AST Bearings’ QMS is ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100 Rev C certified.
At a time when many companies have yet to even qualify for AS9100 Rev C, AST Bearings has already successfully completed its annual “Surveillance Audit” for the new more stringent standard for Quality Management Systems. On May 3, 2012, AST successfully completed the audit which included facilities on both the east and west coasts. The audit was was performed by Perry Johnson Registrars, Inc., one of the world’s foremost authorities in quality certification.
Of note, according to IAQG’s Online Aerospace Supplier Information System (OASIS) database, AST Bearings was the first bearing company in the world to Read More »
AST Bearings has a newly created position ideal for a recent graduate in Mechanical Engineering. To support our continued growth, we are expanding our technical sales capabilities and are looking for a BSME interested in technical sales. The job title is “Technical Sales Engineer, Bearings“ This new position interfaces with customers, prospects, factories world-wide, and our in-house engineering and design department providing excellent visibility and multiple career paths. Read More »
Sometimes, just getting the right information can be challenging. Some sources can be too broad while others can be too narrow forcing a person to pull information from multiple locations. The same can be true for bearing catalogs. However, this has all changed with AST Bearings’ full-line interactive bearings catalog.
The bearings catalog from AST Bearings is actually dynamically driven by a state-of-the-art database. This gives it the flexibility it needs to deliver just the right information to the user every time. This is especially true since AST Bearings full-line catalog contains more than 10,000 different part numbers (and that doesn’t factor in configuration differences such as lubricants, precision levels, materials, closures and more).
A Matter of Navigation
Besides being database driven, one of the true strengths of the AST Bearings full-line bearing catalog is the ability to start wherever you want. If you want to see the entire catalog, you can start at the main index. However, what if you only want to look at “Spherical Plain Bearings” or just “Thrust Bearings?” That’s okay too because you can start in a catalog section dedicated to just that type of bearing. Read More »
When KBC Bearings became part of the Shaeffler Group, the promotion of the 59 year-old brand outside of Korea was greatly minimized. This also made getting a copy of the KBC Bearings catalog difficult. However, the brand is very much alive and a great source for high-quality, Korean-made bearings. If you read Korean, you can check out their official website at:
But now, through a special arrangement, the English language version of their full-line catalog is now available online. The KBC Bearings catalog is 244 pages and is broken down into fully index sections to quickly access the information you are looking for. Read More »
John Wallace, VP of Operations for AST Bearings talks about the various materials that bearings are made of.
Another interview by Machine Design Magazine’s editor Lee Teschler with AST Bearing’s VP of Operations, John Wallace. This time, they talk about the wide variety of materials that bearings are made of and some of the applications of these materials. The link below will take you to Machine Design Magazine’s website for the actual video:
Most bearings today are made of steel, specifically SAE 52100 Chrome Steel. However, there have been many advancements in alternative steels that present specific advantages over traditional chrome steel. John Wallace explains what some of these steels are and how they are made including Martensitic steels such as 440C, ACD34, and the very latest “SV30” super stainless steel. The video goes into some depth to explain how the SV30 steel is nitrogen enhanced and how it creates Chromium Nitrides rather than Chromium Carbides leading to a bearing with superior low noise characteristics, along with increase life and vastly improved corrosion resistance. Read More »
AST Bearings has published numerous white papers about bearings.
Ever wonder how to calculate the life of a ball bearing? Did you ever need to calculate a radial ball bearing’s load rating? AST Bearings just published a white paper entitled “Radial Ball Bearings – Life and Load Ratings.” In its technical discussion of life and load ratings, the paper discusses various aspects of the radial ball bearing calculations including:
Did you know that Montville, New Jersey (the location of AST Bearings’ headquarters) was recently named the 17th best small town in the United States in which to live? That’s right, Money Magazine named Montville the 17th best small town in the entire country to live in… the number one small town in all of New Jersey.
Money Magazine’s selection criteria included towns with populations between 8,500 and 50,000, and considered median family incomes, quality of life, real estate, education, and much more.
John Wallace, VP of Operations for AST Bearings talks about bearing lubrication.
