Follow me on: 
What are Common Types of Ceramic Bearings
Ceramic bearings have excellent properties such as wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and high speed. They have been widely used in extremely harsh environments or working conditions with special requirements, such as aerospace, petrochemical, electronic equipment and other industries. Full ceramic bearings are a type of bearing whose rings and rolling elements are made of ceramic materials such as zirconium oxide (ZrO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4), silicon carbide (SiC), etc.; there are many types of retainers, and common manufacturing materials include polytetrafluoroethylene, nylon 66, polyetherimide, zirconium oxide, silicon nitride, stainless steel or special aviation aluminum, etc.
Zirconia
Bearing rings and rolling elements are made of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) ceramic material, and retainers are usually made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Special materials can also be made of glass fiber reinforced nylon 66 (RPA66-25), special engineering plastics (PEEK, PI) or stainless steel (AISISUS316) and brass (Cu) and other metal materials.
Silicon nitride
The bearing rings and rolling elements are made of silicon nitride (Si3N4). Compared with ZrO2 bearings, they have higher speed and load capacity and can adapt to higher temperatures. They can be used in spindle parts that require high speed, high precision and high rigidity. The highest precision is usually in the P4 to UP level.
Hybrid ceramics
The bearing rings are made of metal materials such as bearing steel (GCr15) or stainless steel (AISI440C), while the rolling elements are ceramic balls; they are made of ceramic materials such as ZrO2, Si3N4, or SiC. It has excellent characteristics such as low density, high hardness, wear resistance, rigidity, low friction and density, and its service life has been greatly extended.
Classification by application
(1) High-speed bearings: mainly used in high-speed and high-precision equipment with a speed of 12,000-75,000 rpm; they have low elasticity, high pressure resistance, light weight, and a wide temperature range;
(2) High-temperature resistant bearings: used in high-temperature equipment such as furnaces, plastics, and steelmaking; their manufacturing materials can withstand high temperatures of 1,200°C, have good self-lubricating properties, and do not expand at operating temperatures between 100°C and 800°C.
(3) Corrosion-resistant bearings: can be used in electronic equipment, chemical machinery, medical equipment, etc., which need to deal with working environments full of extremely harsh media such as strong acids and alkalis, organic mixtures, or seawater.
(4) Anti-magnetic bearings: ceramic ball bearings are non-magnetic and are used in demagnetization equipment, precision instruments, and other equipment; they can effectively avoid the adsorption of dust, thereby reducing the possibility of bearing surface peeling, and have low operating noise.
(5) Electrically insulating bearings: ceramic materials have high resistivity, which can effectively prevent arcs from breaking through components and causing damage to bearings. They are often used in electrical equipment that requires insulation.
(6) Vacuum bearings: The self-lubricating performance of ceramic bearings can effectively solve the problem that ordinary bearings cannot be lubricated in ultra-high vacuum environments.
Conclusion
Ceramic bearings refer to bearings whose rolling elements are made of ceramic. They are usually used in precision angular contact ball bearings and precision cylindrical roller bearings. They have excellent high speed and low temperature rise characteristics and can allow short-term oil-free operation. There are also some specific types of ceramic bearings, such as deep groove ball ceramic insulated bearings, cylindrical roller ceramic insulated bearings, spherical roller ceramic insulated bearings and tapered roller ceramic insulated bearings. These bearings have unique advantages in specific applications, such as high hardness, high wear resistance, high temperature resistance, high insulation performance, high radial load capacity, excellent mechanical properties and anti-oxidation properties. There are many types of ceramic bearings, and each type has its own unique application scenarios and performance characteristics. In practical applications, it is necessary to select the appropriate type according to the specific working environment and requirements to ensure its performance and life.