Use of Bearing Materials

MTWB’s engineering team has vast experience in using materials other than GCr15 and standard  stainless steel . We can recommend the best bearing materials hence to achieve a better performance for corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance or wear resistance given customer’s application and temperature range.  Here forth is MTWB’s experience regarding use of bearing materials:

(A)  Stainless Steel X65Cr13

SS X65Cr13 is commonly used for miniature bearings in cutting tools or surgical applications.  It is a martensitic alloy  steel with a higher carbon  content and has  a <7% retained austenite value.  Its corrosion resistance is compatible to 440C. 

(B)  Martensitic Stainless Steel SV30

Special stainless steel X30CrMoN15-1 (SV30) is the best bearing ring material for aerospace, medical and spindle applications, its mechanical properties are stronger than any existing bearing material, its corrosion and temperature resistances are excellent, up to 450℃. Martensitic stainless steel is gotten from raw steel by reducing the carbon content and introducing nitrogen as an agent over the alloying process. Nitrogen increases the saturation of chromium, which is converted to chromium nitride instead of chromium carbide, resulting in a high-strength, high-hardness steel with excellent microstructure that can extend the fatigue life by 100% (twice) in some applications. This material also offers enhanced corrosion resistance, better than 440C and ACD34 (5 times higher).

(C)  M50/Cr4Mo4V

M50 steel has high hardness, excellent wear resistance, good thermal stability, excellent mechanical strength and good corrosion resistance.

(M50 National Standards - GB:Cr4Mo4V, ASTM:M50, NF:S80DCV40)

(D)  L605 Cobalt Alloy

L605 is a cobalt based alloy which has medium durability and creep strength under 815℃, excellent oxidation resistance under 1090℃, and satisfactory forming, welding and other manufacturing process properties.

(E)  GR5 Titanium Alloy

GR5 titanium alloy is a high performance material, its chemical composition is carefully designed and optimized. The material is mainly composed of titanium, a small amount of aluminum, vanadium and other alloys that not only improve the strength of GR5 titanium alloy, but also gives it excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature stability.

(F)  Ceramic Materials

Ceramic materials (Zro2, Si3N4) has the characteristics of higher temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, wear resistance，non-magnetic，non-electrical conducting，self- lubricating，lower friction than other metal bearing materials.  With a good choice of cage materials for example PTFE, Nylon 66, Polyetherimide Ammonia, Zirconia, Stainless Steel or Special Aviation Aluminum, ceramic bearing can be a perfect solution to demanding application for longer bearing life, higher speed or operating temperature up to 250 ℃.

(G)  Precision Plastic Materials

Precision plastic materials (POM and PA) has excellent mechanical strength, wearing resistance, self-lubricating and low friction characteristic. The inner and outer rings of a precision plastic bearing are usually made from POM, the cage is PA and balls are glass, stainless steel or ceramic. The main advantages of precision plastic materials are light weight, low maintenance and cost-effective.