NSK Develops ROBUSTGRD Seizure-Resistant Grease for Machine Tool Spindle Bearings

NSK has developed ROBUSTGRD, an environmentally friendly grease lubricant that improves seizure resistance and contributes to higher productivity and long-term stable operation of machine tools.

ROBUSTGRD improves seizure resistance and reliability in machine tools using cutting fluid and enables the adoption of environmentally friendly grease lubrication in applications typically covered by oil-air lubrication.

Production of ROBUSTGRD will begin in spring 2023, and NSK is targeting 4 billion yen in sales by 2026.

NSK will be exhibiting the new grease at “JIMTOF 2022 The 31st Japan International Machine Tool Fair” to be held at Tokyo Big Site from November 8-13, 2022.

Background

Oil-air lubrication is widely used in machine tools for its excellent lubrication performance. However, oil-air lubrication uses a large amount of compressed air and consumes a lot of electricity, so there is a need to reduce power consumption to reduce running costs and pursue carbon neutrality.

Grease lubrication does not use compressed air, leading to energy savings compared to oil-air lubrication, but reliability improvement has been an issue.

In the development of the new grease, NSK aimed to further enhance reliability while enabling more machining applications to use more environmentally friendly grease lubrication.

Product Benefits

Improved seizure resistance and reliability in machine tools using cutting fluid or coolant enables the adoption of grease lubrication to reduce power consumption of machine tools. In addition, the increased reliability contributes to improved productivity and long-term stable operation.