CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION

1.1 Problem Statement

To study and analyze the material handling system in assembly of Tapered Roller Bearing
Department and suggest necessary changes.

1.2 Company History

National Engineering Industries Ltd., part of the 150 year old, multi-billion dollar C.K. Birla
group manufactures a wide range of bearings for automotive and railway industry as well
as for general industrial applications under the brand name NBC . NEI, founded in the year
1946 as a pioneer industry in the field of bearing manufacture, now manufactures nearly 80
Million Bearings per annum in over 500 different sizes ranging from 6 mm bore to 1300
mm outer diameter having capability to manufacture bearing up to 2000 mm. diameter. NEI
is one of the largest domestic bearing manufactures with gross annual turnover of Rs. 1051
crore in 2010-11. The company exports bearings to more than 20 countries and is also
exporting to OEMs in Europe and USA. NEI has grown at a CAGR of 19% since 2007-08.
NEI manufactures a wide range of bearings namely ball and cylindrical roller bearings,
double row angular contact bearings, tapered roller bearings for automobiles, railways and
industrial applications and large diameter bearings for steel plants and rolling mills. The
three plants situated at Jaipur, Newai and Manesar manufacture these products with approx.
2300-strong team, supported by a well-equipped R&D with bearing life testing facility. NEI
Ltd. has been awarded the coveted 2010 Deming Application Prize, by the Union of
Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE), Japan, for achieving distinctive performance
improvement through the application of Total Quality Management (TQM).The Deming
medal confirms that our quality management systems are one of the best, globally .For our
customers, this means enjoying consistently superior products and assurance of highest
quality for every NBC bearings they use.
R&D is equipped to introduce new technology in the field of bearings and related products
.All functions from concept design to product launch are an integral part of R&D. The
activity begins from customer interaction by Application Engineering and QFD approach is
used to understand Customer requirements to translate into a useful product. It has a full-
fledged test center for endurance as well as application testing .The test lab is being
expanded to double the capacity in next four years.

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1.3 Technical Collabrations

• BRENCO Incorporated of U.S.A. Since 1982 - For Cartridge Tapered Roller

Bearings for Railroad applications.
• NTN Corporation of JAPAN Since 1985 - For Ball Bearings, Cylindrical &
Spherical Roller Bearings, JPU Bearings, Double Row Angular Contact Bearings,
Hub Bearings Since 1997 - for Tapered Roller bearings.
• Izumi Kinzoku of JAPAN Since 1996 for remanufacturing, retrofitting and
overhauling of grinding and Super-finishing machines for bearing races.

1.4 Major Customers

• Fuso
• Dembler
• Gatrag
• DLW (Diesel Locomotive Work)
• CLW (Chittaranjan Locomotive Works)
• ICF (Integral Coach Factory, Chennai)
• RCF (Rail Coach Factor, Kapurthala)
• Hindustan Motors Ltd.
• Maruti Udyog Ltd.
• Mahindra & Mahindra
• Force Motors
• Eicher
• Tata Motors
• Ford
• Ashok Leyland
• Royal Enfield
• TAFE
• Renault

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1.5 Ball Bearings

Precision Ball Bearings from 6 mm bore to 75 mm bore diameter are manufactured on state
of the art manufacturing facilities with in-process and post-process gauging in grinding and
centrally air conditioned assembly lines with auto gauging and testing equipments. The
latest advanced techniques for manufacturing and Quality Assurance are implemented to
meet the rapid increase in demand for Quality, diversity of specifications and new types of
bearings.

