Some may consider the technology of the bottling industry to be an ironically dry topic, especially when evaluating the role stainless steel bearings have in its overall production efficiency. However, the bottling industry is valued in the billions, making the bearings in question deserving of a closer look.
Similar to other industries, bottling companies have changed throughout the years and are adopting new technologies, equipment and procedures to be more efficient in their production processes. With the changes in technology have come new demands on bearing manufacturers and suppliers to meet industry regulations and customer specifications.
If the Cap Fits: Customized Bearing Solutions
In the bottling industry, not all bottles are created equal. A brewery that was planning the bottling process of one of their specialty Oktoberfest beers encountered a production challenge when it came time to capping their product. In order to meet regulations and packaging specifications, the brewery needed a special “capper” bearing to overcome the challenge of the different bottle dimensions. Ritbearing was able to work with its network of manufacturers to design custom-engineered bearings that would enable the brewery to efficiently bottle their product. The custom bearings that were used had a special outside diameter and used a “headset” to put the metal caps on bottles.
Custom bearing solutions have also been used in the production process of plastic bottles for water, soft drinks and sports drinks. Special blow mold bearings are required for this type of bottling and the type of specialty bearing is not a common offering of many major manufacturers
Custom engineered bearings typically are considered too “niche” or small to be worth the time for most bearing manufacturers. However, suppliers like Ritbearing offer custom bearing solutions with shorter lead times, shorter minimum order quantities and can provide unique bearing solutions which require special greases, coatings and more to accommodate the needs of bottling companies.
Similar bearing models are commonly used across various industries; however, each sector has a unique set of bearing requirements to ensure they are maximizing product performance, reliability and overall productivity. Ritbearing can work with you to design a bearing to fit the configuration, lubrication specifications and other precision details unique to your business process.
What unique bearing needs does your business process require?