Minebea bearing with 1.5mm in outer diameter wins Guinness World Record

A steel ball bearing having 1.5mm in outer diameter, manufactured by Minebea Co Ltd, has achieved a Guinness World Records title on August 28, 2015 as the smallest commercially available steel ball bearing. This record has been verified by Guinness World Records Ltd as the smallest steel ball bearings in the world that can be mass-produced commercially.

Yoshihisa Kainuma, representative director, president and CEO, and Hiroyuki Yajima, director, senior managing executive officer, and six engineers from the Karuizawa plant received the official Guinness World Records certificate from Erika Ogawa, vice-president Japan of Guinness World Records Ltd (Certified record: Smallest commercially available steel ball bearing, outer diameter of bearings – 1.4978mm)

Commenting on the achievement, Yoshihisa Kainuma said: "We are really delighted to learn that our miniature ball bearing, a cornerstone of Minebea, was certified as the world's smallest mass-produced steel ball bearing by Guinness World Records. This achievement can be attributed to the unfailing efforts of our engineers and all others involved in the product."

Ikuko Koyama from the Karuizawa plant said: "The ball bearing's 1.5mm external diameter was achieved thanks to our team's efforts throughout the production process. I am really excited that bearings, which are often overlooked, are getting their chance in the spotlight. We boldly attempted to miniaturise bearings to a size never before seen and were able to bring them to market.”