Ceramic bearings enable new research

The global ceramic bearings market set to grow at a CAGR of around eleven per cent between 2017 and 2023, with lab equipment representing a key application for this growth. Chris Johnson, managing director of ceramic bearing specialist SMB Bearings, examines the link between ceramic bearings sales and the output of successful scientific research. Ceramic bearings are in high demand and SMB bearings has experienced a significant increase in the number of enquiries about this bearing type. Scientific and engineering end users are showing the most interest in using these bearings for lab equipment. But, why ceramic? Lab equipment is a crucial element in experimental control. Using the wrong components in such equipment can contaminate study conditions or cause an experiment to cease all together. Many scientific research projects operate in highly corrosive or extreme environments, which rely on equipment that can withstand such conditions. Full ceramic bearings offer the corrosion resistance and high-temperature endurance that steel bearings cannot match. However, this bearing type isn’t to be confused with hybrid bearings that still contain a proportion of steel. Made from entirely silicon nitride or zirconia, sometimes with PEEK or PTFE retainers, full ceramic bearings can endure highly corrosive environments at extreme temperatures. Ceramic bearing applications are not required to endure the high speed and heavy shock loads already covered by the ‘work horse’ steel bearings. Full ceramic bearings are better suited to specialist requirements. Interestingly, the load rating of a ceramic bearing is 20 to 35 per cent of a steel equivalent, as the material is more brittle. Thankfully, this isn’t an issue for many laboratory applications. Scientific applications often have bespoke needs that only ceramic bearings can meet. For example, a researcher may be submerging equipment into strong acid to test the effects of long-term acid exposure on a specimen. If the equipment fails due to bearing corrosion, months of research could be rendered invalid. Here’s three of many examples of scientific research that are improving due to the availability of high-quality ceramic bearings.