Cooper Roller Bearings product ranges now being marketed as SKF Cooper split bearings

SKF have this week announced that Cooper Roller Bearings, an established brand within the SKF Group, will from now on be marketed as SKF Cooper split bearings.

SKF acquired Cooper Roller Bearings Co. Ltd in 2013 as part of the US-based Kaydon Corp, Cooper’s parent company at the time. Now, following a period of consolidation within SKF, it has been decided that henceforth all Cooper split bearings ranges will be marketed under the new brand name.

In addition to the brand name change, the channels to market for SKF Cooper products, including responses to customer enquiries, product supply and after-sales support, will from now on be handled on a global basis through local SKF sales outlets.



SKF Cooper split roller bearings can be fitted, removed and inspected without having to dismantle surrounding equipment, providing savings in terms of reduced maintenance and downtime.



The products include both split cylindrical roller bearings and split double-row tapered roller bearings, the latter with the ability to take axial loads in either direction. Both are housed and sealed in special swivel cartridges, which are suitable for mounting in pedestal or flanged outer housings.



The cartridges have a spherical outer surface that fits into a conforming surface in the mounting unit, similar to a ball and socket joint; any shaft misalignment tends to move the cartridge, seal and bearing together, maintaining the seal on an axis parallel to the shaft.



This configuration allows extremely close tolerances to be maintained between the housing and the shaft, delivering a sealing performance that is recognized as one of the best in the anti-friction bearing industry.



As well as their complementary product ranges and reputations for engineering excellence, Cooper and SKF have another thing in common: both mark 1907 as a particularly momentous year in their respective histories.



This was the year that Cooper’s founder, Thomas Cooper, patented the world’s first split rolling element bearing, and also the year that Sven Wingquist invented the first self-aligning bearings and founded the Svenska Kullagerfabriken company – today more commonly known as SKF.