Home > What's New > What’s the smallest miniature ball bearing in the world?
What’s the smallest miniature ball bearing in the world? 2011-12-16
The ball bearing has come a long way since it was first invented! Leonardo da Vinci would be amazed at what his idea has become. His ball bearings were made from wood and much larger than what is on the market today. Our world uses the ball bearing in many things from automobiles to intricate medical instruments. Of course the first real patent of the ball bearing was given to an English inventor named Philip Vaughn in 1791.
There is no record available for the size of the largest ball bearing ever made but there is a lot about the miniature ball bearing. The smallest of these has an outside diameter of 1.50mm, inside diameter of 0.50mm, width of 0.65mm and can be slimmed down to 0.4mm for low speed use. This miniature bearing is just a little bigger than the lead of a mechanical pencil! It is actually smaller than a grain of rice yet has the capability of high speed rotation of more than 5,000 rpms.
These ultra miniature bearings are made out of 440C stainless steel and usually contain six balls. Although they can be customized for certain intricate tools such as doctors and dentists would need. A big concern when assembling these for surgical procedure tools is in using materials that can hold up to the heat during sterilization and the acids found inside the human body. Special shielding of the bearings is essential because of their minute size. Even the smallest of contamination particles can cause failure of the tool.
The miniature ball bearing must be handled with extreme care. This is why these bearings are generally packaged in Class 100 clean rooms after final inspection. When handling the miniature bearing the use of surgical gloves is required because the acid of the human skin can damage the outer surface of the bearing. Assembly workers should use clean room-spec caps, shoe covers and smocks when working with the tiny bearings. Females should avoid wearing makeup when in the assembly area.
Don’t let the tiny size of these bearings fool you! They are made to withstand the harshest conditions possible and can withstand the high loads and operating speeds that the medical field will place upon them. Extra care is taken to make sure that the shield will help retain the lubricant as well as preventing any debris to work its way into the bearing.
Ball bearings whether small or large are what keep things in our everyday life going. From the tiny ones used in surgical tools to the larger ones used in architecture we all need them at some point in our lives. I find it interesting that the columns at the San Francisco Airport are placed on steel ball bearings, each five feet in diameter. The ball sits in a concave foundation. If an earthquake happens the ground can move up to 20 inches in any direction, while the columns roll on the bases. After the earthquake the columns are re-centered by the force of gravity!
Bicycle bearing
(7)
