SWEDEN – SKF, a Swedish bearing and seal manufacturing company, has unveiled a new version of the SKF Bearing Assist mobile app to help the bearing installer to replace bearings more accurately and effectively.
The new app which can be installed on a smartphone or tablet, provides step-by-step guidance, replacement instructions and an improved way to document and trace each replacement bearing.
A detailed checklist ensures that each necessary step, such as planning and preparing the job and measuring associated components, has been completed.
In addition to saving time and effort when mounting bearings, the app also helps technicians to use a structured process that minimizes the risk of making a mistake.
Since correct bearing mounting minimizes premature failure, the app also helps to reduce waste and improve sustainability by extending the machinery lifecycles.
Every year, there are millions of bearing failures caused by incorrect mounting, according to SKF.
The company notes that overcoming this can deliver multiple benefits to owners (operator) of rotating machinery, including reduced costs related to maintenance, fewer breakdowns, as well as a more sustainable operation of the machinery.
With the new app, users will have the ability to label and record bearing positions during replacement, enabling better documentation and efficient maintenance practice.
Ability to label and record bearing positions also provides a better structure to the report which can be automatically generated by the app, saving time for the installer while doing the job.
The latest version also generates a PDF preview of the report within the app, so it can be edited and corrected before creating the final version.
Users of the previous version will be able to adopt the new version seamlessly because existing reports will be merged into it. This means that no legacy data will be lost when upgrading.
“The new version of our app has workflow as its centerpiece, and is far more user-friendly,” says Geri Palinkas, Product Manager for Bearing Assist at SKF. “This makes it easier for a bearing installer to avoid making mistakes.”