Timken’s innovative bearing and coating solutions are helping operations run longer, stronger and more reliably.
Bearings carry the weight of critical mining machines.
Timken, a global leader in industrial motion products, continues to drive innovation with its advanced tapered roller bearings and engineered surface (ES) coatings. In use in Australia since 2008, Timken’s ES coatings are proven in the country’s mining environment.
These technologies are engineered to extend operating life, protect against harsh conditions, and reduce long-term maintenance costs across heavy-duty applications.
Precision under pressure
Timken’s tapered roller bearings are proven to withstand the ever-increasing loads found in many mobile equipment applications where total cost of ownership and reliability are paramount to a mining operation.
Timken national mining manager Mark Davies said that what truly sets Timken apart is its decades of proven industry experience combined with the performance of its products.
“Timken has been in the bearing business for 125 years,” Davies told Australian Mining.
“We specialise in tapered roller bearings, which are used extensively throughout the mining industry in most mobile equipment in use today.”
Built for a range of mobile equipment from draglines to dozers and haul trucks, Timken’s robust, precision-engineered bearings and ES coatings allow components to last longer, even when operating in extreme mining conditions.
How ES coatings transform performance
Alongside materials and manufacturing innovation, Timken’s ES coatings offer an extra layer of bearing protection.
These thin-film coatings are designed to combat wear and corrosion, and reduce friction, helping extend bearing life in even the harshest environments.
“Mine sites are hot and dusty environments. Ingress can be detrimental to lubrication, which can damage the bearing,” Davies said. “Timken has developed a solution to combat this and extend operating life.”
Timken’s ES coatings are engineered from decades of materials engineering experience to offer a nano-composite, metal-carbide matrix that creates a hard, low-friction surface that resists smearing and scuffing damage under stress.
These coatings are ideal for debris-laden lubricants and high-load environments where conventional bearings wear out quickly.
With products backed by materials and surface technology and tested in Australian conditions, Timken’s ES coatings range can reduce friction, protect against ingress damage, and handle severe operating conditions found across the mining industry.
“We’re one of the only companies that mass-produces ES coatings for tapered roller bearings,” Davies said.
From maintenance to market expansion
Timken’s approach extends well beyond the product itself.
The company provides training to repair companies and mining clients across Australia and can offer advice to technicians during installation and maintenance.
“Determining if a bearing is okay to reuse or needs to be replaced is one of the hardest calls to make for many companies,” Davies said.
“We conduct a lot of training for mining customers in damage analysis and fitting techniques, and provide ongoing product support in the field.”
Davies said a number of industry operators are likely already utilising Timken’s advanced technologies.
“Many mining companies are actually already using Timken technologies without even knowing it,” Davies said.
“When equipment is repaired off-site, customers don’t always see the high-quality Timken components that go back in.”
Timken’s close partnership with the mining industry’s largest original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and fleet managers has allowed the company to refine its coated product offering for critical applications.
“We’re starting to see customers request only ES-coated products, which is fantastic,” Davies said.
“That means we’re supporting mining customers and making their operations more cost effective and reliable.”
By increasing awareness of how extended-life coatings and bearings can reduce total ownership costs, Timken hopes to drive broader adoption across the Australian and global mining industry.
From workshop to worksite, Timken provides solutions that are built to last, tested under pressure, and engineered to perform.
This feature appeared in the July 2025 issue of Australian Mining.
