RBC offers a full line of airframe control ball bearings to our industrial customers. RBC airframe control ball bearings conform to SAE-AS7949 (formerly MIL-B-7949) and many major OEM specifications. These bearings are of lightweight design, corrosion-resistant, grease-lubricated, and typically sealed.

Airframe control bearing rings and balls are made of hardened bearing alloy, AISI 52100, with all exposed surfaces, except bearing bore, caps and seals, plated for corrosion protection. For improved corrosion protection, RBC supplies bearings made of hardened stainless steel alloy, AISI 440C. This alloy may be passivated or plated with cadmium or zinc nickel for enhanced corrosion protection.

RBC supplies airframe control bearings in both “Standard” and “Precision” series. The prefix “M” in a bearing number indicates that it is of a precision series. Although designed and manufactured under demanding quality control requirements for airborne systems, these bearings have been successfully used in many industrial applications, where oscillatory movement, high loads, or corrosive environments are prevalent

RBC offers a full line of Mil Spec standards as well as specialty airframe control needle roller bearings that conform to OEM specifications. RBC airframe control needle roller bearings conform to SAE-AS39901, formerly MIL-B-3990. Many of these bearings are designed for use as track rollers with a thick cross-section outer rings to withstand heavy rolling loads. They are corrosion protected, grease lubricated, sealed, or unsealed. Other needle roller bearings are designed for use in housings and have lubrication holes and grooves to allow for greasing through shaft or housing. Stud type cam followers are available to simplify mounting configurations while allowing for relubrication through the stud.

Rings and needle rollers for these products are made from high carbon chrome steel, AISI 52100, hardened and precision ground. For protection from corrosion under heavy rolling loads, the O.D. of track roller bearings may be chrome plated. Studs for cam followers are produced from bearing quality steel, hardened to 60 HRC in the raceway area. Exposed surfaces may be cadmium or zinc nickel plated.

For improved corrosion resistance RBC also supplies bearings made of hardened stainless steel alloy, AISI 440C or AeroCres® reduced maintenance, highly corrosion resistant steel.

RBC airframe control needle roller bearings are available with either single or double roller paths, cylindrical or crowned O.D.s, and self-aligning outer ring features. These bearings are most commonly lubricated 80 to 100% full of grease in compliance with Mil-PRF-81322 or Mil-PRF-23827 specifications.

RBC Bearings offers a full line of Mil Spec Standards and many specialty and custom ball bearing rod end anti-friction bearings to our industrial customers.  These double row, self-aligning bearings accommodate the application’s low torque, high load, and misalignment needs.  Product conforms to SAE-AS6039, formerly MIL-B-6039.

These double row self-aligning rod ends have inner rings and balls made from thru-hardened 52100 or 440C stainless to accommodate an application’s corrosion resistance needs.  The bearings are lubricated 80 to 100% fill in compliance with MIL-PRF-81322, MIL-PRF-23827, and Boeing’s BMS3-33 specifications.  Ball bearing rod ends are equipped with PTFE seals bonded to corrosion resistant caps.

The rod end body is selectively heat treated to provide a combination of a fracture tough head, ductile shank, and a carburized raceway to provide high load carrying capacity.  External surfaces are plated with cadmium to provide corrosion protection and thread lubricity.  The rod end body can be supplied to AISI8620 or RBC’s proprietary AeroCres® corrosion resistant material.

RBC Bearings produces a full line of Cam Followers from 1/2 to 10 inch outside diameter sizes. Technical innovation and cost-saving features have distinguished RBC Cam Followers from competitors. Contact RBC engineers for assistance in solving difficult bearing challenges in your application.  You may also visit our Cam Follower Engineering page for additional information.
RBC Bearings offers standard stud, heavy stud, yoke type, caged roller followers, RBC Roller® long life cam followers, HexLube® universal cam followers, airframe track rollers. Mastguide rollers and carriage rollers, chain sheaves (for leaf chain), toothless sprockets (for roller chain), and heavy-duty roller bearing construction. Cam Follower Selection Guide below: 

RBC Bearings produces an extensive heavy duty needle roller bearing product line from 1 inch outer ring diameter to 12 ¼ inch outer ring diameter. RBC Bearings has the capability to manufacture special designs up to a 39 inch outer diameter.

