Brand story | with cage for 70 years
70 years ago, the needle roller bearing with cage invented by Dr. George Schaeffler opened a new chapter in the revolution of FAG bearing technology. In February 1950, needle roller bearings with cages began to undergo practical application tests, and satisfactory results were obtained: the wear and friction of the bearing components were very small. In September 1950, this invention applied for a design patent, which laid the foundation for the successful development of the product. In February 1951, only one year after the production of the first product prototype was completed, the company won the first mass production order from the automotive industry, and then the application of the product gradually expanded to the industrial field.
Two brothers, Dr. William Schaeffler and Dr. George Schaeffler, visited customers with various needle roller bearing samples.
With this invention, my father, Dr. George Schaeffler, laid a solid foundation for the rapid development of the company. As a supplier of automotive and industrial products, needle roller bearings with cages are one of the most important innovations in the company's development history. This product embodies Schaeffler's uniqueness: we give full play to the synergy effect within the company in product development. With this innovative product, we are able to serve all target markets, including automotive and industrial fields, and create real value for customers.
——Schaeffler Group Family Shareholders and Chairman of the Supervisory Board
George F.W. Schaeffler
Revolutionary performance improvement The design concept of this product is: to improve the guidance of the needle roller in the needle roller bearing through the cage. With this invention, Dr. George Schaeffler made up for the serious shortcomings of the standard full complement needle roller bearings at that time: when the bearing rotates, the long needle roller has a tendency to move laterally (deflection), which will cause the needle roller bearing to jam; In addition, a large amount of sliding friction will be generated between two adjacent rotating needle rollers. The newly invented needle roller cage overcomes these shortcomings and reduces friction while increasing the speed. In many applications, replacing other bearing designs with needle roller bearings with cages can significantly improve product performance.
In particular, it is worth mentioning that needle roller bearings have made important contributions to the development of high-performance, compact and economical vehicles. Mr. Matisse Zink, CEO of the Schaeffler Group Automotive Technology Division, said: “Without reliable needle roller bearings, it is difficult to imagine how to design today’s automotive drive systems.” Later, the application of needle roller bearings Gradually expand to the fields of factory processing equipment, construction machinery, agricultural machinery equipment and conveying equipment.
Broad market application prospects
Needle roller bearings will continue to play an important role in the future. In the field of electric drive, needle roller bearings are the core components of various electrified gearbox products. Because its radial cross-section is the same as the diameter of the needle roller, the needle roller and cage assembly can be applied to very small shafts and the inner space of the bearing housing. Compared with other bearing designs, its bearing capacity is high and the price is more advantageous. For example, KZK needle roller bearings (crank pin bearings) can be used in coaxial electric drive axles, such as Schaeffler electric drive axles. Schaeffler electric drive axles have been installed in Audi e-tron models since 2018.
Schaeffler's electric axle drive uses ball bearings, which have been used in Audi e-tron models since 2018.
In the industrial field, the role of needle roller bearings is also not to be underestimated. For example, the demand for lightweight robots is increasing day by day, and the use of needle roller bearings can reduce the size of the system, thereby achieving a lightweight and compact joint design. Needle roller bearings have stable and reliable performance and high safety. The latest Schaeffler XZU angular contact needle roller bearings can be used in the articulated arms of lightweight robots and collaborative robots, and can also be used as the spindle bearings of the new RTWH precision gearbox to create a ready-to-install deceleration for robot joints. Gear set.
Continuous development process
The product design concept originally proposed by Dr. George Schaeffler has gone through 70 years of development. With the unremitting efforts of Schaeffler engineers, it has continuously improved and developed in terms of performance and product categories. Compared with the needle roller bearings in the 1950s, the service life of products of the same size is now 15 times longer, and the static load bearing capacity is increased by 3 times. Thanks to the design of the needle roller and cage assembly, the power density of the bearing has been greatly improved, which helps to achieve a more compact application design, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing energy consumption. In addition, the product range is steadily increasing: Schaeffler currently has more than 15,000 types of needle roller bearing products that can meet the needs of different applications. Since applying for a patent 70 years ago, Schaeffler's cumulative sales of needle roller bearings have exceeded 100 billion sets. At present, Schaeffler produces nearly 170 million sets of needle roller bearings every day, and the length of the steel wire used to produce 60 billion sets of needle roller bearings per year is enough to circle the earth's equator 18 times.