Bearing Works manufactures the retainers for our deep groove and angular contact bearing lines.
The retainer keeps the balls equally spaced providing equal load distribution and prevents unnecessary wear of the rolling elements.
A retainer material with fillers can provide certain lubrication benefits as normal wear occurs. Numerous composite materials are available that are not listed here that can meet certain environmental and functional requirements.
Please contact us for further information.
PEEK and Vespel are generally considered vacuum compatible.
PPS offers the greatest chemical resistance and along with PEEK is FDA and USDA compliant.
PEEK and PPS offer the highest speed capability as a retainer material
Material compatibility in critical and or sensitive environments such as vacuum applications is subject to your bench testing and data sheet evaluation.
Since application environments vary greatly the following chart is simply a guideline.
| Material | Max Temp | Speed (dN)*% | Outgassing | Particle Generation | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEEK | 480 F | 650,000 | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate |
| PPS | 425 F | 650,000 | Good | Excellent | Moderate |
| VESPEL | 500 F | 600,000 | Excellent | Excellent | High |
| TORLON | 500 F | 600,000 | Excellent | Excellent | Moderate |
| TEFLON | 550 F | 30,000 | Good | Good | Low |
| NYLON | 250 F | 250,000 | Poor | Good | Low |
| PHENOLIC | 300 F | 600,000 | Poor | Poor | Low |
*d=inner bore diameter,N=RPM
%; Inner ring piloted, open configuration