Ball Bearings, Linear Bearings & Other Bearing Information - Article List

The Bearings Reference Center, from Machine Design, is designed to provide design engineers with the information they need to specify or purchase bearings and bearing components including: ball bearings, linear bearings, thrust bearings, roller bearings, needle bearings, air bearings, bronze bearings, spherical bearings, pillow-block bearings, ceramic bearings, miniature bearings, graphite bearings, rotary bearings, spherical bearings and plain bearings.

Adjustable preload, high-speed spindles

Wheel may fly high

A flywheel energy-storage system recently reached 60,000 rpm

Performance under pressure

Electric motors powering undersea remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), such as the Quest ROV from Alstom GEC, Davis, Calif., must withstand pressures of 10,000 psi at depths to 20,000 ft below sea level.

Grease is the word

Protecting bearings is critical to a motor's reliability and useful life.

Magnets and bearing keep fans in line, and quiet too

Sunon Inc., Brea, Calif., devised a fan in which the permanent magnet in the motor's rotor assembly interacts with a metal plate to generate a magnetic field.

Linear drive works without power-transmission components

The MHS 40 drive from Rexroth Star, Charlotte, NC, has its nut directly connect to a hollow-shaft motor.

Encoder sealed against harsh environments

...Newall Electronics, Columbus, Ohio, designed their Spherosyn digital linear encoder so that none of the mechanical or electrical components are exposed

Cage keeps bearings in line and lubricated

Hard bearing is soft inside

Rotary table adds flexibility to assembly and inspection lines

Composite bearings pack big punch in compact cylinders

Motors that can take it

Pins keep slide centered

New spin on spindle bearings

Thin is In

Today's OEM demands motion-control systems that increase throughput and can handle smaller-scale moves. All industries are looking for finer speed and motion control.

Bearings hold pump gears steady

Outsourcing brings speed and focus

Hard work and intellectual capital alone aren't enough to stay competitive.

Predicting lube life

Heat and contaminants are the biggest enemies of bearing grease and oil.

Racing cars rely on Timken bearings

When Lola Champ cars take the track for the 2003 CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) season, the wheel ends will be equipped with Timken tapered roller bearings.

Setting the stage for clearer images

Crossed-roller-bearing stages and linear motors cut jitter in semiconductor inspection tools.

Ball bearings bring the smooth feel of car steering to boats

Basics of Design Engineering Bearings

"Air" on the side of smoothness

Air bearings eliminate static friction and stick-slip that compromise precision.

Ceramic bearing balls help injection-molding machines go green

Basics of Design Engineering - Bearings

Cooler-running wheel bearings help racers burn up the track

Basics of Design Engineering - Bearings

Mounting system holds options for shaft-mounted equipment

A hollow-shaft mounting system, TorqLOC from SEW Eurodrive lets users mount SEW gear reducers on various size shafts. Interchangeable bushings ensure there is a gap between the mounting system and the gear reducer, so corrosion won't prevent easy removal.

Grooves Move More Lube

Oil is the lifeblood of bearings. Grooves deliver more of it than holes.

Motion Control - The need for speed

Hybrid rail guides lead to lighter, faster systems.

Advanced bearings for high-speed machining

Optimized spindle-bearing systems run faster without unwanted vibration or heat.

Miniature ball bearings: Handle with care

Get out the surgical gloves when working around the most fragile of bearings.

Whole lot of shakin' goin' on

Minimizing vibration and noise betters image quality in inspection applications.

Gearhead exploits single-piece construction

The AB and AF Series of helical planetary gearheads from Apex Dynamics USA use shaft cage assemblies and input bearing bores machined from a single piece of stainless steel using the same turning center and centerlines.

Direct-bond bearings challenge inserts

Coatings make more efficient use of bearing materials and eliminate secondary machining and installation.

Design bearings that don't seize

Opening up running clearances in sleeve bearings helps prevent seizing when oil runs dry.

Integrated bearing boosts wind-turbine performance

Integrated flexpin bearings from The Timken Co., Canton, Ohio (www.timken.com), cut part count and raise power density in planetary transmissions.

