Combining Existing Materials to Create an Unprecedented Product in a New Field "Difficulty and Fun Are Two Sides of the Same Coin"

NSK Vision 2026 paints a picture of NSK's aspiration to "set the future in motion." At NSK, that means creating totally revolutionary products. The product featured here isn't what you might expect. It's not a bearing poised to win the top share of the Japanese market. In fact, it isn't even for the automotive industry. We asked the key members of the development team to tell us how they created this entirely surprising product.

Combining Existing Materials to Create an Innovative Product

NSK is proud to introduce its newly developed filter for preventing food oil degradation. The company is preparing to mass produce the new product, which is for use in deep fryers. Cooking oil filters remove burned bits and other impurities after deep frying food. NSK's filter also slows the degradation of the oil. This keeps oil fresh longer and makes fryer cleaning less frequent, saving money. At the beginning, however, NSK and the members of the development team had limited contacts in the food industry making this effort an endeavor into the unknown.

KenichiBefore, I used to develop paper-based friction materials at an NSK Group company. At NSK, we normally use additives to prevent the oxidative degradation of lubricating oils. We thought we could create something completely new by combining the paper materials with those additives-that was the spark that led to this new product. It was Kanako here who put together the specific proposal.

KanakoRight. NSK typically develops industrial machine components, but we were thinking outside the box-a filter for the fryers used in food processing! We dreamed up a cooking oil filter that would use our additives to slow the degradation of cooking oil. With our filters, fryers would not need to be cleaned as often, which would improve their productivity. I can't believe it's already been four years since we started this project!

YuyaTime flies! As you know, I joined you along the way. When I heard about the idea, it occurred to me that a resin I had been working on might be just the trick to make the additives adhere to the paper.

KenichiA paper material, additives for preventing oxidation, and a resin for adhering them to the paper-among the three of us, we had all the ingredients for a groundbreaking new product.

YuyaYes, but do you remember how hard it was to mold the material into the right shape? After all, this was for food processing, so we had to follow stricter rules about raw materials than for general industrial machinery. We had to make sure that all the raw materials were plant-based, and it took us a while to get that done.

"Why This from a Bearing Company?"

With Every Conversation, More Enthusiasm

Why did you think you had a chance of delivering a product unlike anything NSK had ever made, and in a completely unfamiliar industry? How did you keep yourselves motivated through the ups and downs of development?

Kenichi I went to an exhibition to look at some conventional products, and found that there were no high-quality filters like the one we were envisioning. I knew right then there was a need. So I started trying to talk to food processing companies, but every time they would ask me, "Why this from a company that makes bearings?" [laughs] But I persisted, explaining how the product would leverage NSK's Four Core Technologies. When I saw their eyes start to light up, it really fed my motivation.

YuyaAs for me, I used to work in materials development, and I had no face time with customers. Thanks to this project, though, now I get to hear customers' ideas directly. I really enjoy applying their opinions to development. In 2017, I served on the NSK booth staff at an exhibition, and the visitors' enthusiasm made me really happy.