Angular contact ball bearings are a type of precision bearing designed to support combined radial and axial loads, as well as pure axial loads, in a specific direction. These bearings are engineered with raceways in the inner and outer rings that are designed to accommodate high-speed and high-precision applications, particularly in machinery and equipment where precise positioning and controlled motion are essential.

The primary difference between a thrust ball bearing and a radial ball bearing lies in their design and the direction of the loads they are designed to support: