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The eBearing News
December 13, 2004
Pacamor Kubar Expands into Dental
and Medical Handpiece Bearings
copyright © 2004 eBearing Inc.
Pacamor Kubar Bearings (USA) is expanding its line of radial ball bearings to include applications
for high-speed medical and dental handpieces.
The bearings themselves are manufactured from 440C stainless steel, while a variety of
retainer materials are available.
Different retainers allow tailoring for particular applications and to
ensure quiet, smooth operation coupled with a longer service life. For example, autoclave sterilization
involves sustained temperatures in excess of 250°F. Not only lubricants are affected by the heat;
retainers can also be gradually damaged by the regular exposure to such temperatures.
Pacamor offers polyamide-imide retainers, such as Phenolic (for occasional autoclaving) and Torlon
(for frequent autoclaving). Standard crown and ribbon retainers are available for less-demanding applications.
For seals and shields, Pacamor is also offering a variety of options, including a patented
Teflon / stainless steel shield.
The company uses premium food-safe and autoclave-resistant grease.
Augustine Sperrazza, Pacamor CEO, said, "Bearing life is a critical factor in the performance of a quality
dental or medical handpiece. Increasing the bearing life while maintaining a cost-competitive position,
coupled with prompt delivery, creates a total product package that is highly advantageous to today's
medical tool developers and users."
Pacamor noted that full shoulder radial bearings allow for disassembly of the bearing during
installation and handling, while allowing some flexibility in terms of design and assembly.
Semi-custom and full-custom designs are also available -- from flanges to lubricant-control grooves,
to o-ring housings to different materials.
Initially, Pacamor is offering radials only. The company will add angular contact ball bearings,
"when we feel we can offer then competitively." They are, "rolling out this product launch with care."
In the United States, moving into these high-speed precision bearings puts Pacamor into head-to-head
direct competition with much larger competitors. For example, Timken's high-speed and super precision
bearing business has long serviced the medical and dental handpiece market -- via MPB or Miniature
Precision Bearing, and Timken's wholly-owned Handpiece Headquarters service centers. NSK, SKF, and others
are also competitors in this market.
eBearing asked Pacamor about delving into a market segment dominated by these competitors.
Pacamor spokesperson, Nancy Cogliandro, pointed out, "Pacamor is a much smaller company than other
domestic manufacturers ... we are a private company
and are wholly American-owned and operated. The entire management team is available for our
customers any time. Because of these differences, we can offer more aggressive lead times
and deeper attention to the order, from Quote through Production and Shipment."
"Our factory has space available, in contrast to many other manufacturers. Thus, we are able to respond
to customer shortages or increases in demand relatively quickly," she said.
Finally, Ms. Cogliandro said, "The markets handled by the larger players are somewhat different than
ours. The larger manufacturers position themselves to own the market. There is room for Pacamor
Kubar Bearings -- a smaller, leaner, high quality manufacturer, who can offer aggressive and predictable
lead times at competitive prices."
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- by Bruce A. Carr
from individual research,
tips and commercial sources.
Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
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eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Entire contents Copyright 1999-2008, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
eBearing.com and "... for everything that moves" are registered
trademarks of eBearing Inc.
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eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Entire contents Copyright © 1999-2008, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
eBearing.com and "... for everything that moves" are registered trademarks of eBearing Inc.
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