Contribute to Carbon-Free Society

For a carbon-free society, NTN group is focusing on five initiatives: "Spread of wind turbine, contribute to hydrogen society," "Save energy for EVs and electrification (core products)," "Save energy for EVs and electrification (new areas)," "Increase efficiency of manufacturing equipment," and "Bearing refurbish business."

■Five initiatives that NTN Group focusses on toward a carbon-free society

Contribute to spread of wind turbine and hydrogen society

In order to realize a carbon-free society, natural energy generated using wind and solar power to generate electricity and hydrogen energy that does not emit CO₂ when used, and can be stored and transported to generate electricity at locations where it is required, are attracting attention as next-generation clean energy.
In the field of wind power generation, we have developed bearings for the main shafts of large wind turbines , which are highly durable, and have begun maintenance for wind power generation. In the hydrogen-related field, we have also developed hydrogen resistant bearings that prevents premature failure of bearings caused by hydrogen atoms.
We will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through product development and business initiatives.

Wind power

Progress in wind power generation is expected toward the realization of carbon neutrality. In order to meet the needs for stable operation of wind turbines, we are marketing "left-right rows asymmetrical spherical roller bearings," which are often used as main shaft bearings in large wind power generation equipment, to improve service life under actual load distributions such as wind loads in spherical roller bearings, which are often used as large wind turbine main shaft. In addition, as a countermeasure against wear caused by differential sliding characteristic of spherical roller bearings, DLC (diamond like carbon) film with excellent wear resistance is formed on the roller surface to enhance bearing reliability. Furthermore, in order to improve the operation rate of wind power generation, we provide wind power generation operators with a service that distributes operational status using "Wind Doctor^TM," a Condition Monitoring System (CMS) for wind turbines . We have recently entered into a business alliance with Hokutaku Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hokutaku"), which specializes in wind power generation maintenance, and will begin maintenance for wind power generation. Based on our accumulated "Wind Doctor^TM" technology for high precision detection of bearing abnormalities with and the identification of defective parts, we will provide prompt maintenance services utilizing the extensive experience and know-how of Hokutaku. Until now, wind power generation operators have arranged equipment inspection and maintenance service providers based on the results of abnormality diagnosis results from "Wind Doctor^TM." Through this business alliance, we will be able to conduct a series of operations, including the arrangement of repair bearings, in a single operation. Not only will the man-hours required by the operator to make arrangements be reduced, but also the operation shutdown time will be minimized by promptly performing maintenance after an abnormality is detected.
As wind turbines continue to grow in size and offshore wind turbines become a major source of wind power in the future, improvements in the accuracy of condition monitoring and appropriate maintenance based on accurate data analysis will become even more important to ensure stable operation of equipment. We will contribute to the expansion of the market for wind power generation equipment as a supplier that can provide these series of services on a one-stop basis.

Hydrogen

For the purpose of saving energy, there is a tendency to reduce the viscosity of lubricating oil used in rolling bearings and to reduce the supply volume due to reducing the agitation resistance of oil and miniaturizing of the oil supply pumps, and bearings are required to cope with more severe lubrication conditions. Under such poor lubrication, lubricant film is likely to run out, and when the rolling elements and raceways come into contact with each other and a new surface on the raceway surface is created, the lubricating oil decomposes, generating hydrogen atoms that can enter the steel material, resulting in premature bearing failure. This is so-called hydrogen embrittlement.
We have developed a hydrogen embrittlement-resistant bearing that has more than three times a longer life compared to our standard bearing against premature failure of bearings caused by hydrogen through the adoption of a new steel material with many hard, fine metal compounds dispersed on the bearing raceway and a newly developed special heat treatment technology.
Furthermore, we aim to apply this technology to various infrastructure facilities required for the social implementation of hydrogen, which is attracting attention as a next-generation energy.

■Hydrogen embrittlement resistant bearing

Save energy for EVs and electrification

Amid increasingly stringent fuel efficiency standards and CO₂ emission regulations, the development of electric vehicles driven by electric drive units in place of gasoline engine vehicles is accelerating. We are contributing to energy conservation in electric vehicles by developing deep groove ball bearings for automobiles compatible with high-speed rotation of motors installed in electric vehicles, and module products that add steering functions to hub bearings.

