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Aerostatic Bearings

Aerostatic bearings share many of the advantages of aerodynamic bearings. In addition, it supports all of its designed load at zero speed. This effect results from its principal disadvantage: it requires an external pressure source to create the air film.

In principle, gas is supplied to the bearing clearance at a certain gauge pressure. The pressure differential causes the air to flow from the supply point through the bearing gap and out the periphery to atmosphere. The pressure inside the gap creates the load carrying properties which are limited only by the available supply line pressure and material strength. The aerostatic bearing does not suffer from friction-induced wear and in addition it has no starting and stopping friction.

Aerostatic bearings have found popular use in grinding, machining and micro positioning applications where full performance at zero speed and the absence of friction is essential.

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