Hybrid and Ceramic Bearings

On the cutting-edge of technology, hybrid and ceramic bearings offer mechanical benefits that would otherwise be impossible. We have decades of experience pushing the limits of our bearings, which has gained us unrivalled levels of engineering experience. These materials can perform with reduced lubrication, higher speeds, higher loads, or a combination of the three.

Some of the key benefits of these bearings include: performance in extremely high or cryogenic temperatures, corrosions resistance, extremely high-speed, non-magnetic, lubrication-free, lightweight, low-torque, nuclear-compatible, electrically-insulated, long-life, as well as many others. Whatever your extreme-environment application requirements, we have a ceramic or hybrid bearing to suit you.

With steel inner and outer rings and ceramic rolling elements, find out more about our hybrid bearings today.

With advances in technology, machinery speeds and loadings have seen a drastic rise. This has meant that increasingly, traditional all-steel bearings can limit design. In response to these new demands, we have developed new bearing technology to perform under these conditions. Our hybrid bearings using Silicon Nitride (Si₃N₄) balls meet and exceed today’s requirements by offering a long list of properties far superior to their all-steel bearing counterparts. Issues that arise with metal-to-metal contact between races and balls are dramatically reduced or eliminated with these hybrid products, creating a significant number of new advantages and opportunities in industrial and machinery design and function. Space and satellite equipment is one of the first to see the benefits of these bearings, with leading manufacturers recognising the enhanced performance facilitated by these bearings.

Standard bearings, while a practical solution for many applications, are unsuitable for extreme environments such as Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) and caustic chemical, or instances with lubrication issues such as pharmaceutical and ultra-clean environments. This is where ceramic bearings step in.

Well known for their resistance to heat and insulating properties, ceramic bearings have historically used for applications with temperatures exceeding that which is survivable for standard steel. Their insulating properties have also proven ideal for applications where steel would cause problematic electrical conductivity, and where lubricants can either not be used, or are severely limited (e.g. oil industry downhole pumps.

We have been involved in ceramic bearing specification for diverse applications since 1999, and have accumulated an extensive variety of knowledge to help our customers. For more information, or to discuss your specific needs in more detail, get in touch today.