What is the difference between a bearing and a bushing?

1. What is a bearing?

A bearing is a precision-manufactured machine component that allows the machine to move at extremely high speeds while reducing friction and handling stresses between moving parts. Most bearings are used to support rotating shafts in machines. Bearings allow relative motion between machine parts while providing some type of position between them. The bearing forms that can be used depend on the nature of the relative motion required and the type of restraint that must be applied to it. Bearings are specifically designed to extend the bearing life of the machine, reduce frictional energy loss and wear, and minimize maintenance expenses.

2. What is a bushing?

Bushings are thin tubes or sleeves that allow relative movement by way of sliding as compared to rolling. Bushings are also known as sleeve bearings. However, the term sleeve bearing appears redundant. Therefore, the bushing is a bearing, but the bearing is not necessarily a bushing.

3. Comparative summary

Although the bushing is technically identical to a bearing, it is a self-contained, one-piece unit. A bushing is more like a bearing (such as our plain bearing) that is used to support a shaft and make a sliding motion between moving surfaces, and the bearing is not necessarily a bushing type.

In fact, bearings are designed to extend bearing life in the machine, reduce frictional energy loss and wear, and thus reduce maintenance costs. Most of the bearings are self-lubricating and are used to support the rotating shaft in the machine, such as the graphite copper sleeve of our company, the layered structure of graphite makes it have a low coefficient of friction, which can effectively reduce friction and wear, and is suitable for lubricants in the machinery industry, and does not require manual maintenance.