Silverthin™ Bearings from National Precision
Silverthin bearings is one of the world leaders in the manufacturing of thin section and slewing ring bearings. Thin section bearings are 100% domestically manufactured. Silverthin thin section bearings stand alone among competitors in this regard. Their manufacturing equals strength and flexibility without sacrificing reliability. Quality Made-in-the-USA raw material is the source of Silverthin's supply chain and the beginning of the "Made in the USA" solution provider.
Silverthin slewing ring bearings are imported but can be manufactured domestically upon request.
National Precision Bearing is your source for Silverthin™ bearings, we work directly with the factory in regards to custom solutions and by taking advantage of their semi-finished ring inventory NPB is able to meet your requirements in a fraction of the time compared to other manufacturers in the most demanding semiconductor, medical or defense applications.
Silverthin Products
Thin Section Bearings
Silverthin™ Bearing Group manufactures large diameter, thin section ball bearings for defense, industrial, robotic, semiconductor, medical, energy and distribution markets. Silverthin™ Thin Section bearings are manufactured in the United States, are DFARS compliant and come in standard and custom configurations, sealed and unsealed, up to 37" in diameter.
Silverthin Lightweight Bearings are perfect for applications where an extra light bearing is required as used in aerospace applications. Within their basic load ratings, these extra light bearings are capable of radial, thrust or combined loads and are available in open, sealed or shielded configurations.
The thin section bearing family is made up of 9 primary cross section sets ranging from 3/16" to 1" and with bore sizes ranging from 1" to over 40". The combination of a large bore diameter in proportion to the small cross section makes these parts appear "thin" in comparison to standard ball bearings. Thin section bearings are made from 52100 chrome steel and 440C stainless steel. They can also be coated with platings like nodular thin dense chrome (TDC). Some sizes can be configured with seals or shields. Thin section bearings are also made in one of three different contact styles; radial contact, angular contact, and four point contact. These options, along with several ball and retainer types make for a diverse range of parts even among the limited cross sections of the thin section bearing family.
Slewing Rings/Turntable Bearings
Silverthin™ Slewing Ring Bearings come in standard and custom configurations and are engineered and manufactured up to 70 inches in diameter, some from special materials, to serve the needs of their diverse customer base.
The bearings are comprised of two rings, each of which contains a precision raceway that is induction hardened on the surface to a specified depth. Each ring is made from a medium carbon steel forging. Silverthin™ SK and ST Series bearings have raceways constructed in a four-point contact configuration, with 45° contact angles as standard, which is similar in concept to Silverthin™ X-Type Thin Section bearings and are designed to accommodate significant radial, thrust and moment loads. Other raceway configurations are available, such as crossed roller and eight-point contact. These other options are often considered in cases where very high loads or special stiffness requirements are needed.
Custom Bearings
Aside from the standard bearing and slewing ring options, Silverthin™ offers a wide range and variety of custom options. These can be either modified versions of standard bearings, or completely custom options, both to accommodate desired solutions.
Common bearing customization:
- Ceramic Balls
- Preload/Clearance Changes
- Duplexing, Triplexing
- Universal Grinding
- Special Widths
- Repackaging
- Relubrication or Special Lubricants
Lazy Susans
With a growing interest from customers for something more cost effective than a slewing ring or thin section bearing for turntable applications where not as much precision is needed but without sacrificing quality, Silverthin supplies lazy-susan bearings. This low-cost, "simple" bearing fills a void in the product line where a slewing ring or thin section would be both over-engineered and too expensive, and are a more cost effective bearing for light weight, light load and low precision applications.
This product is a non-stamped more robust version of your standard stamped style or "cheap" Lazy Susan. The product is 8.5 mm or more thick and has a full complement of steel balls. The bearings are well made and light weight with a fair amount of axial load capacity yet they remain cost effective in their specific market. With this more robust yet cost effective alternative, the product is able to meet our quality standards and pricing, in line with our values, mission and vision at Silverthin.
Gimbal Bearings
Gimbal applications are one of the preferred methods to stabilize systems in less-than-ideal conditions. And they are one of the most exciting and growing uses for Silverthin Thin-Section Bearings. Gimbal applications typically have a wide range of considerations that require significant engineering scrutiny, often resulting in a customized bearing solution.
Silverthin Bearing supports the growing need for advanced and properly specified gimbal bearings. Unlike some of the SKU driven product resellers, Silverthin has decades of experience manufacturing and specifying specialty bearings; as the needs of the application have become more precise, so do the considerations of the bearing solutions.
Typical gimbal bearing applications include:
- Surveillance and security for military, civil authority and civilian
- Satellite communications
- Vision systems
- Targeting systems
- Weapons platforms
- Stage and entertainment lighting
- Film and Television cameras
- Metrology
Pinions
Silverthin™ is pleased to offer standard, high quality mating pinions for their ST and SK series slewing ring bearings. These pinions are made to AISI 4140 steel and are hardened to have a surface hardness of 55-60 HRC.
