There are many kinds of motion, so many kinds of bearing designs exist to accommodate them. In the case of a desk or dresser drawer, the metal slide mounted to the desk or dresser allows drawers to be moved in and out. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
LSP Industrial Ceramics, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC | 609-397-8330, 609-397-8341As a manufacturer and stocking distributor of industrial and technical ceramics, LSP carries the most diversified inventory of ceramic tubes, spacers, bushings, etc. in the industry.
C-Mac International, LLC
Pittsburgh, PA | 412-406-7171C-Mac International, LLC is a custom ceramics supplier. We provide advanced ceramic component parts manufacturing for a variety of industries and provide solutions to many ceramic needs.
Insaco Inc.
Quakertown, PA | 215-536-3500Insaco provides custom grinding and machining services to fabricate precision parts from sapphire, quartz, and most technical ceramics including alumina, zirconia, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, and others.
Applied Ceramics
Fremont, CA | 510-249-9700Years of experience have created unique specializations and expertise of our engineering and product consultation team. Applied Ceramics has a proven track record in creating the highest quality products for semiconductor processing equipment, automotive ceramics, cutting tools and many other industrial ceramics. We’ve machined products for industries such as aerospace/aviation, medical, nuclear, and more, but can produce products from high-end materials for all relevant enterprises.
Alumina Ceramic Components, Inc.
Latrobe, PA | 724-532-1900Alumina Ceramic Components, Inc. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer that specializes in precision engineered ceramic components. We work most often with green machining and press to shape ceramics. We also provide post firing grinding, glazing, and colorization. We fabricate parts made to the customer’s specifications.
Elan Technology
Midway, GA | 912-880-3526Utilizing advanced ceramic materials, Elan offers innovative solutions at competitive prices with short lead times: Technical glass & ceramic parts for aerospace & defense, microelectronics, health care, lighting, automotive, marine, telecommunications, etc. The preeminent independent U.S. company producing technical glass, ceramic & glass ceramic composite preforms for hermetic seals & spacers.
Ceramic Bearings - C-Mac International, LLCCeramic bearings came in a vast variety of shapes and sizes, since they are used in such a variety of products. In the case of rotating axles, a ceramic bearing can be a simple, lubricated cylinder in which the axle turns.
Ceramic Bearings - C-Mac International, LLCMore complicated bearings involve a series of spherical, conic or rod shapes that facilitate the movement of two pieces relative to each other. In each case, the bearing construction material must be strong enough to bear weight, sometimes in uneven distribution, for extended periods of time without breaking.
They must also be abrasion-resistant, as the constant friction caused by movement can wear surfaces down. They must not corrode when exposed to greases and oils necessary for smooth movement, and they must be uniformly shaped so as not to impede movement. Certain ceramics have proven themselves to be perfect bearing construction materials because of their durability, heat and corrosion resistance.
Engineering ceramics, which are all ceramic materials employed in industrial contexts, are non-metal composites characterized by hardness, strength and ease of formation. Because many ceramics are easily shaped, they can be formed into the many shapes that bearings take. Accommodating all of the different kinds of motion involved in moving parts requires the fabrication of a wide range of shapes.
Linear motion, which is the kind of motion involved in opening and closing a drawer, requires long channels to serve as bearings. Ceramics can easily and economically be extruded; extrusion is the best process for creating long, specially-shaped strips and channels. Molding processes are also possibilities in creating ceramic shapes.
In both molding and extrusion, raw ceramic materials like aluminum oxide and silicon carbide are heated to their melting points and forced into a shaping tool. The possibilities for thermoforming processes like these are limited only by manufacturers' budgets and the imaginations of their design personnel.
Ceramic balls can be created for use as ball bearings; ceramic rods can be extruded for use in axels; ceramic rings can be molded for use as bearing surfaces.