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NKE supplies bearings for gearboxes of wind turbines

. Janet Mo

NKE AUSTRIA GmbH has received two orders for bearings for the gearboxes of wind turbines. Two German gearbox manufacturers awarded the contracts worth a total of over 1.6 million euros.

Comprehensive technical advice and excellent cost effectiveness were the factors that prompted the gearbox manufacturers to choose NKE. "We work closely with our customers: from technical calculation through certification to product development, our customers can count o­n our expertise and flexible, unbureaucratic cooperation", explains Heimo Ebner, managing director of NKE. "The wind energy sector is of strategic importance for us: in Germany alone, the total added value in the wind turbine sector increased by 28 percent in 2005."

Rolling bearings for wind turbines present a special challenge for bearing manufacturers. The operating conditions inside the plants are complex and demanding o­n components, yet the bearings must work efficiently and reliably. A high quality and long lifespan are vital to prevent failures and the resulting downtimes and costs of repairs or replacements.

The bearings from NKE used in the turbine gearboxes have outside diameters of up to 820 mm. The bearing types used include deep groove ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, full complement cylindrical roller bearings, spherical roller thrust bearings, taper roller bearings and special taper roller bearings.