Staking vs Swaging

A common question that comes up among our customers is what are the advantages and disadvantages to staking vs swaging bearings? This article is intended to explore this topic to help our customers make informed decisions.

 

You can also read more about this in our Common Bearing Swaging Methods article.

Staking

Staking will be defined as using stationary anvil dies and a hydraulic press (or something similar) to form the bearing v-groove onto the housing. Common on Method 100 of NAS0331.

 

Advantages:

 

  • Defined and controllable pressure application
  • Less time required when compared to swaging
  • Less space (clearance) required for tooling
  • Staking tools are generally cheaper than swaging tools

 

Disadvantages:

 

  • High installation pressure and unfavorable component dimensions increase the risk of influencing the bearing out ring dimensions. This can lead to increased bearing friction.
  • Incomplete contact between bearing v-groove and housing chamfer is more likely than with swaging. This can lead to more inspection failures.
Swaging

Swaging will be defined as using a drill press (or something similar) to utilize rotary motion to form the bearing v-groove onto the housing. Common on Method 200 of NAS0331.

 

Advantages

 

  • Low axial pressure during swaging minimizes impact on bearing outer ring and liner
  • Circumferential contact between bearing v-groove and housing chamfer is more likely to be achieved than with staking.
  • Generally able to achieve a better surface finish compared to staking
  • Commercially available in a portable version

 

Disadvantages

 

  • Higher risk of damaging v-groove due to cold work hardening if rolling under pressure takes too long.
  • Requires a more experienced operator
  • More space (clearance) required for tool
  • Swaging tools are usually more expensive than staking tools