All You Want to Know about Ceramic Ball Bearings 2020 [Quick]

Ceramic bearings and ceramic ball bearings are a wonderful flower in the bearing category.  And they are a perfect combination of new technology, new materials, and new structures.

Have you ever thought of using ceramic hybrid bearings or ceramic bearings? 

Ceramic Hybrid Bearings

A ceramic hybrid bearing has steel races with ceramic balls. The ceramic balls work best when there are high loads, high speeds, and high temperatures. These types of bearings are suitable for long life with minimal lubrication. Because it can handle these extreme applications. Ceramic is much lighter than steel and is non-porous, non-corrosive, and non-magnetic. Ceramic balls are stronger than steel. Because they are non-porous they are basically frictionless and can spin quicker than steel balls.

Ceramic balls material are usually silicon nitride, alumina oxide, zirconia oxide, and silicon carbide. Ceramic is basically a type of glass surface. It contains a very low coefficient of friction which means it is good for applications that need to reduce friction. The ceramic bearing has longer life due to the fact that they require less lubrication and are harder than steel balls. There is also less heat generation at high speeds because the thermal properties are better than they are for steel balls.

The Benefits of Ceramic Hybrid Bearings

The benefits of using ceramic hybrid bearings are there is minimal need for lubrication, this means they will last longer. They also are highly efficient, weigh less, and are smaller. Another benefit is that there is no cold welding between the ceramic balls and races. They also are great for high loads, high speeds, and extreme temperatures. Finally, a variety of machines and production lines can use them. 

How Ceramic Hybrid Bearings are Used

The use of Ceramic hybrid bearings varies from performance racing vehicles to electric motors, to laboratory equipment, to underwater applications, to aerospace applications, and many more. The best use for ceramic bearings is in anything that contains high speeds, low friction, and longer life.

Full ceramic bearings material is completely ceramic material. That includes the races and balls. This means that they are superior to ball bearings made of steel in many ways. If you are looking to achieve higher RPM’s, reduce the weight, or there is a harsh environment where the temperatures run high, using ceramic bearings would be ideal.

Full ceramic bearings materials are generally silicon nitride, alumina oxide, zirconia oxide, and silicon carbide. Ceramic is basically a type of glass surface. It contains a very low coefficient of friction which means it is good for applications that need to reduce friction. The life of a ceramic bearing is increased due to the fact that they require less lubrication and are harder than steel balls. There is also less heat generation at high speeds because the thermal properties are better than they are for steel balls.

The Benefits of Full Ceramic Ball Bearings

Ceramic bearings will not corrode or rust. They are 2/3 the weight of steel, contain lower friction which results in less energy consumed and are resistant to alkali, blood, salt, water, and acids.

Applications

Full ceramic bearings are utilized in chemical baths, radiotherapy, to vacuum environments, to MRIs, to semiconductor manufacturing, to food processing industries, to patient positioning systems and more. An environment requiring non-corrosive,non-conductive, or non-magnetic bearings would be best.