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Sugawara Labs BWM Series Ball Wavimeter – Bearing Ball Waviness & Roundness Measurement System

Sugawara Laboratories Inc.
Type: Bearing Inspection & Vibration Testing
Supplier / Manufacturer: Sugawara Laboratories Inc.
Model: BWM-102 / BWM-501

Precision bearing-ball waviness and roundness measurement system with 10 nm practical accuracy. BWM-102 and BWM-501 configurations cover ball diameters from Ø0.3 to Ø60 mm using the SWA-105 analyzer.

Industries & Applications:
R&DQuality ControlBearing ComponentsBearing TestingRoundness MeasurementWaviness Measurement
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Nanometer-Level Waviness and Roundness Measurement for Bearing Balls

Sugawara Ball Wavimeters provide high-precision measurement of the waviness and roundness of balls used in rolling bearings using a low-vibration direct-drive spindle and contact-type velocity sensor.

During measurement, the ball is rotated at controlled speed while a dedicated velocity sensor detects minute surface-induced vibration. The SWA-105 Synchro Wave Analyzer processes the signal in synchronization with rotation and displays waviness, roundness, spectra, polar plots, and vibration waveforms in real time.
10 nmPractical measurement accuracy for precision bearing-part inspection
Ø0.3–60 mmBall-size coverage across BWM-102 and BWM-501 configurations
7 BandsU, R, L, M, H, E, and A frequency-band analysis
Real-Time AnalysisNumerical, spectral, polar-coordinate, and waveform displays
The BWM-102 is designed for miniature and small balls from Ø0.3 to Ø12 mm, while the BWM-501 extends measurement capability to larger balls up to Ø60 mm. Both systems use the common SWA-105 analyzer for detailed waviness and roundness evaluation.

10 nm Practical Accuracy

High-precision measurement supports detailed evaluation of extremely small waviness and roundness errors in bearing balls.

Ø0.3–60 mm Ball Coverage

Two drive-unit configurations cover miniature bearing balls through larger balls up to 60 mm in diameter.

Low-Vibration Direct-Drive Spindle

Fluid-dynamic spindle bearings and direct drive minimize mechanical disturbance during precision surface measurement.

High-Sensitivity Contact Sensor

Sugawara's dedicated compact velocity sensor provides high sensitivity for detection of minute surface-induced vibration.

Seven Measurement Bands

Measurements can be evaluated across U, R, L, M, H, E, and A frequency bands.

Real-Time Waviness Analysis

SWA-105 displays measured results as numerical values, spectra, polar plots, and vibration waveforms in real time.

Vibration Recording & Playback

Up to 30 seconds of vibration data can be recorded and replayed for comparison with reference samples.

USB Data Storage

Measurement results, settings, waveform data, and screen captures can be stored on USB memory.
Bearing Ball Waviness InspectionMeasurement of circumferential waviness that can contribute to vibration and noise in completed bearings.
Ball Roundness EvaluationPrecision assessment of ball geometry for bearing component manufacturing and quality control.
Miniature Bearing ComponentsInspection of very small bearing balls using the BWM-102 configuration.
Bearing Component ManufacturingProcess control and finished-part evaluation before bearing assembly.
Quality ControlRepeatable comparison of production parts against established waviness and roundness requirements.

BWM Series Model Comparison

Specification BWM-102 BWM-501
Ball Diameter Ø0.3–12 mm Ø2–60 mm
Spindle Speed 300–2,000 r/min 300–1,000 r/min
Spindle Bearing Fluid dynamic bearing (oil) Fluid dynamic bearing (oil)
Drive System Direct drive Direct drive
Power 100 VAC, 1 A 100 VAC, 1.5 A
Dimensions 300 × 420 × 474 mm 700 × 1,332 × 830 mm
Weight 80 kg 310 kg

SWA-105 Synchro Wave Analyzer

The SWA-105 is the common analyzer for Sugawara Wavimeters. It processes synchronized vibration signals and displays waviness and roundness as numerical values, spectra, polar plots, and time-domain waveforms. The analyzer supports seven independently configurable measurement bands, pass/fail thresholds, USB data storage, vibration recording and playback, and stored measurement-condition sets.