Why are angular contact bearings mounted in gearboxes?

Angular contact bearings and axle regeneration. Why are they mounted in gears?

What and how?

Very often, angular bearings – asymmetrical are installed in driving gears. They differ mainly from ordinary bearings by the asymmetrical position of the outer race relative to the inner bearing. This is to increase the running surface while occupying a smaller area. However, it significantly increases the costs associated with possible regeneration of the reducer / angular bearing /.

Angular contact bearing – what for?

According to the manufacturers, these bearings are mounted to save space in the gearbox produced. In addition, their task is to increase the rolling surface of the bearing using less space. In practice, they actually take up less space, because in the place of the outer race of a traditional bearing, in gearboxes using angular bearings, there is room for a “seger” protecting them against slipping.

What’s the point

The result is that we actually gain 3-4 mm space in the gearbox. However – at what price? For example, a simple 110x150x18 bearing costs PLN 100-300, depending on the manufacturer. However, an angular contact bearing with the same dimensions will cost PLN 800-1000. In our opinion, angular contact bearings used in travel transmissions do not have any meaningful application, apart from forcing customers to pay a large price for new devices due to such difficult availability of this type of bearings. In addition, they significantly impede the regeneration of machine followers in which they are used.