SIC 3562 Ball and Roller Bearings

Encyclopedia of American Industries | 2005 | Copyright

SIC 3562
BALL AND ROLLER BEARINGS

This industry covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing ball and roller bearings (including ball or roller bearing pillow block, flange, takeup cartridge, and hangar units) and parts. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing plain bearings are classified in SIC 3568: Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment, Not Elsewhere Classified.

NAICS Code(s)

332991 (Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing)

Industry Snapshot

The ball and roller bearing industry is very large, but mature. It affects everything from the production of space shuttles to household appliances, automobiles, dentist drills, roller skates, and computer disk drives. In 2001 U.S. establishments involved in ball and roller bearing manufacturing employed a total of more than 32,200.

The issues facing the bearing industry are both numerous and complex. As a secondary steel product manufacturing industry, it is in the middle of the production chain; however, policies favoring the steel industry may not be in the best interest of the bearing industry, and vice versa. Because bearings are essential components of military and civilian machinery and equipment, the federal government has historically been a major customer of the industry. Nonetheless, high labor and production costs have caused the bearing industry to lose business to foreign competitors who have been able to sell bearings of equal quality at lower prices. U.S. bearing companies have also had to contend with illegal dumping practices by foreign competitors. Found guilty of these practices, many perpetrators then turned around and either opened plants in the United States or bought plants to supply their American customers. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, American manufacturers were especially confronted with competition from Asian countries, most notably China.

Organization and Structure

The ball and roller bearing business is unusual because it is strictly a component manufacturing industry. The industry accommodates its markets by selling loose or packaged bearings; these packaged bearings are installed in races that allow manufacturers to interchange complete bearing components. The industry has continued to evolve by developing new materials and lubricants and searching for alternative uses for bearings. Bearings have been found to have almost limitless applications and are expected to be in demand as long as machines are manufactured.

Ball bearings are spherical in shape, whereas roller bearings are cylindrical and may be tapered on one end or flattened to resemble needles. Generally, a ball bearing is used when speed is important; a roller bearing is used more often when load is most important. The manufacture of antifriction bearings starts from rod or wire. In a typical production process, pieces of wire are cut off in a press, placed between dies, and pressed into the shape of a ball or roller. Large rollers are produced by machining turning processes. The fin of surplus material that forms in the pressing process is removed between rotating file discs, and the diameter of the bearings is reduced through grinding and tumbling processes. Roundness specifications and surface finish improvements are also attained during grinding and tumbling. The bearings are then hardened, tempered, and given a high polish by further tumbling with a polishing agent. Finally, the elements are graded according to diameter.

Ball and roller bearings are used in anything that slides, glides, or rolls and, in some cases, are as large as 15 meters in diameter. Two general classes of bearings exist: commodity and precision. Commodity bearings are used in rotating elements that have relatively low revolutions per minute and do not face extreme stresses. Precision bearings, on the other hand, are highly accurate in terms of material quality, consistency of finish and diameter, and repeatability of tolerance levels. These bearings go through rigorous tests that check internal structure for failure tendencies and measure diameters to within one-millionth of an inch. Because the bearing industry has achieved such high product standards, it is widely respected for its ability to ensure an extraordinarily high level of quality control.

The value of shipments of complete antifriction bearings and components, including balls and rollers, was $5.7 billion in 1997, representing an increase of 5 percent over 1996 shipments of $5.4 billion. The industry's product share is divided into many different categories. In 1997, the industry produced complete ball bearings valued at $2.1 billion; completed...

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