For machinery and equipment to operate properly, the right bearings are key components transferring load, reducing friction and enabling smooth motion. With bearings for every rotating application imaginable, how do you know what type your project requires? This guide breaks down common bearing varieties to inform your online purchases.
Our catalog showcases standard UK stock for immediate dispatch. For specialised or high-volume requests, discuss custom manufacturing with our engineering team as well.
Ball Bearings
One of the most common basic varieties, ball bearings consist of freely rotating metal balls sandwiched between inner and outer races, distributing loads evenly. Together these components reduce friction during linear motion or rotation. Ball bearing types include:
- Deep groove - versatile handling moderate speeds and loads, these work in almost any direction
- Angular contact – handling combined loads, these skew balls for enhanced alignment
- Thrust - absorbing axial loads, these deploy balls perpendicular to thrust faces
Ball bearings suit most general industrial applications from conveyors to electric motors, pumps, compressors and presses handling moderate stresses. Specify load direction, precision grade and seals to select the right ball bearing.
Roller Bearings
Featuring cylinder or tapered rollers between races distributing heavier loads with less friction, roller bearings excel when coping with vibration and impact too. Common options include:
- Cylindrical - compactly handling purely radial loads
- Tapered – suited to combined loads with tapered rollers
- Spherical - enabling adjustment through three planes
- Thrust – using rollers and washers for one-direction axial loads
From gearboxes and transmissions to turbines, large fans, railway axles, rolling mills and machine tools, roller bearings manage substantial stresses and shocks. Confirm physical capacities plus directional loads when specifying.
Plain Bearings
Also called sleeve bearings or bushings, these enable rotational or linear shaft motion via a plain cylindrical lining with no rolling elements. Offering quiet operation, plain bearings suit precision machinery vulnerable to vibration from balls or rollers. Sub-varieties include:
- Plastic plain – polymer composites like nylon or acetal, often flanged
- Metal plain - cast iron, cast bronze or powdered metal
- Plain thrust – distributing axial loads along a housing
Besides their vibration dampening, plain bearings offer affordable low-speed low-load solutions for applications like solenoids, linkages, pivots and small electric motors. Define directional load limits when selecting.
Specialised Bearing Solutions
Key Bearing Specifications
Whether choosing off-the-shelf or custom bearings, critical details include:
Inside Diameter (ID) – matching shaft fit
Outside Diameter (OD) – fitting housing bore
Thickness – occupying available space along shaft
Series Size – optimising internal geometry for loads
Precision Grade – meeting accuracy and vibration needs
Sealing Options – protecting interiors from contaminants
Lubrication Types – facilitating friction reduction
Refer to machinery diagrams or existing bearings to identify replacements matching all spatial, load and environmental specs.
Leading Supplier of Online Bearings
As the UK’s top online outlet for off-the-shelf bearings, Bearing Revolution maintains extensive stock allowing same-day dispatch for standard items. Consult our catalog covering:
- Ball, roller and plain bearings
- Bearing units, blocks and housings
- Bearing insertlocks, extractor tools and accessories
- Leading manufacturers’ products in all common sizes
- Materials spanning high carbon chrome steel, stainless steel and plastics
Order individual replacements cost-effectively 24/7 or discuss volume quotes tailored to large-scale OEM needs directly with our account management team. Receive competent technical guidance on selecting optimal bearings via live chat, email or phone too.
For quality bearings dispatched promptly across UK, trust Bearing Revolution to deliver affordably priced solutions engineered to support your rotating machinery over long lifetimes. Browse our online range now.
