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Old 04-01-2012
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Default Abec bearings grades explained

Are *all ABEC precision bearings really manufactured to the correct tolerances ?
We have to believe that they are until it is proven otherwise. If the bearings are labelled as ABEC 7 then in most countries the manufacturers of the bearings are compelled by law to provide ABEC 7 bearings. Some of the low prices offered for high precision bearings in some retailers does look a little strange though. Manufacture of high precision bearings is not cheap, although the costs can be kept lower if other quality controls are not in place. Our quality supplier has recently checked the tolerances of a set of bearings that was purchased and labelled as "ABEC 5". The bearings did indeed meet the standard of ABEC 5, but more costly tests would be needed to check all of the other important quality factors relating to the bearings (and many of these other factors are more relevant to rc racing)

These relate to bearings and not balls!!!
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Old 04-01-2012
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Well said....
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Old 04-01-2012
andy110m andy110m is offline
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Sorry Bud but that sounds like a load of tosh. I'd love to know how a "quality supplier" must be a distributor, probably an unauthorised source could check the ABEC rating of a bearing. They'd need a hell of a lot more than a decent pair of verniers to check them. To do that they'd have to send it to one of maybe 5 or 6 places in the UK.

Those 5 being SKF, NSK, Revolvo, Cooper (although they could do it they wouldn't do it to a miniature as they only make Roller bearings, still lets be fair, they could), Timken or HB bearings.

Really if people want to get decent cheap miniatures, they can try loads of places. I'd start with a companys listed below. They take debit cards.

http://www.smbbearings.com/Framesets...FYILtAodVVkJtA

http://www.ball-bearings.biz/zen/uk/index-frame.htm
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Old 04-01-2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andy110m View Post
Sorry Bud but that sounds like a load of tosh. I'd love to know how a "quality supplier" must be a distributor, probably an unauthorised source could check the ABEC rating of a bearing. They'd need a hell of a lot more than a decent pair of verniers to check them. To do that they'd have to send it to one of maybe 5 or 6 places in the UK.

Those 5 being SKF, NSK, Revolvo, Cooper (although they could do it they wouldn't do it to a miniature as they only make Roller bearings, still lets be fair, they could), Timken or HB bearings.

Really if people want to get decent cheap miniatures, they can try loads of places. I'd start with a companys listed below. They take debit cards.

http://www.smbbearings.com/Framesets...FYILtAodVVkJtA

http://www.ball-bearings.biz/zen/uk/index-frame.htm
My cousin works for nsk in middlesboro
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Old 04-01-2012
pro4nut pro4nut is offline
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Your Cousin you say?

i thought you had just copied a paragraph from this web page

http://www.lushlongboards.com/worksh...c-199_200.html

Silly me...
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Old 04-01-2012
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Originally Posted by pro4nut View Post
Your Cousin you say?

i thought you had just copied a paragraph from this web page

http://www.lushlongboards.com/worksh...c-199_200.html

Silly me...
You are silly correct. Does it or does it not explain the diffrence between the abec rating or proof of a rating?

Any way shouldn't you be in bed or out trying to earn some money???
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Old 04-01-2012
SlowOne SlowOne is offline
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If the bearings say the ABEC grade, and they are from a reputable supplier, then they will be that grade. Since we use a pratfull of bearings compared to the rest of industry, it would be an idiot who tried to supply a bearing not of that quality, and here's why...

The dimensions that are specified will always leave a clearance between the balls and the races. In most applications, the bearing is designed to work best when the clearance approaches zero. Additionally, in order to keep bearings in position, they usually have a press fit into their housing, or onto their shaft. That press fit is determined by the requirement of the shaft or housing, and its tolerances. In order to get the bearings to end up with no clearance between balls and races - the best running condition - you have to select the bearing you need by its ABEC number, or clearances, and the duty the bearing must support for the application - speed, load, etc.

With a high ABEC number, the interference of the press fit cannot be too big otherwise the outer race will contract (or the inner expand) too much, and the balls will crowd into the race reducing life and performance. If you need a large interference fit to hold the race, you have to have a lower ABEC number so the contraction of the outer race (or expansion of the inner) when it is pressed on the housing/shaft do not crowd the balls into the races.

