Information Library: Newsletters

Newsletter Archive

Pillow Block Bearings

Vol. 8 - No. 1/2016

Regulated industries like the food, beverage, medical and pharmaceutical markets have requirements that challenge bearings like few others. These operating environment require absolute reliability that cannot be compromised from continual cleaning activities. Read more...

ISO Class Cleanroom

National Precision Bearing specializes in precision bearing solutions for aerospace, defense, medical, dental, and industrial applications. We are equiped to handle a wide variety of requests! Read more...

Collaborative supply chain solution – Visibility, Flexibility, Collaboration & Control

Vol. 6 - No. 3/2013

This installment of the National Precision Bearing newsletter provides insight on two commonly overlooked load and design factors; preloading and moment loading.

What risks are growing in your supply chain, and what does NPB do to minimize them?

How much production time or profit have you lost due to unforeseen risks in your supply chain? Are your supplier relationships collaborative? Bearing supply chains can be some of the most difficult for manufacturers to manage. NPB delivers solutions that help reduce supply chain risks such as poor quality, extended delivery, or dramatic cost increases, allowing you to focus on the business that makes you and your customers successful. Read more...

Innovative Retainer Targets Life-Limiting Wear

NHBB has developed a specialized polymer retainer design that promises to increase the life of precision angular contact bearings for high-speed medical and dental applications. Find out more...

System Overload! Avoiding failures due to unexpected load conditions.

Vol. 6 - No. 2/2013

This installment of the National Precision Bearing newsletter provides insight on two commonly overlooked load and design factors; preloading and moment loading.

Bearing Preload

Proper preload is critical to the operation of a ball bearing system. In many cases preload is included in bearing system design only as an afterthrough. Appropriate preload application can improve bearing life, increase precision, reduce noise, and control vibration. The wrong preload or absence of preload can cause total system failure.

What is a moment Load?

A moment load is a tilting load that attempts to rotate the rings of a rolling element bearing in a rotational manner perpendicular to the designed rotational axis. Single ball bearings aren't usually designed to handle moment loads, but Silverthin brand bearings from National Precision Bearing offer engineered solutions for space and weight limited applications.

National Precision Bearing Expands Cleanroom!

Vol. 6 - No. 1/2013

We have more than doubled our capacity for relubrication to match ever increasing demand. With the support of our bearing suppliers, NPB fills a critical need in this market.

More Companies Preventing Losses through Relubrication

Imagine you are tracking right ahead of a tight deadline for production. Your machined components stock-in, the bearings are pulled from stock for assembly, and a technician on the line discovers some of the bearings have exceeded recommended lube life. Now what? With new bearings at 20-30 week lead times, buying replacements is a problem. Fortunately, NPB can relubricate many types of bearings with a very short turn-around time.

Bearing Staking, Removal and Testing

Vol. 5 - No. 1/2012

The use of makeshift bearing installation tools and methods can result in several expensive unintended consequences. At its worst, the misapplication of force can result in significant damage to both the bearing and the housing. At best, parts are subjected to unnecessary stresses that could potentially shorten their serviceable life requiring more frequent maintenance cycles and increased potential for unexpected failure.

Newly Arrived at National Precision Bearing - Expanded Inventory of Stainless Steel Bearings

Vol. 4 - No. 4/2011

National Precision Bearing is excited to announce we've expanded our inventory in stainless steel bearings for corrosive and food handling environments. NPB's new stock offering now includes inch and metric sizes ranging from 1mm bore to 50mm bore.

Green Technology in Aerospace Bearings = Reduced Fuel Consumption, Longer Maintenance Cycles, Increased Reliability and Reduction of Pollutants

Vol. 4 - No. 3/2011

National Precision Bearing is proud to announce two new Spherical Plain and Rod End Aerospace Bearing lines that reduce environmental impact through advances in lubrication, materials, plating methods, linear systems and production techniques. Beyond being simply a response to the force of public opinion and governmental regulation these advances realize superior real world performance.

Why are Rod End and Spherical bearings PTFE-lined?

Vol. 4 - No. 2/2011

A PTFE liner in a spherical bearing or rod end is a component that allows the unit to be "self-lubricating". Metal on metal bearings need to be lubricated.

Did you know that NPB is AS9100 Certified?

Vol. 4 - No. 1/2011

The next time you take a commercial flight consider the many thousands of components that went into making each of the systems that ensures a safe and comfortable flight. Components like bearings are installed into aircraft ailerons, fuel pumps, landing gear and even the airframe. In part, their quality and consistency are due to the stringent requirements of the Aerospace quality system known as AS9100.

Material Innovation

Vol. 3 - No. 6/2010

Having the foresight to use currently available materials in innovative ways has changed product designs throughout history. Opportunities for improvement exist with any design and below are some of the advancements made by introducing new ideas to an existing problem.

Why is My Bearing Cracked?