1.6 Railway Bearings

With the production of Roller Bearings and Axle Boxes since 1952, the company has fully
met the requirements of the Indian Railways (one of the largest systems of the world) by
designing and developing Axle Boxes and bearings for fitment to Locomotives
manufactured by Diesel Locomotive Works , Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, various
wagon builders, the ICF broad and meter gauge coaches. Over a million NBC bearings and
boxes are in service with the Indian Railways. The development of completely indigenized
Axle Boxes and bearings for the high speed Rajdhani Locomotive, the Yugoslavian and
Egyptian Railway wagons are the highlights of the design capabilities at NEI.
On date more than 100 types of Axle Boxes & Bearings have been manufactured. The
manufacturing of Spherical Roller Bearings was started in the year 1975-76 for fitment to
broad gauge and meter gauge passenger coaches with designs, technology, machines and
equipment procured from the collaborators. For fitment to the new BOX-IN Up rated
Wagons designed by the RDSO, NEI is the only manufacturer in the country to indigenize
these bearings to a high percentage under collaboration with the largest manufacturer of
these bearings in the world. Production of these bearings commenced in the year1984. These
bearings are grease packed and require no field lubrication for a period of 7 years.

1.7 Tapered Roller Bearings

Precision Tapered Roller Bearings are manufactured in Inch and Metric series from
15.875mm bore to 95.25mm bore with technology obtained from our earlier collaborator.

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1.8 Mission and Vision

• Grow in the business of anti friction bearings and other allied engineering products
and services.
• Pursue excellence through Total Quality Management.
• To attain gross turnover of INR 50 billion by 2020

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CHAPTER 2 : INTRODUCTION TO BEARINGS
2.1 Defination of Bearing
A bearing is a device to allow constrained relative motion between two or more parts,
typically rotation or linear movement. Bearings may be classified broadly according to the
motions they allow and according to their principle of operation as well as by the directions
of applied loads they can handle.
Plain bearings are very widely used, and use surfaces in rubbing contact. Particularly with
lubrication they often give entirely acceptable life and friction. On the other hand, low
friction bearings are often important for efficiency, to reduce wear and to facilitate extended
use at high speeds. Essentially, a bearing can reduce friction by virtue of its shape, by its
material, or by introducing and containing a fluid between surfaces or by separating the
surfaces with an electromagnetic field.
By shape, gains advantage usually by using spheres or rollers, or by forming flexure
bearings.
By material exploits the nature of the bearing material used. (An example would be using
plastics that have low surface friction.)
By fluid exploits the low viscosity of a layer of fluid, such as a lubricant or as a pressurized
medium to keep the two solid parts from touching, or by reducing the normal force between
them. By fields exploits electromagnetic fields, such as magnetic fields, to keep solid parts
from touching.
Combinations of these can even be employed within the same bearing. An example of this
is where the cage is made of plastic, and it separates the rollers/balls, which reduce friction
by their shape and finish

2.2 Principles of Operation

• Sliding bearings usually called “Bushes”, “Bushings”, “Journal Bearings”, “Sleeve

Bearings”, “Rifle Bearings”, or “Plain Bearings”.
• Rolling element bearings such as ball bearings and roller bearings.
• Jewel bearings, in which the load is carried by rolling the axle slightly off centre.
• Fluid bearings, in which the load is carried by a gas or liquid.
• Magnetic bearings, in which the load is carried by a magnetic field.
• Flexure bearings, in which the motion is supported by a load element which bends.

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2.3 Loads

Bearings vary greatly over the size and directions of forces that they can support. Forces
can be predominately radial, axial (thrust bearings) or moments perpendicular to the main
axis.
2.4 Classification of bearings

There are numerous different kinds of bearings that are designed to handle radial load, thrust
load, or some combination of the two. Because different applications require bearings that
are designed to handle a specific kind of load and different amounts of weight, the
differences between types of bearings concern load type and ability to handle weight.

2.4.1 Slide contact bearings

Hydrodynamic bearing
Load supporting high pressure fluid film is created due to the shape and relative motion
between the two surfaces.

Fig 2.1:- Hydrodynamic Bearing

Hydrostatic bearing

The load supporting fluid film is created by an external source, like pump.

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 Fig 2.2:- Hydrostatic Bearing

2.4.2 Rolling contact bearing

Ball bearing

Ball bearings are extremely common because they can handle both radial and thrust loads,
but can only handle a small amount of weight. They are found in a wide array of
applications, such as roller blades and even hard drives, but are prone to deforming if they
are overloaded.

