Ball bearings, which are used in fans, electric motors or tool spindles, for example, must increasingly have a low noise level in addition to a long service life, as running noise is perceived as annoying by the end customer and this has an impact on the market: According to a major bearing manufacturer, around 2/3 of its bearings already have to meet special requirements in terms of noise levels. Know-how in the production of quiet bearings pays off for manufacturers.

Dr. Frank Schulz, Head of Research/Development at Chemie-Technik, is responsible for the development of Elkalub high-performance lubricants. According to his findings, there are a number of parameters that can influence the noise level of a bearing. In addition to the cage material, bearing size, material and processing, the lubricant used also plays a particularly important role. Dr. Frank Schulz comments: "By developing noise-damping bearing greases in our laboratory, we can give bearing manufacturers a relevant competitive edge."

In the measurements, which are carried out by Chemie Technik using a BeQuiet+ device and evaluated with the MoreQuiet software, the noise behavior of five preserved bearings is first measured in an ungreased state. In the second step, these bearings are greased with the grease to be tested and then measured again. The software then calculates the noise class of the grease from the two measurements. Depending on the noise level, the greases are then assigned to a noise class between I/1 (very low noise) and >IV (loud). In applications such as those described above, greases in noise class I/1 or II/1 (low noise) are preferred.

Greased bearing. (Image: Chemie-Technik)

"With the purchase of the noise tester, we have expanded our testing options with an extremely important and sensitive test bench. This allows us to shorten the time it takes to release a low-noise grease, develop new, low-noise greases and thus meet increased customer requirements even better," says Dr. Frank Schulz.

Bearing manufacturers whose customers impose special requirements for smooth running are therefore well advised to equip their bearings with optimally low-noise Elkalub high-performance lubricants for the first time. A suitable product may already be found in the existing extensive portfolio of specialty lubricants. Equipped with its own measuring device, Chemie-Technik GmbH is also in an even better position to develop low-noise greases for individual applications. These include, above all, applications in food processing, beverage filling and the packaging industry, as the Elkalub range also includes a wide range of H1-certified high-performance lubricants. am