The Complete Scale of Bearings: From Miniature to Massive

Ball bearings and roller bearings come in a wide range of shapes and sizes which have thousands of different applications. These bearings are integral to many devices which are evident in the range of sizes available, from miniature ball bearings to gigantic roller bearings and everything in between.

Miniature ball bearings have a multitude of uses including being part of the mechanisms for fishing reels, computers, vacuum cleaners, skateboards, medical equipment and lots more. As the bearings are so small it means they can still operate in tight spaces, such as inside a computer for example, and their small size also means that these bearings are highly precise. Precision bearings offer “extended speed capability, a high degree of running accuracy, high system rigidity, low heat generation, as well as, low noise and vibration levels,” which are all vital in small machinery which relies on pin-point accuracy to work.

At the other end of the scale are the massive roller bearings which can be used to move huge pieces of rock and materials. As rollers do just what you would expect, roll, they dramatically reduce the friction created by two pieces of material rubbing against each other, which in turn makes moving large objects much easier. One of the first noted uses of using rollers to bear the weight of large objects was in the building of the pyramids where rollers, sledges and lubricant (in the form of water) were used to bear the weight of the massive chunks of rock which were transported to the pyramid site in Giza. This type of use of huge roller bearings is still applicable today and is sometimes used to moving buildings to a different location such as the Cape Hatteras lighthouse which had to be moved due to coastal erosion.