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What advantages do our plastic ball bearings offer?

The alternative to metal bearings

Our xiros® plastic ball bearings

The rust-proof alternative to metal ball bearings

xiros® plastic ball bearings according to DIN 625 require no lubrication, are corrosion-free (when using glass or plastic balls) and operate extremely quietly. This makes them a cost-effective alternative to metallic ball bearings. Made from a mixture of tribopolymers, the iglidur® material plastic components are light, resistant to chemicals and non-magnetic. This ensures safe use in medicine, packaging, food processing, drive technology and many other industries. Whereas the plastic of our xiros® ball bearings consists of a mixture of basic plastics, solid lubricants, fibres and filaments, the balls are typically made of glass, plastic or stainless steel. The balls are housed in a cage, which can consist of our own xirodur B180 material, polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP) or polyether ether ketone (PEEK).

Where are ball bearings used? And what types are there?

Ball bearings have become indispensable in mechanical engineering. There are various ball bearing designs for which mass and technical composition of the components depend on the specifications of the industrial application. The following list shows the most commonly used ball bearings and where they are used.

Deep groove ball bearing according to DIN 625:

This type of ball bearing absorbs radial forces and is used wherever components rotate. In the automotive industry, for example, deep groove ball bearings can be found in the chassis, where they support and guide the axes. There is always radial force when the axis rotates.Angular ball bearing based on DIN 628:

This bearing is designed to support both radial and axial forces in one direction. Angular ball bearings make higher speeds possible and reduce friction for a wide range of loads. Angular ball bearings are used in the bicycle industry, the automotive sector or, for example, in the spindles of machine tools.

Self-aligning ball bearing based on DIN 630:

This type of ball bearing is generally used in applications with long shafts. This is associated with the assembly problems arising from holes in the housing. Axial forces are important in self-aligning ball bearings. These forces need to be kept low, since the running grooves in the outer race have limited contact surfaces for the rolling elements. This type is used for general-purpose mechanical engineering.Thrust bearing according to DIN 711:

As the name of the bearing suggests, this ball bearing is designed to support axial loads. They are available in a single-row or double-row version and are already in use in numerous applications in the medical technology and packaging industries.

Frequently asked questions about xiros® plastic ball bearings.

What are ball bearings?

Ball bearings belong to the family of rolling bearings. Moving between an inner ring and an outer ring, rolling bodies reduce rotational friction and absorb radial and axial loads. Because the balls roll, they have a much smaller coefficient of friction than two flat surfaces that slide against each other. Due to the smaller contact surface between balls and rings, the ball bearings tend to have a lower load capacity for their size than other kinds of rolling bearings.

What advantages do the xiros® plastic ball bearings have over other ball bearings? 

Xiros® plastic ball bearings are lubrication and maintenance-free. They are lightweight, corrosion resistant and have a high media resistance.

Where are xiros® plastic ball bearings used?

There are lots of applications and industries that xiros® ball bearings are used, labelling machines, food and packaging and conveyors. 

Around the world, customers already rely on xiros polymer ball bearings

Ball bearing wiki: Technical information about ball bearings