An interview by Machine Design Magazine’s editor Lee Teschler with AST Bearing’s VP of Operations, John Wallace talking about the complexities of bearing lubrication and many of the solutions available. The link below will take you to Machine Design Magazine’s website for the actual video:
Are you a mechanical engineer who has a question about bearings? Do you know the optimum bearing configuration for your design? Are you stuck on your design trying to determine the best type of bearing to use? How can you ensure that your product will not fail in the field due to premature bearing failure? What factors may lead to premature failure? Will the standard lubrication used by the factory be the best choice in your product over its expected life (what is the standard lube anyway)?
There are so many great questions about bearings that are highly dependent upon the specific product they are used in and the running environment. If you need help with any of them, ask AST Bearings, we’re bearing experts.
If you are an engineer, designer, or purchaser of bearings and have a quick question about bearings, just use our “Ask A Question” form.
Just in time for the holidays and new year, AST Bearings now has over 10,000 bearing products included on their interactive online catalog (10,024 products to be exact) in 8 product categories and 40 sub-categories. Each has downloadable 3D CAD models available free of charge and includes full specifications. AST just completed a major update to the catalog by adding or updating nearly 1,000 products over the past month or so. Please check it out and let us know what you think of it. Learn more…
Spherical bearings come in many different types to accommodate a wide variety of applications. What all of them have in common is the ability to accommodate misalignment from mounting or shaft deflection.
More commonly known as Self-Aligning Double Row Ball Bearings, spherical ball bearings are designed to work in applications where severe misalignment exists whether from mounting or shaft deflection. The concave raceway of the outer ring in combination with two rows of balls operates over a wide range of contact angles. Furthermore it aligns itself correctly with the shaft and assembly without causing undue stress on the rest of the bearing assembly. Noteworthy is that the self-aligning ball bearing has the lowest friction of all rolling bearings, which enables it to run cooler even at high speeds. Furthermore, the design allows for easy mounting and dismounting.
An example of a separable ball bearing capable of 350,000 RPM's from GRW
At first glance the design of a ball bearing is clear: An inner ring is mounted with an outer ring, the appropriate balls and retainer. Then the ball bearing is combined with the lubricant adapted to the requirements of use and if necessary a shield to protect against contamination.
Due to the numerous norms and installation recommendations in the area of the rolling bearing the external dimensions of the various ball bearing manufacturers only differ in nuances. The big differences become obvious in the internal values of the ball bearing, the materials used for rings and retainers, number of balls and their diameter, surface structure and profile precision, as well as the lubricant used. Read More »
The GRW bearing factory manufactures and ships to AST German-made, precision miniature ball bearings in as little as 6 weeks!
Today, ten weeks seems to be the minimum time to receive precision ball bearings ordered directly from a factory regardless of where they are manufactured. Some factories have been quoting 180 days or more to receive product. Did you know that you can receive German-made, precision miniature ball bearings in only six weeks from issuing a purchase order?
GRW Bearings – An Exceptional German Factory
Yes, six weeks is the normal turnaround for the GRW Bearings’ factory to produce and ship orders to AST Bearings. GRW offers short development times and modern production facilities to fulfill all requirements in precision and function. If you don’t know about GRW Bearings, you should. GRW is a German miniature ball bearings manufacturer of some of the highest quality products available anywhere in the world including ABEC 9 precision level products. All this is available through AST Bearings, the only authorized, full-line stocking supplier of GRW bearings in the United States.
Exclusive SV30 Steel Also Available in Only 6 Weeks
CAD Drawing of a Steel-on-Steel Spherical Plain Bearing with Extended Inner Ring
Spherical Plain Bearings are also sometimes referred to as “Spherical Plane Bearings, Spherical Ball Bushing Bearings, or Ball Bushings. They are manufactured in a wide variety of materials and are designed to offer bearing solutions in almost any operating environment. Spherical Plain Bearings are suitable for heavy-duty, off-highway vehicles, agricultural equipment, and are used in equipment in heavy industries such as construction, mining, and logging along with the hydraulic equipment using in packaging, textiles, and robotics industries.
