Rotary table bearings offer reduced friction, increased machining accuracies

The YRTC and ZKXDF families are available with inside diameters from 580 to 1030mm and are said to offer reduced friction, increased rigidity and operating speeds, as well as more compact designs. The YRTC bearings are based on a combination of Schaeffler's YRT and RTC series of rotary table bearings, enabling operation at continuous speeds in intermittent tuning. Power dissipation is said to be significantly reduced compared to traditional combination thrust and radial cylindrical roller bearings. Currently being field tested by manufacturers of machining centres, the ZKXDF rotary table bearings are optimised to enable the design of more compact, higher performance rotary table supports in the high speed range, with bore diameters available from 580 to 1030mm. According to Schaeffler, the benefits to machine tool manufacturers include increased rigidity and accuracy, simplified assembly processes and options for reducing system or machine build costs.