GPS Silicon Nitride Ball

Silicon Nitride Ceramic Balls are precision ceramics sintered at high temperature in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. It has the characteristics of high strength, high wear resistance, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, acid and alkali resistance. It can be used in sea water for a long time and has good electrical and magnetic insulation properties. At 800°C, the strength and hardness are almost unchanged, and its density is 3.20 g/cm³, which is almost 1/3 of the weight of bearing steel. The centrifugal force is small when rotating, and high-speed operation can be realized. It also has self-lubricating function and can be used in environments where non-lubricating media are seriously polluted. It has become the first choice for ceramic bearings and hybrid ceramic ball bearings.

Gas pressure sintering (GPS) refers to the application of a certain gas pressure, usually N₂, with a pressure range of 1 to 10 MPa to inhibit the decomposition and weight loss of ceramic materials at high temperatures, thereby increasing the sintering temperature, further promoting the densification of the material, and obtaining high-density ceramics products.

The performance of ceramic balls is stable, and the overall performance of silicon nitride is the best. Compared with steel, it has lighter weight, smaller friction coefficient, better motion performance, elastic modulus 50% larger than steel, and thermal expansion coefficient less than 25%. It can still maintain high strength and hardness before 1000°C at high temperature, corrosion resistance, no rust, non-magnetic, and can work under oil-free lubrication.

NCE can provide the GPS Silicon Nitride (Si₃N₄) Ball and the Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) Silicon Nitride (Si₃N₄) Ball as needed. Various sizes can be customized. Please contact us for more details. Get a Quote Now! For other ceramic materials, please check our Ceramics catalog page.

Synonyms: gas pressure sintering (GPS) Si₃N₄ ball, silicon nitride ceramic ball, GPS Si₃N₄ Ball, gas pressure sintering silicon nitride ball

Typical Applications:

The Silicon Nitride Ceramic Ball can be used in various bearings with extreme performance requirements: high-speed/ultra-high-speed bearings, high-precision bearings, vacuum bearings, high/low-temperature bearings, non-magnetic bearings and high-precision ball screws. It can also be used as valve ball, traveling valve, fixed valve and metering ball in chemical pumps, high temperature pumps and metering pumps.

Silicon Nitride Ceramic Balls are generally assembled into hybrid bearings, which can be used in high-tech industries such as aviation and national defense. They can also be widely used in chemical, metallurgy, medical, food, oil field, electronics and other industries.

Compared with steel balls, the main advantages of Silicon Nitride Balls are:

1. They are 59% lighter than the steel balls, which greatly reduces the centrifugal force, rolling and wear of the channel during high-speed and accelerated operation of the bearing.
2. The modulus of elasticity is 44% larger than that of steel, which means that the deformation is greatly reduced than that of steel balls.
3. The hardness is higher than that of steel, and the Hardness Rockwell C (HRC) reaches 78.
4. Low friction coefficient.
5. The coefficient of thermal expansion is 1/4 of that of steel, which can withstand severe temperature changes.
6. It is easy to obtain almost perfect surface finish, and Roughness Average (RA) can reach 4 ~ 6 nm.
7. High temperature resistance: silicon nitride ceramic balls still have high strength and hardness at 1050°C.
8. They never rust and can work without oil lubrication.
9. More resistant to chemical corrosion than steel.
10. No metal pollution.
11. Non-magnetic.
12. Electrical insulation.
13. No adhesive wear.

The combination of these excellent properties makes silicon nitride the first choice for high-performance bearing rolling element materials.

Note:

1) Black color as standard. Gray color could be supplied upon customer requirement.

2) Non-standard sizes and different gauges could be supplied.

3) GPS Si₃N₄ balls and HIP Si₃N₄ balls are both available. Compared with HIP silicon nitride ball, GPS Si₃N₄ has lower strength and worse bearing capacity.

Inquiries and orders should include the following information:

1. Quantity
2. Dimensions
3. Grade (G5-G60)
4. GPS Silicon Nitride is the typical material. If HIP Silicon Nitride Balls are required, please mark “HIP”.
5. Black color as standard. Gray color is for the special requirements.

Standard Packing: Sealed bags in carton boxes. Special package is available on request.