New BSA Reports on Ball Screws & Spherical Plain Bearings

The Bearing Specialists Association (BSA) has released two new Educational Services Committee (ESC) Reports covering Ball Screws as Positioning Actuators and Spherical Plain Bearings. The report on Ball Screws as Positioning Actuators explains that the ball screw is a precision machine element which converts rotary motion to linear motion. Key design features of these elements, technical qualifications and applications are included. The report also considers the various recirculation methods, preload methods, special series and custom designs. Spherical Plain Bearings discusses their evolution from their original design as replacements for plain cylindrical sleeve bearings to their current designs as radial, angular contact and thrust spherical bearings, all designed to support heavy loads. The direction of the load that is acting on the bearing determines which type of spherical plain bearing is right for the application. The ESC Report contains essential information on the design and use of each type of Spherical Plain Bearing. In addition to diagrams of the various spherical plain bearings, the ESC Report includes an easy-to-read chart which provides information on the pertinent criteria used in the spherical plain bearing selection process. Like all other BSA ESC Reports, both Ball Screws as Positioning Actuators and Spherical Plane Bearings are available free by downloading from the BSA website, www.bsahome.org. The ESC Reports are a program of BSA¡¯s Educational Services Committee. These special bulletins present summarized information on topics of interest to the bearings industry. Previous reports have included Bearing Repair, Bearing Installation Fitting, Ceramic Bearings, Wear Sleeves and Other Shaft Repair Options, Vibration Analysis, Seal Selection, Load Ratings and Bearing Life, The Domestic Bearing Industry: Investing in the Future, Status of Bearing Load Ratings, History of Adhesives, Plane Bearings, A Brief History of Bearings, Linear Bearings, and Bearings for the Food and Beverage Industry. ESC Reports are just one of a variety of education and training programs and publications provided by the Association. The Educational Services Committee, chaired by Howard Gainey, Bearings & Drives, Inc., is especially appreciative of the help of Mr. Matt Boylan, RBC Bearings, for his help with Spherical Plain Bearings, and Mr. John Feitl, NSK Precision America Inc., for his help with Ball Screws as Positioning Actuators. BSA is the ¡°must belong to organization for authorized bearing distributors.¡± An international service and educational organization of distributors representing more than 50 companies distributing factory-warranted ball-, roller-, and anti-friction bearings and 47 invited manufacturers of bearings and related products, the association¡¯s mission says, ¡°BSA is the forum to enhance networking and knowledge sharing and promote the sale of bearings through authorized distributors.¡±