Ball Bearings

Ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, tapered roller bearings, and needle bearings are four types of bearings. Ball-type bearings are the most common out of all four due to their diverse applications. But you can still contemplate the alternatives before deciding on the type. Some comparison parameters include load, speed, sealing system, and rigidity. And if ball bearings are what comes out the best, it is time to explore more about them.

The whole purpose of a bearing in a mechanical device is to allow rotational movement by transferring notable loads. Primarily, these bearings induce quality in a product, including durability and high precision. And when installed perfectly, the product works at high speed with minimal noise and vibration. Indeed, there are other technical and functional aspects of this accessory, which depend on varying applications. Here, on this page, we focus on ball bearings, whose purpose is to reduce rotational friction while supporting both radial and axial loads. You can be a professional or a DIY enthusiast. The first thing to know is the different types available in the marketplace.

Ball bearings types

On a broad brush, there are two types of ball bearings: open-style and shielded-style bearings. The latter contains metal shields on either one or both sides. It prevents dirt and debris from affecting the smooth operation of the bearing. Along with that, the shielded style also allows the free flow of oil through the bearing. But these two variants aren’t enough for some applications. These two variants have subcategories that you can explore for the perfect functioning of the product. That being said, if you are looking to buy ball bearings near me, you should dwell more on the variants.

Self-aligning ball bearing

A common structure of any ball bearing has an outer and inner ring having a ball assembly in between. As the name suggests, the self-aligning type can tolerate minor misalignments, which can be a result of incorrect mounting. Also, the structure of this type is how the outer ring provides minimum support to the ball assembly. The applications of this type restrict themselves to light axial load applications. Gearboxes and final drive transmissions are the most common applications of self-aligning ball bearings.

Deep groove ball bearing

There are these wide applications of this type of bearing. A few common uses can be seen in electric motors, vehicle motors, office machinery, garden tools, and many more. Well, there is a reason behind such wide applications. The groove type bearing is very flexible in terms of load support and different arrangement. Even more products within the groove type inherit the same features. For example, you can purchase them in a seal, shield, and snap-ring arrangement, and they will support axial and radial loads both.

Linear ball bearing

This type of bearing has been named linear because of its design. It comprises two linear ball bearings integrated within four rods on alternate sides of the base. A positive aspect of this type is that it provides self-lubrication technology, due to which you get optimum performance and reliability from the product. Applications of this type are endless. You can find linear bearing mounting in precise instrumentation, robotic assembly, cabinetry, cleanroom environments, and X-ray & imaging equipment.

Thrust ball bearing

This is another type other than self-aligning one that only supports axial loads. Furthermore, there are in total five variants: Cylindrical, tapered, & spherical roller thrust bearing. And the rest two are fluid and magnetic bearings. Thrust bearings with such varieties find their usage in higher speed applications, such as automotive and aerospace industries. In contrast, if you are looking to buy single ball bearings online in the UAE, you can directly hop on to our shopping platform, Shops.ae and see such products right in front of you.