Understanding Precision Bearings For High Spec Equipment

1. Understanding Precision Bearings For High Spec Equipment Understanding Precision Bearings For High Spec Equipment Types and uses of precision bearings for critical application machinery To the lay person, a bearing is a bearing, but to the engineer, a bearing is both science and art. There are over 40 types of bearing available today and finding the exact match is crucial to the functioning of any application, from a simple fishing reel to a highly complex aerospace instrumentation. Bearings Basics Bearings Basics Generally speaking, bearings enable devices to roll in rotary or linear fashion to reduce friction and enhance speed and efficiency. The basic structure of a bearing involves a ball with internal and external smooth metal surfaces to enable rolling. The ball itself carries the weight of the load and it is the force of the load's weight that drives the bearing's rotation. Not all loads put force on a bearing in the same way with radial loading and thrust loading being the two basic types. A radial load puts weight on the bearing in a manner that causes the bearing to roll or rotate as a result of tension. A thrust load puts weight on the bearing at a particular angle. While bearings can be designed for either type of thrust, many are engineered to manage both. Types Of Bearings Types Of Bearings There are over 40 types of bearings designed to manage thrust or axial loads, radial loads or some combination of the two. The differences between the types of bearings concern load type and the ability to handle weight. Further differences relate to precision, longevity, size, radial speed and tolerance. Ball bearings are the most common type of bearing, able to handle both radial and axial loads. Roller bearings are designed to carry heavy loads with the primary roller being a cylinder that distributes load over a larger area. Roller bearings handle primarily radial loads. Ball thrust bearings handle higher thrust loads while roller thrust bearings handle even larger amounts of thrust load.

2. Tapered roller bearings are capable of managing both radial and axial loads and are particularly versatile. The final basic type of bearings are specialised bearings, of which there are many classes. One of the main differentiating factors between specialised bearings is their precision, that being their range of tolerance. Defining Precision Bearings Defining Precision Bearings 'Precision bearing' is a fairly generic term for bearings that have smaller allowable tolerances, thus a lower precision bearing would tolerate more play while a higher precision bearing tolerates less play to optimise efficiency. The ABEC scale is an industry-accepted standard for the tolerances of a bearing designed to provide manufacturers with specific dimensional tolerances to design parts. There are five classes of bearing with the largest tolerance being ABEC 1 and the smallest tolerance being ABEC 9. Bearings not conforming to at least ABEC 1 cannot be classified as precision bearings as their tolerances are too loose. High ABEC rated bearings allow optimal performance of critical applications requiring very high RPM and smooth operation. Uses For Precision Bearings Uses For Precision Bearings Most common applications will require a bearing at ABEC levels 1-3. Super precision bearings are classified as ABEC levels 5-9 and are used where there are higher demands in terms of axial and radial run out to limit speed and dimensional tolerance. Super precision bearings are required for surgical, medical, aerospace, robotics, optical and numerous other high specification applications. Precision Thin Section Bearings Precision Thin Section Bearings Precision thin bearings improve the overall efficiency of machinery or equipment. From greater accuracy and reliability to higher speed, they increase accuracy, help lower the running cost of machinery and lead to less frequent services. Precision thin section bearings reduce friction and increase design flexibility. Their size and shape also helps to save weight and create extra space. Hybrid And Ceramic Bearings Hybrid And Ceramic Bearings Traditionally, bearings have been manufactured from Chrome Steel which is limited in its ability to be used in applications where severe environmental conditions such as high or low temperature extremes exist. There has been a surge in bearing material development over the last decade with new materials being brought into production to meet these gruelling application demands. New bearing materials can better cope with reduced lubrication, higher speeds and higher loads. Ceramic and Hybrid bearings have been used widely throughout a host of nuclear, vacuum, cryogenic, high speed, insulating and non-magnetic applications. Choosing the right bearing Choosing the right bearing There is a vast host of precision, super precision and ultra precision bearings available today

3. with many being custom engineered to suit specific high specification and critical use equipment and machinery. There is possibly no more important decision to make in engineering precision equipment than the bearing to be used and it is crucial to obtain the advice of the industry's experts. About us: About us: Carter Manufacturing has been providing revolutionary ideas in motion since 1999, starting with the European distribution agreement for Carter Manufacturing Inc products, from which the name was adopted. The company has now grown its product portfolio to a range that services many specialist worldwide customers with bearings, bearing assemblies and linear products. Carter Bearings is focused on understanding customer engineering problems and finding solutions tailored to individual applications. They have proven industry ability to bring concepts from the drawing board through to realised products that work. Carter Manufacturing has provided and continues to provide solutions to ever more complex engineering requirements. For http://www.carterbearings.co.uk/ibc/ more information, please visit: