Cylindrical roller bearings feature line contact between the rollers and raceways. They have a high load capacity and primarily bear radial loads. Friction between the rolling elements and the raceway flanges is low, making them suitable for high-speed rotation. Depending on whether the raceways have flanges, they can be classified as single-row cylindrical roller bearings (NU, NJ, NUP, N, NF, etc.) and double-row cylindrical roller bearings (NNU, NN, etc.). These bearings have a separable inner and outer ring.
Cylindrical roller bearings without flanges on either the inner or outer ring allow axial movement between the inner and outer rings, making them suitable for use as free-end bearings. Cylindrical roller bearings with double flanges on one side of the inner and outer rings and a single flange on the other side can withstand a certain degree of axial load in one direction. They generally use stamped steel cages or machined solid copper alloy cages. However, some also use molded polyamide cages.