Reali-Slim Bearings

The bearing supplier of choice for many demanding applications, Kaydon Reali-Slim bearings offer space and weight savings up to 85%. They are designed to accommodate radial, axial and moment loads.

Load and speed ratings are dependent on loading condition, shaft/housing roundness, temperature and lubrication. Contact RBC sales engineer to ensure appropriate bearings are selected for your application.

Benefits

As their name implies, slim bearings are smaller and lighter than other options. They also operate more smoothly and require less maintenance than traditional steel bearings. They’re a great choice for applications where space is limited or weight reduction is a priority.

When used with the right lubrication, these bearings can handle high-speed and extreme temperature conditions. They’re also able to support a wide range of radial, axial and overturning moment loads.

Kaydon Reali-Slim thin section bearings are available in many different sizes and types, offering designers the ability to make critical decisions at the design stage to meet their specific needs. These include radial or angular contact, a variety of cage designs and alternative materials, roller-contact types and finishes and duplex pair availability for easy shimming.

In addition to these factors, engineers can choose between a variety of lubrication options including vacuum-compatible greases and dry film lubricants. They can also select from various ring and retainer styles to suit their particular application.

Design flexibility

As Mark Twain once said, “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” That’s especially true when designing for unique operating conditions. Kaydon offers a large number of options for slim bearings in order to meet the needs of virtually any design challenge.

As their name suggests, slim bearings have a small cross section relative to their bore size. This enables them to be used in applications where space is at a premium. They also reduce the overall weight of an application, resulting in significant savings in both space and mass.

Additionally, a slim bearing’s cross section does not increase as the bore size increases, which is a major advantage over standard bearing series that require larger-cross sections as the diameter grows. This flexibility enables designers to save even more space and mass in their designs. This translates to significant reductions in overall system cost.

Lightweight

Kaydon’s Reali-Slim bearings are an excellent choice for applications with critical space requirements requiring lightweight, high precision, and longevity. This is particularly true for turntables and other work holding devices that need to handle a variety of load types while maintaining smooth action over a long period of time.

Slim bearings have the advantage over conventional slewing ring bearings in that they save weight and space. Their compact size allows them to fit into tight spaces without affecting radial accuracy. They also have the ability to handle a broad range of loads and speeds, thanks to their dimensional stability and dynamic load capacity.

In addition, the design of a slim bearing can be optimized to reduce the overall weight of a system. This can be accomplished by using materials like honed 440C stainless steel and special lubrication. This can lead to significant cost savings compared to the use of conventional slewing ring bearings. Also, the design of a slim bearing can also include separators or other special features to achieve the desired performance characteristics.

Accuracy

The accuracy of a bearing, also referred to as "precision," is the ability of the bearing to maintain its position under varying loads and environmental conditions. Precision bearings can handle misalignment, multi-directional movements and oscillations.

Kaydon Reali-Slim thin section ball bearings are available in a wide range of widths and thicknesses (cross sections) to fit specific applications. The narrow cross-sections reduce overall system weight and package size while maintaining capacity.

Angular contact RBC thin section bearings with split inner rings can carry combined radial, axial and moment loading as demonstrated by this airborne radar application. Coil springs were used as spacers to lower bearing torque and further save weight. Typical limiting speeds shown in product tables based on standard lubrication. Your RBC sales engineer can help determine the optimum bearing for your unique application.