It would be impossible to believe how the modern world might have advanced without bearings. Each kind of machine that entails motion uses bearings in one way or the other for smooth and friction-free movement. Bearings, therefore, have been an integral part of the industrial age, as documented in the historical traces linking back to the stone-age. In reference to the development of bearings, a significant milestone was achieved through advanced metal forming processes when, in 1794, Philip Vaughan acquired a patent for a ball bearing made of steel. Its design is what we call the basic blueprint for today’s ball bearing.
In today’s world, a wide range of industrial and manufacturing machines heavily rely on specialized ball bearing and bearing assemblies as integral motion control components. In addition, the development of more compact, accurate, and lightweight, thin section bearings has been witnessed with the fast-increasing demand for superior automation and robotics. From semiconductor to defense to aerospace to optical lenses and camera gimbals, these high precision bearings have become crucial across multiple industries worldwide.A prominent name in the field of customized and manufactured precision bearings and aerospace bearing tools Carter Manufacturing Ltd. Based in Oxfordshire Carter is the Master Distributor of Silverthin Precision Thin Section Bearings in Europe and possesses sa capabilities in technical support, product stockholding and delivering top-quality thin section bearing solutions for over twenty years.
Why are Thin Section Bearings so important?
Thin section bearings are generally used in critical applications and environments where the weight must be minimized, tight space, and absolute precision must be guaranteed. In such types of applications, thin section bearings help cost reduction compared to standard bearing sizes and offer the benefit of using just one bearing with little effect on the overall weight. Many definitions are used across the industry to differentiate between ‘standard’ section bearings and ‘thin’ section bearings. The most commonly highlighted difference is that when the bore diameter is more than four times greater than that of the radial cross-section, such a bearing is termed a thin section bearing. Its cross-sectional size can vary; however, it is typically two times the diameter of the ball.
These types of bearings are typically available in various arrangements as one design doesn’t particularly fit all applications. These configurations are; 4-point contact, radial contact, angular contact, full complement, duplex bearing pairs and different cross-sections.