Steel & Stainless Steel Precision Ground Shafts

Precision Ground shafts are round bars, ground to the highest precision to rotate smoothly within a machine to transmit power. They are manufactured to ensure extremely straight surfaces, precise roundness, ultra-smooth surface finish and highly precise diameter tolerances. With induction hardening on the outside surfaces to endure higher friction and load capacities, which assures longer service life with reduced maintenance.

Stainless shafting is frequently used in applications requiring good corrosion resistance like food, chemical, acidic, fresh water, and salt water environments. Common applications include:

Weather measuring devices
Laboratory tools
High-speed motor shafts
Medical Machinery
Food Processing Equipment
Drive shafts
Pump shafts
Ball Bearing shafts

Shafting bars are commonly used in applications that require high accuracy, such as weather measuring devices, laboratory tools, high-speed motor shafts, pump shafts, and ball bushings. In these scenarios, the bar is often required to rotate at high speeds, making extreme straightness critical to prevent unwanted vibration and wear on bearings. They are also used for linear bearings, pistons, and in hydraulic cylinders.

Choosing the Best Shafting for Your Application

When choosing the shafting for your application, there are many factors to consider. There are two main types of shafts: transmission and machine. Transmission shafts are used to transmit power between the source and the machine absorbing power, and machine shafts are the integral part of the machine itself.

Internal Radial Clearance

Having the proper internal radial clearance (IRC) of ball and roller bearings is essential for the operation of your machine and the overall life of the bearing. The IRC is the total clearance inside a bearing in the radial direction.

Ondrives offers ball bearing toleranced shafts that provide the perfect fit for your application. They are made from 303 stainless steel and are designed for a snug slip fit into Precision Ball Bearings.

Nominal Diameters

Nominal size is a size that is used for naming a product and does not necessarily reflect the exact dimensions. The nominal size usually refers to highly standardized dimensions and tolerances. With shafting, the tolerance between the shaft and its hole have the same nominal size, but holes are made to a plus tolerance and shafts are made to a negative tolerance. This assures that the nominal shaft and nominal component fit each other without interference.

Ondrives offers nominal diameter shafting that is available in inch and metric diameters and lengths to match your needs. Each shaft offers a 45 degree chamber on both ends and can be customized with grooves, drill holes, and more to meet your application requirements. Diameters from 1/32 inch to 1-1/4 inch and from 1mm to 10mm are available from stock for same day shipment.

Types of Steel for Gear Shafting

Depending on your application needs, there are a variety of steels and nickel alloys that can be used. Typically, the material will be a mild steel, but nickel can be used when added strength is needed. Our materials include:

303 Stainless Steel: A high grade stainless steel with good corrosion resistance that can be used for most applications.
316 Stainless Steel: A high grade stainless steel with excellent corrosion resistance for use in marine and other corrosive environments.
17-4PH Stainless Steel: This precipitation hardened stainless has a surface hardness of Rockwell C40 making is ideal for use with linear recirculating ball bearings and other high load applications.
12L14 Steel: An economical, free machining, carbon steel for use in non-corrosive environments.

Contact Ondrives for Your Steel and Stainless Steel Shafting Needs

Shafting from Ondrives provides superior quality and precision for all of your unique applications. In addition to our stock of shafts, we can also manufacture custom shafting from CAD files, sketches, or even general ideas. Our engineering and design team will work with you to create the perfect steel shafting for you needs.

Attach your precision shaft to an Ondrives.US Precision Misalignment Shaft Coupling, available from stock. Contact us today.

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