Ball Bushing Bearings - Lubrication

Thomson Ball Bushing® and RoundWay® bearings are shipped with rust preventative oil (unless otherwise specified). Rust preventative oil is not adequate lubrication for use. Prior to installation, bearings require a small amount of grease or oil to operate properly. Which lubrication to choose is dependent on many factors.

A few general guidelines tol help select from the available lubrication options:

• Light loads and high speeds do well with machine oil or low viscosity grease
• Medium loads and speeds do well with NLGI 1 or 2 grease
• High loads may require a grease with an EP2 additive. The EP is Extreme Pressure and uses special additives to prevent the grease from breaking down under high pressures. This type of grease will give the steel shafts a dull appearance
• Thomson LinearLube® is suitable for most industrial applications and is FDA listed

Do not use any type of dry lubricant (PTFE powder, graphite powder, etc.) with any recirculating ball or roller type of bearing. While these lubricants are good for sliding motion, they do very little to aid rolling friction.

Frequency of lubrication is dependent on:

• Duty cycle
• Environment
• Level of contamination
• At a minimum every year or 100 km of travel