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Mon October 12, 2026
Superior Industries
Superior Industries is making its titanium seal standard on all of its conveyor idlers. Previously available as a premium option, the seal is designed to protect bearings from contamination and extend idler life by at least 25 percent, according to the compnay.
Superior introduced the titanium seal in 2020 following years of testing and field trials. Since then, thousands of idlers equipped with the seal have been put to work in aggregate, mining and other bulk material handling applications where they are regularly exposed to washdowns, slurry, dust and abrasive material. Strong performance in those real-world conditions gave Superior the confidence to make the titanium seal standard across its idler offering, with the exception of CEMA B rolls.
“Conveyor roll failures almost always come down to a failed bearing, and the bearing seal is its only line of defense against moisture and dust,” said Paul D. Schmidgall, Superior's chief engineer of conveyor components. “That's why we made the seal our primary focus in 2014 and spent years testing, tweaking and working through dozens of designs to keep contamination away from the bearing.”
The titanium seal uses a series of moisture and dust barriers that create a longer, more difficult path between contaminants and the bearing. Superior engineers evaluated the design through controlled testing that accelerates exposure to water, slurry and dust particles, then followed its performance in real-world applications. Together, those results show idlers equipped with the titanium seal lasting at least 25 percent longer than other idlers tested.
A failed idler creates costs beyond the replacement roll, including maintenance labor, conveyor downtime and potential belt damage if the roll locks up. By improving the barrier around the bearing, the titanium seal is designed to help idlers remain in service longer and reduce the frequency of those replacements.
Dry bulk material producers and handlers can review Superior's titanium seal testing protocols and results, then use an online life-cycle calculator to estimate potential savings based on their own idler labor and maintenance practices at superior-ind.com/titanium.