Philosophy & Achievements

In an effort to contribute to a safer, smoother society and to protect the global environment, as spelled out by NSK corporate philosophy, NSK strives to accurately determine customer and societal needs, and develop environmentally friendly products and technologies that utilize the Company's Four Core Technologies: Tribology (friction control technology), Materials, Numerical Simulation, and Mechatronics. By developing and bringing to market sophisticated and innovative new products in a timely manner, NSK contributes to creating a safer, smoother society while also helping save energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Changes in the business environment and globalization are advancing swiftly. In order for research and development to rapidly and flexibly respond to such change where it occurs, NSK has expanded regional technology centers while positioning the Corporate Research & Development Center in Japan as the center of our R&D activities. (There are 21 technology centers in total; seven bases in Japan, five in Europe, four in the Americas, and five in Asia.)

Milestones for NSK Technology

NSK started its journey manufacturing the first bearings in Japan in 1916, and has since developed into a global organization researching, designing, and manufacturing Motion & Control™ solutions supporting essential mobility and industry applications. Today we have a broad portfolio of proprietary technology developed over a history of more than 100 years, and we engage in extensive R&D in the pursuit of leading edge technology.

A bearing pioneer in Japan

：First in the world

：First in Japan

Year	Main technological milestones	Product firsts in Japan or the world
1916		：First in Japan Ball bearings are developed
1926		：First in Japan Cylindrical roller bearings for aircraft engines are developed
1929		：First in Japan Cylindrical roller axle bearings for railroad cars developed and produced
1931	Main bearings for aircraft engines are launched in the Japanese market
1932		Tapered roller axle bearings are developed for gasoline vehicles of Japanese National Railways
1945		：First in Japan Main bearings for jet engines (Ne-20) are developed

Contributing to post-war reconstruction

1948		：First in Japan Ultra-large self-aligning roller bearings are developed for thermal power plants (ball mill)
1948		：First in Japan Large four-row tapered roller bearings are developed for roll necks used in steel rolling mills
1949		：First in Japan Miniature ball bearings are developed for use in cameras
1957	Contributed to bearing noise reduction Established a method of measuring bearing noise
1958		：First in Japan Ball screw is developed
1959	Ball screw type steering is launched
1950s Late	Export agreements and technical collaboration are carried out with manufacturers outside Japan Bearing quality and cost rivals those of non-Japanese manufacturers

Supporting high economic growth

1961	Technical Center is established	：First in Japan Stainless steel miniature ball bearings are developed for high-speed dental drills
1963	Production of needle bearings is begun	：First in Japan Bearings are developed for the Shinkansen bullet train
1964	Production of automatic transmission (AT) parts is begun
1968	Steering column is launched
1973	Bearings (outer diameter 5 meters) for continuously casting steel are manufactured NSK's first original bearing grease (NS7) is developed
1975		：First in the world High-precision bearing is developed for VCRs
1979	Bearings (outer diameter 5 meters) for continuously casting steel are manufactured

Technology advancement and diversification

1980	NSK enters mechatronics market
1982	Linear guides for machine tools developed
1984		：First in the world Direct drive and mega-torque motors are developed for factory automation
1985	Tribology technical center is established Heat treatment (TF) technology is established	：First in Japan Jet engine bearings are developed for civil aircraft
1986		：First in the world Electric power steering (EPS) is developed for battery-powered forklifts
1987	Hub-unit bearing (3rd generation) is launched for automotive wheels
1989	Electric power steering (EPS) is launched for automobiles
1990	Highly purified (EP) steel is developed
1991		：First in Japan Integrated single-axle actuator, monocarrier is developed
1996	A bearing analytical program called BRAIN is developed
1997	Bearings are launched for the Shinkansen bullet train (300 km/h) The ROBUST Series of ultra-high-speed angular contact ball bearings are launched for machine tools

Meeting the challenge of producing world-leading technologies

1999		：First in the world Half- toroidal continuously variable transmission (CVT) is developed
2000	Ball bearings are introduced to the market for 40-nm non-repeatable run-out (NRRO) hard disk drives
2002	Fujisawa Technology Center is completed HMC-B02 Series of high-speed quiet-running ball screws is launched (now BSS Series)
2004	HPS Series of industrial machinery bearings is launched	：World's Smallest Developed world's smallest deep groove ball bearing (inner diameter 0.6 mm; outer diameter 2 mm; width 0.8 mm).
2005	A full complement of cylindrical roller bearings for wind turbine gearboxes is developed
2006	Mass production of the V1 Series of highly dust-resistant ball screws is begun
2007	High-performance double-row angular contact ball bearing is developed for industrial pumps Ball-screw shift actuator is developed for an outboard engine with the world's highest output
2008	Solid lubrication angular contact ball bearings are developed for vacuum robots Manipulation system is developed for fine processing operations
2009	Low-torque ball bearings are developed for hybrid cars High-performance standard NSKHPS™ Series angular contact ball bearings for industrial machinery are commercialized China Technology Center is completed, and a global system of 14 R & D sites is created	：First in the world Electro-mechanical integrated column-type electric power steering (EPS) is developed
2010	HMS Series of ball screws is commercialized for high-speed machine tools	：First in Japan High-performance flywheel bearings are developed for satellite attitude control
2011	Ultra-long-life ball bearings are developed for automobile transmissions Energy-saving bearings are developed for high efficiency motors	：First in the world High-efficiency toroidal variator module is developed for front-wheel drive vehicles
		：First in the world Cold-formed hub-unit bearings are developed for tire wheels
		：First in the world Low-friction ball screws are developed for cooperative regenerative braking systems used in electric and hybrid cars
		：First in the world Ball screws are developed for seismic dampers used in buildings
2012	Hub-unit bearings with high-reliability seals are developed for tire wheels High-reliability tapered roller bearings with an anti-creep design are developed for mining dump truck wheels	：First in Japan Axle sensor bearings are developed for passenger rail vehicles
2013		：First in the world Lubricating grease is developed entirely from food products
2014		：World's Fastest Developed world's fastest high-load drive ball screw.
2015		：World's Largest Developed world's largest "ultra-large class" ball screw with world-top-class level load capacity.
2015		：World's Smallest Developed thrust needle bearings with world's smallest rollers for automotive automatic transmission planetary gear mechanisms.
2016		：World's Lightest Developed world's lightest column-type electric power steering(EPS) with steering wheel tilt mechanism.