The RBC Bearings SJ series of Pitchlign® heavy duty needle roller bearings are supplied in standard envelopes in both sealed and unsealed configurations. There are eight possible seal configurations. The seals can include double or single seal with the seal lip turned inward or outward. The seal can be mounted in the radius end of the ring or the chamfered end of the ring for optimum mounting variations.

RBC Bearings' patented TJ TandemRoller® heavy duty needle roller bearings increase the capacity of the standard Pitchlign® SJ series from 10% to 40% while maintaining the standard SJ envelope dimensions. The TJ design gives the heavy duty needle roller bearing 37% to 200% greater life over a standard single pocket bearing. These bearings are also available in sealed and unsealed configurations.

RBC heavy duty needle roller bearings present a wide variety of designs. The TJ TandemRoller® and Pitchlign SJ Series heavy duty needle roller bearings are offered in a double-row design. The TJ and SJ roller bearings can also be matched with an inner ring or run directly on a shaft. RBC inner rings can be used separately or as an inner race for complimentary SJ or TJ roller bearings. The inner rings range are through hardened and precision ground.

The RBC SJ and TJ heavy duty needle roller bearing designs are easy to install and are especially beneficial in compact designs because of their high load capacity and small sectional height. The caged rollers allow for the RBC heavy duty needle roller bearings to be used in high speed applications.

RBC heavy duty needle roller bearings can be found in the following applications:

• Gear pumps
• Mud pumps
• Oil field pumping jacks
• Helicopter rotors and transmissions
• Telehandlers
• Material handling equipment
• Hydraulic pumps
• Sheave Blocks
• Hoist drum shaft
• Marine crankshafts and connecting rods
• Pipe handling tables in steel mill equipment
• Paper punch presses
• Planet gears and mainshaft bearings of a clutch drive or mechanical press
• Calendar rolls in textile machinery
• Railroad tampering equipment

RBC Bearings Incorporated produces metric heavy duty needle roller bearings where volume permits and specially engineered solutions to customer issues. Please contact RBC Bearings for your metric needs and engineering problems.

In 1902, William Nice founded one of the first "anti-friction" bearing manufacturing plants. Starting with unground ball types and developing into the ground field, NICE^® Ball Bearings, Inc. today produces a complete line of precision ground, semi-ground, and unground bearings and bearing assemblies.

To choose the exact bearing you need, start with the NICE^® line of standard inch-dimension, radial, angular contact and thrust ball bearings. Standard series ball bearings can be customized to include many features that can satisfy the demands of many special applications. Our ball bearings are available with special bores, modified outer ring shapes, extended inner rings, locking devices, and flanged housings. Standards can be ordered sealed, shielded, or open, and are offered in ground and semi-ground grades to deliver the most cost effective solution for your application. Even when a standard isn't the answer, our engineers can deliver an economical, modified standard design that is "fit for purpose."

If you are uncertain as to which of NICE^® bearings is best suited for your design application, check with our selection guide. You may also visit our NICE^® Ball Bearing Engineering page for additional information.

The first integral rod end was invented by an RBC Bearings division named Heim Bearings. The rod end is also referred to as the Heim Joint named after the inventor Lewis Heim who founded the Heim Bearing Company. While spherical plain bearings offer misalignment capability in a fixed housing position; rod ends offer ease in mounting and adjustment of position in installations such as mechanisms, linkages, and control rods. Rod ends also provide a compact, lightweight, economical design alternative to a conventional housing installation. Today, rod ends, or Heim joints, can be found throughout industry in ground power, military vehicles, submarines and surface ships, transportation equipment, agricultural and recreational vehicles, lawn and garden equipment, material handling, and fluid power applications.

