Thin Section Bearings

As with all bearings, precision thin bearings can improve the overall efficiency of your machinery or equipment. From greater accuracy and reliability to higher speed – put simply they help you increase your profit and build on the service you offer your clients. They also help to lower the running cost of your machinery and lead to less frequent services.

What makes precision thin section bearings unique is that on top of the aforementioned benefits, they also offer reduced friction and increased design flexibility. Thanks to their size and shape they also help to save weight and create additional space.

From medical equipment and aerospace telescopes to fridges and ceiling fans, bearings can be found in almost every mechanism that involves movement. As with all bearings, the precision thin section type work on a very simple principle – things move better when friction is reduced. They can drastically improve the overall efficiency of your machinery or equipment, and at a fraction of the size and weight of a standard bearing.

Whatever your bearing application, Carter have got you covered. From the standard metal-backed buna rubber seals to Polytetra-fluoroethylene (PTFE) seals, PEEK, and fibreglass reinforced PTFE seals available for special applications, we can provide a range of seals to suit the specific needs of your equipment. We can also supply bearings with non-contact metal shields for low torque applications so get in touch today to discuss your requirements further.

Bearing clearance is a key consideration in ensuring the optimal performance of your equipment and should be adjusted to suit each application. For example, when different shaft and housing materials are used, the clearance must be adjusted to account for the coefficients of thermal expansion.

Our thin section bearings can also be built with a preload condition (negative clearance), an application used to increase rigidity and is regularly used in four-point contact and angular contact matched bearing sets

Whatever your requirements, Carter have the knowledge and expertise to advise on fits for mating components and special clearances so get in touch today to find out more.

Available in both standard and bespoke materials, bearing cages are a key part of the products overall performance. SAA-series bearings with a 3/16” cross-section are supplied with NYLON cages as standard, and bearings with a cross-sections from 1/4” to 1” are supplied with brass cages.

Alternative materials include NYLON & PEEK strip cages, phenolic, stainless steel, and full complement construction. Toroidal separator and spacer balls can also be used, depending on your bearing application.

Carter engineering staff are able to help and advise on these options in order to deliver the best-performing solution to your product.

Although they are traditionally manufactured from 52100 bearing steel, Carter can supply thin section bearings in a number of other materials from 440C stainless steel, to aluminium and even composite plastic!

We can also coat the standard 52100 bearing steel races in nodular thin dense chrome (TDC) for corrosion resistance. Doing this can reduce costs and lead times, and provide a harder race surface (up to 78 HRC), while still delivering the benefits of full 52100 steel capacity.

52100 bearing steel balls are used with thin section bearings as standard. However, alternative materials can offer significant advantages to certain applications.

Silicon nitride balls can run effectively with reduced, or even zero lubrication and as they are approximately 50% of the weight of the standard steel ball, they require less force to start up and maintain the cycle. This means that smaller drives can be used, potentially leading to even further weight reduction.

Other popular alternatives to the traditional 52100 bearing steel include industrial ruby, 400C stainless steel, M50 tool steel, and Stellite. These all have a diverse range of physical properties and characteristics (industrial ruby for example has highly specific thermal expansion rates) that engineers can use to their advantage.

Whatever application you’re looking for, Carter can offer a range of lubricants for your thin section bearings. Whether you’re looking for high-speed, corrosion-resistance, smooth-running, food-grade, or aerospace standard, all our lubricants are applied in an aerospace-certified class 1,000 cleanroom for maximum protection and standard of application.

We can also provide dry film lubricants for applications in the ultra-high vacuum and space sectors such as tungsten disulphide and moly disulphide. Contact us today to talk more about how Carter can help you with your thin section bearing performance.

Like every other component of our thin section bearings, angular contact arrangements can be adjusted to suit the application. Typical arrangements for angular contact bearings include face-to-face, back-to-back, and tandem, with a built-in preload to suit the specific application.

Carter can advise on the best solution for the criteria you provide and offer industry-leading turnaround times for matched bearing sets when race components are stock.

Carter’s thin section bearings offer numerous advantages in applications that other industry alternatives do not. Their lightweight design and high rigidity means they can work effectively in environments where other standard bearings are not suitable, and the adaptability of materials to suit application means that we can engineer a solution that works for you.

There are also multiple design advantages to using our thin section bearings, including the possibility of using hollow shafts for further weight reduction, or to provide additional storage space for electrical cabling, hydraulic hoses, or even components to pass through the middle of the bearing.

Our expert and experienced engineering team are well-versed in the numerous advantages of Carter products and are always on hand to support and advise you when selecting your bearing.

Thin section bearings have many advantages, so it’s no surprise that they’re used across so many industries. From space, aerospace, defence, radar equipment, and satellite gimbals to medical, oil and gas, slip rings, ultra-high vacuum, and semiconductors, organisations worldwide are trusting Carter to provide the high-quality, performance-driven solutions for which we are known.

Explore our case studies to see just a few of our bearings in action, or contact us today for more information on how we can help you.