• Products

    • Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    New Way® Radial Air Bearings are ideal for precision rotary applications, giving you all the differential advantages of air bearings built on our proven Porous Media Technology™

    Radial air bearings provide non-contact support for rotating, round artifacts using a thin (5µm) layer of air.

    This thin air layer is amazingly stiff, creating a stable support for a ring, or bearing surface, while allowing for surface speeds of up to 100 meters-per-second. Our convex W radial air bearings are configured to ride along the outer diameter (OD) of your rotating artifact with a cut radiused along the length of the bearing

    Cleanroom Compliance

    The unique use of Porous Media Technology™ in radial air bearings makes them ideal for cleanroom use. Not only is less air used in radial 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 cleanroom, 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.

    While several standard sizes of radial air bearings are offered, New Way has more than 30 years experience developing custom solutions. Contact us to tell us more about your application!

    • Zero vibration
    • High speed
    • High stiffness
    • Large scale rotary motion
    • No contact
    • No wear
    • No noise
    • No lubrication needed
    • Averaring of guide surface errors
    • Sub-nanometer repeatability
    • Infinite resolution
    • Exception velocity control

    Applications

    New Way radial air bearings support a wide range of high-performance applications. The ability to use them in groups makes their solution space virtually limitless. Their non-contact nature makes them superior for high-precision applications. Frictionless Motion®️ virtually eliminates downtime for maintenance, all the while improving the overall manufacturing process.

    Don’t see your application listed? Don’t worry! Tell us more about your rotary application so we can help find the right air bearing solution for you.

    Web Handling

    • Non-contact handling of flexible substrates during roll-to-roll production reduces defects.
    • Removal of friction and wear translates to less downtime required for frequent lubrication and replacement of worn components.

    Optics

    • Porous Media Technology offers sub-nanometer precision positioning and smooth motion ideal for optical applications
    • Facilitates high-speed, non-contact rotation of x-ray assemblies for patient imaging.

    Inspection

    • Inspection systems require reliable ultra-high precision to avoid defective products making it to market.
    • Use of air instead of traditional lubricants is ideal for cleanroom environments

    Additional Applications

    • Astronomy observatories
    • Wind power
    • Turbomachinery
    • Powder processing
    • Centrifuge applications

    Product Line

    Radial Air Bearings Convex W Product Line


    S33100W***S33100W*** - 100mm x 200mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S33100W***S33100W*** - 100mm x 200mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S33125W***S33125W*** - 125mm x 250mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S33125W***S33125W*** - 125mm x 250mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S3312W***S3312W*** - 12mm x 24mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S3312W***S3312W*** - 12mm x 24mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S33150W***S33150W*** - 150mm x 300mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S33150W***S33150W*** - 150mm x 300mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S3315W***S3315W*** - 15mm x 30mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S3315W***S3315W*** - 15mm x 30mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S3320W***S3320W*** - 20mm x 40mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S3320W***S3320W*** - 20mm x 40mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S3325W***S3325W*** - 25mm x 50mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S3325W***S3325W*** - 25mm x 50mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S3340W***S3340W*** - 40mm x 80mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S3340W***S3340W*** - 40mm x 80mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S3350W***S3350W*** - 50mm x 100mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S3350W***S3350W*** - 50mm x 100mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    S3375W***S3375W*** - 75mm x 150mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile
    S3375W***S3375W*** - 75mm x 150mm Radial Air Bearings Convex W Profile

    Units: US METRIC

    Comparision Table

    Size (Diameter) Part # (select for load/lift curve & drawings) Ideal Load at 5μm Fly Height Stiffness N/micron (lbs/μin) @ 0.41 MPa (60psi) Flow NLPM (SCFH) @ 0.41 MPa (60psi) Ball Socket Size Bearing Height mm (in) Bearing Weight grams (pounds)
    150 x 300 mm150 x 300 mm     		S33150W***S33150W*** 2,350 lb10,453 N 9.39 lb/μin1645 N/μm 26.0 - 30.0 SCFH11.24 - 12.97 NLPM 25 mm25 mm 3.94 in100 mm 26.06 lb11,822 g
    125 x 250 mm125 x 250 mm     		S33125W***S33125W*** 1500 lb6672 N 5.76 lb/μin1009 N/μm 9.0 - 12.0 SCFH3.89 - 5.19 NLPM 25 mm25 mm 2.95 in75 mm 15.29 lb6937 g
    100 x 200 mm100 x 200 mm     		S33100W***S33100W*** 900 lb4003 N 3.80 lb/μin665 N/μm 10.0 - 12.0 SCFH4.32 - 5.19 NLPM 25 mm25 mm 2.76 in70 mm 7.99 lb3628 g
    75 x 150 mm75 x 150 mm     		S3375W***S3375W*** 420 lb1868 N 1.43 lb/μin250 N/μm 8.5 - 10.0 SCFH3.68 - 4.32 NLPM 25 mm25 mm 1.97 in50 mm 3.02 lb1372 g
    50 x 100 mm50 x 100 mm     		S3350W***S3350W*** 180 lb801 N 0.63 lb/μin110 N/μm 6.0 - 8.0 SCFH2.59 - 3.46 NLPM 13 mm13 mm 0.98 in25 mm 0.65 lb295 g
    40 x 80 mm40 x 80 mm     		S3340W***S3340W*** 100 lb445 N 0.33 lb/μin58 N/μm 6.0 - 9.0 SCFH2.59 - 3.89 NLPM 13 mm13 mm 0.79 in20 mm 0.32 lb145 g
    25 x 50 mm25 x 50 mm     		S3325W***S3325W*** 35 lb156 N 0.13 lb/μin22 N/μm 4.5 - 5.5 SCFH1.95 - 2.38 NLPM 6 mm6 mm 0.67 in17 mm 0.11 lb48 g
    20 x 40 mm20 x 40 mm     		S3320W***S3320W*** 20 lb89 N 0.08 lb/μin14 N/μm 1.5 - 2.5 SCFH0.65 - 1.08 NLPM 6 mm6 mm 0.51 in13 mm 0.05 lb24 g
    15 x 30 mm15 x 30 mm     		S3315W***S3315W*** 10 lb44 N 0.04 lb/μin7 N/μm 4.0 - 5.0 SCFH1.73 - 2.16 NLPM 6 mm6 mm 0.39 in10 mm 0.02 lb8 g
    12 x 24 mm12 x 24 mm     		S3312W***S3312W*** 5 lb22 N 0.03 lb/μin5 N/μm 0.42 - 0.64 SCFH0.18 - 0.28 NLPM 6 mm6 mm 0.24 in6 mm 0.01 lb6 g