The Development History, Key Inventors and Enterprises of Modern Industrial Bearings

The development of modern industrial bearings began in the late 19th century, going through three stages: initiation, growth, and full-scale development. Thanks to technological breakthroughs by numerous inventors and enterprises, bearings have evolved from handcrafted workshop products into core industrial components. Detailed introduction is as follows:

Initiation Stage (Late 19th Century – Pre-WWI)

This stage witnessed the transformation of bearings from theoretical concepts to industrial production. In 1794, Philip Vaughan obtained the ball bearing patent and applied it to carriage axles, laying the foundation for the practical application of rolling bearings. In 1881, German scientist Heinrich Hertz proposed the Hertzian contact theory, pioneering the mechanical analysis of bearings. In 1883, Friedrich Fischer founded Germany's FAG Georg Schäfer KG. He proposed grinding steel balls with uniform size and high roundness precision using specialized machines, a technology regarded as the cornerstone of the rolling bearing industry. The American ND Bearing Factory was established in 1889, later becoming a bearing-related department of General Motors. In 1898, Henry Timken obtained the tapered roller bearing patent and founded Timken Company the following year, establishing its leading position in this field. During this stage, production scale was small, technology was primitive, bearings were made of carbon steel, and only a few European and American enterprises mastered the technology.

Growth Stage (Post-WWI – Post-WWII)

Two world wars drove the development of the military industry, leading to a surge in demand for bearings. Production shifted to group-style mass production during this period, with materials upgraded to alloy steels such as chromium steel, significantly improving product precision and service life. Japan's NSK was established in 1916 as the country's first ball bearing manufacturer; NTN was founded in 1918 and gradually expanded its global business thereafter. In 1924, Arvid Palmgren of SKF proposed a bearing life prediction method, which was later expanded by Miner to form the Palmgren-Miner rule. Adopted by ISO in 1962, this theory became the core standard for bearing life calculation. Meanwhile, bearing applications extended from the military to civilian fields such as automobiles and machine tools, with output exceeding 35 million sets and product varieties gradually enriched.

Development Stage (1950s – Present)

High-tech industries have driven bearings towards high precision and adaptability to special working conditions. Sweden's SKF, founded in 1907, rose to prominence with the modern self-aligning ball bearing designed by Sven Wingquist. Twelve years later, he co-invented the spherical roller bearing with higher load-carrying capacity together with Palmgren. Today, SKF has become a global bearing giant with operations in over 130 countries. Japan has formed a cluster of five major bearing enterprises including NSK and NTN – for example, the automated production line at NTN's Iwata Works produces 400,000 bearings per day. Germany's FAG and INA have become core forces of the Schaeffler Group, focusing on the high-end industrial sector. Additionally, in 1995, Magnus Källström of SKF invented the CARB toroidal roller bearing, suitable for heavy-load and angular misalignment conditions. China has also gradually emerged: Luoyang Bearing was established in 1954, and enterprises such as Renben Bearing have entered the global market, improving the global bearing industry structure.Today, the global bearing industry is dominated by multinational groups. The technological accumulation of these enterprises and pioneers continues to drive bearings to become indispensable core components of modern industry.