Master Thesis - Simulation automation thermal model

SKF Infinium - Laser Cladding

In heavy industrial environments, bearings face extreme demands - contamination, corrosion, high temperatures and heavy loads. Too often, they fail before their calculated rating life is reached up. Operators then replace them not because the entire bearing is worn out, but because critical surfaces have suffered damage that conventional repair cannot fully restore. Many of those bearings end their journey as scrap. SKF Infinium began with a simple question: what if a bearing did not have to be scrapped at all?

That question led SKF to rethink how large, high-performance bearings are designed, manufactured and renewed - with additive manufacturing as the enabler and circularity as the goal. Because renewing a bearing instead of manufacturing a new one can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 75-85%, depending on the origin of the steel.

Using additive manufacturing to engineer performance where it matters most: At the heart of SKF Infinium lies laser metal deposition (LMD), an advanced additive manufacturing technique that helps to design multi-material bearings. Instead of making a bearing ring from a single steel grade, SKF engineers can build different properties into the same component. Stainless steel is additively deposited on the raceways to deliver superior corrosion resistance, while the underlying ring material remains tough and ductile to handle high structural loads and preventing ring fractures.

Master Thesis

Development of an Automated Framework for Rapid Thermal Assessment of Laser Cladding Across Bearing Sizes

Introduction

Laser cladding is an emerging manufacturing technology used to deposit high-performance material layers on bearing components. To ensure process robustness and compliance with temperature requirements, thermal simulations are used to predict the temperature evolution during cladding. While a validated thermal model exists, applying it to new bearing sizes currently requires significant manual effort, including geometry preparation, clamping setup, laser path generation, meshing, and simulation configuration.

Purpose

The objective of this thesis is to develop an automated framework for rapid thermal assessment of laser cladding processes across a range of bearing geometries.

The work may include:

• Parametric geometry and fixture generation
• Automated laser path generation
• Automated meshing strategies
• Simulation workflow automation
• Development of design guidelines for process parameter selection

We are looking for a master thesis student, ideally with a Solid Mechanics, Applied Physics or Mechanical Engineering background, with an interest in:

• Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• Heat transfer and thermal simulations
• MATLAB and/or Python programming
• Manufacturing processes

Experience with ANSYS, Simufact, or similar tools is advantageous.

What You Will Gain

• Hands-on experience with industrial simulation workflows
• Exposure to advanced manufacturing technologies
• Collaboration with experienced engineers and researchers
• Hands-on experience with ANSYS Additive and optiSlang.

Time frame

The thesis covers 30 credits/20 weeks and begins in Q1 2027.

Location

This project will be performed at SKF in Gothenburg.

Further questions and how to apply

Please send your application, including CV, no later than 2026-10-05. If you have any questions, please contact Priyank Gupta, priyank.gupta@skf.com

About SKF

SKF has been around for more than a century and today we are one of the world's largest global suppliers of bearings and supporting solutions for rotating equipment. With more than 40,000 employees in around 130 countries, we are truly global. Our products are found everywhere in society. In fact, wherever there is movement, SKF's solutions might be at work. This means that we are an important part of the everyday lives of people and companies around the world. See more, at www.skf.com.