Manufacturer of precision rolling bearings with ceramic components for aerospace, cryogenics and high-performance machinery.
CEROBEAR GmbH
Herzogenrath (headquarters, two production sites)New on Amplifa
About CEROBEAR
CEROBEAR GmbH was founded in 1989 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen and specializes in the development and manufacture of hybrid ceramic, full ceramic and full steel rolling bearings. The company manufactures ceramic rollers and rings from silicon nitride by diamond grinding, ultra-hard steel rings up to 68 HRC with accuracy up to ABEC/RBEC 9, as well as bearing cages made from high-performance plastics and metals on five-axis milling machines. Rolling bearings are produced in sizes from 6 mm bore diameter to 500 mm outside diameter and tolerances up to ABEC/RBEC 7 (9) or ISO class 4 (2), both as custom-engineered designs and build-to-print. Customer industries include aerospace, motorsport, the cryogenic industry (LNG), energy and Oil & Gas, fluid and turbomachinery, LDPE/EVA production, machine tools, the food and packaging industry, and active magnetic bearings. Since 2013, the company has been part of New Hampshire Ball Bearings (NHBB) with around 130 employees, and thus of the MinebeaMitsumi Group. Production takes place at the headquarters in Herzogenrath near Aachen in two climate-controlled production facilities with a total area of approximately 4,000 m²; since 2021 production has been CO2-neutral using electricity from renewable energies.
- Site
- Herzogenrath
- Processes
- Diamond grinding of ceramic rollers (cylindrical, spherical, conical) incl. roller crowning, Manufacture of ceramic rings, Precision hard turning of ultra-hard steel rings up to 68 HRC, accuracy up to ABEC/RBEC 9, Heat treatment and surface finishing of steel rings, Five-axis milling of cages, Additive manufacturing of cages (in development), Assembly/design of rolling bearings (hybrid ceramic, full ceramic, full steel) 6 mm ID to 500 mm OD, Metrology: contour, roughness, form and location measuring machines, hardness testing,
- Materials
- Silicon nitride, High-nitrogen steel, Rolling bearing steel, Ultra-hard steel (up to 68 HRC), PEEK, Fluoropolymer, Polyimide, Polyamide-imide
- Certificates
- ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System), DIN EN ISO 50001 (Energy Management System), ISO 14001, DIN EN ISO 50001
- Founded
- 1989
- Employees
- ca. 130
- Industries
- Aerospace, Motorsport, Cryogenics (LNG), Energy and Oil & Gas, Fluid & Turbomachinery, LDPE & EVA Production
- 01
Bearing Design (custom-engineered / build-to-print)
- 02
Heat treatment and surface finishing of the steel rings
- 03
Diamond grinding of ceramic rollers and rings
- 04
Precision hard turning of ultra-hard steel rings
- 05
Five-axis milling or additive manufacturing of the cages
- 06
Assembly of the rolling bearings
- 07
Metrology testing laboratory and 100% visual final inspection
Materials & Processes
Silicon nitride
Ceramic rolling elements and rings for hybrid and full ceramic bearings, resistant to chemicals and temperature.
High-nitrogen steel
Rings with high resistance to rolling contact fatigue and corrosion fatigue, e.g. in LNG pumps.
Rolling bearing steel
Standard material for bearing rings in machine tool and industrial applications.
Ultra-hard steel (up to 68 HRC)
For precision hard turning of rings up to ABEC/RBEC 9, ID6 to OD500 mm.
PEEK
Cage material with high chemical and thermal resistance, natural or filled.
Polyimide (PI)
High-temperature-resistant plastic for bearing cages.
Polyamide-imide (PAI)
High-performance plastic for demanding cage applications.
Phenolic resin (Phenolic)
Classic cage material, among other things for highly loaded bearings.
Fluoropolymer
Chemically resistant cage material in various grades.
Brass
Metallic cage material for standard and special bearings.
Aluminium bronze
Stronger metallic cage material for special applications.
Steel (high-temperature and corrosion resistant, plain or silver-plated)
Cage material for high-temperature and corrosion applications.
