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BOWMAN SPLIT BEARINGS FOR NICHE AQUACULTURE APPLICATION IN FAROE ISLANDS

CLIENT CHALLENGE

Nomatek, in the Faroe Islands is an innovator and manufacturer of technical process equipment for the seafood processing industry, including bleeding, gutting and packing systems, UV equipment for disinfection and specialized solutions for seafood vessels and docking areas.

When Nomatek’s engineers were finalising the design for a class-leading fishnet washing machine, they needed two high-load split roller bearings capable of accommodating a total load of 75 tons, approximately 35 tons of which would be static, vertically applied, and the remaining 40 tons would be unstable during machine operation, running at 8 rpm, causing variable load directions.

Jákup Magnussen, Project Manager, for Nomatek explained: “Similar to a domestic washing machine, these drums are fitted with three fins that lift the soiled fishnets during drum rotation and drop them back down into the water. This creates an unstable load, and we needed to be sure that the bearings specified were capable of maintaining uptime in such conditions.”

The machine design required two split roller bearings for a 220mm shaft – one fixed at the drive end, and one free at the opposing non-drive end. Seal performance was of critical concern, with waterproofness a major factor for the successful operation of the fishnet washing machines.

KEY PROJECT STATISTICS

• Niche application for the Aquaculture industry
• Mixed static and unstable load
• Restricted access to bearing on one side
• Bespoke seal design for watertightness

BEARING TECHNICAL DETAILS

• Shaft diameter: 220mm
• Maximum dynamic radial load: 893 Cr kN
• Maximum static radial load:1588 Cor kN
• Maximum dynamic axial load: 281 Ca kN
• Maximum static axial load: 1459 Coa kN

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BOWMAN SOLUTION

Understanding Nomatek’s requirements, Bowman Split Bearings recommended the specification of its high-load Advanced Split Roller Bearings, with the additional innovation of a bespoke seal to provide additional watertightness.

“An added level of splash water resistance was an important part of ensuring the bearings we shipped to Nomatek would provide significant length of service in a wet environment,” said Adam Pearce, Technical Sales Engineer, for Bowman Split Roller Bearings. “Working with our sister division, Bowman 3D, we innovated a variation on our standard patented 3D printed seal, to include a 3D printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) liner. This is a more ductile material and provided a tighter fit for the additional water resistance we needed.”

Bowman’s Advanced Split Roller Bearing products are innovated for significantly faster bearing installation and ease of maintenance, especially in trapped applications or on machinery where closely located subsystems make bearing access more difficult – such as in this project, where one of the bearings is situated close to the geared motor.
The Advanced Split Roller Bearing range offers dimensionally interchangeable cartridges to allow easy mounting into existing pedestals from other manufacturers. Nomatek’s fishnet washing machines demonstrate the effectiveness of this interchangeable approach, with Bowman providing bearings, bespoke seals and cartridges for installation into competitor housing.

Transportation to the Faroe Islands is notoriously difficult, with most major logistics providers not offering a suitable service. To overcome this, we worked with Nomatek’s shipping contacts to transport the bearings without additional delays.

Since finalising the machine design, Nomatek has completed its first two installations, the first in Vónin, the Faroe Islands, and the second in Hampiðjan, Iceland.

“Bowman responded to our enquiry quickly and accurately, providing us with all the information we needed to make an informed choice on bearing specification, including details of a bespoke seal that would ensure optimal system performance for our new fishnet washing machines.”

Jákup Magnussen, Project Manager, Nomatek

fishing boat with nets on Dutch wadden sea