Here at CBR Bearing, we’ve been talking about the benefits of ceramic hybrid bearings for years. We manufactured and sold our first ceramic hybrid bearing in 2002 and have been doing so ever since. We specialize in ceramic hybrid bearings for high-performance applications, such as industrial electric motors, and our customers return to us again and again to supply them with bearings that keep their equipment running efficiently and with little interruption. They have experienced the benefits themselves and many tell us they will never go back to traditional steel ball bearings.
Unfortunately, as a small bearing manufacturer, our voice isn’t as loud as some of the large bearing manufacturers that have been around forever and whose names are well known in the industry. While we’ve been trying to get the word out about these types of bearings for years, it wasn’t until more recently that the large bearing manufacturers began to really get on board and start touting their benefits as well.
It’s true that most of the large bearing manufacturers have been making ceramic hybrid bearings for a while now, but all-steel bearings have typically been their “bread and butter.” However, something changed in recent years, and now they seem to be fully on board with ceramic hybrid bearings. Perhaps it was the growing demand for these types of bearings from consumers that caused them to start pushing them more aggressively. Whatever the reason, we are pleased to see other companies get the word out about ceramic hybrid bearings. It just means that more people who can benefit from them will be convinced to give them a try.
Here’s what SKF had to say in a publication they released several years ago called “Hybrid Bearings: A Solution for Improved Reliability Under Severe Operating Conditions.” They said ceramic hybrid bearings “… can substantially improve reliability and robustness when incorporated into new or existing industrial equipment. This is particularly true in all applications where the bearings are often exposed to potentially damaging abrasive particles, inadequate lubrication, vibration or stray electric currents.”
JTEKT, another giant in the bearing industry said in their catalog dedicated to bearings for extreme special environments, “Ceramic bearings… have the special properties that steel bearings do not have, such as being non-magnetic or insulating. Ceramic bearings are highly heat resistant, enabling a rolling bearing to be practical in a high temperature environment. The low density of ceramic decreases the centrifugal force induced by rolling elements, contributing to an increased speed of the apparatus.”
As a smaller, specialty manufacturer of bearings, we’re happy to see these large companies say what we’ve been saying all along—ceramic hybrid bearings are superior to steel bearings in virtually every way. If you haven’t yet given them a try, contact us to place an order or to have any of your questions answered. We sell our bearings directly to consumers—no need to go through a bearing dealer—to give our customers the best prices possible.
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