Regal Rexnord
Specialty & Plain Bearings
Regal Rexnord specialty and plain bearings encompass a broad portfolio of non - standard bearing configurations — including cam followers, rod ends, thrust bearings, radial bearings, aerospace bearings, and plain(friction) bearings — designed for applications where standard rolling - element bearings cannot meet the geometric, load - capacity, or environmental constraints of the application.Product design engineers in aerospace, defense, medical device, and industrial machinery sectors specify these bearings when they require compact, high - capacity linear - to - rotary motion conversion, angular articulation at linkage joints, pure axial load support, or lubrication - free operation in extreme - temperature or vacuum environments.Manufactured to AS9100 aerospace quality standards or precision industrial tolerances, Regal Rexnord specialty bearings are available with a choice of rolling - element or self - lubricating plain - bearing technologies, corrosion - resistant materials including 440C stainless steel and ceramic coatings, and custom raceway profiles optimized for the specific oscillatory or linear motion pattern of the customer’s mechanism.Our engineering teams collaborate directly with customer design groups to develop and validate bearing solutions that become integral, long - life components of their end products.
Send an Enquiry
We'll get back to you on WhatsApp.
Trusted by Industry Leaders
Cam Followers for Linear - to - Rotary Motion
Stud - type and yoke - type cam followers with crowned or flat outer rings convert rotary input into precise linear translation in indexing mechanisms, packaging machines, and automation tooling.
Rod Ends for Linkage Articulation
Self - lubricating or greaseable spherical plain rod ends provide maintenance - free angular articulation in control linkages, hydraulic cylinder mounts, and steering systems with minimal backlash.
Thrust Bearings for Pure Axial Loads
Ball, roller, and plain thrust bearing designs accept pure axial loading in vertical pump motor supports, crane hook swivels, and extruder thrust boxes without radial load penalties.
Aerospace - Grade Material & Process Controls
Bearings manufactured to AS9100 standards with full material traceability, Nadcap - certified heat treatment and plating, and documentation packages meeting defense - contract requirements.
Self - Lubricating Plain Bearing Options
PTFE - lined, bronze - impregnated, and polymer plain bearings eliminate the need for grease relubrication in inaccessible, cleanroom, vacuum, and high - temperature locations.
Custom Geometry & Raceway Profiles
Modified outer - ring profiles, non - standard stud lengths, special lubrication grooves, and tailored internal clearances to match the exact kinematics and life requirements of the customer’s mechanism.
Applications for Regal Rexnord Specialty & Plain Bearings
The diversity of applications served by specialty bearings reflects the breadth of Regal Rexnord’s engineering capabilities.In aerospace flight - control systems, our rod ends and spherical bearings transmit pilot commands with zero - lash precision across thousands of flight hours, certified to FAA and EASA requirements.Medical imaging equipment — CT scanners, MRI machines, and C - arms — incorporates our precision ball bearings and plain bearings in rotating gantry supports where low noise, smooth rotation, and high reliability are non - negotiable.Industrial robots depend on our cam followers and crossed - roller bearings in wrist joints and end - effectors requiring extreme rigidity in compact envelopes.Packaging machinery cam - driven systems use our specialty cam followers to achieve the high - speed, synchronized motion profiles that fill, seal, and label millions of containers daily.For each application, Regal Rexnord provides not just a bearing part number but an engineered solution validated through application - specific testing and backed by a global supply chain that delivers consistent quality across production years.
Plain Bearing vs.Rolling - Element Bearing Selection
The choice between plain(friction) bearings and rolling - element bearings involves fundamental tradeoffs that affect machine design, cost, and lifecycle maintenance.Plain bearings offer inherent advantages in applications with oscillatory or short - stroke linear motion, where rolling elements would suffer from false brinelling and fretting corrosion.They excel in high - shock - load environments because the conformal contact area distributes impact forces across a larger zone than a rolling - element line contact.Plain bearings also operate with lower noise and are often the only choice for applications requiring lubrication - free operation due to contamination concerns, high temperatures, or inaccessible locations.Rolling - element bearings, by contrast, offer lower starting friction, higher speed capability, and more predictable wear - life curves under continuous rotation.Regal Rexnord application engineers help customers evaluate both technologies against the specific motion profile, load spectrum, environmental conditions, and maintenance philosophy of the intended design to select the optimal bearing type and materials.