SKF to showcase new technologies for energy-efficient and reliable cooling at Chillventa 2026

New MBx magnetic bearing series and ceramic precision technologies target high-speed chillers for data centers, heat pumps and other demanding HVAC applications.

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SKF will present technologies for more energy-efficient and reliable cooling and heat-pump systems at Chillventa 2026. Leading the Group's presence will be its new MBx active magnetic bearing series for high-speed chillers.

Around 20 percent of the world's energy consumption is used to overcome friction, and the core of SKF's business is to reduce friction in rotating systems. As data center capacity expands, cooling is placing increasing demands on energy systems. Chiller and compressor manufacturers must therefore increase cooling capacity while limiting energy use, maintenance and system complexity.

"Cooling systems are becoming increasingly critical to reliability and energy efficiency of industrial and digital infrastructure. At Chillventa, we will show how our solutions support this, for example how our ceramic and magnetic technologies can help customers develop more reliable and more efficient high-speed systems for data center cooling systems, heat pumps and other demanding applications," says Thomas Grubbauer, Global Fluid Machinery Industry Manager.

SKF offers a complete portfolio of high-speed motors levitated with magnetic bearing technology, active magnetic bearings, digital controllers, variable-speed drives, condition monitoring and engineering services. This integrated offering enables compact, oil-free drive solutions for centrifugal chillers and other high-speed applications, reducing wear, maintenance and unplanned downtime, with energy efficiency improvements of up to 30–40% compared with conventional technologies.

The new MBx magnetic bearing is designed to optimize cost while maintaining performance through innovations including automatic winding. Its modular design enables semi-automated production and faster assembly, helping reduce lead times and expand SKF high-speed motors' production capacity to meet growing demand from the data center chiller market.

SKF will also showcase hybrid ceramic bearings, including the new optimized CeraDrive bearing series, for chillers, heat pumps, steam compressors, motors, fans and pumps. Ceramic rolling elements provide electrical insulation and support high-speed operation under demanding lubrication conditions.

Completing the offer is SKF's new Extreme super-precision bearings platform for high-speed centrifugal compressors in chillers, heat pumps and mechanical vapour recompression systems. The offer is a flexible bearing platform that can be optimized to meet extreme application demands, for example speeds up to 120'000 rpm, 2,4 Mndm, ring contact pressure up to 2,8 Gpa and turbine side temperatures up to 200C; opening new possibilities in compressor design.

Meet SKF at Chillventa 2026
Date: 13–15 October 2026
Location: Nuremberg, Germany
Booth: 1-510

For further information, please contact:
Press Relations: Carl Bjernstam, +46 31-337 2517; +46 722 201 893; carl.bjernstam@skf.com 

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