Heim Bearings Company offers the industry’s widest selection of rod end types and sizes. Our product range includes Heim rod ends with brass race inserts in standard, precision and high capacity designs; high strength two piece designs; self-lubricating rod ends with engineered thermoplastic races or high performance Teflon® liners, military standard rod ends for the ultimate in rod end performance, ball bearing rod ends which have extremely low friction and misalignment capability, and elastomeric bearing rod ends that reduce vibration and noise in installations. Heim rod ends are also available with a variety of platings, coatings and materials, and with a wide range of optional features such as lubrication fittings, left hand threads, and keyway slots. Rod ends are available in both inch and metric sizes.

RBC Bearings is the leader in self-lubricating technology with our patented Fiberglide® liners. We produce a broad line of standard inch and metric self-lubricating bearings in journal and thrust configurations. This unique bearing product offers the user design freedom as well as cost benefits from its “maintenance free” characteristics.

The self-lubricating thrust and journal bearings are suited for applications where normal lubrication is difficult or costly. Fiberglide® lined thrust and journal bearings are designed to be used under oscillating motion, interrupted start-stop, or axial motion. They are recommended where high loads are combined with low surface speeds. Fiberglide® products can also be used where non-lubricating fluids might be present.

Additional information can be found on our Self-Lubricating Bearings Engineering page.

RBC Bearings has been a pioneer in spherical bearing technology since inventing the fractured outer race design over 40 years ago.

Since that time, RBC Bearings has continued to introduce industry leading innovations such as high misalignment, angular contact, extended inner ring, tapered bore, case carburized, and enhanced lubrication groove spherical bearing designs. These advanced products are used in pivoting, high load bearing applications where angular misalignment is required. Most typically, RBC Bearings' spherical plain bearings are employed in hydraulic cylinder rod ends, vehicle steering linkage suspensions, heavy equipment articulated joints, and other severe duty uses. 

Selection Guide

RBC Bearings offers a full line of standard and many specialty and custom designed Thin Section Ball Bearings to OEMs.  RBC Bearings' Thin Section Ball Bearings are offered in radial contact, angular contact, 4-point contact and sealed radial contact designs.  These bearings are offered in ABEC 1 through  ABEC7 precision grades, pre-loaded, corrosion protected, grease-lubricated, and are available with numerous separator, ball, shield, seal, and lubrication options.  Standard Thin Section Ball Bearings have SAE 52100 steel rings and balls.  RBC Thin Section Ball Bearings can be manufactured from other specialty bearing steels to provide corrosion resistance, high temperature capability, alternative load capacity, or chemical compatibility.

RBC Bearings has manufactured Thin Section Ball Bearings from SAE 440C stainless steel to provide corrosion resistance.  As an alternative to CRES rings, the entire surface of the rings can be plated with nodular thin dense chrome (TDC).  This plating, which meets AMS 2438, achieves a molecular bond that will not flake, peel, or separate from the base material.  Special RBC Bearings Thin Section Ball Bearings have been manufactured from aluminum, 300 series stainless steel, 17-4PH and other metals.  Some special ball materials include CRES 440C, 300 series stainless steel, silicon nitride, and M50 steel.

RBC Bearings supplies Thin Section Ball Bearings with many different lubricants depending on the application requirements.  Greases that are designed specifically for high speed, low torque, water resistance, high temperature, and oscillatory motion can be provided.  Additional lubricants, such as dry film, are suitable for use in vacuums and space applications.  Radial play (diametral clearance) can be adjusted for mounting fits or temperature changes.  Pre-loads can be ground into the bearings to increase or decrease loads to meet particular application requirements. In addition, mounting features, such as flanges, anti-rotation tabs, and mounting holes can be incorporated on the inner and outer rings.  RBC Bearings' Thin Section Ball Bearings may be customized to meet your application’s demanding requirements.  Additional information can be found on our Thin Section Ball Bearings Engineering page.

RBC Bearings Tapered Thrust Bearings are used in applications where heavy loads are present. Tapered Thrust Bearings offer:

• Sealed versions where lubrication is problematic or space constraints do not offer the luxury of a shaft seal
• Unsealed versions available
• Case carburized bearing quality steel
• Size ranges from 1 inch to 3 inches bore diameters