Bearing Application Timeline
The use of has a long and storied history, having been used to build some of history's most important structures. Read below for a brief history of the bearing industry.
2600 BC – The Ancient Egyptians use a form of roller bearings to help move massive bricks during construction of the Pyramids.
40 BC - Early example of a wooden ball bearing supporting a rotating table was retrieved from the remains of a Roman ship in Lake Nemi, Italy.
Leonardo da Vinci | 1500 AD – Leonardo da Vinci described a type of ball bearing. 1600 – Galileo describes caged ball bearing to prevent friction. 1794 – First patent for ball race by Philip Vaughn of Carmarthen, Wales. 1866 – The Torrington Company (under the name Excelsior Needle Company) signs Articles of Association to manufacture sewing machines needles and the machinery to produce the same. 1880 – Rockwell Automation (under the name DODGE Manufacturing Company) incorporates, two years after Wallace H. Dodge began the manufacture of wood hardware specialties. |
1883 – FAG begins grinding balls of equal size and roundness forming the creation of an independent bearing industry. 1898 – First patent issued for Timken Tapered roller bearings. 1907 – Sven Wingquist of SKF invents the modern self-aligning ball bearing. |
Tapered bearing |
Swedish postage stamp | 1907 – Sven Wingquist of SKF invents the modern self-aligning ball bearing. 1912 – FAG originates single-row, barrel type, and spherical roller bearings. 1913 – Hoover Steel Ball Company is founded by Leander J. Hoover in Ann Arbor, MI. 1916 – NSK inaugurated its business in 1916 and produced the first ball bearings made in Japan. |
1917 – U.S. Bearing Manufacturers create an informal group to aid bearing manufacturing for World War I, which led to the founding of ABMA.
1927 – NTN Mfg. Co., Ltd. established with capital of 50,000 yen.
1928 – Fujikoshi Steel Industry Co, Ltd., (Nachi) was founded in Toyama City, Japan, to manufacture cutting and machine tools.
1933 – Articles of Incorporation ratified by United States bearing manufacturers to create AFBMA (Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association).
1934 – AFBMA is incorporated as an organization in the State of New York.
1960 – Elasto-hydro-dynamic theory explains the mechanism of why bearings and gears work led to advances in grindings precision and ultrasonic equipment.
Apollo 11 | 1969 –Three astronauts in a North American Rockwell "Apollo" spacecraft are launched by North American Rockwell rocket engines toward the moon. 1970 – Intel invents the microprocessor and consistent precision control of machine tools impacting both size and life of bearings. 1980s – Torrington bearings are used in the space shuttle and robot arm to launch and retrieve satellites in orbit. 1993 – ABMA officially changes its name from the AFBMA (Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association). |
1993 – Leading bearing manufacturers from throughout the world meet for the first time in Key Largo, Florida. 2001 – The Schaeffler Group (INA) acquires FAG. 2002 – Timken Company acquires Torrington Company impacting the global bearing market with a variety of bearing products including tapered roller bearings, needle roller bearings and alloy steels. 2006 – ABMA partners with the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) for Joint Meeting in Tucson, AZ. 2006 – ABMA, the Japanese Bearing Industrial Association (JBIA) and the Federation of European Bearing Manufacturers Association (FEBMA) create the World Bearing Association (WBA) to focus on issues affecting the global bearing industry. |
Shuttle Atlantis |
