[Kirk]

Originally Posted by cnavarro

However, I will clarify that just going to a ceramic hybrid doesn't give you a higher load capacity than an equivalent conventional bearing but their benefits certainly outweigh the cost.

Hybrid Ceramic Bearings | Applied.com

Thanks Charles, the information you provided is very helpful!!!

I do have one question that has been bugging me. Looking at the Applied website that you provided you will see that they recommend grease first and foremost for ceramic bearings, but that's not practical in our application as the grease would need to be changed very regularly. In that situation they recommend oil lubrication and they note that a ceramic bearing does not need as much oil as a steel bearing. However, lubrication is still key. The LN Retrofit relies on oil bath and oil splash lubrication, which Applied notes is fine in some applications. However, they also note that oil jet and circulating oil are also acceptable.

So what if someone does not feel comfortable with the LN Retrofit approach? What if they think that oil bath/splash in this application of high RPM's and high heat is marginal and that a more consistent oil flow is better? What would be the problem with a direct oil feed to a bearing like the LN Retrofit? The LN Retrofit website discourages this practice:

"The LN Engineering IMS Retrofit kit should not be used with any forced oiling products for which they were not designed for."

But ceramic bearings in general are designed for all forms of oil lubrication. Since you are providing some technical detail regarding your ceramic bearing would you mind providing some better detail on why the LN Retrofit does not work with direct oil feed?

Kirk Bristol