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You may have heard the term ceramic ball bearings a few times in the past and you may be wondering what it is and what they are used for. These are actually ball bearings that are made with silicon nitride ceramic elements and these are often used for equipment that need precision ball bearings in their makeup. These ball bearings are known to withstand extreme heat since they are made with the same material that was used to make the tiles that are found in the heat shield of NASA’s space shuttles. This means that these ball bearings are highly resilient and heat absorbing.

When you talk about these ball bearings that are made from silicon nitride elements or ceramic elements, you should know that there are actually a few different types. Not all of the ball bearings that are called ceramic are actually totally made with the use of ceramic elements. These ball bearings are sometimes made with a mixture of other components to complete the ball bearing and the other components used include steel or other metal types. For example, the ceramic ball bearings that are called hybrid are made with a combination of ceramic balls but with steel or metal rings that encase these rolling elements. When you say that these ball bearings are partially ceramic, these are composed of ceramic balls with a ceramic inner ring and a metal or steel outer ring encasing them. Only ball bearings that are called full ceramic have all elements made with silicon nitride.