How Bearings are made video

John B. · Feb 2, 2014

Here's another good video worth watching.
Ball Bearing Manufacturing

504 · Feb 2, 2014

You should see the rusty stuff they start with. It all is machined out, but it is still funny to me they store the wire and pipe they build with out side.

RalphWD45 · Feb 3, 2014

That makes me courious, as to how the technique has changed since our grandfathers day.

Texasmark1 · Feb 3, 2014

Funny I was thinking about making those bearings just a few days ago. I watched the video twice and see how they assemble the inner outer races separately and all then push them together.

Butttttt the raceways are tighter in circumference than the balls are in diameter meaning that if you remove the spacers the balls won't fall out, just run together it seems to me. When I go out in the shop today I am going to disassemble one and just prove/disprove the point to myself. Obviously I don't realize something because they do push them together and do it billions of times a year for 100s of years!!!!!!

Other thing is how many processes and sophisticated low tolerance machines are required to produce one bearing and it sell at retail for $10, like for a 6302 for example.

Amazes me!
Mark

John B. · Feb 3, 2014

Mark the bearings aren't pressed together or balls aren't pressed in. The center race is off center from the outer race then when the balls are spaced evenly around the bearing the center race centers up. Like putting a tire on a rim. You start one side first and work your way around.

rustyfarmall · Feb 3, 2014

I used to work in a ball bearing factory. I know all too well how those things are made. For what it's worth, every once in awhile, the raw stock is bad enough that it cannot be used for making bearings. The type of steel it is made from means it cannot be used for anything else either.

Steve@Advance · Feb 3, 2014

Sometimes you'll see a half moon cutout on the inner and outer races where they feed in the balls on some bearings.

What is amazing is the tolerances they can hold! From polishing the balls to exactly the right size and roundness, to grinding the races to perfection... Only someone who has done machine work would fully understand how hard it is to hold those type tolerances. The smaller the bearing, the harder to make! Then retail for $10? That means the manufacturer gets what? $3.00 in US, .50cents in China!

rustyfarmall · Feb 3, 2014

(quoted from post at 09:20:02 02/03/14) Sometimes you'll see a half moon cutout on the inner and outer races where they feed in the balls on some bearings.

What is amazing is the tolerances they can hold! From polishing the balls to exactly the right size and roundness, to grinding the races to perfection... Only someone who has done machine work would fully understand how hard it is to hold those type tolerances. The smaller the bearing, the harder to make! Then retail for $10? That means the manufacturer gets what? $3.00 in US, .50cents in China!

There are tolerances. The balls can be a little on the plus side or the minus side. Likewise the races have tolerances. When the parts reach the assembly line, an inner ring is dropped into the outer ring, and then the spacing is measured. This measurement determines which size ball (plus or minus) will be used, and the appropriate size is then selected from a hopper. The whole process is completely automated and happens so fast you have to watch closely to see it.

Janicholson · Feb 3, 2014

Exactly. The heavier ball counts have a squeeze put on the outer race to get more balls in. A full complement bearing has notches to load balls edge to edge. Jim

Texasmark1 · Feb 4, 2014

Rusty,

Am I understanding that the inner race is offset when filled with
balls (touching each other) leaving a (loading) gap on one side that
disappears when the spacers are installed? If so, then I understand
how you get all the balls between the races.

Thanks,
Mark

rustyfarmall · Feb 4, 2014

(quoted from post at 06:57:42 02/04/14) Rusty,

Am I understanding that the inner race is offset when filled with
balls (touching each other) leaving a (loading) gap on one side that
disappears when the spacers are installed? If so, then I understand
how you get all the balls between the races.

Thanks,
Mark

Exactly. The balls are spaced out when the cage goes on. The cage is made in two parts. One part has the rivets (pins), the other part just has holes for the pins to go through, and then the pins are riveted. In the time it takse you to read this, approximately 10 to 12 bearings would have been completely assembled, greased, the seals or shields installed, and continued on to the inspection table.

How Bearings are made video

John B.

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504

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