NTN : Develops World-smallest Hydrodynamic Bearing “Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE”〈Product〉

Ultra-small size with an inner diameter of 0.6 mm Contributing to higher speed and higher quietness of small-sized mobile devices

NTN Corporation (hereafter, NTN) has developed the smallest hydrodynamic bearing "Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE" with an inner diameter of 0.6 mm. With the spread of the 5th Generation Mobile Communication System (hereafter, 5G), the developed product will greatly contribute to the improvement of quietness and long operating life of micro fan motors for small-sized mobile devices, such as high performance smartphones and wearable devices, which are becoming increasingly faster and higher capacity.

"Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE" is a hydrodynamic bearing that uses NTN's proprietary precision machining technology to create a herringbone-type hydrodynamic pressure grooves on oil-impregnated sintered bearings and forms an oil film around the entire circumference of bearing clearance, making it lightweight, compact, highly quietness and high-speed rotation. In recent years, as EV and automotive electrification are spreading, they have increasingly been adopted for fan motors of automotive applications that demand high quietness*.

On the other hand, in the telecommunications machinery field, which is expanding with the spread of 5G, the high speed and high capacity mobile devices such as high performance smartphones, which are called gaming smartphones, and Wi-Fi routers, are getting smaller and thinner. In addition to high speed rotation, bearings for cooling-use micro fan motors used in the equipment are often used in close proximity to humans. Therefore, they are required to maintain a high level quietness regardless of their posture.

NTN's newly developed "Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE" with an inner diameter of 0.6 mm achieves high quietness and reliability by optimizing the design of a herringbone-type pressure grooves, which generates high oil film pressure despite its small size. It is difficult to process hereafter 1 mm hydrodynamic pressure grooves in general machining, but NTN has succeeded in achieving a development of "Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE", an ultra-small size with an inner diameter of 0.6 mm that is half of the conventional size (inner diameter 1.5 mm) by reviewing press-forming conditions. This is the smallest hydrodynamic bearing in the world. It is an issue that it is likely to generate unpleasant noise when increasing the air volume of the cooling-use micro fan motor. However, the newly developed "Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE" enables to solve the issue and provides higher quietness.

NTN will propose the product as an optimal product for micro fan motors of small-sized mobile devices such as high performance smartphones, Wi-Fi routers, and wearable devices, for which demand is expanding. We will also expand sales of "Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE" in a wide range of fields, including automotive equipment, general consumer electronics, and healthcare machinery.

* Press Release on July 12, 2023:
NTN Expands sales of Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE
https://www.ntnglobal.com/en/news/new_products/news202300057.html

Features

Application

Micro fan motors for small mobile devices such as high-performance smartphones, mobile Wi-Fi routers, and wearable devices

Product Photo

Left: Developed product (Inner Diameter: 0.6 mm) Right: Conventional Product (Inner Diameter: 1.5 mm)

Reference:Comparison of oil film formulation ratio of "Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE" and Bearings without hydrodynamic pressure grooves

"Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE"

No hydrodynamic pressure grooves

"Hydrodynamic BEARPHITE" maintains an oil film formulation ratio of 100% and rotates stably at non-contact.
Bearings without hydrodynamic pressure grooves often touch the shaft because the oil film is not formed constantly.

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