Fig 2.3:- Ball Bearing

Roller bearing

Roller bearings are designed to carry heavy loads—the primary roller is a cylinder, which
means the load is distributed over a larger area, enabling the bearing to handle larger
amounts of weight. This structure, however, means the bearing can handle primarily radial
loads, but is not suited to thrust loads. For applications where space is an issue, a needle

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bearing can be used. Needle bearings work with small diameter cylinders, so they are easier
to fit in smaller applications.

Fig 2.4:- Roller Bearing

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CHAPTER 3 : TAPERED ROLLER BEARINGS
3.1 Introduction

Tapered roller bearings are bearings that can take large axial forces (i.e., they are good thrust
bearings) as well as being able to sustain large radial forces. The inner and outer ring
raceways are segments of cones and the rollers are also made with a taper so that the conical
surfaces of the raceways and the roller axes if projected, would all meet at a common point
on the main axis of the bearing.

Fig.3.1 Taper roller bearing

Fig 3.2:- Parts of taper roller bearing

This conical geometry is used as it gives a larger contact patch, which permits greater loads
to be carried than with spherical (ball) bearings, while the geometry means that the

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tangential speeds of the surfaces of each of the rollers are the same as their raceways along
the whole length of the contact patch and no differential scrubbing occurs. When a roller
slides rather than rolls, it can generate wear at the roller-to-race interface, i.e. the differences
in surface speeds creates a scrubbing action. Wear will degenerate the close tolerances
normally held in the bearing and can lead to other problems. Much closer to pure rolling can
be achieved in a tapered roller bearing and this avoids rapid wear. The rollers are guided by
a flange on the inner ring. This stops the rollers from sliding out at high speed due to their
momentum.
The larger the half angles of these cones the larger the axial force that the bearing can
sustain. Tapered roller bearings are separable and have the following components: outer
ring, inner ring, and roller assembly (containing the rollers and a cage). The non-separable
inner ring and roller assembly is called the cone, and the outer ring is called the cup. Internal
clearance is established during mounting by the axial position of the cone relative to the
cup.

3.2 Product subtypes

• Single Row (TRB)

Fig.3.3:- Single Row (TRB)

• Double Row (TRB)

Fig.3.4:- Double Row (TRB)

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 • Four Row (TRB)

Fig.3.5:- Four Row (TRB)

• Tapered Roller thrust

Fig.3.6:- Tapered Roller Thrust

3.3 Bearing Designation

30204 (Job no.)

Where;
3- Tapered roller bearing
0-Width series 0
2- diameter series 2
04- Nominal Bore Diameter 20 mm

3.4 Manufaturing Process

NBC gets forged and roller bearings from their vendors, as there is no separate dept. for
forging or rolling. Then they do carburize or other heat treatment to strengthen the bearing
or finally grinding or other finishing operation is performed to make it able to operate in
automotive vehicle, railway etc. The processes through which bearing has to go are shown
in flow diagram below-

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 Table 3.1:- Manufacturing Process

• Heat Treatment

Heat treatment of bearing steel components necessitates heating and cooling under
controlled atmospheric conditions to impact the desired material characteristics and
properties such as hardness, a diffused high carbon surface layer, high fracture
toughness or ductility, high tensile strength, improved machinability, proper grain
size, or reduced stress state. The specific thermal cycles that produce these material
characteristics are:
a) Annealing
b) Normalizing
c) Hardening
d) Carburizing
e) Tampering
f) Stress Relieving

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 Table 3.2:- Heat Treatment Process

• Grinding Section

Grinding is a finishing process used to improve surface finish, abrade hard materials,
and tighten the tolerance on flat and cylindrical surfaces by removing a small amount
of material. In grinding, an abrasive material rubs against the metal part and removes
tiny pieces of material. The abrasive material is typically on the surface of a wheel
or belt and abrades material in a way like sanding. On a microscopic scale, the chip
formation in grinding is the same as that found in other machining processes. The
abrasive action of grinding generates excessive heat so that flooding of the cutting
area with fluid is necessary.

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 During the grinding operations coolant is used regularly. Coolant is mixture of water
and oil. In coolant percentage of oil 3.5% and rest is water. For O.D grinding in
N.E.I. Ltd. HOCUT B-60 oil is used.

