Sometimes old habits die hard. Industrial electric motor mechanics who have used the same steel ball bearings for years are often reluctant to try ceramic hybrid ball bearings. Maybe they think the steel ball bearings they’ve always used are working just fine (the old “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” mentality), or perhaps they think ceramic hybrid ball bearings are too expensive, or maybe they’ve just never looked into the benefits of ceramic hybrid ball bearings. Whatever the reason, we know … [Read more...]
From Wood to Ceramic: The History of Ball Bearings
If you sit down and really think about it, ball bearings are a fascinating invention! They are one of the integral parts that make so many of the machines we use every day work efficiently. The use of ball bearings goes back to as early as 40 B.C. where they were discovered to have been used on a Roman ship. Of course, they weren’t the steel ball bearings or ceramic hybrid ball bearings that we know today. They were rudimentary parts made from wood. But the concept was there! The first patent … [Read more...]
Customer Story Highlights the Service You’ll Receive from CBR Bearings
We talk a lot on our website and on this blog about how we deliver top-quality ceramic hybrid bearings at affordable prices and with quick turnaround times, but sometimes it’s helpful to hear about an actual experience that a customer had when they called CBR for bearings. Because we’re a specialty bearing company, a lot of people still don’t know about us. Those in need of bearings for their industrial electric motors will often go through a bearing distributor or to a larger company with a … [Read more...]
World Record Holder for Motorcycle Speed Uses Ceramic Hybrid Bearings from CBR
Back in August, a group of motorcycle racers headed to the Andes Mountains in Bolivia for the Top 1 Top of the World Speed trials, with the hopes of breaking the world record for the fastest partially-streamlined motorcycle. Despite the challenges of the thin air at 12,000 feet above sea level, the low temperatures, and limited daylight, racer Ralph Hudson and his turbocharged Suzuki motorcycle broke the record with an average speed of 284.361mph on the salt flats of Lake Uyani. The record was … [Read more...]
Why Industrial Electric Motor Service Providers Should Consider Ceramic Hybrid Bearings
In our many years in the bearing manufacturing industry, we’ve come to find that certain habits among motor repair technicians die hard. Many who have always used steel ball bearings to repair motors are reluctant to try something else, such as ceramic hybrid ball bearings. We understand that new products and technologies seem to come and go almost on a daily basis, so making the switch to something you aren’t as familiar with can feel risky, but ceramic hybrid ball bearings are a tried and true … [Read more...]
How to Prevent Electrical Arcing in Motors with a VFD
If you own, operate, or provide maintenance for equipment with motors using a variable frequency drive (VFD), you likely are aware of the problem of electrical arcing. It’s not a new or uncommon problem. Electrical arcing occurs when the voltage level gets too high and causes an ongoing electric discharge, which can damage your equipment and eventually cause it to fail. In the December 2017 edition of Currents, the monthly publication for members of the Electrical Apparatus Service … [Read more...]
Custom Ceramic Hybrid Bearings Direct from our Bearing Lab
CBR Bearing is a company that has come to be known throughout our industry as a company you can call on when you need standard-size ceramic hybrid bearings delivered quickly. Bearing distributors and those in the industrial electric motor repair industry often contact us first when they need a quick turnaround on ceramic hybrid bearings. That’s because they know we always have our shelves stocked with all of the standard bearing sizes, ready for same-day shipping. But did you know that CBR also … [Read more...]
Planning Your 2018 Budget? Consider Upgrading Your Equipment with Ceramic Hybrid Ball Bearings
With the end of this year approaching, we’re guessing that many business owners are finalizing their budgets for the new year. If business looks promising, your new budget may be increasing from the previous year’s, or you may be tightening it if things have been on a downward trend. No matter what your projections for the next year look like, if your company has equipment that regularly needs to replace ball bearings, such as equipment with industrial electric motors, you may want to make … [Read more...]
Is American Manufacturing Dead?
These days you hear a lot about the demise of the manufacturing industry in the United States. It was one of the main topics in the 2016 presidential election, and rightly so—it’s an important issue for many Americans who depend on the manufacturing industry for their livelihoods. You hear about factories closing and jobs being outsourced to other countries like China or Mexico, and you might wonder if the trend will ever end. While it’s true that manufacturing in the United States isn’t what … [Read more...]
Ceramic Ball Bearings vs. Steel Balls Bearings: Is There Any Real Difference?
Steel ball bearings have been the standard bearings used in industrial electric motors for many years. When one particular product has been used for so long, we understand that it can be difficult for people to make the switch to something else, even if it may be a better product that offers superior performance. Steel bearings have served many people well for a lot of years, but if you find that you are replacing your steel ball bearings more frequently than you’d like, or if your bearings … [Read more...]
