What Are Solid Oil Bearings?

What are solid oil bearings?

Solid oil bearings are also known as Molded-Oil Bearings, plastic oil bearings, or solid grease bearings. Solid oil bearings are designed for use in applications that are highly humid and occasionally exposed to water and other contaminants. Bearings using solid oil are lubricated for life and do not require relubrication. Solid oil is an oil-saturated polymer material. When injected into the bearing, it will form a very narrow gap around the rolling elements, cages and raceways, allowing the bearing to rotate freely. It has a porous structure with millions of tiny pores inside. , the lubricant can be retained within the body through surface tension, and the grease fills all the free space inside the bearing, releasing the lubricant into narrow gaps during operation, providing effective small-volume lubrication.

What types of solid oil bearings include?

The standard products of solid oil bearings and bearing units mainly include:

-- Deep groove ball bearings

-- Spherical roller bearings

-- Angular contact ball bearings

-- Cylindrical Roller Bearings

--Self-aligning ball bearings

-- Pillow Block Bearings and ball bearing units

-- Tapered Roller Bearings

-- Needle roller bearings

With the exception of CARB toroidal roller bearings which are not suitable for use with solid oil, TKW can supply other solid oil bearings upon customer request that meet their specific application needs. The free space inside the bearing with a large cage is too small to allow the use of solid oil.

Advantages and Features of Solid Oil Bearings

-- Longer service life

-- Extended bearing life

-- Anti-rinse

-- Prevent the intrusion of pollutants

Longer service life

-- Increased operating temperatures push oil toward the surface of the polymer material, supporting a constant supply of lubricant.  When out of service, any excess lubricant will be drawn back into the polymer material.

Extended bearing life

-- With solid oil bearings, a large amount of oil is available (two to four times more than a conventional grease fill).

-- Solid oil polymer structure eliminates lubricant churn.

-- Solid oil is a high-quality synthetic oil that resists oxidation.

Anti-rinse

-- The solid oil does not wash away and fills nearly all remaining space within the bearing, thus limiting the entry of wet contaminants into the bearing.

-- Water is not compatible with oil or solid oil polymers.

-- Lubricant leaks are virtually eliminated

-- Solid oil retains oil inside the bearings.

-- Integral bearing seals further improve oil retention.

Prevent the intrusion of pollutants

-- The solid oil's close contact with the rollers and raceways greatly reduces the intrusion of contaminants.

-- Solid oil provides additional support to the integral bearing seal.

Frequently asked questions about solid oil  Bearings that users are concerned about

1. Are solid oil bearings high-speed bearings?

Solid oil bearings are filled with solid oil in the raceway, which increases the weight of the bearing itself and increases the friction between the rolling elements and the rings. Therefore, this design is not suitable for high-speed rotation. If you have any speed requirements, please contact us. We will confirm based on specific working conditions.

2. Are solid oil bearings high-temperature bearings?

The maximum working temperature of solid oil bearings is 80℃-90℃, and the working temperature under normal operating conditions is 50℃-60℃. If we define it as a high-temperature bearing, it must withstand high temperatures above 150℃, so solid oil bearings are not high-temperature bearings. In practice, During installation, if heating is required, the installation can be completed by heating it up to 120°C. Solid oil bearings need to work under low temperature conditions, please contact us to confirm the special design to meet your requirements.

3. What are the advantages of solid oil bearings over ordinary bearings?

According to the product characteristics, solid oil bearings are suitable for use in environments with harsh environments, dust, impurities, moisture and water. The solid oil effectively isolates the space between the outside and the inside of the bearing, thus ensuring that the bearing can operate normally for a long time. It is also suitable for working conditions that require long-term permanent lubrication and places where it is not easy to add grease. At the same time, this product can be used in places with highly stringent environmental requirements such as the food processing industry and the medical industry to avoid pollution of the environment by grease. Generally in food processing and medical industries, industries with a lot of water and moisture, we recommend stainless steel bearing designs combined with solid oil designs.

4. Do solid oil bearings have a longer service life than ordinary bearings?

Under normal operating conditions, the service life of solid oil bearings should be increased by more than 3 times.

Sealed stainless steel deep groove ball bearings use food-grade solid oil. The service life of the bearings is increased from the original 12 weeks to 1 year, and the effect is obvious.

5. Do solid oil bearings still need to be filled with grease?

Solid oil can achieve bearing lubrication through a uniform oil film, so it is a maintenance-free bearing and does not require additional grease. It can complete the lubrication effect by itself.