TAPERED ROLLER THRUST BEARING FAMILY

A complete family of 3D printable tapered roller thrust bearings in sizes ranging from 75mm to 245mm.

When it comes to printable bearings, geometry matters — and tapered rollers have a key advantage: they produce pure rolling contact rather than the sliding friction inherent to cylindrical roller designs. Less sliding means less wear, which is especially valuable in plastic assemblies where surface degradation is the primary failure mode.

This family is also designed with assembly in mind. A flexure-integrated cage holds all rollers captive during handling, so the entire roller-and-cage subassembly moves as a single piece — no loose rollers to chase across your workbench, no tweezers required for individual placement.

As you scale up through the size range, you'll notice progressively smoother rotation — a natural result of the larger roller diameters found in the bigger variants. If smoothness of motion is a priority for your application, sizing up is worth considering.

⚠️ Please note: These are plastic bearings. They will not match the smoothness, quietness, or longevity of precision metallic bearings. Applying a grease (such as silicone grease) to the rollers is strongly recommended to reduce noise and wear.

Features:

• Pure rolling contact — reduced wear versus cylindrical roller designs
• Flexure-integrated cage keeps rollers captive during assembly
• Single-piece roller and cage subassembly — no loose parts
• Larger sizes yield smoother rotation due to increased roller diameter
• No supports or rafts needed
• Available from 75mm to 245mm

The rollers within this family are shown below: