Materials - Technical Information - Hobby and Engineering

Materials

Standard materials used for the races of our miniature ball bearings are AISI440C Stainless Steel and SAE52100 Chrome Alloy Bearing Steel

AISI440C Stainless Steel bearings are heat treated to a hardness usually from Rockwell C 58 to Rockwell C 61+. All RMB German Product is manufactured to a minimum of Rockwell C 61. The maximum recommended operating temperature is 177^o Celsius (350^o Farenheight).

SAE52100 chrome steel Bearings are usually slightly harder than AISI440C bearings. RMB heat treats their SAE52100 chrome steel bearings to Rockwell C 61-64. The maximum recommended operating temperature of chrome steel bearings is 120^o Celsius (248^o Farenheight).

Operating temperatures higher than those shown above will need special treatment. Please consult MBA.

See our sections on seals and shields and cages for information about the materials used in these parts.

Bearings for very corrosive environments are made from 316 stainless steel or acetal, but it must be noted that tolerances for these bearings are not as precise as for AISI440C or SAE52100. The available range of these types is limited.

The materials listed below cover some of the standard materials used in the MBA product range. Not all materials are available for bearings. When you click into each material you will see a list of standard MBA products to which that particular material relates.

Carbon Steels

• 9 SMn Steel
• Carbon Steel
• SAE52100 Chrome Steel
• Spring Steel

Ceramics

• Silicon Nitride Ceramic (Si3N4)
• Synthetic Ruby and Sapphire
• Tungsten Carbide
• Zirconia Ceramic (ZrO2)
• See also Ceramic Hybrid Bearings

Metals

• Aluminium
• Brass
• Bronze LG2 (Leaded Gunmetal)
• Ck53 / Cf53 Chrome Vanadium Alloy
• C1060
• Cold Rolled Steel 12L14
• Mild Steel
• Phosphor Bronze
• Sintered Bronze
• Silver Steel
• Titanium Overview
• Titanium CP
• See separate section below for Stainless Steels

Miscellaneous Materials

• Fibreglass
• Kevlar ^TM

Plastics

• Acetal
• Acrylic
• Nylon 6
• Phenolic
• Polycarbonate
• Polypropylene
• Polyethylene Terephthalate Polyester (PETP)
• Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
• Polyurethane
• Rulon J ^TM
• Torlon ^TM

Rubber

• Neoprene
• Nitrile (Buna N)
• Polyurethane

Stainless Steel

• 17-4PH (1.4542) Stainless Steel
• 303 (1.4305) Stainless Steel
• 304 (1.4301) Stainless Steel
• 316 (1.4401) Stainless Steel
• 316L (1.4404) Stainless Steel
• 416 (1.4005) Stainless Steel
• 420 (1.4021) Stainless Steel
• 440C (1.4125) Stainless Steel

Acetal ^TM is a registered trademark of DuPont. Kevlar ^TM is a registered trademark of DuPont. Teflon ^TM is a registered trademark of DuPont. Torlon ^TM is a registered trademark of BP Amoco.

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