The purpose of a ball bearing is to help reduce friction in various engineering particles for optimised function and efficiency. Within the workings of a ball bearing, all of the individual parts of the framework as a whole are separated by a ring of metal balls, which rotate in order to reduce friction.

Some examples of common items where precision bearings are used include vehicle wheel axles and air conditioning electric-based fans. Leonardo Da Vinci was coined with inventing this particular engineering prototype in its original format, around 1500 A.D. It is a structure that has worked for so many different types of products throughout the years, and in its simplicity has led the way to engineering revolutions of enormous proportions.

How does it all work?

There are several components of a well-functioning ball-bearing, and they include:

• The large outer ring, which everything else fits into.

• A smaller, inner ring which separates the steel balls from the outer ring.

• The steel or metal balls that exist in proportionate distance throughout the circle between the larger and smaller rings that enclose them.

• The steel balls’ “cages” which encase the steel balls to keep them from clacking together.

The entire prerogative of these contraptions is to help stabilise and support a smooth rotation on any given axis they are attached to. How well they work at doing this is what defines a ball-bearing precision level.

It’s science

The reason why ball bearings work to help reduce friction is due to the fact that the balls are not stationary, but in motion; if the elements of the bearings were to be non-moving, a greater amount of friction would be generated, caused by two stationary metals grinding against each other and forcing one to yield to the other. The balls themselves are small spheres, which rotate in equal distance to one another, in order to establish a sense of equilibrium and further reduce friction. Due to their size, the ball bearings can generally withstand only a certain amount of pressure, and this is entirely dependent on the size and structure of the machinery itself and all of its elements.

How is it regulated? And what does ABEC do, and stand for?

ABEC is an industry-wide accepted scale, and stands for the Annular Bearing Engineers’ Committee. ABEC exists to distinguish a particular tolerance or guideline reference for engineers and manufacturers to follow when designing and creating ball bearings, with regard to the inner ring, outer ring, and width of the rings. A ball bearing that is manufactured in consideration to the ABEC scale is thus referred to as a precision bearing.

The scaling system

As with any devices that are to be cooked up to perform at optimum levels, a scaling system is usually implemented to help appoint and designate when an engineer determines the tightness on tolerances with ball bearings: the scale consists of odd numbers, which are given to ball-bearing devices in “grades,” and rate as 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. The greater the number, the higher standard of precision, accuracy and overall competence of the device. Therefore, the greater the number, the smoother and less friction an engineer, manufacturer and/or buyer should expect from the product.

This classification scale can be critical when designing very specific requirements for highly specialised and technical machinery. Higher precision levels also help enable a machine to function faster. But don’t be fooled, this doesn’t mean the ball-bearing’s rotating any faster than its counterpart.

Where can you find them?

In many, many products – you probably wouldn’t even realise what’s functioning with a ball bearing under the wheel. You will most likely be able to find lower-grade ball bearings in every-day devices, in varying degrees of precision, from your family vehicle to electric motors, fans, industrial machines, tractors, and fishing tools.

In many different industrial professions, the use of ball-bearings becomes an essential component of the structure of much equipment. Farmers, automotive technicians, oil and industrial companies, and mining and gas company engineers are all probably very familiar with the inner workings and use of these as widespread tools for functioning engineering units. Whether it’s big or small – in high frequency, heavily manufactured and sold across Australia, or a thoroughly specialised and government-protected entity, the truth is many of our machines can be stripped down to ball bearings.