• Assembly Section

The assembly part in NEI is done both manually and automatically. The parts after
going through various in line inspection or a separate inspection for all bearing
components sent to assembly line. In assembly line each parts width, bore, track is
checked again through various gauges.

Assembly of Spherical Roller Bearings Components: -It includes:

i. Inner race
ii. Outer race
iii. Roller section (Retainer section)
iv. Roller cage

Fig 3.7:- Finished Spherical Bearing after assembly

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3.4.1 Steps involved in assembly

i. Washing
ii. Dimension Checking
iii. Laser Marking
iv. Rough Assembly
v. Press
vi. Weight Checking
vii. Demag Process
viii. Washing and Bearing
ix. Noise and Vibration test
x. Oiling
xi. Packing
xii. First, the material is received from their respected finishing lines and are visually
inspected by the operators.
xiii. The operator makes sure that all the component\elements are at their position before
assembly.
xiv. Washing- when the cone is received from super finishing /honing station it is a first
washed by a solution of water and sulfa cleanser and then it is forward for
dimensional analysis line.
• Dimension checking- at this station, dimensions of cup /cone are checked by the
machine, where following aspects are matched according set tolerance limit
• Bore diameter
• Width of cone/cup
• OD of cup/topper for cone
• Laser marking- if the element passes all the analysis then it is sent for next station,
where various details are imprinted of the element, which provides the element
/bearing its unique identity.
• Detail marked on the element are-
o Date and time of assembly
o Serial number
o Company name “NBC”
• Rough assembly- in the process of rough assembly the elements- cone, roller and
retainer are linked together in standard manner.

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• Eighteen rollers are made to bind together with a pair of cone and retainer.
• Press- in this step, the linkage received from rough assembly is pressed by the
machine at a set thrust so to make the band and linkage stronger.
• Weight checking- the combined weight of the linkage is measured, and it is then
compared to the given limit. If the piece is in control than it is forwarded otherwise
it is sent for rework / scrap.
• Washing- now the linkage is again washed in the presence of water and sulfa
cleanser solution to eliminates the presence of any dust particle.
• Testing- after washing, the linkage is tested on various parameters to make sure
about a good working life. following tests are done/analyzed.
o Noise
o Vibration
o Free rotation
o Dimensional analysis
• Cup-cone assembly- after testing, the linkage is now joined with the cup and bearing
assembly is completed.
• Oiling- after completion of successful assembly the whole bearing is passed by
shower of oil, to lubricate it.
• Sorting and packing- after oiling, the assembly is then again inspected for dimension
and then according to results, they are sorted out.
• After sorting out, they are packed in containers or boxes and ready to be shipped.

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 Fig 3.8:- Laser Marking

Fig 3.9:- Rejected Product

Fig 3.10:- Entering in assembly department through conveyor belt

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3.5 Material Handling System

• Definition
Material handling can be defined as an integrated system involving such activities
as moving, handling, storing and controlling of materials by means of gravity,
manual effort or power activated machinery. Moving materials utilize time and
space. Any movement of materials requires that the size, shape, weight and condition
of the material, as well as the path and frequency of the move be analysed.
Material handling is an indispensable element in most production and distribution
systems. Yet, while material handling is generally considered to add nothing to the
value of the materials and products that flow through the system, it does add to their
cost. In fact, it has been estimated that 30–60% of the end-price of a product is
related to the cost of material handling. Therefore, it is essential that material
handling systems be designed and operated as efficiently and cost-effectively as
possible.

• Elements of consideration in Material Handling

Motion: parts, material and finished product must be moved from location to
another. The material is transported on lift trucks and guided vehicles by MHOs
(Material Handling Operators). The products are transported from Grinding to
Assembly section , then finished product are taken to inventory

Time: Material handling must ensure that no production process or customer need
is hampered by having material arrive on location too late or too early. For ex. If a
batch is about to end and rollers or cages are required then the department must be
priorly informed about the shortage. The advance material should be taken care of
at the batch ending.

Place : material is of little value in any industrial activity unless it is in the proper
location. Material handling has responsibility of delivering the desired material to
the right place.

