Baldor Electric has launched a new Dodge-brand mounted ball bearing incorporating sealing and lubrication innovations that can substantially extend equipment lifetimes in harsh, washdown-duty operating environments such as food and beverage processing. Dodge ULTRA KLEEN ball bearings employ a 100% stainless steel bearing insert and feature a patented new sealing system and a ball retainer that retain lubrication and prevent washout in wet operating environments. The new sealing system, QuadGuard, consists of two patented features: a triple lip seal and a rubberised flinger. The triple lip seal offers three points of contact, keeping the lubricant in and contaminants out. This unique design maximises sealing with a minimal amount of drag. The rubberised flinger, the industry’s first and only patented design, is a moulded nitrile rubber component that is bonded to the flinger surface and provides an additional barrier to contaminants. The rubber baffled design on the external surface of the flinger enhances the removal of liquid as it rotates, while grease chambers on the internal surface of the flinger prevent lubricant from exiting the bearing.