ABEC scale

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ABEC, stands for Annular Bearing Engineering Council, that standards defines tolerance (engineering) classes for major dimensions and characteristics of steel ball bearings. The ABEC scale of tolerance classes ranges from 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. Higher numbers indicate closer conformance to certain critical bearing dimensions. Bearings manufactured within tighter tolerance ranges provide greater accuracy of shaft rotation and contribute to higher speed capability. However, the ABEC rating does not specify many other critical factors, including raceway uniformity, smoothness of the rolling contact surfaces, ball precision, and material quality.

[edit] ABEC Ratings

Bearings are rated on the Annular Bearing Engineering Council or ABEC scale. The higher the ABEC number, the greater the manufactured precision of the bearing. There are no required materials to meet the ABEC specifications. The bearings simply have to be made to a certain precision. ABEC ratings are 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

Most applications only require 1 or 3 ratings while some very high precision parts like machine spindles or mills will require 5, 7 or even 9 in ultra high precision.