Providing high-performance bearings (core products)

Electric drive units installed in EVs and HEVs are required to conserve energy, and there is a growing demand for further reductions in friction and in size and weight. We have developed deep groove ball bearings for high-speed rotation of motors for the purpose of miniaturizing electric drive units, and have succeeded in high-speed rotation. It is already being marketed as a "High Speed Deep Groove Ball Bearing for EVs and HEVs" with dmn value^＊ 1.8 million. We have optimized the internal specifications of bearings based on our long years of basic research, increased the strength by reviewing cage shapes and materials, and optimized cage and pocket shapes to suppress cage deformation under centrifugal force. These technologies minimize energy loss due to frictional resistance during bearing rotation and realize high-speed rotation. Because it has same dimensions as the conventional product, it can replace existing products and can be used in both grease and oil lubrication environments.
In recent years, the number of oil lubricated motors with excellent cooling effect to suppress heat generation has increased, and we have received many inquiries about our products for oil lubrication.

＊dmn value:  Index of the bearing rotational performance
Rolling element pitch circle diameter mm × rotational speed min^-1

■High Speed Deep Groove Ball Bearings for EVs and HEVs

Providing high-performance module products (new areas)

We have developed "Ra-sHUB" hub bearings with a steering function for rear wheels, which individually compensates for the steering angles on the right and left sides, by making full use of the technologies we have accumulated in our hub bearings, for which we boast the world's No.1 market share.
The rear-wheel steering systems on the market are limited to some suspension systems, such as multi-link system used in luxury vehicles, and it is difficult to achieve a large steering angle with the existing structure.
"Ra-sHUB" is a module product that adds a steering function to our hub bearings with using our proprietary technologies. They are as small as existing hub bearings, and can be mounted on any type of suspension system, to achieve rear wheel steering. By controlling the steering angle of the rear tires from the steering angle and driving information of the front wheels separately from the left and right sides, the cornering performance and high-speed straight driving stability of the vehicle can be improved. At low speeds, the minimum rotation radius can be reduced to improve the vehicle’s small turning performance and tire traveling resistance. This product will also contribute to future energy savings in automatic driving.

Characteristics of "Ra-sHUB"

• Module product with steering function for hub bearings
• Controls the rear wheel angle independently on the left and right sides
• Rotation angle +/-10 degree
• Improved cornering performance and high-speed straight driving stability of vehicles
• Reduce the minimum rotation radius of the vehicle

■Ra-sHUB

Increase efficiency of manufacturing equipment

The abnormality occurred in a bearing installed in machinery and equipment will cause the deterioration of performance and sometimes the shutdowns of the equipment. However, if the condition of the bearings is properly monitored, problems can be prevented by dealing with them at the appropriate time. Following the condition monitoring service provided by "Wind Doctor^TM," a condition monitoring system for wind turbines, we have developed a "Sensor Integrated Bearing Unit" for machine tools, as well as a trial version of a "Edge Application for Bearing Diagnostics," and are evaluating them for a variety of applications.

Bearing refurbish business

We are engaged in the business of refurbishing bearings used in various types of machinery and equipment, such as extra-large sized bearings for paper mill, large sized bearings for steel mill, and bearings for railway application. Bearing life can be extended by performing reconditioning based on our technical know-how before a failure occurs in the bearings in use, which leads to cost reductions for customers and shorter lead times for their purchases. We are contributing to the reduction of environmental burdens and the realization of a recycling-oriented society through this initiative because we can reduce the emissions of resources such as energy and steel material, as well as greenhouse gas emissions, compared to manufacturing new bearings.

■Extra-large sized spherical roller bearing for paper mill application

NTN develops business activities based on our corporate philosophy "We shall contribute to international society through creating new technologies and developing new products," and Paragraph 1 of the NTN Environment Policy "Developing technology that contributes to prevention of global warming."
As bearings and driveshafts, which are main products of NTN, contribute to the reduction of energy loss in finished products of our customers equipped with them, all of these products can be considered as environment-contributing products. They include products which are already commonly used in society because of the achievement of predecessors, as well as those with environmental contributions further enhanced by NTN’s engineering and development capabilities.
In addition, green energy products are environment-contributing products that contribute to reduction of CO₂ emissions by creating renewable energy.
NTN continues unwavering efforts to realize its corporate philosophy by developing and providing higher-grade products that contribute to the environment while classifying the products according to environmental contribution levels based on our standards.

Definition of environment-contributing product

Classification and grades of NTN products and their definition

Calculation methods for environmental factors and eco-efficiency

Trend in achievements and forecasts

Driveshafts and hub bearings, which are our main products and account for about 50% of our net sales, and green energy products contributed 1,398 thousand tons of CO₂ reduction in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022. Sales of S- to B-eco grade environment-contributing products, which are the result of our recent development efforts, comprised 55.9% of net sales in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.

■Trend in net sales^＊

■Trend in composition of environment-contributing products by grade
　(driveshafts and hub bearings)

■Contribution to CO₂ reduction^＊