Bearing Shop Reopens, Increases Capability

  • Published
  • By Bill Orndorff
  • 309th Maintenance Wing
Hill AFB, Utah --  The 309th Commodities Maintenance Group formally opened its larger, "transformed" bearing shop March 13, in a new location with state-of-the-art technology and increased capability.

"This facility is a transformational leap above the old facility," said Cathy Heywood, 530th Commodities Maintenance Squadron (Power Systems) director. "It was completed at an opportune time when aerospace bearings have become a scarce commodity with deliveries delayed sometimes in excess of a year."

Instead of simply recreating the same bearing shop in a new location to meet technical order requirements and consolidate space, Jeff Powell, bearing engineer, assisted by Slade Knightly and Warren Roundy, created a transformational Lean facility with the latest technology.

"To those of you who look at any of the parts we deal with and you've looked at some of the issues that we deal with every single day, the single largest driver for secondary Power Systems today, is bearings," Pat Doumit, 309th Commodities Maintenance Group director, said at the shop opening. "We've taken it upon ourselves to develop an organic capability to try and overcome that problem. What we do brings to the warfighter the capability that our warfighters sorely need. They can't operate, they can't fly a single airplane for one hour without what this squadron gives them."

The shop was moved from Bldg. 214 to the east end of Bldg. 238 in a 3,000 square foot area -- 2,600 square feet larger than the old shop, Ms. Heywood said. The facility adds 11 cleaning tanks to remove oil, grease and dirt from new and used bearings. The re-design follows Lean principles, aimed at eliminating waste, improving work flow, designating specific areas for tools and equipment, and improving efficiency. The shop fully complies with Air Force, Army and Navy technical orders for cleaning and repairing aerospace anti-friction bearings.

Processes designed into the new bearing facility include cleaning, visual inspection, minor repair (buffing and polishing), dimensional inspection, reassembly, dynamic testing, lube and oil, packaging, and demilitarization. Unlike the old bearing shop, the new facility has the capacity to service all Ogden ALC bearing customers as well as existing and projected Power Systems customers, and some remote DoD customers.

"Army and Defense Logistics Agency representatives have looked at our shop and asked us about servicing some of their bearings," Mr. Powell said. "One tank bearing we will be servicing for the Army is 12 inches in diameter and weights over 65 pounds."

Mr. Powell and his team studied related regulations, best practices and available new technology. The shop was designed from the floor drains up, and is now a "clean room" with specially designed temperature and humidity controls, and equipped with sensors that detect particles that could affect bearing operations. A vindicator system ensures cleanliness by limiting occupants to those who are authorized and an intercom system allows communication without entry into the facility.

A training course for Ogden ALC maintenance personnel has been developed to show them how to remove bearings without damaging them. This will enable re-use of a significant number of bearings, thereby reducing cost and delivery time. The team also implemented a bearing review process that has reduced the number of rejects and increased operator awareness; and developed an inventory management system to forecast supply and demand for the 530 CMMXS.