Machined parts: The raw materials used to manufacture the bearing parts determine the performance and reliability of rolling bearings to a large extent. In order to meet the extremely demanding application needs in the automotive field, engineers began to use high-performance materials such as PEEK processing polymer in the design of deep groove ball bearings.

Cage is not only affected by mechanical stress such as friction, tension and inertia force, but also subject to chemical action generated by some lubricants, lubricating additives or their aging products, organic solvents or coolants. The relative influence degree of such matters may be affected by other working parameters, including high temperature, impact load, vibration or the combination of such factors and other conditions. Therefore, design and materials play an important role in the performance of cage and the operation reliability of bearing itself. This is why engineers develop cage models based on PEEK processing polymer materials and design them for higher requirements of the automotive industry.

Polymer cages are characterized by a perfect combination of strength and elasticity. Polymeric materials show good sliding performance on the lubricated steel surface, while the cage surface in contact with the rolling elements has excellent smoothness. Together, they create extremely low friction, thus keeping the heating and wear of the bearing at a lower level. Low density material means low inertia of the cage. Even in the absence of lubricant, polymer cages have excellent operating performance, so there is no risk of jamming and secondary damage when bearings work continuously for a period of time.

The material used for most injection molded cages is PA66 (polyamide 6,6). The strength, elasticity and other mechanical properties of polymer materials are related to temperature, and will produce permanent changes under working conditions - called aging. In the aging process, the temperature of the polymer, the time it experiences and the medium (lubricant) it contacts are all crucial factors. On the surface, the life of cage is shortened with the increase of temperature and the corrosivity of lubricant. Some media are highly corrosive, so that the cage made of glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6,6 cannot be used at the working temperature above+70 ° C. A typical example is ammonia used as a refrigerant in a compressor.

It is for this reason that engineers generally use glass fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone (PEEK) in their cages to meet the requirements for high speed, chemical erosion or high temperature applications such as alternators or transformers. The performance of PEEK machined parts is remarkable because its outstanding strength and toughness, wide operating temperature range, high chemical corrosion resistance, wear resistance and ease of processing are perfectly combined. Moreover, at temperatures up to+200 ° C, this material does not show signs of aging due to temperature and lubricant additives. With these outstanding features, PEEK machined cages are perfectly suited for ball and roller bearings (such as hybrid or high-precision bearings) and certain custom automotive bearing categories.