Sites
Herzogenrath
DEHeadquarters with two adjacent, climate-controlled production facilities
- Part weight / size
- Rings ID6–OD500 mm; rollers D1.5–50 mm; cages 6–500 mm
- Lot size
- Rollers 100–100,000 pieces; rings and cages 3–5,000 pieces
- Materials
- Silicon nitride, rolling bearing and high-nitrogen steel, PEEK, PI, PAI, phenolic resin, fluoropolymer, steel, brass,
- Diamond grinding machines for ceramic rollers and rings
- Five-axis milling machines (cage manufacturing)
- Contour and roughness measuring machines
- Form and location measuring machines
- Hardness testers
- High-precision length measuring machines
- Height measuring devices
- Optical coordinate measuring machines
- Tactile coordinate measuring machines
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond grinding of ceramic rollers (cylindrical, spherical, conical) incl. roller crowningMachining | – | – | Rollers D50 mm | 100 pieces – 100,000 pieces | Silicon nitride (Si3N4), Engineering ceramics |
| Manufacture of ceramic ringsMachining | – | OD380 mm | – | 3 pieces – 5,000 pieces | Silicon nitride (Si3N4), Engineering ceramics |
| Precision hard turning of ultra-hard steel rings up to 68 HRC, accuracy up to ABEC/RBEC 9Machining | ABEC/RBEC 9 | OD500 mm | ID6 mm – OD500 mm | 3 pieces – 5,000 pieces | Ultra-hard steel (up to 68 HRC), High-nitrogen steel (High-Nitrogen-Steel) |
| Heat treatment and surface finishing of steel ringsHeat treatment | – | – | – | 3 pieces – 5,000 pieces | Steel |
| Five-axis milling of cagesMachining | – | 500 mm | – | 3 pieces – 5,000 pieces | PEEK, Fluoropolymer, Polyimide (PI), Polyamide-imide (PAI), Phenolic resin, Steel, Brass, Aluminium bronze |
| Additive manufacturing of cages (in development)Additive | – | 500 mm | – | 3 pieces – 5,000 pieces | PEEK, Fluoropolymer, Polyimide (PI), Polyamide-imide (PAI), Phenolic resin, Steel, Brass, Aluminium bronze |
| Assembly/design of rolling bearings (hybrid ceramic, full ceramic, full steel) 6 mm ID to 500 mm ODAssembly | ABEC/RBEC 7 (9), ISO class 4 (class 2) | OD500 mm | 6 mm ID – 500 mm OD | – | Silicon nitride (Si3N4), Rolling bearing steel, High-nitrogen steel |
| Metrology: contour, roughness, form and location measuring machines, hardness testing,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Non-destructive testing of ceramic components (in-house)Testing | – | – | – | – | Ceramics |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond grinding machines for ceramic rollers and rings | – | – | Rollers D1.5–50 mm; rings ID6–OD380 mm | – | Herzogenrath |
| Contour and roughness measuring machines | – | – | – | – | Herzogenrath |
| Form and location measuring machines | – | – | – | – | Herzogenrath |
| Hardness testers | – | – | – | – | Herzogenrath |
| High-precision length measuring machines | – | – | – | – | Herzogenrath |
| Height measuring devices | – | – | – | – | Herzogenrath |
| Optical coordinate measuring machines | – | – | – | – | Herzogenrath |
| Tactile coordinate measuring machines | – | – | – | – | Herzogenrath |
| Five-axis milling machines (cage manufacturing) | – | – | Cages 6–500 mm | – | Herzogenrath |
Additional services
Quality
A metrology testing laboratory with contour, roughness, form and location measuring machines, hardness testers, high-precision length measuring machines, and optical and tactile coordinate measuring machines accompanies production. All components undergo a 100% visual final inspection at up to 80x magnification; all measured values and parts are fully traceably documented via the PPS.
| Evidence | Herzogenrath |
|---|---|
| ISO 14001 | |
| DIN EN ISO 50001 |
History
- 1989
Founded as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT, Aachen
- 1997
Relocation to its own plant in Herzogenrath near Aachen
- 2013
Completion of the second building; two climate-controlled production facilities with a total of 42,000 sqft
- 2013
Acquisition of all shares by New Hampshire Ball Bearings (NHBB), part of the MinebeaMitsumi Inc. group, as of June 30
- 2021
CO2-neutral production of rolling bearings; electricity sourced exclusively from renewable energies
- 2025
Groundbreaking for a new production facility in the Avantis Business Park on April 10