New Way^® Spherical Air Bearings offer frictionless, unconstrained motion for a variety of applications. These bearings come in a wide range of standard sizes to easily integrate into your current process.

Our spherical air bearings are shaped out of our Porous Media TechnologyTM to support a sphere on a stiff cushion of air. The spherical cup can also come vacuum pre-loaded for added positioning precision.

All of New Way’s air bearings are constructed out of a porous carbon substrate. The millions of sub-micron passageways that wind through the material naturally restrict air flow leaving a uniform, stiff air cushion at the surface of the bearing. Since the holes are evenly distributed over the surface of the bearing, unlike orifice air bearings, pressure gradients never occur making crashes a thing of the past.

Clean Room Compliant

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The unique use of porous media in spherical air bearings makes them ideal for clean room use. Not only is less air used in spherical air bearings when compared to orifice-based air bearings, but the air is evenly distributed by the porous media. Both of these features minimize the potential of currents or eddies in the clean room and its damaging impacts on production.

Another benefit of the use of porous media is its ability to perform as a sub-micron filter for the air emitted. Testing indicates the bearing satisfies the requirements of Class 1 (ISO class 3) cleanliness, with airborne particulate concentrate limits of less than 1,000 x 0.1μm particles / m3.

New Way also offers custom spherical air bearings to fit any specifications. Reach out today and tell us about your application.