Free Flow Technology0 pages

A s a leadin g desi g ner and manufacturer of innovative plastic bearin g solutions, B NL has led the development o f anti-clog f ree fl owђ bearing technology f or use in the water and leisure industry, where low friction properties and clog r es i stance are part i cu l ar l y i mportant .

Low Friction T o a dd ress t h is, BNL h as a l so pioneere d t h e Applications such as spa jets and suction and d evelopment o f a cage-less o pen desig n ђ bearing. p ressure si d e p oo l c l eaners o p erate so l e ly on wate r fl ow and will only function if the water fl ow fromthe pump is used e ffi ciently. The operational partso f these a pp lications are there f ore re q uired to becapable of workin g with very little applied torque. Using BNLs more traditional thermoplastic bearin g tec h no l ogy, starting inertias as l ow as 0.12Nmm w ou ld b e consi d ere d t h e norm. However, usin g t h e companyҒs innovative f ree fl owӔ bearing designs, tor q ues as l ow as 0.041Nmm are ac h ieve d ( compare d wit h simi l ar size d meta l options wit h torque values o f around 0.235Nmm*) . Clog Resistance To address the problem o f clogging f rom debris commonly f ound in the operating environmentof these applications, BNL has developed an
innovative patent-pending cage and race design.
T T raditional spa and pool cleaner bearing designs t yp ica lly uti l ise s h ie ld s an d sea l s to p revent p otentially clo gg in g debris from enterin g theworkings o h is revo l utionary anti-c l og b earing tec h no l ogyallows water and debris to fl ow freely throu f the bearing, however this can lead to serious pro g h thesystem, yielding a greater bl ems. T h e tig h t sea l necessary to fl ow path compared toconventiona k eep out d e b ris raises t h e torque require d to turn the bearing and since zero clearances cannot be l b earing tec h no l ogy. p ermanently maintained, the likelihood o f bearing s eizure cause d b y d e b ris b ecomin g trappe d b etween the se a ls a n d the r a ces incre a ses o ve r time. A dd itiona ll y, as t h e b earing wears, t h e s h ie ld c an b e g in to ru b on t h e inner or outer race causin g the bearing to essentially become a high f riction b us h ing or cease rotating a l toget h er. Being s h ie ld a nd seal free, BNLs ґ o pen d esi gn b earin g s ensure b earing seizure and high torque are removed f romt h e e q uation . Increased Flow Path Wit h b ot h innovative concepts, t h e anti-c l og f eatures result in an avera g e of a 114% increase i n the fl ow path compared with traditional designs, W ith all of the sharp ed g es removed and the ball clearances increased to reduce a s d e b ris t h at wou ld or d inari ly b e tra pp e d by atra p otentialo d itiona l ca g e d esi g n or sea l , is instea d a ll owe d to pass straight through the bearing. These b struction points, a smoot h an d precise rotatin g f ree j et is g uaranteed - even under low pressure and fl ow designs enable a continuous passage o f water t fl o w c o n d iti o ns. h rou gh t h e b earin g , a ll owin g any d e b risto be washed out. The end result is a bearing
that continues to W ith our many yearsҒ experience of spa and pool a f unction with minimal increases pp lications, we understand that the use o f aca i n inertia. Furt h ermore, t h e overa ll resistance to g ed bearin g is not always practical, for example c logging is higher than sealed products due to the w ith smaller diameter bearin g s. i ncreased clearance afforded by the desi g ns . >
* based on standard sealed metal bearing dat a B NL (UK) Lt d Manse Lane Knaresborou g h North Yorkshire HG5 8LF U K T: +44 (0)1423 799200 (main) F: +44 (0)1423 862259 (main) E: sales@bnl-bearings.com innovative bearing solutions www.bnl-bearings.com size="-1">