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 Quantity: rate of demand varies between steps in the manufacturing process.
Material handling has the responsibility of making sure that each location
continually receives the correct quantity of material. In the assembly section the
target may vary from 1000-1500 bearings per shift depending upon the size and
requirement. Approx target is about 200 bearings per hour.

Space: storage space, both active and dormant, is a major consideration in any
building. Since space cost money, space requirement are greatly influence on
material handling process. The mismatch and advance material is kept in a space
near the assembly lines. There is also a separate inventory room to keep finished,
packed produts.

• Principles of Material Handling

When designing a material handling system, it is important to refer to best practices
to ensure that all the equipment and processes—including manual, semi-automated
and automated—in a facility work together as a unified, system. By analyzing the
goals of the material handling process and aligning them to guidelines, such as the
10 Principles of Material Handling, a properly designed system will improve
customer service, reduce inventory, shorten delivery time, and lower overall
handling costs in manufacturing, distribution and transportation. These principles
include:
1. Planning: Define the needs, strategic performance objectives and functional
specification of the proposed system and supporting technologies at the outset
of the design. The plan should be developed in a team approach, with input from
consultants, suppliers and end users, as well as from management, engineering,
information systems, finance and operations.
2. Standardization: All material handling methods, equipment, controls and
software should be standardized and able to perform a range of tasks in a variety
of operating conditions.
3. Work: Material handling processes should be simplified by reducing,
combining, shortening or eliminating unnecessary movement that will impede
productivity. Examples include using gravity to assist in material movement,
and employing straight-line movement as much as possible.

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 4. Ergonomics: Work and working conditions should be adapted to support the
abilities of a worker, reduce repetitive and strenuous manual labor, and
emphasize safety.
5. Unit load: Because less effort and work is required to move several individual
items together as a single load (as opposed to moving many items one at a time),
unit loads—such as pallets, containers or totes of items—should be used.
6. Space utilization: To maximize efficient use of space within a facility, it is
important to keep work areas organized and free of clutter, to maximize density
in storage areas (without compromising accessibility and flexibility), and to
utilize overhead space.
7. System: Material movement and storage should be coordinated throughout all
processes, from receiving, inspection, storage, production, assembly,
packaging, unitizing and order selection, to shipping, transportation and the
handling of returns.
8. Environment: Energy use and potential environmental impact should be
considered when designing the system, with reusability and recycling processes
implemented when possible, as well as safe practices established for handling
hazardous materials.
9. Automation: To improve operational efficiency, responsiveness, consistency
and predictability, automated material handling technologies should be
deployed when possible and where they make sense to do so.
10. Life cycle cost: For all equipment specified for the system, an analysis of life
cycle costs should be conducted. Areas of consideration should include capital
investment, installation, setup, programming, training, system testing,
operation, maintenance and repair, reuse value and ultimate disposal.

• Problems Faced
i. Due to wear the teeth of conveyor belts get broken after a certain amount of
time which results in falling of jobs from the conveyor line. They might get
damaged if they fall on the floor and would be sent to rework or scrap
depending upon the amount of damage. One must ensure they fall on padded
surface so minimal damage occurs.
ii. Certain defects occur in jobs like Black face, Black O.D, Improper honing,
rusty faces, dents marks on faces. They are to be detected in visual

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 inspection. They may be caused by improper machining by vendor or
improper grinding by machines or due to open spaces because of which parts
may be exposed to water.
iii. There are NOVA lines in the plant , the jobs which run on these lines are
mostly exported to companies like Daimler and GETRAG. These lines are
located on the extreme side of TRB section. This has some problems:
a. There is no oiling machine in A-15 NOVA line so material has to be sent
to the place where oiling of other jobs are done i.e in the assembly section
where normal lines run
b. There is no space to keep the advance and mismatch material in the
NOVA section. Its material is kept in the assembly section with material
of other lines. The assembly section itself has space problems
c. When A-12, A-13, A-15 and A-16 NOVA lines run simultaneously at
least 2 MHOs are required to transport finished jobs to main Assembly
section and 2 are required for roll filling, this is more than no. of MHOs
assigned in the NOVA line

