Whether to choose ball bearings or crossed roller bearings for a stabilized gimbal depends on load, precision, and space requirements. Neither type has absolute advantages or disadvantages; they only differ in applicable scenarios.
Ball bearings (represented by deep groove ball bearings) feature a simple structure, low cost, and low rotational resistance. They are suitable for scenarios with light loads (camera ≤ 300g), low-precision requirements (only need to eliminate obvious jitter), and loose space constraints, such as entry-level consumer aerial photography gimbals. However, their point-contact structure results in weak anti-overturning stiffness. When the camera weight exceeds 500g or the gimbal thickness is ≤ 35mm, deformation is likely to occur, leading to image drift. Additionally, they are difficult to adapt to compact spaces.
Crossed roller bearings (e.g., NRA12008) achieve line contact through rollers arranged at 90° alternately. Their anti-overturning stiffness is much higher than that of ball bearings, and they also have both radial and axial load-carrying capacities. They are the first choice for scenarios with heavy loads (camera ≥ 500g), high precision (micron-level stability), and strict space constraints (thickness ≤ 35mm), such as industrial inspection gimbals. For example, an oil pipeline inspection gimbal equipped with a 0.8kg infrared camera can have its deformation controlled at the micron level by this type of bearing, eliminating image drift. Meanwhile, the bearing’s thin design with a cross-sectional height of only 8mm allows it to fit in compact spaces, providing a foundation for the gimbal system to achieve high angular precision of ≤ 0.02°, thereby enabling the identification of 2mm leakage traces.
The core of bearing selection lies in balancing “load – precision – space”: choose ball bearings for light loads, low precision, and loose space; choose crossed roller bearings for heavy loads, high precision, and strict space. The boundary between the two is determined by actual operational requirements.
