New European distribution agreement means faster lead times for low volume custom engineered aerospace bearings

AMAugust16News - NES
AMAugust16News - NES

Carter Manufacturing has signed a distribution agreement with US custom bearing specialist Napoleon Engineering Services to provide custom engineered bearings in small and medium order quantities and on fast lead times to the aerospace industry and other markets in Europe.

Based in Olean, USA, NES specialises in the manufacture of custom bearings, as well as bearing testing and inspection for a wide range of industry sectors including aerospace, defence, automotive, oil and gas, medical, and wind energy.

NES specialises in the supply of custom engineered bearings with unique designs and superior raw materials, in small lot sizes and on fast lead times. Custom bearings include deep groove ball bearings, angular contact ball bearings, double row self-aligning bearings, needle roller bearings and cylindrical roller bearings, in outside diameters that range from 20mm up to 350mm.

With its 22,000ft2 facility, NES combines the capabilities of a large bearing manufacturing facility with the precision and attention to detail of a small bearing shop. Chris Napoleon, president and chief engineer at NES commented: “Carter is a great fit for NES, as we are both niche providers of bearing products and services for similar markets. The aerospace industry in particular requires highly engineered bearing products in very small batch quantities but on faster lead times than the major global bearing suppliers can provide. Our typical lot size for custom bearings is 25 to 50 pieces, with lead times of between 12 and 26 weeks, which is significantly faster than other major bearing suppliers.”

NES uses a wide variety of bearing materials to suit the customer’s specific application, which can vary from satellite and UAV arm actuation systems to antennas, fuel pumps, ram air turbines, rocket engine valves, turbo pump, rotorcraft transmissions and aircraft turbine engines.

Typical bearings for aerospace applications utilise 440C, Cronidur 30, XD15NW, 52100, M50, M50 NiL, Pyrowear 675 and superelastic NiTiNOL 60 high-life materials and coatings. Rolling element material varies from 52100, 440C, M50, Cronidur 30 and ceramic (silicon nitride). Precision machined cages can be supplied in bronze, steel, silver-plated bronze or steel, Nylon 6/6, PEEK, Vespel, Torlon and Phenolic.

As a certified ISO9001:2008 and AS9100C company, NES can provide custom bearings and services for the aerospace industry, including custom aerospace bearing manufacture; aircraft bearing reverse engineering for Federal Aviation Administration Parts Manufacturing Approval (FAA-PMA); First Article Inspection (FAI) per AS9102; as well as other aerospace bearing testing and inspection services.

Karl Brundell, managing director of Carter Manufacturing commented: “We are delighted to be appointed as the sole distributor for NES products and services in Europe. With our local market knowledge combined with NES’ expertise in the manufacture of custom bearings for challenging applications, we would expect to see a great deal of interest from customers in Europe who will see strong opportunities for custom engineered bearings.

“In a marketplace that has traditionally been dominated by major global bearing manufacturers that require large volumes to start production, this new distribution agreement will provide a solution to satisfy this need,” he added.

www.carterbearings.co.uk

www.nesbearings.com

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