Economy and applicability of sliding bearings in expander applications

In industrial production, bearings are an indispensable component of mechanical transmission systems. Rolling bearings, with their high precision, high rigidity and low friction, occupy an important position in equipment that requires high-precision positioning, such as machine tools. However, in specific expander applications, we find that the low-precision characteristics of sliding bearings have become its advantages in economy and applicability.

First of all, we need to make it clear that the reason why rolling bearings can be widely used in high-precision equipment is that they can ensure the precise position of the shaft during rotation, thereby meeting the extremely high requirements of the equipment for precision. However, in some expander applications, the requirements for precise positioning of the shaft are not high, which means that we do not need to use expensive rolling bearings to achieve this precision requirement.

As a traditional type of bearing, sliding bearings do have lower precision than rolling bearings. However, this does not mean that they are useless in expander applications. On the contrary, due to the simple structure, low manufacturing cost, and the need for complex maintenance like rolling bearings, sliding bearings have become an ideal choice for expanders that do not require high-precision positioning.

In expanders, the main purpose of the rotation of the shaft is to transmit power and convert energy. In this process, the position accuracy of the shaft is not the primary consideration. Therefore, even if the accuracy of the sliding bearing is low, it will not have a significant impact on the performance of the expander. On the contrary, due to the low manufacturing cost of sliding bearings, the use of sliding bearings can significantly reduce the production cost of the expander and improve economic benefits.

Sliding bearings also have some advantages that rolling bearings do not have. For example, sliding bearings can withstand large impact and vibration loads, which is particularly important for expanders operating in harsh working environments. At the same time, the lubrication method of sliding bearings is also simpler, and there is no need to regularly replace grease or perform complex maintenance operations like rolling bearings.

Although rolling bearings have an irreplaceable position in high-precision equipment, in some expander applications that do not require high-precision positioning, sliding bearings have become a more economical choice due to their low cost, simple structure and good performance characteristics. This fully proves that in mechanical design, it is very important to choose the right type of bearing, which can not only meet the performance requirements of the equipment, but also improve economic benefits and reduce maintenance costs.