Why use an Air Bearing?

Precision of air bearing manufacture

Bearing Systems Comparison Table

Parameter		Air Bearing Aerostatic	Air Bearing Aerodynamic	Oil-bearing hydrodynamic	Ball bearing ang. contact
Accuracy of rotation		Excellent	Excellent	Good	Fair
Speed	<1,000 rpm	Excellent	Poor	Excellent	Fair
	<1,000 - 60,000 rpm	Excellent	Excellent	Fair	Good
	>60,000 rpm	Excellent	Excellent	Poor	Poor
Low vibration		Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Fair
Shock resistance		Good	Fair	Excellent	Good
Frequent stop/starts		Excellent	Good	Excellent	Good
Low starting torque		Excellent	Fair	Good	Good
Long lifetime (>20,000 hours)		Excellent	Good	Excellent	Poor
Wide Temperature Range		Excellent	Good	Fair	Fair
Contamination to surroundings		Good	Excellent	Poor	Poor
Resistance to dust ingress		Excellent	Fair	Good	Good
High axial/radial loads		Good	Fair	Excellent	Excellent
High axial/radial stiffness		Excellent	Fair	Excellent	Good
Small space envelope		Fair	Good	Good	Excellent
Low heat generation		Good	Good	Poor	Good
Run in partial vacuum		Fair	Poor	Fair	Fair
Low running costs		Fair	Excellent	Good	Good