Although many different types of plastics have properties which make them suitable for bearing applications, the most commonly used are phenolics, acetals, UHMWPE, and nylon. The major limitations involved in the use of plastics have to do with high temperatures and possible cold flow under heavy loads.

Material of balls: ZrO2, Si3N4, stainless and glass.

ADVANTAGES OF PLASTIC BEARINGS:

1. Chemical Stability

2. Corrosion resistance

3. Lubricaton & Maintenance free

4. Lightweight and low friction

5. Temperatures up to 250 C

Phenolics: Composite materials that consist of cotton fabric, or other fillers bonded with phenolic resin. The compatibility of the phenolics makes them easily lubricated by various fluids.

Nylon: Although the phenolics have predominated in heavy-duty applications, they are frequently replaced by nylon, which has the widest use in bearings. Nylon bushings exhibit low friction and require no lubrication. Nylon is quiet in operation, resists abrasion, wears at a low rate, and is easily molded, cast, or machined to close tolerances. Possible problems with cold flow at high loads can be minimized by using a thin liner of the material in a well-supported metal sleeve.

PTFE: Has an exceptionally low coefficient of friction and high self-lubricating characteristics, immunity to almost all types of chemical attack, and ability to operate over extremely wide temperature range (-330 to 360°F continuous, to 550°F short-term).

and so on