Spherical Plain Bearings – Characteristics
Spherical Plain Bearings have an inner ring with a sphere convex outside surface and an outer ring with a correspondingly sphere, but concave inside surface. Their design makes them particularly suitable for bearing arrangements where alignment movements between shaft and housing have to accommodate, or where oscillating or recurrent tilting movements must be permitted at relatively slow sliding speeds.
New Technical Papers Are Now Available on Spherical Plain Bearings
AST Bearings publishes 7 new technical papers on Spherical Plain Bearings
AST Bearings in support of educating engineers and designers has just published seven new technical papers which help describe Spherical Plain Bearing characteristics. These papers are available now for reading and downloading:
Bearing grease consistency can greatly impact performance.
Bearing grease consistency can greatly affect the performance of the bearing and consequently the performance of the mechanical device or product.
Most people are familiar with the term “viscosity” as the measurable consistency of oil lubricants. However, the average person probably does not know what the equivalent measurement for the consistency of grease (hint: it’s not viscosity). Bearing grease consistency is measured in “penetration levels.”
Radial ball bearings are found so many of today’s moving mechanical devices. However, most people do not know how they’re made. Generally speaking, they are made of seven pieces (inner ring, outer ring, balls, retainer, closures, coatings, and lubricants). However, these seemingly simple components can be manufactured into literally billions of bearing varieties.
The following video premiered on Discovery Channel’s popular “How It’s Made” series and is a great representation about the high degree of automation used in producing precision ball bearings. In fact, the brand of bearings being manufactured is one of the brands supplied by AST Bearings (AST is an authorized, factory-direct distributor for NTN Bearings).
For more technical information about bearings, visit the bearing “Resource Center.”
AST Bearings has a "professional group" on Linkedin
Just about everyone knows that LinkedIn is a business oriented social networking site launched in May 2003 and is mainly used for professional networking.
But you may not have known that AST Bearings has a Professional Group where other LinkedIn member can request to join. Members of this group will receive periodic messages and updates about AST Bearings and bearing related information including open job positions.
Just about everyone knows that Facebook is a social network service and website launched in February 2004. You probably even have an account.
But you may not have known that AST Bearings has a Facebook Fan Page. Now you can to keep up-to-date on the latest about AST Bearings directly from your Facebook account.
Just about everyone knows that Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service created in 2006 which allows short messages (tweets) to be sent which are no more than 140 characters.
But, did you know that AST Bearings has an active Twitter account? That’s right, now you can stay up-to-date on the very latest “stream of consciousness” from AST. Just click on the “Follow” button below to become a follower of AST’s tweets and retweets.
This video does not go into any detail about what a “Sperving Bearing” is other than it is incorporated into the famed Rockwell International “Turbo Encabulator.”
Watch this informative video to learn more about this astonishing product and what makes it so special.
The original video above was so successful for Rockwell that they decided to create a follow-up to further explain some Read More »
AST Bearings recently exhibited at the National Manufacturing Week Show. The booth featured products from miniature and instrument ball bearings all the way up to large bore bearings.
In this video, AST’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Dan Fox, explains that applications for these products are widely varied from medical and other high tech industries to off-road construction and agricultural equipment. Mechanical sub assemblies are also mentioned along with the full service capabilities of AST Bearings including in-house application engineering and bearing design.
So, “Who or what is AST Bearings?” you may ask and “what’s in it for me?” Well, if your work involves bearings, especially if you are a mechanical engineer or designer or a purchasing agent, then you should know us. AST Bearings is the premier bearing supplier located in the United States providing bearing products and related services to an extraordinary wide range of clients. We know bearings… it’s all we do (Sorry… no sprockets, no chains, no gears, no belts, nor other motion products – just bearings).
What Makes AST Bearings Different?
The word that most aptly describes who AST Bearings is as a company is “value.” Simplistically, value can be defined as Read More »
More commonly known as 
So, “Who or what is AST Bearings?” you may ask and “what’s in it for me?” Well, if your work involves bearings, especially if you are a mechanical engineer or designer or a purchasing agent, then you