Large slewing bearings for extreme conditions

Heavy industry Large slewing bearings for extreme conditions

2025-02-05 From Martin Stremmel, Product Manager for Large Slewing Bearings and Slewing Drives, Rodriguez GmbH | Translated by AI 3 min Reading Time

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Rodriguez GmbH

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A custom-made large slewing bearing from Rodriguez with a diameter of 4.5 meters (14.76 feet) ensures movement in the North African open-pit mine. A standard precision bearing would not have matched the dimensions of the machines or the environmental conditions.

Rodriguez supplies custom-made large slewing bearings as spare parts for heavy industry plants and machinery.(Image: stock.adobe.com-evannovostro/Rodriguez) — Rodriguez supplies custom-made large slewing bearings as spare parts for heavy industry plants and machinery.
(Image: stock.adobe.com-evannovostro/Rodriguez)

Construction machinery and equipment in heavy industry have to withstand a lot. They should function smoothly even at high or very low temperatures, resist dirt, dust, and moisture, carry heavy loads, and operate as long and trouble-free as possible. Accordingly, the components used should be robust and reliable, and adapted to the dimensions and locations of the machines. Off-the-shelf solutions often do not suffice here.

A company in the conveyor technology sector, working with Morocco's largest open-pit mining company, faced this issue. For this company, the manufacturer Rodriguez designed special precision bearings, which are now used in heavy machinery. The large equipment is exposed to significant temperature differences, heavy dirt, and corrosive media in the mines and at the port—24 hours a day, seven days a week. Standard rolling bearings were not an option in this case. The unusual sizes and specific environmental conditions added to the challenge.

Gallery

In open-pit mining machinery, durable large slewing bearings ensure movement around the clock.(Image: Rodriguez)

In material handling, heavy machinery is used, and their components must be particularly robust and reliable.(Image: Rodriguez)

For the special dimensions of construction machinery, Rodriguez offers solutions beyond the standard, such as large slewing bearings up to a diameter of 6,100 mm.(Image: Rodriguez)

Gallery with 6 images

Location and environmental conditions

In the design of machinery and components in port and conveyor technology, not only the available space and the size of the ships but also the characteristics of the transported goods must be considered. In ship loading and unloading, speed is also an important factor to remain competitive and operate cost-effectively. Therefore, many work steps are now almost fully automated. This also applies to the conveyor systems in mines: the overburden must be reliably removed, and the safe and swift further transport of the conveyed material should be ensured.

4.5-meter (14.76 feet) bearing for open-pit mining

For the project in Morocco, Rodriguez supplied custom-made large rolling bearings as spare parts for various open-pit mining equipment such as bucket wheel excavators, conveyor bridges, and stackers. Stackers pile up the overburden created by the excavation into heaps. The four large rolling bearings for stackers and conveyor bridges are roller slewing bearings with an impressive outer diameter of 4,500 millimeters (14.76 feet). Two large rolling bearings are also used in material handling equipment and ship loaders/unloaders at the associated seaport. Bulk materials are transported and stored here, in this case, mainly phosphate from the mine.

Specially crafted solution from Europe

In the area of large slewing bearings, Rodriguez also offers value-added products in addition to its standard range. These are system solutions tailored to the respective customer. Based on its ball and roller slewing connections as well as gear rims, Rodriguez developed a custom large slewing bearing for use in Morocco, produced according to international standards.

This includes examining and, if necessary, adapting the component or components for each new requirement situation of the end customer (open-pit operators, mining companies, steelworks). "Especially with individual adaptations, we can also score internationally," explains Managing Director Gunther Schulz. It was important for the customer to receive a part "Made in Europe" identical to the original equipment manufacturer.

In the case of the Morocco order, the experts at Rodriguez first calculated the raceways, gearing, and screw connections according to the operator's requirements: What loads need to be transmitted? What special rotational properties must be met? Are there space restrictions or special conditions in the storage environment? What are the lifetime requirements for the large rolling bearing? Based on these determined specifications, the company manufactured the bearings precisely. The delivery, installation, and technical coordination on-site went smoothly, according to the customer.

Internationally experienced supplier

In the end, it was not just technical competence that was required for this project. Since the end customer is based in Morocco, all discussions were conducted in French through the Rodriguez subsidiary in France, which holds the status of an unofficial working language in Morocco. Familiarity with the culture and languages of the sales country contributes significantly to customer satisfaction, as a partner of Rodriguez on site emphasizes: "We are 100 percent satisfied. Our contacts at the French subsidiary make the sometimes technically very demanding communication easy—the corporate language of the end customer and the technicians on site is French. Additionally, there is always someone personally available for further questions, for example, on material certificates or preventive maintenance of the component."

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Date: 08.12.2025

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The end customer is currently planning major maintenance measures. Also due to a strong earthquake in Morocco in September 2023, many revisions and component renewals are still pending.

Custom large slewing bearings

The example shows that with customized system solutions, the specific requirements of each application can be precisely met. Thanks to individual engineering and its own production capacities, Rodriguez supplies identical spare parts for existing machines, such as in this case the roller slewing connections for the large open-pit mining equipment. (dm)