A single-stream materials recovery facility (MRF) in central Florida processes a collection of recyclable materials, from plastic to paper to metal, for various repurposing. 

Early in the recycling process, material passes through a series of polishing screens set at a steep angle to quickly separate smaller items from larger plastics, corrugated paper, and metal containers, while letting debris fall through the screen’s surface. Each screen contains multiple shafts supported by four-bolt flange mounted bearings on either end to keep material flowing.

The high-vibration polishing screen application created significant solid, small-particle contamination that wreaked havoc on the existing competitive eccentric collar bearings. The existing 66 bearings were completely sealed in an attempt to withstand the high-contamination environment and therefore didn’t feature a grease zerk. Without the ability to be relubricated, the bearings frequently failed from overheating due to the increased radial load and temperature from magnetic tapes wound around a shaft–often destroying the shaft assembly in the process and causing significant unplanned downtime that cost $3,000 per occurance.