Timken is a global technology leader in engineered bearings and industrial motion. Our expanding portfolio of next-generation solutions helps customers around the world improve efficiency, solve their toughest challenges, and push the boundaries of performance.

Customer-Centric
Innovation

At Timken, innovation is driven by the needs of our customers. By combining cutting-edge engineering with operational excellence, we collaborate to solve complex challenges and advance industries worldwide. With a global reach and deep local expertise, we deliver the technology and expertise our customers need — where and when it matters most.

Learn more about our real-world impact through:

• Engineered Bearings Leadership
• Industrial Motion Expertise
• A Portfolio of Premium Brands
• Diverse Markets and Applications

At Timken, innovation starts with our customers.

Timken R&D is the technical engine of real-world progress for our customers. The group’s specialized expertise, 125 years of cross-industry experience, and depth of knowledge are unparalleled in the industry.All of our customer-centric investments begin at the intersection of capability and opportunity — we create technical solutions where they didn’t exist before.

A Unique Model

Timken R&D is not siloed. Members of the R&D group pair with associates throughout the organization who are close to the customer and know their capabilities. This collaborative and disciplined approach informs our solutions. It ensures our specialized expertise and deep knowledge are applied in the most effective way possible and are always closely aligned with emerging trends.

Friction Management — understanding and implementing the scientific fundamentals of friction to achieve performance benefits

Materials Science — manipulating and applying the properties of matter that constitute and govern the performance of our products

Mechanical Power Transmission — efficiently transferring energy through engineered equipment to meet application performance goals

A Clear Focus

Our R&D group is organized around five technical platforms that provide the foundation for our leading portfolio of products and services:

Product Fundamentals

Materials Fundamentals & Characterization

Manufacturing Technologies

Measurement Technologies and
Non-Destructive Evaluation

Testing and Product Validation

Manufacturing Technologies

Focus: development of modern, automated, connected, factory-robust, and accurate manufacturing technologies for use in making Timken products

R&D Processes: including but not limited to finishing processes, material handling, robotic automation technologies and data-driven smart manufacturing technologies

Measurement Technologies and Non-Destructive Evaluation

Focus: application of advanced dimensional and non-destructive materials evaluation technologies to ensure Timken product quality

R&D Processes: including but not limited to gauging systems for rapid and accurate dimensional measurements, as well as electromagnetic-based techniques to ensure bulk material and surface quality

Testing and Product Validation

Focus: Advanced product testing methods and execution to validate Timken product know-how and support customer application development

R&D Processes: inducing but not limited to 24-hour always-on life performance testing, application specific testing, and Timken’s international bearing performance audit

A Highly Accessible Expert Team

Our team of experts is not only known for their rigorous thinking but also for their exceptional accessibility and availability to both customers and Timken associates. The group focuses simultaneously on high-risk technical challenges while also providing continuous expert support across the business. From our first tapered roller bearing patent in 1898 to our growing collection of present year patents, Timken R&D continues to make the unknown, known which in turn makes Timken and our customers stronger.

Disciplined
Horizon Scanning

Timken R&D invests a significant amount of time growing expertise in friction management, materials science, and mechanical power transmission. The group surveys the fields for new opportunities and new technologies, including emerging trends in digital manufacturing and automation, performance modeling, heat treatment technologies, and advanced lubrication science.

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