Pacific Bearing Company, PBC Linear and PBC Lineartechnik GmbH, is a manufacturer and distributor of plain bearings,

linear guide A linear-motion bearing or linear slide is a bearing designed to provide free motion in one direction. There are many different types of linear motion bearings. Motorized linear slides such as machine slides, X-Y tables, roller tables and some ...

s and custom

machined Machining is a process in which a material (often metal) is cut to a desired final shape and size by a controlled material-removal process. The processes that have this common theme are collectively called subtractive manufacturing, which utilizes ...

parts.

History

Prodo Mach Corporation, the predecessor to Pacific Bearing, was incorporated December 1962 in

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

, before changing its name to Premac, Inc in 1963. The company purchased precision

machine shop A machine shop or engineering workshop (UK) is a room, building, or company where machining, a form of subtractive manufacturing, is done. In a machine shop, machinists use machine tools and cutting tools to make parts, usually of metal or plast ...

assets from

Harsco Corporation Harsco Corporation is a global industrial company based in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Harsco operates in 30 countries and employs approximately 11,000 people worldwide. The company provides industrial services and engineered products that serve ...

's Globe Imperial division, which had been in the Rockford area since the 1940s. Premac originally manufactured ball valves; through the 1960s and 70s it expanded into making skid plates and contract machined parts for large midwestern companies, including

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated by IHC, IH, or simply International ( colloq.)) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household e ...

, Kendon Exeter and J. I. Case. Premac was purchased by the Schroeder family in 1981 and was nearing bankruptcy by 1982, mainly due to lack of demand when Caterpillar went on strike and International Harvester left the agricultural market. The owner, Robert Schroeder, incorporated the "Pacific Bearing Company" in 1983 in an attempt to dissociate the business from the

Rust Belt The Rust Belt is a region of the United States that experienced industrial decline starting in the 1950s. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, impacting certain regions and ...

. Pacific Bearing was originally created as the sales company for Premac, but the two officially merged in 1985. During the 1980s, the re-formed company shifted focus from

metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...

to bearing manufacturing. Its first bearing product was a line of self-lubricating bearings; the company also manufactured

bushing Bushing may refer to: *Bushing (bearing), a type of plain bearing *Bushing (electrical), an insulated device that allows a conductor to pass through a grounded conducting barrier *Bushing (isolator), a mechanical device used to reduce vibrational ...

s, thrust bearings, and skid plates, and continued to produce custom parts. By the turn of the century, Pacific Bearing had reciprocal trade agreements with manufacturers in Japan and Europe, expanding the range of products it could offer and opening new markets for its own products overseas. The company changed names again in 2008, becoming "PBC Linear". This name change coincided with the opening of a European office under the name "PBC Lineartechnik GmbH". In 2009, PBC won

Design World ''Design World'' is a U.S. trade magazine headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio with print and online issues covering topics in the field of OEM design engineering. ''Design World'' also publishes special issues and handbooks on related topics such as ...

's "Leadership in Engineering" award for work in motion control.

Products

As Premac, the company manufactured ball valves and contract parts for heavy industry. By the 1980s, it was producing round bushings and saddle bearings for hydraulic pumps. Pacific Bearing's initial product line was the ''Simplicity'' bearing, a linear bearing that uses a special

Teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemou ...

compound to provide lubrication and extend product life. The bearings are designed to be size-interchangeable with standard bearings. PBC went on to offer

ISO ISO is the most common abbreviation for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO or Iso may also refer to: Business and finance * Iso (supermarket), a chain of Danish supermarkets incorporated into the SuperBest chain in 2007 * Iso ...

metric and JIS metric versions of its bearings in addition to the original

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

sizes. PBC developed pillow block, flanged, and die set bearings as well. The company holds multiple patents. By 2019, its products included linear guides, linear actuators, rails, bushings, and several types of bearings.

References

{{Portal, Companies Manufacturing companies based in Illinois Companies based in Winnebago County, Illinois Manufacturing companies established in 1962 Manufacturing companies established in 1983 Manufacturing companies established in 2008 1962 establishments in Illinois