Idler pulleys are classed as non-drive rollers on a belt or chain impelled conveyor system. Now, without thinking about bearing features, we think about how unpowered idlers take up drivetrain slack. They enhance belt drive performance, in other words. But system idler pulleys feature another talent. Equipped with high-performance rolling elements, they work behind the […]
Linear bearings, the term sounds somehow counterintuitive, are designed differently. The bearings don’t use the standard rings and races that most rolling elements inhabit. That’s because there’s no rotating shaft to support and isolate here, not in the following applications. No, rings are out, rods and sliding bars are in, and everything is new again. […]
Ball bearings are what most folks think about when they imagine rolling elements. Sure, a proprietary roller type will handle a predetermined frictional load, but these elements aren’t exactly versatile. They’re built to satisfy specialized rotating applications. As for ball bearings, they can rotate in any direction, as directed by multiple loading forces. Ball Bearings […]
Mechanical parts fall into one of a handful of categories. At one end of the component spectrum, larger-than-life parts provide accurate movement, but the design gurus focus on kinetic power, not precision. At the loftier end of that scale, smaller, finely fabricated moving pieces are responsible for super-accurate fractional movement. Falling most definitely into that […]
There’s a bearing family that’s equipped with different types of groove geometry. They look a little like overly complex pulleys, with their grooves curving inwards around their rims. Well-suited as thread or wire guiding wheels, groove bearings suit a number of target applications. For instance, on hoist equipment, G-grooves accommodate wire ropes. Like other bearing […]