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Radial Air Bearings for Precision Rotary Motion

New Way® Radial Air Bearings provide non-contact support for rotating components using a 5µm layer of air, enabling precise, repeatable motion with zero wear. Built on our Porous Media Technology™, these bearings offer high stiffness and excellent load-carrying capacity—ideal for demanding rotary applications.

Radial bearings can be configured for inner or outer diameter support, using concave or convex geometries. Radius cuts can be applied along the length (L) or width (W) of the bearing to match application-specific structural and alignment requirements.

Standard sizes are available, and New Way brings over 30 years of experience designing custom solutions for specialized systems.

Looking for a custom fit?
Contact us to discuss your specs.

Video Knowledge Base: Drews Views

What Is a Radial Air Bearing?

Benefits of Radial Air Bearings

iLogic for Newway Radial Air Bearing

Standard Product Line Introduction

VPL Air Bearing Dynamics

Radial Air Bearings on a Precision Shaft

Low Flow Porous Media Air bearings operating off keyboard cleaner

Turbocharger Air Bearing Retrofit by New Way

Shaft On Split Bushings

Using Air Bearings As Brake Pads

Air bearing stage built with 8020 extrusion as the guide

Air, bearing dovetail guideway has low profile, high stiffness.

Radial Air Bearings Peer Reviewed Articles

New Way Product Page for Radial Bearings
Collection of four New Way radial air bearings shown in both concave and convex profiles.
New Way Product Page for Radial Bearings

New Way Product Page for Radial Bearings

July 15, 2025
Includes specs, performance characteristics, CAD downloads, and application use cases.
Drew’s Views Blog – Radial Bearings Tag
Image of the word 3D being printed, with the “3e” in green and the “D” in red.
Drew’s Views Blog – Radial Bearings Tag

Drew’s Views Blog – Radial Bearings Tag

July 15, 2025
Videos and write-ups from founder Drew Devitt discussing radial and bonded bearings in real-world scenarios.

Applications

New Way radial air bearings support a wide range of high-performance applications. The ability to use them in groups makes their solution space virtually limitless. Their non-contact nature makes them superior for high-precision applications while virtually eliminating downtime for maintenance, all the while improving the overall manufacturing process.Not to worry if you don’t see your application listed! Tell us more about your rotary application so we can help find the right air bearing solution for you.

Web Handling

  • Non-contact handling of flexible substrates during roll-to-roll production reduces defects.
  • Removal of friction and wear translates to less downtime required for frequent lubrication and replacement of worn components.

Optics

  • Porous Media Technology offers sub-nanometer precision positioning and smooth motion ideal for optical applications
  • Facilitates high-speed, non-contact rotation of x-ray assemblies for patient imaging.

Inspection

  • Inspection systems require reliable ultra-high precision to avoid defective products making it to market.
  • Use of air instead of traditional lubricants ideal for clean-room environments

Additional Applications

  • Astronomy observatories
  • Wind Power
  • Turbo Machinery
  • Powder Processing
  • Centrifuge

Not to worry if you don’t see your application listed! Tell us more about your rotary application so we can help find the right air bearing solution for you.

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