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The Superiority of Tri-Roller Swaging for Aviation and Aerospace

A spherical bearing is meant to “wear and tear” over its lifetime to prevent the replacement of bigger and more expensive parts on an aircraft. The importance of proper bearing replacement cannot be understated, especially when an aircraft is on mission, carrying cargo, or transporting passengers. When performing bearing maintenance or repair and overhaul on a newly installed bearing, it will need to be either staked or swaged into the housing. For bearing swaging methods, a technician may be able to leverage a two-wheel roller swaging tool or a tri-roller swaging tool. While both can achieve the same outcome, we suggest using a tri-roller swaging tool for both efficiency and stronger tool compatibility.

With nearly 20 years of end-user experience poured into our tri-roller swaging design it is easy to see why this method is superior. The three-wheel engineering allows the tool to roll around the lip of the bearing, providing a more even, circular swage. This way is non-damaging to the groove and housing chamfer; therefore, maintaining the integrity of the bearing. The two-wheel swager nature is to roll straight (not circular), which tends to gall the lip if the wheels skid. Any damage to the bearing could allow it to fail during proof-load testing, fail prematurely, or fail catastrophically during a flight.

The great thing about our tri-roller bearing swaging tools is that they come in two versions, a standard drill press and a portable, which is great for on-the-wing repairs. Our tri-wheel drill press roller swaging tool is an excellent option for a production environment and where it is primarily used. Perhaps your drill press is not in a clean room. That’s where Smith Machine and Tool’s portable tri-wheel roller swaging tool is a cleanroom-friendly way to go. There is no machinery to be used with the portable version. All an airplane technician would need to utilize our portable tool is a socket wrench.

We not only manufacture roller swaging tools, but we also offer machine-based (drill and arbor press, respectively) and portable versions for all our bearing cutting tools and bearing install, proof-load, removal tools. These can be purchased individually or mixed and matched into a custom kit for your AOG or MRO. It’s crucial to have the right tools for the right job. That’s why our engineering team opts to have all our tools heat treated and black oxide-coated by certified professionals. We also offer M42 steel tool customization and a cutter regrind service to our customers.

Smith Machine and Tool always provides top-tier customer service and 24/7 technical and AOG support. We make it our priority to ensure every engineer, aircraft technician, or buyer that contacts us gets everything they need to successfully complete their projects. For videos on how to use our tools, check out our YouTube channel. We always keep our website tooling in stock and we have industry best lead times in creating custom tooling. To review our latest projects and read more tips and information on our tooling visit our website. For technical questions, AOG support, and quotes contact our Chief Tool Design Engineer, Sean, at +1-714-726-1249. For all other enquiries contact our office at +1-714-389-8423.

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