Advantage of GGB Bearings Over Needle Bearings

The advantage of
GGB Bearings over
needle bearings.

                     Design engineers are increasingly
                      replacing rolling-element bearings
                    with plain bearings in a wide range of applications. Due to the simplicity of their design and cost effectiveness, plain bearings offer a number of distinct advantages. These advantages include space and weight savings, better load assumption, minimal or no maintenance, compensation for misalignment and noise and vibration damping, among others.

GGB invented metal-polymer plain bearings
more than 50 years ago and remains the
global leader in their manufacture and marketing
to this day. As bearing applications have become
ever more demanding, we have met, and in many cases anticipated, them with innovative solutions based on advanced bearing technology
and materials.

                      The chart to the right provides an
                       overview of the general advantages
                       of plain bearings compared with
                     needle-roller bearings.

Needle-Roller Bearings	GGB Plain Bearings
Subject to damage from fatigue and high shock loads	Greater contact area facilitates higher load capacity and shock loading resistance
Intolerant of misalignment and therefore prone to edge-loading damage	Conformable liner more tolerant of misalignment
Bulky (see chart below)	Slim one-piece design and smaller housings provide substantial space savings
Heavy (see chart below)	Lower mass and smaller housings result in substantial weight savings
Prone to damage in oscillating conditions	Greater resistance to oscillatory movements improve bearing life
Inertia and high-speed skidding	Frictional characteristics resist skidding and exhibit superior damping
Excessive noise	Absence of internal moving parts result in quieter performance
Fitting difficulty and resulting damage	Straightforward press fit into simple machined housings virtually eliminates fitting damage
High cost of bearings, housings, counter surfaces and fixings	Competitively priced, reduced costs of housings and shaft finishes, elimination of fixings, e.g. snap rings; and more relaxed shaft tolerances

The following comparison is based on relatively small bearings, i.e. 20mm-diameter bore. Space, mass and cost savings increase in direct proportion
to bearing dimensions.

Bearing	Dimensions	Wall Thickness	Approx. Mass
GGB plain bearing	20mm x 23mm x 15mm	1.5mm	10g
Drawn-cup needle-roller bearing	20mm x 26mm x 16mm	3.0mm	22g