SPACEA bearings

Citation

(2001), "SPACEA bearings", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 48 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2001.12848aad.012

SPACEA bearings

SPACEA bearings

Keywords: NSK-RHP, Bearings

The continuous drive to improve technology in all areas of manufacturing, processing, communications, power generation and transport is placing increasing demands upon key power transmission, actuation and support components to operate in special environments and under adverse conditions. NSK-RHP believes that it is meeting these requirements with its SPACEA™ series (Plate 3), a range of bearings, ball screws and linear guides that are said to provide high performance and reliability under all types of demanding operating conditions: super-clean, vacuum, non-magnetic, corrosive, high/low temperature, nuclear and high speed.

Plate 3 NSK's SPACEA™ range includes bearings, linear guides and ball screws

SPACEA series products are thought to meet the widest range of technical requirements with a programme of high performance materials, surface finishes and specially developed lubricants, including solid types. Depending on the application, SPACEA bearings can be manufactured from martensitic and austenitic stainless steels, ceramics, or a combination of both. Hybrid SPACEA types can have any combination of ceramic inner/outer rings or balls, the specific configuration depending upon the operating environment, be it corrosive, non-magnetic, high temperature or "clean".

Linear guides and ballscrews in the SPACEA series are also manufactured from martensitic and austenitic stainless steels, enabling them to be used in a range of challenging environments, from corrosive to radioactive. The use of ceramics also extends to SPACEA series ballscrews. These can be hybrids employing austenite stainless steel recirculation components, or of totally ceramic construction for use in corrosive environments, air or vacuum, at temperatures up to 200°C.

Not all applications require the levels of protection provided by ceramics, so a range of surface coatings offering graduated protection against corrosion has also been developed. The first of these is a low cost cold fluoride chrome plating which is available on all SPACEA series products.

Moving upwards along the cost scale, SPACEA bearings can be hard chrome plated, or have a coating of nickel alloy. The latter claims the highest levels of resistance to corrosion and most types of acids at moderate cost.

SPACEA bearings with rustproof film coatings are used in cleaning machines and on hard disk and semiconductor production lines. Ceramic bearings are used in film cleaning systems and semiconductor polishers.

Further details are available from NSK-RHP UK Ltd. Tel: +44 (0)115 936 6600.