Front Wheel Bearing Manufacturer

Race Manufacturing

The inner and outer races are manufactured by cutting steel to the race’s shape using automatic machines. The cuttings are typically larger to allow changes using heat treatment. These races are then treated in a furnace at 1,550°F for hours according to their size before being dipped in an oil bath.

Now, the races are hard and brittle; they are tempered by heating them at around 300°F and later cooling to make them tough instead of brittle.

Next, the manufacturers use grinding wheels to cut the races into their final shape. Grinding gives it a smooth surface adequate for the balls to roll smoothly. Grinding and lapping the surface produces the right texture of a mirror finish.

Ball Manufacturing

The ball bearings are the next part of the wheel bearing hub, and manufacturing them is a complicated and challenging task. The balls form from a thick wire fed into a machine that breaks it into smaller pieces. Then, the machine smashes both ends of the wire toward the middle through a cold heading. This produces a ball-like shape with a ring (flash) in the middle (like Saturn).

Then, the balls run between two cast iron disks with a rough interior that removes the flash from the balls. One of the wheels has holes that send the balls into the grooves, where the balls move and come out of the other hole. This process takes a few attempts of adding the balls back to the grooves until the balls are smooth.

After smoothing the surface, the balls receive heat treatment to make them tough and hard through tempering. Now, the balls go through another machine with grinding wheels that grind them almost down to their finished size.

Furthermore, the balls go through the lapping machine, which laps them for 8 to 10 hours to obtain their final size. It gives a smooth exterior to the balls to reduce friction when they run between the races.

Cage Manufacturing

The front wheel bearing hub’s next part is the cage containing them to ensure convenient movement. The cage is made of thin metal, and the shape is obtained using a die. The thin sheets are pressed into the die and closed; when opened, the sheets come in the shape of the die. Meanwhile, manufacturing plastic cages is slightly different. Instead of using a die, plastic cage production uses injection molding in which a metal mold, filled with melted plastic, forms the cage’s shape.

Bearing Seal Manufacturing

The bearing seal or bearing retainer is another important component of the wheel bearing assembly. It is an O-shaped rubber seal made from hard rubber that prevents the entry of water into the assembly. At the same time, it also ensures that grease does not leak.

You must also repair the bearing seal when replacing a front wheel bearing. Mostly, they come with the bearing assembly. But if not, you can purchase them individually.

Bearing Snap Ring Manufacturing

The bearing snap ring is made with a circular band of metal. It keeps the roller bearing assembly in place and prevents movement. You need a specially designed snap ring removal tool to remove and install new bearing snap rings.

Bearing Grease

Grease is critical to the wheel bearing hub’s health as it helps reduce friction. This heavy-duty petroleum-based or synthetic grease lubricates high-friction surfaces in the assembly. It differs from motor oil because of its thickness and viscosity needed for lubrication at high temperatures. Always grease your hands with bearing grease when replacing the bearings.

Also, leaving your grease uncovered will contaminate it. So, you must replace it and buy new bearing grease.

Assembly

Once the parts of the front wheel bearing assembly are ready, it is time to assemble them. The manufacturers put the inner race in the outer race at a significant distance to add the ball bearing between them.

After adding the balls, the races are moved to bring them to the center. Next, the cage goes into the assembly and is riveted together properly. At the same time, you can just snap in the steel cage.

The last part of wheel bearing manufacturing before shipping is coating the assembly to avoid rust. It ensures the bearings do not rust, even in high-moisture conditions.

Quality Control and Assurance

Front wheel bearing manufacturing is a controlled process beginning with testing the raw material (steel). As the steel sheets and balls undergo heat treatment and machining, they are tested for toughness and hardness, followed by size and shape inspection. Then, the workers inspect and analyze the smoothness required for the balls to move freely. The balls must be no more than out of round more than 5 millionths of an inch for high-speed bearings and 25 millionths of an inch for inexpensive bearings.