Device for manufacturing a groove bearing

摘要

An apparatus for forming grooves in the surface of an article is disclosed. The apparatus includes a cage which has a circular cage wall with an annular pattern of holes in the wall. The apparatus also includes a plurality of spherical balls, each rotatably disposed in a respective hole of the cage wall and has a diameter greater than the wall thickness. The apparatus further includes a pin located within the cage, the pin has a circumferential groove in a plane coincident with the plurality of spherical balls and holes in the cage wall so that the pin holds the balls in the groove, the balls protruding through the cage wall and engaging the surface of a workpiece to be grooved so that the balls roll in the groove in the pin and, with movement of the workpiece and the apparatus, cause grooves to be formed in the interior surface of the workpiece. Lastly, the apparatus further includes an object at either end of the pin for holding the pin against translational movement relative to the cage with movement of the apparatus and the workpiece so that only a rotational movement is imparted to the pin by rotation of the workpiece.