Reduce costs with thin section bearings

Developed for applications with strict space limitations, thin section ball bearings are designed with a restricted number of widths and thicknesses and manufactured with a wide range of bore diameters. Standard ball bearings are usually designed so that the bore size increases and the width and the thicknesses of the bearing changes proportionately. Thin section bearings on the other hand have a cross section that remains the same as the bore diameter increases.



The thin section bearing family is made up of around 8 primary cross section sets. The combination of a large bore diameter in proportion to the small cross section makes these parts seem "thin” in comparison to the standard ball bearing. They are created using 521000 chrome steel and 440C stainless steel.

It is also imperative to note that thin section bearings are made in one of three different contact styles; radial, contact, angular contact and four point contact. These options make for a very diverse range which can offer solutions to a wide number of engineering applications.



Silverthin thin section bearings can help reduce the total cost of a system by allowing more room for design efficiency over standard bearing sizes. The fact that these cross sections do not change as bore sizes increase means there needs to be no alterations made to space requirements. There is also little change in the weight of the bearing overall, even as the diameter of an application increases.



Equipment such as medical, airborne, optical and infrared scanning equipment will benefit from the flexibility of added space and reduced weight requirements, whilst also factoring in manufacturing cost. The actual price of a thin section bearing is higher than a standard bearing, but after accounting for reduced space and lower weight, systems make an overall saving.



As experts in thin section bearings, Carter Bearings believe in the benefits the application could have for engineering designers and high end application. A spokesperson for the company said: "Ultimately, thin section bearings have the potential to saving systems a lot of money. Their intelligent design makes room for impressive amounts of space, size and weight benefits. There is also plenty of options which allow these bearings to be adapted for special environments.



"With the flawless cross-section design, we can now use ball bearings in a way that does not impose numerous restrictions. In the current economy, making saving where possibly is imperative, which is why we recommend considering thin section bearings for any systems that are applicable.”