A new range of radial shaft seals is said to protect large bearings in demanding applications, as well as being easy to retrofit and available as stock items to allow fast replacement.

SKF’s new HFS radial shaft seals protect large bearings from contamination in industries such as metals, mining, and pulp and paper. Typical applications include heavy-duty gearboxes and drives, construction machinery and mining equipment.

Aimed at maintenance, repair and operations staff, the fabric-reinforced rubber seals are easy to retrofit and are typically available as stock products, which makes for more efficient maintenance.

Popular seal sizes are available as stock items, meaning that replacement parts can be delivered  quickly. HFS seals can also be interchanged with other commonly used rubber fabric seals on the market. In addition to stock sizes, customised dimensions are available.

The seals provide a number of sustainability benefits to customer, such as helping to protect against loss of lubricant, while also saving resources by replacing large metal labyrinths. The extra protection helps to extend bearing life and promotes the use of remanufacturing.

The main sealing lip of HFS seals has a garter spring that provides the appropriate radial load against the shaft. All HFS seals can be equipped with lubrication grooves, which allow re-greasing between the sealing lips in back-to-back or tandem installations of two seals.

SKF engineering support is widely available and the seals are backed by test rig screenings and have 100% traceability.