New ball bearings for cleanroom applications at NSK

An essential component of flat screens and solar collectors are highly sensitive foils, which, for example, induce the polarization of light and serve as filters. During the production of these high-performance foils, conveying devices are used that must operate very smoothly even at very low torques to prevent damage to the foil. At the same time, the moving parts of the conveying systems must not emit particles, as the foils need to be highly pure to provide optimal optical properties.

In this highly specialized field of drive technology, NSK's DFO ball bearings, first introduced in 2005, have proven their worth. These low-torque bearings emit very few particles into the environment and are therefore ideally suited for use in production systems that require extremely high purity standards.

The current new development was initiated with the goal of achieving an even lower level of particle emissions, as required in cleanrooms. This goal was achieved through highly efficient thin-film lubrication with the NSK-developed lubricant "Clean Grease," which was specifically designed for cleanroom applications. A specially developed plastic cage, also designed for this application, reduces the friction of these bearings.

The result of this new development: compared to the ball bearings previously used in this critical application, particle emissions have been reduced by 99% and friction by 40%. This achieves a completely new level of purity, and the low-torque bearings make an important contribution to the reproducible quality of high-performance foils. The low friction also creates the conditions for energy-efficient operation of drives and conveyor rollers. The reduced friction has a significant impact, as in a single foil production line, 100 to 200 conveyor rollers are equipped with the new low-torque bearings.

The new ball bearings with the suffixes LZZ-HFD are part of NSK's SPACEA program, which includes rolling bearings for special environmental conditions – for example, bearings for vacuum applications, high-temperature bearings, and corrosion-resistant rolling bearings.