Bearings play a crucial role in keeping conveyors and other meat-plant machinery running efficiently and effectively. When they start causing problems, a solution must be found  and fast! Such was the case for Excel’s Booneville, AR, plant, and EDT Corp., Vancouver, WA, saved the day.

“We were getting complaints from quality assurance [QA] about grease leaching out of the [conveyor] bearings. Mark Misner at Motion Industries suggested EDT plane bearings because there is no grease to leach out,” explains Daniel Simpson, maintenance manager for the Excel Booneville, AR, plant. “EDT solved several problems, including not having to re-lube the bearings. Before we had to keep both food-grade and general-purpose grease —plus we had to keep track of where to use the different greases. Now there is no grease and no steel balls that could contaminate product with a bearing failure.”

EDT can be used on any modular plastic conveyor without having to run the PV numbers.

“We are using pillow blocks,” Simpson says, “ both two-bolt and four-bolt flanges. We are also using tapped-base pillow blocks, as well as three-bolt brackets. EDT has supplied us with another flanged bearing that we are testing in our breading conveyors, which is a very tough environment for any bearing.”

By switching to EDT bearings, the plant has experienced significant cost savings.

“The first thing we noticed is we don’t have to grease them, and they do not lock-up and shut down a conveyor,” Simpson explains. “As the bearings wear down, you can schedule a change when the conveyor is not in use. And we no longer have to replace our stainless-steel shafts because of bearing damage.”

EDT’s bearings are different from those the plant has used before.

“There is no maintenance,” Simpson says. “With EDT, you just look at the bearing and you can see if it needs to be replaced or not. There are no surprises.”

The plant’s sanitation crew says they are also easier to clean.

“They don’t have to wash water-proof grease off of anything,” Simpson says.

“EDT is working to solve our issues with bearings, such as they did with our plastic-belt conveyors and breader bearings,” he adds. “We have a machine that came with bronze bushings. EDT has since developed greaseless polymer replacements for these, and we are testing them now. They have outlasted the bronze by several weeks, and we still have not had to change or service them. And we don’t have to re-grease them as we did the bronze bushings. Delivery of parts is never an issue.”

EDT products are unique because:

• All styles of mounted bearings are offered in all sizes (inches and metric, 1/2-inch to 3 inches)

• There’s a choice of bearing materials for optimum performance in each installation

• All solid construction allows maximum cleanability

• EDT products dimensionally interchange with most industry standard bearing brands

• Surface finishes are two to three times smoother than other brands, which facilitates HACCP compliance

• All plane-bearing components are either 300-series stainless or  non-corrosive polymer to eliminate rust or chipping

• All components can be purchased assembled or individually for maximum flexibility, and  lowest inventory and replacement costs

Poly-Round® Solution® (solid polymer plane bearings in mounted EDT housings) applications include all modular plastic- and steel-belt conveyors, deep-fat fryers, submerged locations, bin dumpers, mixers/blenders, and washdown applications.

Simpson is satisfied with the service he has received thus far from EDT. NP