The problem in model car terms is that we have almost no control over the size of the shafts (in metal) we use, and certainly no control over the size of the (plastic or metal) housings. When I say control, I am talking about shafts in things like power tools (50k to 5k spin speeds, close to our speeds) that are ground to tolerances of 0.0002" (about 0,005 mm) in order to get the correct press fit and not crowd the races.

You can spend any amount of money you like on your bearings, have them at any ABEC grade you want. But, and it's a big but, if you press an ABEC 7 bearing into a housing and it is a tight fit, there's every chance the outer race will contract to the point where the balls are crowded (pushed) into the races, and the bearing will last very little time at all. Similarly, you could buy a cheaper ABEC 3 bearing, press it into a housing and have perfect ball/race clearance and the bearing will last an age.

Far more important than ABEC rating is the duty of the bearing you buy. Is it rated for the load and speed you are asking it to take? And where do you find that information from any RC bearing supplier - I've never seen it!! Even if you have the right duty bearing, you then have to know, very accurately, what size shaft and housing you are putting it into, and what effect that will have on the final clearance between the balls and the races. If it's loose then the performance will be lower, and if it is crowded the life will be short.

If it's any use to anyone, select your bearings by the quality of the materials (stainless steel races, ceramic coated balls, silicon nitride balls, etc.) and the quality of the shields for the application. The best bearings ever made for RC cars were the blue-seal Tamiya ones of the '80s and '90s, although I've seen some good copies of those recently. Not only were they the highest quality of seals, they were high quality materials too.

Not getting at anyone here, but frankly if you buy an SKF, NSK, Timken... (see Andy110M's list!) bearing at ABEC 5 that is what you are getting. Buy no-name Chinese and you can't be sure. And if you buy ABEC 7 and put it into a tight housing, or have to push it hard onto a shaft (or worse, both!) chances are you will crowd the race into the balls and the bearing won't last long. ABEC ratings are one thing, but they are a long way from being the only thing, and I would argue they are not worth a candle for our applications - I'd rather have good materials and the right shield to get my car through the racing calendar, and take pot luck with the clearances in the hope that I haven't crowded the races and shortened its life - it's all one can do. HTH
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Old 04-01-2012
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RudeTony
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Ceramic Grade 7 Diff Balls
There are loads of manufacturers and suppliers of ceramic balls in the world, but not many offering reasonable pricing for ABEC grade 7 and 9. RC suppliers find it extremely difficult to get the high grade products, simply because they are just too expensive.

For your reference:
The ABEC scale is an industry accepted standard for tolerances.
ABEC = Annular Bearing Engineering Committee

ABEC 1: 0.0075mm (0.000295")
is the most crude, the least precise, and the cheapest
ABEC 3: 0.0050mm (0.000197")
is what is mostly known as cheap. Won't roll very smoothly or fast.
ABEC 5: 0.0035mm (0.000138")
these are the normal grade that the majority buy and what normally one finds on the market
ABEC 7: 0.0025mm (0.000098")
would be very fast and ultra smooth, but very expensive. Although extremely suited to RC and very long lasting, there is a risk of needlessly damaging them if you over tighten your diff.
ABEC 9: 0.0012mm (0.000047")
the highest grade and ridiculously expensive


After lengthy negotiations, we have managed to strike a great deal with a manufacturer that has certainly excited us in being able to offer ceramic grade 7 diff balls to all racers at a reasonable cost.

These diff balls have super accuracy and quality, which evidently give a super smooth diff action and last for a long time. We have been testing these over a period of time prior to offering them for sale and they are just great. In fact they are so good, that for the first time in RC we are offering a 14 day money back guarantee – unheard of until now in RC.

Currently available for any differentials fitted with 3/32 or 3mm diff balls.

For more info email: tony@rudebits.net


These can be purchased from


www.rudebits.co.uk or www.insidelineracing.co.uk




I only posted the 1st reference in this thread to show that abec ratings are for bearings and not balls like rude tony is claiming his balls are abec rated read the first post.
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