Setting the stage for good machine design

No matter how sophisticated your motion controller, it can't overcome a poorly designed electromechanical system.

Precision bearings get ceramic rollers

MRC Bearings now offers precision-finished, silicon-nitride rollers separately, or installed in its line of aerospace hybrid roller bearings.

Rolling-ring drive powers in-line spooler

Aspooling device from Amacoil Inc., Aston, Pa. places the take-up spool in line with the motor and drive.

Keeping their cool

High-operating temperature can spell trouble for journal bearings. Here are some ways to avoid it.

Barely scratching the engineered surface

Emerging engineered-surface treatments work at the micron scale to boost load capacity of bearings, gears, and other components.

Bearings take the heat

Graphite-metal bearings can handle harsh environments that toast liquid-lubricated types.

Wood you believe bearings?

Rock-maple plain bearings can tolerate higher shaft speeds and loads than their plastic counterparts.

Silence of the fans

Low-speed fans are widely used to cool computers and peripheral equipment. But some generate enough noise to disturb users and those nearby.

Avoiding the runaround with direct-drive rotary motion

Here's a look at the pros and cons of various direct-drive rotary systems.

Better bearings lead to better parts

Fitting machine tools with roller linear guideways can improve accuracy, surface finish, feed speed, and productivity.

Linear guides have preloaded bearings

For applications requiring friction-free motion with zerobacklash, such as stamping dies, injection molds, and assembly and inspection machines, designers can now use linear-guide elements in diameters ranging from 3 to 100 mm.

Bearing equations online

Bearing maker SKF has established a central library on its network to store engineering calculations for reference and general use.

Filament-Wound Bearings

High-strength Gar-Max filamentwound dry bearings withstand higher compressive loads than standard Gar-Max bearings.

Machine-tool bearings

X-Life Ultra machinetool bearings reportedly boost running speeds by 25%, double corrosion resistance, and last 10 X longer than conventional hybrid 52100 and 440 steel/ ceramic bearings.

Bearing software saves time, boosts accuracy

Engineers involved with bearing application design and selection can benefit from Version 2.5 of Reali-Design software.

Reduced maintenance bearings

The SealMaster line of bearings uses a Tapered Lands bearing-race design that reportedly improves lubricant circulation for longer service life.

Ceramic components

Ceramic LM Guide Type RCR, Ceramic LM Guide Type RSR, Ceramic LM Guide HCR, and Ceramic Ball Spline LT products use ceramic rails, blocks, and in most cases, ceramic balls.

Floating bearings

For use in machine-tool spindles, floating-displacement bearings are hybrid ball bearings with a surface-ground inner ring of Cronidur 30 high-performance bearing steel.

McNeil Industries acquires Precision Guide Systems

McNeil Industries has acquired the assets of Precision Guide Systems. Both companies reside in Willoughby, Ohio. McNeil Industries is an ISO-certified supplier of engineered sealing products, precision machined components, and special bearings.

Bearing up under 300 tons

Spinodal bronze alloys help ensure lubricantstarved bearings keep mining equipment rolling under extreme loads and in corrosive environments.

Dental and Medical Bearings

A new line of bearings aimed at the medical and dental markets offers a variety of retainer materials and designs for quiet and smooth operation of hand tools.

Wear-Resistant Plastic for Bearings, Bushings, and Wear Rings

ARHT, a proprietary thermoplastic, can replace rubber, bronze, and ceramic in pump bearings, bushings, and wear pads.

Bearings are rocket science

Custom hybrid ball bearings from Pacamor Kubar Bearings go in rocket-engine controls and withstand both cryogenic temperatures and the vacuum of space.

Ball-Screw Support Bearings

The line of Fafnir ball-screw support bearings now includes single-row metric sizes and sealed double-row bearings.

Caged Technology Smooths Actuator Moves

Type KLM actuators employ Caged Technology in their guides.

Extended-Life Bearings For Dental Handpieces

Extended-life bearings include stainless-steel rings and a special bearing retainer for use in high and low-speed dental handpieces.

Panel-Mount Oil-Impregnated Bronze Bearings

Panel-mount, oil-impregnated bronze bearings mount in thin (1-mm thick) sheet-metal panels in inexpensive punched or drilled holes, rather than in heavy plate and linebored holes.

