A leading multinational agriculture products company based out of Minnesota produces flour by milling grain utilizing hundreds of roll stands from a single original equipment manufacturer (OEM) across all their flour mills.

Grain is processed through multiple roll stands to split the grain and grind the endosperm to produce final flour product. The first phase breaks the grain to separate its outer bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The broken grain is run through additional roll stands until the desired consistency is achieved. 

The roll stand has four rolls, a pair in the front and back, each supported by two bearings for a total of eight bearings. The rolls require frequent replacement and re-corrugating to keep grain crushing consistent. Each replacement was laborious and time-consuming, often requiring the roll to be cut off the stand – damaging the shaft and creating a dangerous environment in the dusty, potentially explosive conditions. The existing bearings were frequently failing due to flour particulate contamination.