEM producers. As well as offering protection against external conta?mination, SKF Track?star seals improve track operations and reduce maintenance costs.

Novel lubrication solutions

The SKF hydraulic driven lubricator offers end-users time and cost savings by cutting relubrication intervals and extending the lifetime of the chisel and bushings. For the OEMs, the SKF hydraulic driven lubricator delivers the benefits of automated lubrication to end-users in a cost-effective way that is simple to integrate into new and current machine des?igns. The lubricator is mounted directly onto the tool and connected to the machine's existing hydraulic system. It is equipped with a standard-thread cartridge that is very easy and convenient for operators to replace. It avoids the complexity associated with centralised lubrication systems while deli?vering time and cost savings by eliminating the frequent stops required for manual lubrication; it supports the extension of maintenance intervals, and contributes to a safer operating environment by reducing operator interventions on the machine.