EZO factory VIP visitors...

We were delighted & honoured to receive a VIP visit from Sapporo Precision Inc., makers of the magnificent EZO Bearings, this week.  What a wonderful way to mark the 30 years of association between our two companies!  We are proud to be their official UK distributor of precision miniature & thin section bearings - click HERE to see their catalogue & full range & view a feature on their product range below.

EZO representatives Mr Kobayashi (president) & Mr Aicha & 
at SMB with our very own MD Chris Johnson.

Season update from Ian Emery, RC Heli Pilot...

Another top update from our friend & F3C RC heli pilot Ian Emery - we are proud & delighted to announce that he managed to finish an extremely impressive 3rd place in the British Nationals 🏆 last week!  

He'll be competing very close to home this coming weekend - as the Euro Heli Series comes to Abingdon in Oxfordshire on the 9th-10th September.  We hope the weather gods are kind, as there's an impressive field of international competitors in attendance (of course, we hope Ian has a massive home advantage 😉). 

Why not go along & support Ian if you can?

He has promised more exciting news soon, so we'll update you as soon as we find out what it is, but in the meantime check out his latest season update below:

"Scottish Nationals -

When I got back from Austria, I noticed the was a slight wobble with the elevator, I wasn't sure if this was connected to the previous issues I had experienced or something new, either way it wasn't the best news.  

By time I got to Scotland with one thing or another, I still hadn't figured out what was going on.  I had reduced the effect by altering some of the settings in the Flybarless controller but that was just hiding an underlying problem.  I had my Urukay with me but just didn't feel as comfortable with it compared to the JR Helicopters so I stuck with them.  With a constant elevator wobble in the hover, it didn't present very well to the judges and I think it was always at the back of my mind that there was something not quite right.  After 3 rounds I finished 4th and felt along way behind my close rival and friend Roger Mayo.

 

Germany -

The following weekend 5 British pilots traveled to Kleinenbroich in Germany for the second Euro Heli Series competition of the year which was really well attended.  The clubs in Europe are just superb with excellent facilities.  

After a rather blustery practice session on Friday afternoon, we all went out together to a Greek restaurant in a local town.  The best part about the Euro Heli Series is all getting together at the end of the day to socialize and have a good catch-up with friends that you only see a handful of times each year.  

Saturday was much calmer and after 2 fairly steady rounds I was down in 14th place.  

The final round was a different story, still battling with the elevator wobble, somehow it all came together and managed to get a great score which meant I moved up a few places and secured a spot in the finals for the Sunday.  The Fly off (Finals) Schedule is something I need to spend more time practicing, but with the wind direction in my non-preferred direction, I managed to get through 2 rounds and finished in 10th place gaining valuable World Cup points".

Ian with his valuable 10th place in the German leg of the Euro Heli Series, gaining World Cup points...

We are keeping our fingers (& toes) crossed for Ian's continued success & will update you on his progress again soon.  

GOOD LUCK IAN!!!!!

Bearings for those who aren't bulking up

Those looking to buy or relubricate just a few bearings with specialised grease will no longer need to meet minimum order requirements, which can often exceed 1000. This will support cost-sensitive applications and encourage wide-spread use of specialist grease to ensure bearing longevity.

This service will mean any number of standard or specialist bearings can now be sourced and relubricated with specialist grease in accordance with the customers' application. Bearing failure is commonly due to the wrong quantity or type of grease for the application. Bearings for high speed, high temperature or food grade applications are all assigned the appropriate oils and greases by the technical team at SMB Bearings, whether this be for one or 100 bearings.

"Customers may have previously faced minimum order quantities from manufacturers, resulting in them buying bearings in volumes that they don't require," said Chris Johnson, managing director at SMB Bearings. "The big manufacturers prefer to produce bearings in bulk. This presents a two-fold problem for those looking to buy non-standard bearings.”

"Bearings with non-standard lubricants supplied by many manufacturers are generally only available in large quantities with very long delivery times. The alternative is often to use bearings with a lubricant that is not best suited to the application. This is where we come in. Even if customers have purchased shielded bearings that are notoriously difficult to get into, we have bespoke equipment to remove the standard lubrication, and replace it with specialised grease, regardless of quantity."

If you are looking to buy or relubricate a small number of bearings, then you will no longer need to spend money on bearings you will never use. More information about SMB Bearings’ small batch relubrication service can be found on the company’s website. Alternatively, if you would like to speak to one of the technical experts at SMB Bearings, you can contact the company’s base in Oxfordshire on +44 (0) 1993 842 555.