Posted to News on 4th Dec 2012, 15:25
SKF to supply bearings for world's tallest observation wheel
SKF is to supply two giant bearings for the Las Vegas High Roller, the world's tallest observation wheel. The two SKF spherical roller bearings for the hub of the 550-foot-tall wheel are the largest ever produced at the SKF manufacturing facility in Gothenburg, Sweden. The contract, which was awarded by American Bridge Company, also includes the supply of related technologies within the SKF platform offer of seals, lubrication, and consulting services.
Tom Johnstone, SKF President and CEO says: "We are really proud to supply the High Roller because it represents some of the largest bearings we have produced, and shows the broad range of challenges that SKF knowledge engineering can solve. By combining our technical knowledge across our platforms with the extensive experience from many specialised industries we are able to provide a solution for this fantastic project."
The two custom-designed SKF spherical roller bearings (one within each side) weigh approximately 8800kg with a 2300mm outer diameter, 1600mm inner diameter, and a width of 630mm. Each of the wheel's 28 cabins revolves independently and will accommodate up to 40 people. The Las Vegas High Roller is the centrepiece of The LINQ, a planned $550 million, open-air retail, dining, and entertainment district situated between Imperial Palace and Flamingo Las Vegas.
David Codiga, executive project director of The LINQ says: "The Las Vegas High Roller is a complicated engineering feat. Only a handful of manufacturers in the world are capable of supplying products of this scale and complexity, and we are pleased to have SKF on our team to create the world's largest and most dynamic observation wheel."
The Las Vegas High Roller is the latest big-wheel project using SKF expertise within large bearings. The Navy Pier Ferris wheel in Chicago includes two SKF spherical roller bearings and the Liseberg Wheel in Gothenburg, Sweden spins on SKF Explorer bearings. To find out more, please email [email protected], or visit the website at www.skf.com/.
