6 Ball Bearing Spline Manufacturers in 2022
This section provides overview, applications, and principles of ball bearing splines. Also, please take a look at the list of 6 ball bearing spline manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
What Is a Ball Spline?
A ball spline is a mechanism that realizes smooth motion in the spline axial direction and rotational motion in a single axis by sandwiching a spline shaft between outer cylinders.
Based on the difference in motion stroke, ball splines are broadly classified into infinite recirculation type and finite recirculation type.
Ball Spline Applications
Ball splines are mainly used in situations where both rotational and vertical movements are required simultaneously, such as with the movement of the tip of a robot arm.
They are also often used in situations such as rotary polishers, where rotation and pressing against the workpiece are required simultaneously.
On the other hand, infinite recirculation type ball splines are often used in transfer equipment and other situations where smooth, long-stroke single-axis motion is required.
Principle of Ball Splines
Generally, several guides are cut on the outside of the spline shaft of a ball spline, and there is an elliptical orbit with an arbitrary curvature inside the outer cylinder orbit that holds the shaft. Several rigid balls are installed in a shape that fits just within the orbit.
When the grooves on the spline shaft are precisely aligned with the outer sleeve containing these rigid balls, the rigid balls move smoothly within the elliptical orbit.
The rigid balls are coated with lubricant and roll between the outer casing and the spline shaft with very little friction.
Therefore, the spline shaft and outer cylinder can move smoothly relative to each other, so linear motion along the spline shaft and rotational motion can be realized with a single axis.
There is also a ball spline called a finite type that does not have an elliptical orbit in the outer cylinder, although its accuracy is a little lower.
How to Select a Ball Spline
The internal structure of all ball splines is almost the same, but the ability to withstand rotational torque depends on the spline shaft size, so it is important to select the appropriate spline shaft size according to the design of the equipment to be used.
It is also important to consider options that suit the operating environment, such as using a stainless steel material if the application is expected to be in a space with corrosive gases or moisture, or changing the ball lubricant to a special lubricant in situations where high cleanliness is required.
Rotary Ball Splines
Rotary ball splines have a mechanism that allows linear and rotary motion in a single assembly and are used for vertical axes on SCARA and industrial robots and assembly machines, loaders, and laser milling.
The rotary ball spline consists of a spline part and a rotating part in one piece, and a cross roller is arranged on the rotating part.
The integral nature of the spline and rotating section greatly reduces the number of parts compared to conventional mechanisms and reduces the accumulated errors in installation.
In addition, the cross roller is placed directly on the outer sleeve of the ball spline, making it possible to achieve a lightweight and compact configuration.
Furthermore, the use of cross rollers suppresses unnecessary thickness of the housing, making it lighter than conventional mechanisms and improving machinability and ease of installation.
Difference Between a Ball Spline and a Linear Bush
Linear bushings are linear motion mechanisms with a rolling guideway and are used in combination with linear shafts to provide infinite linear motion using the rolling of steel balls.
In a linear bush, the balls are arranged in a straight line with respect to the bush and slide in point contact with the shaft.
In contrast, in a ball spline, the balls roll over the grooves of the spline shaft, resulting in a large contact area between the balls and the shaft and no misalignment in the direction of rotation.
List of 6 Ball Bearing Spline Manufacturers
*Including some distributors, etc.
Sort by Features
- Default
- Company Size: largest first
- Year Founded: oldest first
- Year Founded: earliest first
Sort by Area
- Japan
- United States of America
Ball Bearing Spline Manufacturer Ranking
*Including some distributors, etc.Ranking as of January 2023 in United States
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIKI PULLEY CO., LTD. | 25% |
| 2 | NIPPON BEARING CO., LTD. | 25% |
| 3 | Oiles | 25% |
| 4 | NIPPON THOMPSON | 25% |
Ranking as of January 2023 Globally
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIKI PULLEY CO., LTD. | 25% |
| 2 | NIPPON BEARING CO., LTD. | 25% |
| 3 | Oiles | 25% |
| 4 | NIPPON THOMPSON | 25% |
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the ball bearing spline page as of January 2023. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
- THK: 13,073
- MIKI PULLEY CO., LTD.: 950
- NIPPON BEARING CO., LTD.: 582
Newly Established Company
- THK: 1971 (52 years ago)
- NIPPON BEARING CO., LTD.: 1959 (64 years ago)
- MIKI PULLEY CO., LTD.: 1939 (84 years ago)
Company with a History
- MIKI PULLEY CO., LTD.: 1939 (84 years ago)
- NIPPON BEARING CO., LTD.: 1959 (64 years ago)
- THK: 1971 (52 years ago)
Related Products
Search from All Categories
This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. If you are a resident of another country, please select the appropriate version of Metoree for your country in the drop-down menu.