Bearing is regarded as the "joint" of industrial equipment, and its performance directly affects the reliable operation of more than one trillion major equipment in the national economy and national defense field.

Full ceramic bearings refer to high-tech bearing products made of ceramic materials for key components such as inner/outer rings and rolling elements. High precision Full ceramic bearings have a wide demand in high-end equipment technology fields such as domestic CNC machine tools, national defense and military industry, aerospace, petrochemical, medical equipment, and their manufacturing level reflects the national high-end manufacturing core competitiveness. The localization of ultra precision Full ceramic bearings for high-end equipment is of great significance for breaking the foreign technology blockade, improving the overall level and core competitiveness of domestic industry and equipment manufacturing, and promoting the intelligent and green development of domestic high-end equipment.

Engineering ceramic materials used in Full ceramic bearings mainly include silicon nitride (Si3N4), zirconia (ZrO2), silicon carbide (SiC), etc., which have excellent physical and chemical properties that traditional metal materials do not have. The main advantages of Full ceramic bearings made of such materials are as follows:

(1) The hardness of engineering ceramics is much higher than that of ordinary bearing steel, and the service life of Full ceramic bearings of the same type can be increased by more than 30% under the same working conditions;

(2) The thermal deformation coefficient of engineering ceramic materials is only 1/4~1/5 of that of bearing steel. Under extreme high temperature, low temperature and large temperature difference working conditions, Full ceramic bearings can show good thermal shock resistance and stable service performance;

(3) Engineering ceramic materials have small density, small moment of inertia and centrifugal force, are suitable for ultra-high speed, and have strong bearing capacity, good wear resistance and low failure rate;

(4) Engineering ceramics have corrosion resistance, magnetoelectric insulation and other characteristics, and have absolute advantages in working performance under corrosive, strong magnetic field and electric corrosion conditions.

At present, the limit operating temperature of Full ceramic bearings can exceed 1000 ℃, the continuous working time can reach more than 50000 hours, and they have self-lubricating characteristics, which can still ensure the working accuracy and service life without lubrication. The structural characteristics of Full ceramic bearings just make up for the defects of metal bearings in engineering applications. They have the characteristics of ultra-high speed, high/low temperature resistance, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, magnetoelectric insulation, oil-free self lubrication, etc. They are suitable for extremely harsh environments and special working conditions, and have broad application prospects in high-end technology fields.

Fig. 2 Sample of Full ceramic spherical plain bearing, roller bearing and ball bearing

Recently, the following three standards were officially released after being approved by the Standardization Working Committee of China Mechanical Engineering Society.

Full ceramic spherical plain bearing Radial spherical plain bearing (T/CMES 04003-2022)

Rolling Bearing Full ceramic Cylindrical Roller Bearing (T/CMES 04004-2022)

Geometrical Technical Specifications and Tolerance Values for Rolling Bearings, Cylindrical Bore, Full ceramic Ball Bearings (T/CMES04005-2022)

This series of standards is organized by the Production Engineering Branch of China Mechanical Engineering Society, and led by Shenyang Jianzhu University (the National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of "high-end stone NC processing equipment and technology"). This series of standards will be officially implemented in April 2022.

This series of technical standards specifies the relevant terms, definitions, specific models, overall dimensions, tolerance ranges and clearance standards of Full ceramic spherical plain bearings; Classification, processing technical requirements, matching technical requirements and undercut technical requirements of Full ceramic cylindrical roller bearings; As well as the size and geometric characteristics, nominal size limit deviation and tolerance value of cylindrical hole Full ceramic ball bearing, the working interface of Full ceramic bearing (except chamfer) is limited. Relying on this series of standards, it further standardized the design, production, assembly and inspection process of Full ceramic bearings, guaranteed the performance and quality of Full ceramic bearings, avoided unnecessary losses in the processing, testing and use of Full ceramic bearings, guided the healthy and orderly development of domestic Full ceramic bearing industry, and improved the safety, reliability and economy of Full ceramic bearings in the use process, In order to improve the precision of domestic Full ceramic bearing products, it has far-reaching influence.

More about FRC Ceramic Bearings:

As an important mechanical basic part, ceramic bearings are leading in the world of new materials due to their excellent performance that metal bearings cannot match, such as high temperature resistance and super strength.

Advantages of Ceramic Bearings:

First, because ceramics are almost not afraid of corrosion, ceramic rolling bearings are suitable for operation in harsh conditions full of corrosive media.

Second, because the density of the ceramic rolling ball is lower than that of steel and the weight is much lighter, the centrifugal effect of the outer ring during rotation can be reduced by 40%, thereby greatly extending the service life.

Third, ceramics are less affected by thermal expansion and contraction than steel, so when the bearing clearance is constant, the bearing can be allowed to work in an environment where the temperature difference changes more drastically.

Fourth, because the elastic modulus of ceramics is higher than that of steel, it is not easy to deform when subjected to force, so it is beneficial to improve the working speed and achieve higher precision.

Ceramic bearings have the characteristics of high temperature resistance, cold resistance, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, anti-magnetic and electrical insulation, oil-free self-lubrication, and high speed. It can be used in extremely harsh environments and special working conditions, and can be widely used in aviation, aerospace, navigation, petroleum, chemical, automotive, electronic equipment, metallurgy, electric power, textiles, pumps, medical equipment, scientific research and defense and military fields. High-tech products for new material applications.

The rings and rolling elements of ceramic bearings are made of all-ceramic materials, including zirconium oxide (ZrO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and silicon carbide (Sic). The retainer is made of polytetrafluoroethylene, nylon 66, polyetherimide, zirconia, silicon nitride, stainless steel or special aviation aluminum, thereby expanding the application surface of ceramic bearings.

Welcome new and old customers to contact us and know more about our high precision miniature bearings!