Crossed Cylindrical Roller Bearing

Using an X arrangement, Crossed Cylindrical Roller Bearing supports both radial and thrust loads in one single bearing position. The bearing can also support tilting moment loads.

The crossed rollers provide a full line of contact with the rail which means they deform less than linear bearings under heavy load. This results in higher precision and a greater load capacity.

1. Excellent Rotation Accuracy

The structure of crossed roller bearings utilizes cylindrical rollers arranged in a 90 degree vertical cross arrangement and accompanied by spacers. This allows it to carry external loads in all directions simultaneously (axial, thrust and moment loads).

The fact that they have a greater number of points of contact with the track surface than linear actuators using ball bearings also means that they deform less under load, thus providing better precision and consistency of movement.

IBO crossed roller bearings offer a high level of rotation accuracy that is up to 3-4 times higher than that of conventional single-row angular contact ball bearings with the same dimensions. This is largely due to the fact that the split outer and inner rings of these types of linear bearings are held together by a combination of retaining rings, which reduces the distance between the rolling elements, thereby enabling them to transmit tilting moments with an excellent level of stability.

2. Easy to Assemble

Compared to a combination of two angular contact ball bearings, the cross roller bearing has a more compact size and superior rigidity. This makes it ideal for applications requiring high rotation accuracy, such as industrial robots.

The crossed arrangement of the cylindrical rollers ensures that they make line-contact with raceway surfaces, preventing any elastic deformation due to bearing loads. This gives the cross roller bearing excellent load-carrying capacity and precision, and it also has a longer service life than other bearing types.

The cross roller bearing is easy to install, and it can be screwed into the shaft or housing. The bearing rings have attached centre markings for precise adjustment (centring). The outer ring of the bearing has conical grease nipples to facilitate relubrication during operation. If you have any questions about the product, please feel free to ask us! Our team of experts will be happy to help. You can use the contact form below or send an email directly to our support team.

3. Significantly Save Installation Space

The X arrangement allows designers to achieve all the benefits of two bearing positions in one: excellent running accuracy, high rigidity and resistance to axial loads from both directions. This saves design time, money and space.

This is because the alternating rollers support radial and tilting moment loads at the same time. Furthermore, they do so without a need for intermediate bearings.

As a result, they have the same rigidity as conventional ball bearings with a significantly smaller footprint. This is particularly important in applications with limited mounting surface area.

Additionally, they are less forgiving of mounting surface imperfections than recirculating ball bearings. While ball bearings can handle imperfections on the order of 10 microns, crossed roller bearings require a tolerance that is much closer to zero. This makes them perfect for medical equipment, positioners, robots and other machinery that requires ultra-precision. This has fueled growth in the market for cross roller bearings. The market is expected to grow further as technology increasingly demands superior rotational accuracy and rigidity.

4. High Rigidity

The same larger contact area that gives crossed roller bearings their precision also increases the load they can carry. This makes them well suited for applications such as rotary structure industrial robots, machine tools and medical equipment that require compactness, high rigidity and high rotational accuracy.

Unlike angular contact ball bearings, the crossed cylindrical roller bearing’s rollers make line-contact with raceway surfaces. This eliminates the possibility of axial displacement and reduces elastic deformation.

Crossed cylindrical roller bearings are suitable for use in applications with high loading requirements and long travel distances. However, if the bearings are operated close to their load capacity, they may deform and cause loss of accuracy. This can be avoided by using endstops that physically limit the rail’s travel distance. Also, the bearings must be lubricated regularly. For this, we recommend using a grease with a low viscosity. It can be easily pumped into the bearings to ensure full lubrication. The bearing rings should not be connected by a press fit, and a transition fit with a clearance “0” is recommended.