What is the difference between cage-guided and full complement deep groove ball bearings?

• in a cage-guided deep groove ball bearing, the rolling elements are held and guided with a cage in a specific position
• in a full complement deep groove ball bearing no cage is installed

Cage-guided deep groove ball bearings are standard and are not marked separately. Full complement deep groove ball bearings are often marked with the addition MAX (= maximum) because, due to the missing cage, the largest possible number of rolling elements can be installed. For this purpose, a filling slot is needed.

Properties

• Cage-guided deep groove ball bearings allow a smooth running at high speeds, because the cage holds the rolling elements in a fixed position to each other and reduces the friction occurring.
• Full complement deep groove ball bearings have more rolling elements and are therefore suitable for higher loads than cage-guided deep groove ball bearings. They can also absorb shock loads.

The following graphic illustrates the different load capacity of cage-guided and full complement deep groove ball bearings: