SKF is making its high performance RSH seal design available on a larger range of SKF Explorer deep groove ball bearings. The tried and tested RSH seal uses a highly optimised dual-lip configuration to provide additional protection in demanding environments. For users, the result is bearings that last longer, especially in wet, contaminated or dusty operating conditions, and that need to be replaced less frequently.

A secondary lip on the seal withstands high pressure cleaning and offers increased resistance to the ingress of dust and other contaminants, while the seal’s internal geometry has been optimised for smooth running and improved grease retention.

The seal is made from acrylo-nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), which is resistant to mineral oil based lubricants, petroleum products and animal or vegetable fats. It has an operating temperature range of –40 to +100 °C and up to +120 °C for brief periods.

Previously only available on bearings with an bore diameter of 25mm or less, the RSH seal has now been further developed and tested for use in bearings up to 60mm in bore diameter.

Users can specify SKF Explorer deep groove ball bearings with the new RSH seal installed on one or both sides, depending on the requirements of the end application. The new bearing variants are already being introduced, and the full range will be available worldwide by July 2017. The extended RSH offering joins a growing list of options and improvements in the SKF Explorer range. These include numerous different shield and seal configurations and a choice of cage materials and lubricants.

SKF Explorer was originally developed to take advantage of research into high purity steels with improved fatigue resistance, allowing the development of bearings with a longer rated life and lower friction. The SKF Explorer offering has been continuously extended and improved for more than two decades, with deep groove ball bearings joining the range 14 years ago. Since their introduction, SKF Explorer deep groove ball bearings have set the performance benchmark for the industry, with more than 4 billion bearings sold. SKF Explorer bearings are used in thousands of applications of around the world, from domestic goods to wind turbine generators.