Vol. 3 - No. 5/2010

From time to time our sales and product group take calls from new users of spherical plain bearings who are concerned about cracks in the outer ring of the bearings they've received. Spherical plain bearings (sometimes known as ball bushings or fractured race spherical bearings) all have a split outer ring as a common design feature. To the casual observer this may appear to be a flaw in the part but in reality this feature provides for unique advantages in the spherical plain bearing's value and application.

Mechatronics as a Company

Vol. 3 - No. 4/2010

We are using this issue of the NPB E-newsletter to familiarize you with all the services offered by Mechatronics, Inc. as a company. We have found that in many cases you, our customer, are deeply familiar with one of our operating groups, but may not know the breadth of our business. The diversity of our product groups makes us healthier as a company and we hope of greater value to you.

What are Needle Roller Bearings & What Are They Used For?

Vol. 3 - No. 3/2010

The wide spread use of needle roller bearings can be traced back to the 1950's and the introduction of a needle roller in the transmission of the VW Beetle. Needle roller bearings are named for their thin cylindrical rolling elements or "needle rollers" (think of a rolling pin for a pie crust).

Bearings - Made in the USA... Are they really? DFARS Regulations - Part II

Vol. 3 - No. 2/2010

This month we point out important specific details about bearings. Details you might have wondered about and details critical for bearings sold to the U S Government.

Thin Section Bearings - Why are there 3 different types?

Silver Thin precision thin section bearings are used in numerous exotic and high tech applications. Made entirely in the USA, they provide precision and performance in applications such as robotics, aerospace, machine tools, semiconductor manufacturing and medical equipment.

New Myonic Integral Shield Dental Bearings.

National Precision Bearing is now carrying four new Myonic integral shield dental bearings in stock.

Bearing Selection: What value does working with a Distributor bring?

Vol. 3 - No.1/2010

It takes a lot of expertise to select a full bearing or even the particular retainer within that bearing for best product performance. Find out why a distributor can often be of more assistance than a bearing factory engineer.

Retainer Selection

Selecting the correct retainer plays a critical role in determining the successful performance of a precision ball bearing.

The Re-lubrication Record Has Been Broken

The end of 2009 and beginning of 2010 has seen a considerable increase in the actual throughput of our re-lube service. In an average month at NPB, nearly 200,000 bearings are processed in our class 1000 re-lubrication facility.

Consider This - Unit Price or Cost of Ownership?

Vol. 2 - No. 7/2009

There is so much to consider beyond the cost of a single bearing. In this month's newsletter, we give you details of what affects your true costs and how you can prolong the life of your bearings.

Did you know NPB Carries Needle Roller Bearings?

Vol. 2 - No. 6/2009

National Precision Bearing stocks a wide variety of domestic and imported needle roller bearings and is authorized to distribute for a number of quality manufacturers including Timken, INA and RBC.

Are Your Bearings Properly Lubricated?

The correct lubrication is critical to bearing performance and the life of bearings. Read more about the environment required to give you this level of assurance for your purchased or inventoried bearings.

Supplier chain strength - A chain is only as strong as its weakest link

Vol. 2 - No. 5/2009

We have taken steps to remain your reliable partner in this challenging economic climate. Read further about one of our more unique product lines - precision thin section bearings.

What is a Thin Sectino Bearing and How does it Reduce Costs?

Thin section bearings are a family of bearings designed from a limited number of widths and thicknesses (cross sections), with each cross section manufactured in a wide range of bore diameters.

Dental Evolution

Vol. 2 - No. 4/2009

This issue of the National Precision newsletter brings you both a bit of history and a cautionary tale. We are working hard to both serve all your bearing needs and appreciate the warmer days of summer.

Have you ever visited the dentist's office hoping that you don't hear the dreaded words "root canal" or something to that effect? Like millions of Americans, you probably have had some kind of dental work done involving a dental hand-piece better known as a drill.

Have You Qualified Bearing Sources?

When sourcing products from China or other low cost countries there can be many issues and quality concerns to consider. More than a few stories have circulated recently on a variety of products such as toys, toothpaste, and milk that were sub-standard and potentially harmful to humans.

Why does it take longer to make a bearing than assemble a Boeing 737 airplane?

Vol. 2 - No. 3/2009

Most people are shocked to find out the length of standard bearing lead times. Some of the shortest real manufacturing lead times in the industry are just under 2 months. The average bearing manufacturing lead time is around 18 weeks, yet it only takes 11 days to assemble a Boeing 737.

Radial Play, What Gives?

Vol. 2 - No. 2/2009

In this issue we have included an article explaining the very critical role of fit in preventing bearing failure.

Got Ceramic?

A new product will be available through NPB for the dental aftermarket on May 8th 2009. The distribution of ceramic ball dental bearings has been restricted by a patent in the US since 1990 but coinciding with the expiration of that patent, NPB will be stocking a range of ceramic ball bearings for the dental aftermarket.

Bearings - Made in the USA... Are they really? DFARS Regulations - Part I

Vol. 2 - No. 1/2009

These are challenging times for American business. We have taken the position of investing in technology and expertise that may make your job easier in the near future. Read in this issue some of the details important to doing business with the US Government and the reasons to have a distributor partner for your bearing needs.