Minibearings Cages - Bearings - Technical Information

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Minibearings Cages - Bearings - Technical Information

Bearing Cages / Retainers

The purpose of the cage is to hold and separate the rolling elements (balls) of the bearing.

The most common types of cage used for miniature ball bearings are the two piece ribbon and the one piece steel crown types. The crown type is better suited to low torque , low speed applications. These two types of cage are interchangeable in the majority of applications. These cages are usually made from steel, with the steel grade depending upon the manufacturer. Cages may be made from brass, SAE52100 chrome steel or stainless steel; AISI302, AISI410, AISI430 or AISI440C

Larger bearings (over 10mm bore size) usually utilise a two piece steel riveted cage allowing for higher loads, and more vibrational and acceleration stresses.

Bearings with no cage and extra balls are called full complement type (full complement of balls). Generally these bearings allow for higher loads but slower speeds than caged types. These bearings have a filling slot on the edge of either the inner or outer ring. This is where the extra balls are inserted during assembly.

2 Piece Cages

Diagram of Steel Ribbon	Steel Ribbon	Brass Ribbon	Steel Riveted Cage
1 Piece Cages

Diagram of Steel Crown	Steel Crown		Synthetic Crown
No Cage

Full Complement		Full Complement Note the filling slot to the lower right of the bearing.

High speed applications require bearings with a crown type retainer manufactured from one of various types of synthetic materials including

NYLON
DELRIN^Ž ACETAL RESINS
PHENOLIC LAMINATES.
PEEK^Ž
GLASS RE-INFORCED POLYAMIDE (NYLON)
TORLON^Ž

Please note however that high speed is a relative term. High speed for a 10mm bearing is not the same as high speed for a 4mm bearing and high speed for a skating application is not the same as high speed for a dental handpiece.

DELRIN^Žand PEEK^Ž are registered trademarks of DuPont.

TORLON^Žis a registered trademark of BP Amoco Polymers.

Synthetic Cages

Phenolic (KB or KC)	Phenolic (KB or KC)	Glass Re-inforced Polyamide (T9H or TNH)

White Nylon (TW) Packed	White Nylon (TW)

Cages for other types of bearings

Double Row Self Aligning with Crown Type Cage	Acetal Bearing with Acetal Crown Type Cage

Flat Raced Thrust Bearing with Nylon Cage	Grooved Race Thrust Bearing with Brass Cage

You can purchase MBA product from any of our Distributors or online from Small Parts and Bearings.

Resellers can log into their accounts on the MBA web site.

Miniature Bearings Main Pages

Technical Index

Product Technical Information

Balls	Bearings	Couplings
Pins	Shafting	Timing Belts and Pulleys

Other Technical Information

Basic Information Sheets	Catalogues	Glossary of Technical Terms
Links to Further Information	Materials Information	Measurement Conversions
Skate Bearing FAQ	Technical Information Sheets

Tables and information on this web site should be read as a general guide only. The relevant standards should be consulted to ensure accuracy

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Site Summary:

Miniature Bearings Australia offers over 100,000 products including small bearings, timing pulleys, timing belts, seals, o-rings, gears etc - see the full listing in the Online Catalogue. Our main business is through resellers including the online only distributor Small Parts and Bearings and the counter sales distributor H.E. Supplies (Hobby Engineering Supplies). Small Parts and Bearings online sales are located within our building in Dividend Street Mansfield. H.E. Supplies are located just around the corner at 186 Wecker Road Mansfield. There are many other distributors located throughout Australia and Worldwide so there are hundreds of places to buy our product. Using the links at the top of this page you will find extensive information including catalogues (Products and Store link), technical data, and other product specific information.

We sell our product worldwide through distributors. If you are a distributor of mechanical parts such as bearings and power transmission products, and you have an interest in becoming a distributor for Miniature Bearings Australia in your area/country please contact sales@minibearings.com.au with information about your company. Miniature Bearings Australia are a wholesale and OEM supply company only. There are some foreign language introductory pages in French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese available on our site.

If you wish to purchase product online, the Small Parts and Bearings online store is linked directly to the Miniature Bearings Australia online catalogue, so all new MBA products are added automatically to their store. Recent additions include full ceramic bearings in Silicon Nitride and Zirconia, and ceramic hybrid bearings for pushbikes and other applications. New products are being added every week. We also suggest that you may want to take a look at the technical information sites - Shafting Information, Couplings Information, Gearboxes Information and General Engineering Parts Information.

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