Thin-Section Bearing

A bearing with a very thin cross-section and a large bore, suited to compact, hollow robot joints.

A thin-section bearing has inner and outer rings with a very small cross-section, and — within a given product series — that cross-section stays constant instead of growing thicker as the bore diameter increases, so even a large-bore version stays thin and light. Robot joints need to be hollow for cable routing while also staying compact and light, so thin-section deep-groove, angular-contact, or four-point-contact ball bearings are common inside harmonic reducers, at the output of joint modules, and in turntables; cross-roller bearings are also often made in a thin form, since a single one can carry radial load, axial load, and tilting moment all at once. The tradeoff is lower stiffness and load capacity than a standard bearing of the same bore size, and tighter requirements on how precisely the housing and mating parts are machined.

Also called

Thin-Wall Bearing, Constant Cross-Section Bearing

Related

Crossed Roller Bearing · Joint Actuator Module · Hollow-Shaft Cable Routing · Strain Wave Gear (Harmonic Drive) · Lightweighting (Magnesium Alloy / Carbon Fiber)

Sources

Kaydon Bearings (thin-section bearing manufacturer)
Bearing (mechanical) - Wikipedia