SKF entered a unique collaborative partnership with Heat and Control, a world-leading equipment solution manufacturer, to assist in engineering a new horizontal motion conveying technology, FastBack 4.0. The transformative technology was released at Pack Expo International 2022 in Chicago at the end of October. 

The partnership evolved when Heat and Control asked SKF to contribute to the design of the company’s latest revolution in horizontal motion conveying equipment. In response, SKF assembled a team including application engineering, R&D, and product development, plus support from factories across the globe. As a leading bearing manufacturer that also manufactures seals, SKF has a unique perspective on the interplay of the elements in rotating equipment. Drawing on SKF’s years of experience in a wide range of industries, the team was able to refine and improve the customers’ design for FastBack 4.0, bringing tremendous benefits to horizontal motion conveying in the food processing markets.

“We are fully committed to the relationships and collaboration we’ve built with our customers leading to an understanding of their technical, and commercial needs,” said Marshall Ahrens, applications engineer, SKF. “Heat and Control challenged us with the collaborative development of the FastBack system, targeting improvements in every category for their horizontal motion conveying systems. The result of our combined effort between the teams at SKF and Heat and Control is Fastback 4.0: a new, innovative design that pushes the performance boundaries of horizontal motion further into the future.”

SKF engineers relied on vast industry knowledge, experience, and simulation tools to translate Heat and Control requirements into an application-specific design for speedy development. The team analyzed the concept to determine the life predictions for the bearings and lubrication used on FastBack 4.0.

The design process for FastBack 4.0 focused on the following areas

• Improved sanitary conveying

• Trouble-free operation with no preventative maintenance and no lubrication

• High-pressure washdown capability

• Reduced downtime for maintenance and cleaning

• Advanced performance and longer service life

“This new generation is a transformative technology, and our design process focused on simplifying and improving conveying. We wanted FastBack4.0 to set a new standard making it easy to use, operate and own,” said Blake Svejkovsky, general manager - product handling systems, Heat and Control. “In addition to our collaboration from a design standpoint, SKF is also able to meet growth targets thanks to its extensive global footprint.”