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Expansion Plans
To meet the increasing product demand in both domestic and growing global markets, Orion Corporation is expanding the Grafton, Wisconsin production facility. The expansion will add 1500 square meters of floor space to the facility to accommodate additional CNC turning centers capable of machining bearings up to 2.0 meters in diameter and 2.0 meters in height. The factory will also feature additional CNC milling centers and a new area with jib and bridge cranes to handle large assembly work. Construction is expected to be completed by November 2007. The increase in floor space, in tandem with the additional state-of-the-art machine tools and the implementation of “lean” manufacturing processes, is expected to increase the facility’s production capacity by approximately 25 percent. Case StudyA customer was experiencing repeat bearing failures of a series of gearboxes in the field. They asked Orion to analyze the current (non-Orion) bearings to see if they were properly designed for the application and to recommend overall performance improvements. This task was complicated by the fact that the gearbox contained 14 bearings, all drawing oil from a common header. |
 Thrust bearing pad temperature profile. |
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To complete the bearing analysis, Orion used a newly-developed program for multi-lobe bearings, which more accurately defined the bearing, oil flow requirements using the bearing pocket, and groove oil pressures. Using the new program, Orion was able to balance the oil flow needs of each bearing with the available oil supply. However, the analysis revealed that even after rebalancing the oil flow, two of the bearings were not properly designed to carry the loads. The overloading is shown in the pad temperature profile photo above. Orion resolved the problem with two redesigned thrust bearings. Customer field trials verified the designs successfully solved their problem. If you are having problems viewing this email, please view the newsletter online at If you would like to be taken off our list, please send us an email by choosing the "Reply" option and put "Delete" in the subject line. If you know of anyone you think should be added to our list, please email us at sales@orion-corp.com. We'd also appreciate any comments you have or suggestions for future topics.
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