Bearing is a key mechanical component in the manufacturing industry chain. It can not only reduce friction, but also support load, transmit power and maintain positioning, thus promoting the efficient operation of equipment. The global bearing market is about US $40 billion, which is expected to reach US $53 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 3.6%.
Bearing industry can be considered as a traditional industry dominated by enterprises, which has been operating efficiently for decades. In the past few years, only a small number of industries have highlighted trends, which are more dynamic than before, and may play an important role in shaping the industry in this decade.
The following is the focus of bearing R&D and the future development direction:
1. Customized
In industry (especially automobile and aerospace), the trend of "integrated bearing" is growing, and the components around the bearing become an inaccessible part of the bearing itself. This type of bearing is developed to minimize the number of bearing components in the final assembly product. Therefore, the use of "integrated bearings" reduces equipment costs, increases reliability, provides easier installation, and extends service life. The demand for "specific application solutions" is growing by a large margin worldwide, and has greatly stimulated the interest of customers. The bearing industry is turning to the development of new special bearings. Therefore, bearing suppliers provide professional customized bearings to meet the special requirements of agricultural machinery, automobile turbocharger and other applications.
2. Life prediction&condition monitoring
Bearing designers use complex simulation software tools to better match the bearing design with actual operating conditions. Nowadays, the computer and analysis code used for bearing design and analysis have reasonable engineering certainty, which can predict the performance, life and reliability of bearings. The prediction ability exceeds the level ten years ago, and there is no need to conduct expensive and time-consuming experiments or field tests. As people put forward higher requirements for existing assets in terms of improving output and efficiency, it is increasingly important to know when problems begin to occur. Unexpected equipment failures can be costly and potentially catastrophic, leading to unplanned production downtime, expensive parts replacement, and safety and environmental issues. Bearing condition monitoring can dynamically monitor various equipment parameters, which is helpful to detect faults before catastrophic faults occur. Bearing OEMs are constantly committed to developing "smart bearings" with sensing functions. This technology enables bearings to continuously transmit their operating conditions through internally powered sensors and data acquisition electronics.
3. Materials&Coatings
Even under severe working conditions, advanced materials extend the service life of bearings. At present, the bearing industry uses materials that were not easy to obtain a few years ago, such as hard coatings, ceramics and new special steels. These materials can greatly improve performance and efficiency. In some cases, special bearing materials can enable heavy equipment to operate effectively without lubricant. These materials, as well as specific heat treatment conditions and geometry, can handle extreme temperatures and treatment conditions, such as particle contamination and extreme loads.
In the past few years, the improvement of rolling element and raceway surface texture and the addition of wear-resistant coating have been significantly accelerated. For example, the development of tungsten carbide coated balls that are both wear-resistant and corrosion resistant is a major development. These bearings are ideal for high stress, high impact, low lubrication and high temperature conditions.
With the global bearing industry responding to emission regulatory requirements, the improvement of safety standards, lighter products with lower friction and noise, the improvement of reliability expectations and the fluctuation of global steel prices, R&D expenditure seems to be a strategic decision leading the market. In addition, most organizations continue to focus on accurate demand forecasting and integrate digitalization into manufacturing to gain global advantage.