Tips on Different Materials and Uses of Ceramic Bearings

1. High-speed bearing: It has the advantages of cold resistance, small force elasticity, high-pressure resistance, poor thermal conductivity, lightweight, small friction coefficient, etc. It can adapt to high-speed spindles at 12,000 rpm to 75,000 rpm and other high-precision equipment.

2. High-temperature resistant bearing: The material itself is resistant to a high temperature of 1200℃, and it is self-lubricating. The use temperature is between 100℃-800℃. And it does not produce expansion caused by temperature differences. It can adapt to furnaces, plastics, steel, and other high-temperature equipment.

3. Corrosion-resistant bearings: The material itself has corrosion-resistant properties and people can use it in fields such as strong acids, strong alkalis, inorganic, organic salts, and seawater. Such as electroplating equipment, electronic equipment, chemical machinery, shipbuilding, medical equipment, etc.

4. Antimagnetic bearing: Because it is non-magnetic and does not absorb dust, it can reduce the bearing peeling off in advance and loud noise. People can use it for demagnetization equipment. Precision instruments and other fields.

5. Electrically insulated bearings: Because of the high electrical resistance, they can avoid arc damage to the bearings and can be used in various electrical equipment requiring insulation.

6. Vacuum bearings: Due to the unique oil-free and self-lubricating characteristics of ceramic materials. It can overcome the problem that ordinary bearings cannot achieve lubrication in an ultra-high vacuum environment.

1. Zirconia of Ceramic Bearings

All ceramic bearings have the characteristics of anti-magnetic and electrical insulation, wear-resistance and corrosion resistance, oil-free self-lubrication, high-temperature resistance and high cold resistance. And it can adapt to extremely harsh environments and special working conditions. The ferrule and rolling elements are made of ZrO2 ceramic material. And the retainer uses PTFE as the standard configuration. Generally, glass fiber reinforced nylon 66 (RPA66-25), special engineering plastics (PEEK, PI), stainless steel (AISISUS316), brass (Cu), etc.

2. Silicon nitride of Ceramic Bearings

Silicon nitride full ceramic bearing rings and rolling elements are made of silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramic materials. Generally, RPA66-25, PEEK, PI, and phenolic cloth bakelite tubes can also be used. Compared with ZrO2 material, SiN4 full ceramic bearings can be applied to higher speed and load capacity, as well as higher ambient temperature. At the same time, it can provide precision ceramic bearings for high-speed, high-precision, and high-rigidity spindles, with the highest manufacturing accuracy reaching P4 to UP.

3. Full ball of Ceramic Bearings

The full complement spherical full ceramic bearing has a ball-filling gap on one side. Due to the cageless structure design, more ceramic balls can be loaded than the standard structure bearing. Thereby improving its load capacity and avoiding the limitation of the cage material. It can achieve the corrosion resistance and temperature resistance of ceramic cage-type full ceramic bearings. This series of bearings are not suitable for higher speeds. When installing, pay attention to installing the notched surface on the end that does not bear the axial load.

4. Mix of Ceramic Bearings

Ceramic balls, especially silicon nitride balls, have the characteristics of low density, high hardness, low friction coefficient, wear resistance, self-lubrication, and good rigidity. They are especially suitable for high-speed, high-precision, and long-life hybrid ceramic ball bearings.  Generally, the inner and outer rings are made of bearing steel (GCr15) or stainless steel (AISI440C), and the ceramic balls can be made of ZrO2, Si3N4, or SiC.