Ceramic roller bearings
Ceramic roller bearings are now state-of-the-art in many fields. They are available in nearly all of the designs commonly found in steel bearings:
- Grooved (radial) ball bearings
- Thin-section bearings
- Angular contact ball bearing
- Axial ball bearing
- Self-aligning ball bearing
Ceramic roller bearings are available in a wide variety of material combinations to best meet the specific requirements of each application. The ball cages are usually made of plastics (PEEK, PTFE, or nylon), but can also be made of engineering ceramics if necessary!
- The most common materials—including combinations thereof—are:
- Silicon nitride (Si3N4)
- Zirconia (ZrO2)
- Silicon carbide (SiC) – for special applications
Advantages of technical ceramics
The technical ceramic materials used in all-ceramic or hybrid roller bearings offer many advantages:
- longer service life
- greater rigidity
- reduced micro-vibrations
- greater rigidity
- Good emergency running characteristics (insufficient lubrication, dry running)
- electrical insulation
- high chemical corrosion resistance
- non-magnetic
- Suitable for ultra-high vacuum (UHV)
- Resistant to both high and low temperatures