Types and Development of Plastic Bearings
With the development of social demand, the market for plastic bearings is growing. Currently, the main types used in the market are plastic rolling bearings and plastic sliding bearings. Based on its understanding of plastic bearings, China Bearing Network shares relevant knowledge about the types and development of plastic bearings, which we believe will be helpful to everyone.
Types of Plastic Bearings
The two most common types of plastic bearings are plastic rolling bearings and plastic sliding bearings.
Differences between Plastic Rolling Bearings and Plastic Sliding Bearings:
The working principles of plastic rolling bearings and plastic sliding bearings can be distinguished by their names. Plastic rolling bearings experience rolling friction, while plastic sliding bearings experience sliding friction. The magnitude of rolling friction mainly depends on manufacturing precision; while the magnitude of friction in plastic sliding bearings mainly depends on the material of the bearing's sliding surface.
Common Types of Plastic Bearing Materials:
1. Acetal Bearing Material: This material is the cheapest, with extremely low dynamic and static friction coefficients against steel, and relatively high strength and stiffness. It is often used to manufacture integral bearing housings with outer rings under light loads.
2. Nylon Bearing Material: This is an inexpensive material with a low coefficient of friction and strong self-lubricating properties. It often contains fillers such as graphite, molybdenum disulfide, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to increase self-lubrication, strength, and stiffness. Its operating temperature can reach 120℃.
3. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Bearing Material: This material has the lowest coefficient of friction, and the coefficient decreases accordingly with increasing load. It often contains glass fiber, graphite, and bronze powder to improve various performance indicators. Its operating temperature is relatively high.
4. Phenolic Resin Bearing Material: This material has high strength and high temperature resistance, but a relatively high coefficient of friction, leading to faster wear. Using PTFE resin as a filler can reduce the friction coefficient and improve lifespan.
Development Status of Plastic Bearings:
Currently, the development of plastic bearings abroad is very rapid, and their applications are widespread. Plastic bearings in my country are still in their infancy, lacking in both raw material production and product application. According to incomplete statistics, in the past five years, the domestic demand for five major engineering plastics—polycarbonate, polyoxymethylene, polyamide, thermoplastic resin, and modified polyphenylene ether—has maintained a high growth rate of 30.3%, while my country relies heavily on imports for engineering plastics used in plastic bearings.
In recent years, engineering plastic products have gained increasingly widespread application due to their superior performance. Engineering plastics have broad application prospects in bearings, and plastic bearings are becoming increasingly popular.
Because engineering plastics possess excellent self-lubricating properties, wear resistance, low friction, and special anti-galling properties, they can function normally even under poor lubrication conditions, making them ideal for use as bearing materials.
Therefore, for relevant plastic companies, seizing market opportunities and developing related plastic bearing products offers enormous market potential.
Post time: Feb-24-2026