Plastic Bearings

Iglide plastic bearings come in 20 material blends and in more than 6,000 stock metric and inch sizes and styles.

Self-Aligning Aluminum Pillow Blocks And Housing Flanges

Self-aligning pillow blocks and housing flanges mount in aluminum housings and come with a choice of needle roller, Teflon bronze, or SAE 840 bronze bearings.

Self-Lubricating Plain Bearings

DM10 self-lubricating, maintenance-free, flexible, plain bearing material is lead-free, complying with the European Parliament's End of Life Vehicles Directive (ref: 2000/53 EC) on the elimination of hazardous materials in the construction of passenger cars and light trucks.

Thrust Washers For Universal Joints

Thrust washers of glass-filled nylon/ silicone prevent metalto-metal contact in automotive universal joints.

The attraction of Ferrofluid Bearings

Magnetic-fluid technology brings compact, low-friction, self-contained bearings capable of speeds to 30,000 rpm.

Rolling bearings

A new class of Explorer bearings includes spherical roller bearings, angular-contact ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, spherical thrust bearings, tapered-roller bearings, deep-groove ball bearings, and four-point contact ball bearings

Miniature Bearings

Miniature bearings work for high-speed applications in the medical, dental, commercial aviation/aerospace, lab-instrumentation, and semiconductormanufacturing equipment industries.

Plastic bearings

Iglide plastic bearings come in 20 material blends and 6,000 metric and inch sizes.

Roll-End bearing assembly

Graphalloy conveyor roll-end bearing assemblies are designed for conveyors operating in high temperatures, where dry running is required, or where applying lubricant is difficult.

Thrust Bearings

Thrust bearings with nylon ball retainers handle high-load, low-speed applications such as idler pulleys, gears, lever arms, and other rotating equipment requiring low friction.

Flexible bearing material

DM10 is a self-lubricating, maintenance-free flexible bearing material for clearance-free assemblies.

Extended inner-ring bearings

Thirty-four ABEC 3 extended inner-ring bearings are for use in optical mounts, belt tensioners, linear positioners, and sensitive measuring instruments.

High-temperature bearings

Self-clinching, self-aligning high-temperature plain bearings, for constant or intermittent high-temperature applications, are available in graphite bronze or Teflon bronze, with the latter version offering high load-carrying capacity.

Hydrodynamic pressure bearings

The BBSPLN Series of hydrodynamic pressure bearings weigh 30% less than conventional ball bearings.

Fast assembly with prefit bearings

Prefitted bearings ease assembly into as-machined or as-formed housings.

Angular Contact Ball Bearings

PumpPac angular contact ball bearings reduce operating temperatures and vibration levels for smoother operation and longer life.

Sealed Bearing Cartridges

Maintenance-free, sealed bearing cartridges are an alternative to greased bronzed, hardened-steel and rollingelement bearings.

CAM Followers

High-performance, lubricant-free composite I-CAM cam followers replace conventional metal cam followers to eliminate metal-to-metal contact, which damages steel and aluminum rails.

Cool running

Hybrid taperedroller-spindle bearings help machine tools cut without cutting fluids.

No lube, no problem

Self-lubricating, nonmetallic bearings handle tough jobs and need little or no maintenance.

MACHINE DESIGN partners with PARTsolutions to launch new 2D/3D CAD Library

Penton Media's Design Engineering group, anchored by Machine Design magazine, announced today that it has entered into a strategic partnership with PARTsolutions®, LLC, a leading provider of publishing solutions for 2D/3D digital parts catalogs, to launch the Machine Design CAD Library, a powerful, new resource for design engineers.

Bearing Material Used for Heavy Loads

TriStar Plastics Corp. has been working for a number of years with a goverment contractor on custom-built military transportation systems.

Metric Bearings

Extra-Thin Metric Series bearings come in flanged and unflanged versions with bore diameters of 10 to 50 mm.

Glass Balls For Valves and Bearings

Precision Glass Balls resist corrosion and chemical absorption, and are about one-third the weight of stainless-steel balls.

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