iv. Sometimes targets are not met due to many reasons like maintainance of
machine, defective pieces from grinding section due to improper positioning
of machine parts. There may be shortage of manpower too.
v. Due to shortage of space the finished jobs are kept in straight rows in metal
baskets, so if metal baskets the job which is kept in the end is required all the
baskets before it has to be removed, which consumes a lot of work and
manpower. First in First out system must be followed here. Stored material
may get damaged by natural factors like rusting.
vi. There might be chance of mixing of baskets of different jobs as most of them
are of similar shape and size with a slight difference. For ex. New operator
might keep the box of the job 30213 with 32213 ( as jobs are known by last
digits among the MHOs, many of them are moderately eductaed) and then
their packaging will take place and the whole batch would be returned by the
customer.
vii. Wooden cardboards are used for packaging and storing the finished jobs get
damaged due to oil as the product is kept in them for a long time. Also due
to the it gets difficult to read what is written on a traceability card (paper)

21
 which could lead to blunders. Paper cuts also takes place from wooden
cartons.
viii. In our department their was a lack of communication b/w the supervisor and
staff due to language. Their were many things that were named by the staff
as per their conveniance.

• Measures for smooth Material Handling

i. Inventory should be kept as minimal as possible. The investment has been

done in making those products. Inventory takes time, holds cost and consume
a lot of manpower.
ii. For the batch which is going to end , its information should be given priorly
to the respective department, like if rollers are required roller dept. must be
informed about the no. of rollers required so that they can supply beforehand.
If 1000 cage assemblies are on hold , grinding dept. must be told to supply
1000 cups, similar things apply for retainers also.
iii. For any order, first check the raw material required, a little extra should be
made ( keeping in mind the defects and scraps), store extra incomplete parts
(like only cone, only roller or cup) which are assembled but not finished.
Reduce the scrap as much as possible, it can be done by checking and
inspection of machines, process and output. After this inspection, pack the
batch and store it till it is exported. Extra bearings made must be stored for
future order and use.
iv. After the batch ends, extra and pending finished material is taken care of it
has to be dispatched first. Then completion of packaging of all jobs on that
line takes place. Then job has to be removed from the assembly line. Extra
or left over material is stored in inventory. Packed material is dispatched to
finished godown. Then tool changing in the machine takes place for the new
job, it is checked whether the target is achieved or not. At last the data entry
in the system is done.
v. Proper training should be given to MHOs. They must be told their job in the
language they understand. Size cards must be readable and understood by all
the workers. They must know where to report something goes wrong or if
they have any querries.

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CHAPTER 4 : CONCLUSION

4.1 Summary

In this project I have learned about the material handling system in assembly tapered roller
bearing department of National Engineering Industries Ltd.
NBC has a very vast range of products and a great machinery for achieving the quality of
its products.
Through this report, I have tried to present a comprehensive study of the various
functionalities and responsibilities of NBC Bearings. Starting from the overview of the
company till the explanation of various type of process i.e. heat treatment, grinding, facing
and the different type of machines used in that processes like for grinder, machines for
honing & super finishing machines are available, for heat treatment rotary hearth furnace
and tampering furnace and CNC machines. This report tries to throw light on each and every
aspect of the NBC Bearings. The work done in TRB section was both manual and automatic.
While in railway bearing division, the whole processing is automatic. But now NOVA CNC
machines have been set up. It will reduce the human effort or will increase productivity up
to a large extent. This setting up of new nova machines will place the NBC at a position to
compete with other worldwide bearing manufacturing companies.
In this report we have identified some problems in assembly of TRB Department which fall
under the category of material handling system and we have given solutions to that which
will be tested by the R&D Department.

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REFERENCES

1. https://www.nbcbearings.com/who-we-are.php
2. https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/bearing4.htm
3. https://www.nbcbearings.com/taper-roller-bearings.php
4. https://www.google.com/search?q=tapered+roller+bearings+nbc&rlz=1C1EJFC_e
nIN801IN801&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjftem1jsPjAhWV
4nMBHeYoCrcQ_AUIEigC&biw=1536&bih=754&dpr=1.25

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