What Is the “Bearing” That Supports the Performance of Expander Rolls?

1. What Is a Bearing?

When you hear the word “bearing,” many people may imagine a bearing or a bracket with a built-in bearing. However, in our company, a bearing refers to a dedicated bracket used to mount an expander roll.
If you’re unfamiliar with expander rolls, please refer to our article “Expander Rolls” for a detailed explanation.

Most rolls are mounted using brackets with built-in bearings, where the shaft and the roll body rotate together. However, expander rolls have a fixed shaft, and only the roll body rotates. Therefore, a dedicated bracket is required.

2. Functions of the Bearing

Bearings for expander rolls are equipped with both a “mechanism to absorb curvature” and a “mechanism to adjust the direction of curvature.”
The “mechanism to absorb curvature” specifically involves a spherical bushing installed inside the casing. As the name suggests, the spherical bushing has a spherical shape, allowing it to tilt within the casing according to the curvature of the shaft, thereby absorbing the bend.

Additionally, the direction of curvature after installing the expander roll is one of the factors that affect the wrinkle-removal effect.
To adjust the direction of curvature, the bearing is equipped with a worm mechanism that allows for fine adjustments.

3. Types of Bearings

Bearings are selected based on the mounting method.

Flange type (Photo ①): Mounted on a wall
Pillow type (Photo ②): Mounted on a flat surface
Each type has models corresponding to different shaft diameters.
Please note that the mounting pitch and center height vary depending on the model.

Most bearings are made of cast iron, but for use in special environments (such as vacuum, high temperature and humidity, highly acidic or alkaline conditions), stainless steel bearings and surface-treated bearings are also available to prevent corrosion.

In the “How to install and set up an expander roll” you’ll find detailed materials on the installation and mounting of bearings and expander rolls. Feel free to download them.
We also have a demonstration video showing how to adjust the direction of curvature, so if you’re interested, please take a look.
From this page, you can download materials for bearings with shaft diameters of 50 mm or less.
For other bearing materials or if you’re experiencing wrinkles during Roll-to-Roll transport, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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