Ball Bearings

Thin Section Ball Bearings

Thin Section Ball Bearings were developed for applications where space limitations are of the utmost importance. As the name implies, the difference between the inside and outside diameters of the rings has been minimized or thinned out. Of course, this comes at a price by compromising load capacities. However, these bearings can still accommodate a relatively light radial thrust or combined loads.

The ring and ball material is available in 52100 chrome steel or 440C stainless steel. Cage styles are either two-piece ribbon or snap-over crown designs. Closure selections include contact rubber seals or metallic shields. All standard tolerance classes and radial play ranges are available. Choose from several popular greases or oils. Contact AST Engineering for application assistance.

Bearings Catalog

Check out our online product catalog with more than 10,000 products with full specifications & 3D CAD Models available for download - all free of charge!

View Catalog

AST has nearly 300 different models of thin section ball bearings organized into the following numerical series:

SR Series – The inch dimensional series with bore sizes ranging from 3/8” to 1-5/8”. Application example robotics and automation.
6700 Series – Metric dimensional series for very limited space applications and very light loads. A common application example is flow meters.
6800 Series – Another metric dimensional bearing series for limited space applications and light loading. Widely used in optical encoder applications.
6900 Series – Metric dimensional series for limited space applications and medium loads. Popular series for power hand tools.

AST’s Thin-Section Ball Bearings are produced open, shielded, sealed, or with various combinations of closures. ABEC-1 through ABEC-9 precision levels are also available on most models. The standard material is 52100 Chrome steel but they are also available in stainless steel. Also, virtually all metric series models are available with a flange for mounting if desired.

Torque Tube Bearings and Thinex Bearings

"Torque Tube" bearings and "Thinex" bearings are generic industry names for “Thin Section Ball Bearings”. While not required, Torque Tube bearings often have an extended inner ring to provide a stronger and stiffer bearing (minimizing torque) than its thinness would allow otherwise.

Generally, Thinex ball bearings are thinner given the same outside diameter than Torque Tube ball bearings (the term Thinex may have been derived from "thinest"); however, there is no standard definition for either in the bearing industry.

Whether called Torque Tube or Thinex ball bearings, Thin Section Ball Bearings are often used as specialized Instrument Ball Bearings where low friction and high accuracy are required, where space is at a premium, and where load support is less important than shaft location.

AST Bearings is proudly presenting our new certificates for both the NJ and CA locations: AST Bearings’ ISO 9001:2015 Certificates

To learn more about what the ISO 9001 standard is, the differences between the 2015 and 2008 versions, and how AST verifies customer satisfaction: Learn About AST Bearings’ certification to ISO 9001:2015

Need Assistance Selecting the Proper Thin Section Ball Bearings?

If you need help in selecting the best products for your particular application, please remember that design engineering and application assistance are available from AST as part of our value-added services designed to make your job easier.

Value added services