How Does a Slewing Ring Work?

Slewing Rings, also known as slewing bearings or turntable bearings, are a form of bearing designed to allow rotational motion between multiple components. They are commonly used in industrial, agricultural, and heavy forestry equipment. Other areas of application include robotics, material handling equipment, and mining equipment. So, how exactly does a Slewing Ring work?

Slewing Rings are designed to work in ball, cage, raceway, and mounting systems. Its main structure has two rings on a turntable bearing. The outer ring lies flat on a stationary surface and is secured using screws. The inner ring is then secured to the rotating object using a type of adapter or bracket. It operates in a rotating manner because the outer ring remains mounted on the mounting surface. Think of it like how a crane turns without changing position.

The motion between the upper and lower rings is facilitated by sliding or rolling elements. If the Slewing Ring is used with ball bearings, it comes with additional components such as load plugs and seals to facilitate lubrication. It is worth noting that slewing rings using ball bearings produce very low friction.

However, Slewing Rings that use sliding motion rely on replaceable pads (plastic) that are installed between them. Likewise, for flat horizontal applications, a slewing ring with a plastic lining is recommended. For equipment designed for vertical movement, ball bearings would be a better choice.

To facilitate the use of slewing rings, they are equipped with gears on the outer ring. Then, they can be moved using, worm gears, external gears, drive plate couplings, external belts. If you use a slewing ring with a plastic lining, they are electrically insulated, so no additional insulation is required. This means that you can run cables in the slewing center without additional polymer or grounding. However, slewing rings using ball bearings require additional polymer linings to prevent current from flowing from the cables to the slewing ring.

After we know how the slewing ring works, how do we choose the right slewing ring bearing? 1. Look for a slewing ring designed with high-quality materials. 2. Choose a slewing ring bearing that meets the specifications for your equipment. 3. Choose a bearing that can withstand the maximum load, making sure to include static and dynamic loads applied to the bearing. 4. Buy bearings designed by a quality brand to ensure quality, HUAXI's bearings are worthy of your trust.

Slewing Ring is widely used in the following fields:

Engineering machinery: such as excavators, bulldozers and other mechanical equipment that need to rotate frequently; Metallurgical machinery: widely used in rolling mills and continuous casting machines to bear heavy loads; Petrochemical: used in equipment such as drilling platforms and tankers, adapted to high temperature and high humidity environments.

In addition, it can also be used in wind power, light industry, textile machinery and other fields. The operation of these equipment is inseparable from the support of Slewing Ring, which can carry large radial and axial forces, and has high rotation accuracy and service life. At the same time, its sealing performance is good and suitable for work in various environments.

Like all other bearings, Slewing Ring is used for connection between two structures to support motion and load transfer. Although they are traditionally considered to be very large bearing types, this is not the case. Because they can even provide a very small aperture of 50 mm, they can be an excellent choice for many applications in your facility, including robotics. It is worth noting that remember to always keep them in the best condition, especially to ensure that they are properly lubricated.