National Bearings Designs and Manufactures Custom Bearing with One Way Ratcheting and Audible Indicators


A leading tool manufacturer required a bearing that would allow one-way ratcheting, be compact in size, and make an audible “clicking” sound to signal the end user that the drill bit was tight in the chuck. In addition, the bearing had to be designed for precise and cost-effective manufacturing at high volumes. National Bearings was challenged with creating a bearing that included aesthetic features, while retaining high quality levels at a very reasonable price.



Meeting all the manufacturer’s requirements was a challenge in itself. But after an analysis of the original design, our engineers also realized that the standard angular contact bearing specified would not be able to incorporate the mounting components, deliver on the “click, click, click” or achieve one-way ratcheting.



In short, the standard solution would not allow them to manufacture the product as desired, especially for the low cost that was needed. To add to the challenge, the manufacturer wanted to reduce the number of components required in the design.



Only a custom bearing could solve the issues the manufacturer faced. National Bearings went to work to design a bearing solution that included tight-tolerance metal stampings, which in the end provided a more cost-effective design than the standard machined and ground bearing.



The new bearing design reduced the number of components in the chuck; included the desired clicking sound; met the needed requirements for functionality and precision — all while ensuring low-cost manufacturing at high volumes.



Through close collaboration and numerous design iterations, National Bearings created a custom bearing that was vastly superior to the original standard version. Incorporating all of the important required and desired features, the custom bearing delivered enhanced performance and a simplified assembly — and still kept down costs for the client.



About National Bearings

National Bearings is an industry-leading U.S. bearing manufacturer specializing in custom thrust bearings, radial bearings, angular contact bearings, subassemblies and bearing components.



Mark Bos, Vice President

National Bearings Company

www.nationalbearings.com

mbos@nationalbearings.com

717-569-0485


All Topics