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History


History of the Ball Bushing® Bearing

In 1945 the Ball Bushing bearing was invented by John Thomson Sr..  The bushing was the solution to the stick slip problem in the linkage used to change pitch of propeller blades in aircraft.  Ball bearings eliminated the stick-slip, binding, and chatter of plain bearing.  Ball re-circulation virtually eliminates wear and provides a constant coefficient of friction as low as 0.001.

The Steel ‘A’ bearing was released in 1953.  The 'A' bearing design is still being produced today.


Timeline of product introduction

For more than 70 years, Thomson has been a leader in product development and innovation of linear motion technology.
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