What Is a Ball Screw and How Does It Work?

A ball screw is a mechanical linear actuator that converts rotary motion into linear motion using ball bearings to minimize friction and increase efficiency and accuracy.

What Types of Ball Screws Do You Offer?

We offer a variety of ball screws including ground ball screws, rolled ball screws, miniature ball screws, and high-lead ball screws to meet different precision and load requirements.

How Do I Choose the Right Ball Screw for My Application?

Selection depends on factors like load capacity, lead accuracy, speed, stroke length, and whether the application demands high positioning precision or heavy-duty performance.

What Is the Difference Between Ground and Rolled Ball Screws?

Ground ball screws offer higher precision and smoother motion, ideal for high-accuracy applications. Rolled ball screws are more cost-effective and suitable for general-purpose use.

What Maintenance Is Required for a Ball Screw?

Regular lubrication is essential. Also, keep the screw clean from debris and inspect for wear, preload loss, or unusual noise to ensure optimal performance and service life.

Air Bearings for Ultra-Precision Motion Control

YIDI Motion delivers aerostatic and aerodynamic air bearings engineered for semiconductor fabs, metrology labs, and high-speed spindles. OEM customization available. Lead times from factory stock.

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What Are Air Bearings?
Aerostatic vs Aerodynamic
Key Applications
Why Choose Air Bearings?
Procurement Guide
Technical Specs
Our Factory Capabilities
Customer Feedback
FAQs
Get in Touch

Understanding Air Bearings in Precision Engineering

I've been sourcing linear motion components for over 15 years, first as a procurement lead in a US semiconductor equipment maker, now directing exports at YIDI Motion. Air bearings come up often when teams need sub-micron accuracy without wear. They're not for every setup—high initial cost and cleanroom needs limit them—but where they fit, they transform machine performance.

At core, an air bearing floats a moving part on a thin film of pressurized air. No metal-to-metal contact means zero friction, no backlash, no lubrication mess. Think of it like hovering over ice, but controlled to nanometers. We started producing them in 2022 after demand spiked from Asian fabs expanding into EU and US markets. Our first big order went to a German CMM builder who ditched roller bearings after repeatability issues.

Most buyers search "air bearing" when upgrading stages or spindles. Intent mixes specs hunting with supplier scouting. Engineers want load ratings, stiffness curves; purchasers check MOQs, lead times. We've shipped to 50+ countries, so we know the pain of mismatched tolerances or surprise duties.

Production starts with precision machining the bearing surfaces—aluminum or stainless, often anodized. Orifices sized to 5-10 microns for air flow. We pull in Japanese grinding tech for flatness under 1um. Testing? Every unit runs on helium interferometers before packing. Skip that, and your stage wobbles at speed.

Common misconception: all air bearings guzzle air. Ours use 5-20 SCFM depending on size, recyclable via filters. Energy draw? Compressor aside, negligible. Payback hits in months for high-duty cycles, like wafer inspection tools running 24/7.

Procurement tip: Don't skimp on porosity checks. Poorly sintered restrictors clog fast in dusty shops. We've seen returns from competitors' units failing at 500 hours. Our ceramic ones last 10x that in clean ops.

Global trade angle—US importers, note ITAR if defense-related, but ours are COTS for commercial. EU? REACH compliant, no PFAS issues. Lead time 4-6 weeks stock, 8-12 custom. FOB Xingang, CIF options to LA or Rotterdam.

Let's dive deeper next.

Aerostatic vs. Aerodynamic Air Bearings: Picking the Right Type

Aerostatic bearings pressurize externally—constant stiffness from startup to full speed. Ideal for vertical axes or low-speed precision. Pump air at 50-80 PSI through orifices or porous media. Downside: Needs continuous supply, adds system complexity.

Aerodynamic self-generate pressure as surfaces move. No external air needed once spinning. Cheaper on utils, but stiffness builds gradually—preload mandatory. We offer both; hybrid for some OEMs.

Type	Stiffness (N/μm)	Air Consumption	Best For
Aerostatic	50-200	High (10-50 SCFM)	Static positioning, CMMs
Aerodynamic	20-100	Zero (runtime)	High-speed spindles

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Choose based on duty. Seen fabs regret aerodynamic in intermittent use—takes seconds to stabilize.

Real-World Applications Across Industries

Semiconductor Equipment: Wafer stages hitting 1g accel, 50nm tracking. Our 100mm round bearings in ASML-like steppers.
Metrology: CMM probes floating error-free. Pairs with Renishaw scales for sub-micron form measurement.
High-Speed Machining: Air spindles to 100k RPM, no thermal growth. Aerospace turbine blades.
Photonics: Laser tables damping vibes to 0.1Hz.
FPD Manufacturing: OLED panel aligners needing flatness over 1m.

One client in California retrofitted their encoder tester. Cut position error 70%, uptime jumped. Details later in reviews.

Air Bearings Over Mechanical Alternatives

Roller bearings wear. Air doesn't. After 10k hours, mechanicals loosen 5-10um; ours hold 0.5um. No grease contamination in cleanrooms—huge for pharma optics.

Stiffness? Matched or beats hydrodynamics without oil. Speed unlimited by Hertzian contact. Maintenance? Swap filters yearly.

Operational Note: Pair with granite bases for thermal stability. Aluminum frames warp 2um/°C.

Cost upfront 3-5x, but lifecycle drops 40% on service. Importers tell us ROI in 12-18 months.

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Buyer's Guide: Sourcing Air Bearings Right

Step 1: Define load, speed, accuracy. Vertical? Aerostatic. Our calc tool helps—email specs.

Watch for fakes—check orifice density, surface Ra <0.1um. Ask for stiffness plots, not brochures.

Verify ISO 9001, CE if EU.
MOQ? Ours 1pc prototype.
Custom? CAD to part in 8 weeks.
Shipping: 20' container fits 500pcs, insured.

Risks: Undersized compressors cause starvation. We spec full systems. Duty cycles over 80%? Size up 20%.

Compare suppliers: Taiwan fast but tolerances vary; Japan premium price. We balance—German/Japan equip, China scale.

Angular Contact Ball Bearing Manufacturer

Detailed Technical Specifications

Model	ID (mm)	Load (kg)	Stiffness (N/μm)	Air Pressure (PSI)
AB-50R	50	20	80	60
AB-100S	100	100	150	70
AB-200R	200	500	300	80

Custom up to 500mm. Tolerances: Flatness 0.5um, parallelism 1um.

YIDI Motion Factory: From Hebei to Global Supply

HEBEI YIDI IMPORT AND EXPORT TRADING CO.,LTD., est. 2020. 100 staff, 30% seniors. German/Japan CNCs ensure micron precision. Exports to US, Germany, Japan—50+ countries.

OEM/ODM full: Your design, our tools. Ball screws, linear guides too—one-stop linear motion.