The Belgian Wisdom brewery, known for its traditional Trapp beer, relies on maintenance-free self-aligning bearings from igus in its bottling line. By replacing the rust-jammed metal ball bearings with lubrication-free igubal H3 insert balls, the brewery has succeeded in increasing its production efficiency and reducing maintenance.
Chimay Chimay is one of only 12 Trapp brewers in the world, and its beer is brewed by the monks in the monastery. Interestingly, most of their profits are invested in social projects. Chimay, located in the Scomont Abbey in the province of Hainaut, Belgium, produced around 18.5 million litres of beer in 2018. The high production requirements pose special challenges for bottling lines, especially with the frequent failure of conventional metal ball bearings and the seizure of shafts. Replacing a faulty ball bearing can take up to a day and a half, which can lead to lost production. In order to optimize the filling line, Chimay turned to igus for a permanent solution to the problem. After a series of extensive tests and optimizations, igubal H3 bearings proved to be the best choice and they have hardly experienced any wear since switching to this bearing in September 2022.
Lubrication-free, safe and easy to clean
The igubal H3 bearings offer a number of advantages that significantly improve the production process at the Chimay brewery. The bearings are made of triblogically optimized, high-performance polymers. This makes them lubrication-free, maintenance-free, and corrosion-resistant. Even at speeds of 200 rpm, the bearings work within the design limits. Compared to metal ball bearings, this IGUBAL embedded ball is easier to install and replace, resulting in significantly reduced maintenance time. In addition, the problem of optical axis damage due to wear and tear is eliminated, extending the service life of the entire system. Another advantage of igubal H3 bearings is that they are highly chemically resistant. Even with regular cleaning, they don't show any signs of damage. Thanks to these characteristics of the bearings, the speed of the line reaches an astonishing 55,000 bottles per hour. After successful testing on 3 different production conveyor lines, Chimay ordered an additional 150 embedded balls to replace the remaining metal ball bearings. "With igubal H3 bearings, we have successfully solved the biggest problem on our conveyor line and significantly extended the service life of our system." Vivien De Schryver, maintenance technician at Chimay, said.
The Chimay brewery has significantly increased its production efficiency and reduced maintenance costs by using igus bearings.
The igubal H3 recessed ball (grey) replaces metal ball bearings even at speeds of up to 200 rpm.