Miniature ball bearings have a wide array of everyday and industrial applications. You can find ball bearings in high precision industries like medical, lab-instrumentation, equipment and in more common applications, such as high precision watches, fishing reels and in-line skates.

In a mechanical component, a ball bearing's main function is to reduce friction between objects. A mini ball bearing can handle low to moderate radial and thrust loads at low torques. Due to ball bearing's low torque, it provides precise rotational performance with little power loss. Typically, miniature ball bearings come in a single row design and are available in stainless steel, chrome and other durable materials.

Some factors to look at when selecting miniature ball bearings are design (flanged or unflanged), industrial-type grade (ABEC), material, radial play, configuration types (shields, seals) and the compatibility of the cage and the configuration type design. Before you buy ball bearings, review these options for your specific miniature ball bearings solution:

1. Locate suppliers that offer a variety of materials, grades, design and configuration types for your particular requirements.

2. Consider miniature radial ball bearings for use in specific design applications.

3. Find mini ball bearing drawer slides and ball joints for various uses.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Purchase ball bearings from distributors with a wide selection of industrial miniature ball bearings

Sometimes, you may need to get very small ball bearings in metric or inch series, different configuration types or industrial ABEC grades for precision assemblies where long life is important. Additionally, you may also require the use of specialty bearings. These companies can offer an extensive assortment for many design applications.

I recommend: Go to National Precision Bearing Group for various design features and specialty bearings. Quality Bearing & Components also has a good selection of standard, flanged, open and shielded types and in stainless steel. AST Bearings LLC offers ABEC grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 as well as many other features.

Get miniature radial ball bearings in various design styles

When selecting radial ball, factors like low noise, long life and minimal runout are important. Look at these suppliers to find miniature radial ball bearings with high precision in various ABEC grades for demanding applications.

I recommend: Go to Dynaroll Corporation to look at the available bearings, ABEC grades request a catalog or contact the company for your specific needs. MSC Industrial Supply Co. has a variety of stainless steel miniature radial balls. Alpine Bearing Co. carries miniature radial ball bearings in metric and inch series and different ABEC grades.

Choose a miniature ball joint or mini ball bearing drawer slide for diverse applications

For some projects, you may need to use hard to find small bearing drawer slides or ball joints respectively. Stock up with the right products for your business or customer needs.

I recommend: Rockler carries mini ball bearing drawer slides for different uses while Small Parts Inc. offers miniature ball joints for light applications.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When buying miniature ball bearings, it is best to know the inner diameter or bore for the bearing and the OD size tolerance because most companies use these as main criteria for category selections.