Needle Roller Bearings

Overview

Needle Roller Bearings

Needle roller bearings (sometimes called “needle bearings”) use long and narrow cylindrical rollers that sometimes exceed JIS/ISO size ranges. They are categorized as thrust or radial bearings based on which load direction they support. Radial types include drawn-cup and solid types, as well as application-specific track rollers (cam and roller followers). Thrust needle and thrust roller bearings respond to axial load needs.

 


Product List

Cage & Needle Roller Assemblies

Cage & roller assemblies are easy-to-handle bearings that offer high load capacity despite their small size. A unique cage structure guides the needle rollers and allows for effective lubrication even at high speeds.
Cage & roller assembles feature controlled contour crowning to reduce stress concentrations on the roller end from moderate misalignment/shaft bending, thereby extending bearing life.

Features

  • User friendly
    Easy-to-handle, with a unique cage structure that keeps the rollers in place.
  • Easy-to-lubricate
    The outside surface of the cage forms the guide surface, providing good lubrication conditions.

Applications

  • Planetary gears in automobiles, constant mesh gearboxes
  • Industrial machinery, robot speed reducers
Drawn Cup Needle Roller Bearings

NSK drawn cup needle roller bearings feature a cage and full complement of rollers with a unique outer ring structure. These easy-to-mount bearings offer the thinnest outer ring of all rolling bearings along with high load capacity, high limiting speeds, and strong resistance to wear. Carefully selected alloyed steel allows for high maximum permissible loads, and surface-hardened cages help the bearings stand up to tough conditions.

Features

  • Helps make equipment smaller and lighter
    The outer ring's small cross-sectional height helps support equipment downsizing and space-saving designs.
  • Low-cost, easy-to use design
    Save costs with bearings that can be mounted axially with a press fit. No need for snap rings, collars, or housing shoulders.
  • Capacity for high loads or high speeds
    Models with cages support high-speed rotation, while full complement designs allow for high load capacity.

Applications

  • Planetary gears in automobiles, constant mesh gearboxes
  • Industrial machinery, robot speed reducers
Solid Needle Roller Bearings

Solid needle roller bearings provide maximum load capacity with high precision in compact spaces. Suitable across a range of operating conditions, these bearings feature rings made of carefully selected vacuum-degassed bearing steel or carburized steel and precision-ground, heat-treated rollers. Lightweight and extremely strong, the cage guides the rollers accurately and smoothly.

Features

  • High rigidity
    Quality materials provide high rigidity that stands up to heavy loads and impact loads. These bearings are available with or without an inner ring. Types without an inner ring use the shaft directly as the raceway surface.
  • Internationally interchangeable
    Available in internationally standardized dimension series based on ISO and MIL standards.
  • Ideal for machine tools
    With high rigidity and precision, these bearings are well-suited to machine tools and other applications requiring rotational accuracy at high speeds under heavy loads.

Applications

  • High-speed machine tools
  • Planetary gears in automobiles, constant mesh gearboxes
  • Industrial machinery, robot speed reducers
Needle Roller Thrust Bearings

Needle roller thrust bearings feature cage & needle roller assemblies with a surface-hardened cage made of two precision-pressed steel plates. The rollers are retained securely in the cage to maintain smooth rotation even under large axial loads. These bearings are so small that they can easily replace conventional thrust washers in the same mounting space.

Different configurations are available, including standalone units, integrated raceway units, or units with different race thicknesses to match mounting conditions around the bearing.

Features

  • Space-saving design
    Achieves a compact design with the same thin cross-section height as a thrust washer.
    Using the gear side surface as the raceway allows for even greater equipment downsizing.
  • High rigidity and wear resistance
    The cage is surface-hardened to provide high rigidity and resistance to wear.

Applications

  • Planetary gears in automobiles, constant mesh gearboxes, torque converters
  • Axial piston pumps, compressors
Cam Followers

Stud-type track rollers (cam followers) have a thick-walled outer ring, crowned rollers, and a stud with a hardened raceway surface for a tough structure that stands up to shock loads. The stud head is machined with screwdriver grooves and hexagonal holes for easy installation. Sealed types pre-filled with quality grease are also available.

Features

  • Easy-to-install
    A screw is provided on the stud along with machined driver grooves and hexagonal holes to make mounting easy.
  • Sealed models available
    Models with seals feature a labyrinth structure for low torque.

Applications

  • Machine tools and industrial machinery
    Models with cages support comparatively high speeds, while full complement designs allow for high load capacity.
  • Track rollers, cams, rocker arms
Roller Followers

Yoke-type track rollers (roller followers) have a thick-walled outer ring and crowned rollers that provide high load capacity to sustain shock loads. Each roller follower comes as an inseparable unit for easy handling suited for a wide range of applications, such as cams and rocker arms. Sealed types pre-filled with quality grease are also available.

Features

  • High load capacity
    Dual-sided models can sustain heavy loads.
  • Sealed models available
    Models with seals feature a labyrinth structure for low torque.

Applications

  • Machine tools and industrial machinery
    Models with cages support comparatively high speeds, while full complement designs allow for high load capacity.
  • Track rollers, cams, rocker arms
Drawn Cup Roller Clutches

Drawn cup roller clutches are compact one-way clutches that feature a specially shaped outer ring. They are characterized by their light weight and high torque capacity relative to their small cross-sectional height.
Drawn cup roller clutches provide accurate operation, low torque when over-running, and easy mounting. FCP/FCU Series are available for plastic housings.

Features

  • Compact
    Impressively small thanks to the drawn cup design.
  • High torque transmission
    Drawn cup roller clutches offer high torque transmission with the same cross-sectional height as standard drawn cup needle roller bearings.

Applications

  • Office equipment (paper feeders), ATMs, fishing reels
  • Pedal assist electric bikes, agricultural machinery, engine starters for logging machines

FAQs

 

answersDrawn cup types typically have thin, press-molded outer rings, while solid types are rigid and have comparatively thick, machined outer rings.

 

answersDrawn cup and solid needle roller bearings typically use the shaft as the raceway, so they often do not have an inner ring. However, some solid needle roller bearings are made up of an inner ring and a cage & roller assembly.
Cage & roller assemblies are comprised of only a cage and rollers and have no inner ring or outer ring.

 

answersA one-way clutch is a bearing that rotates in only direction and cannot be rotated in another direction (reverse stop/lock). These are often used in paper feeders, ATMs, fishing reels, etc.
They are sometimes used as a unit combined with plastic components to achieve a certain shape, such as a gear, pulley, roller, or similar.

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