Bushings

Bushings are lightweight, low-friction components that take the place of ball bearings in low-load, low speed scenarios. While they’re probably not suitable for flywheels, intake rollers, and drivetrains, we believe they’re the perfect fit for pneumatically-actuated joints and some low-load rotary joints, like simple arms and pivoting structures. We like bushings because they are:
 

• Lightweight, which adds up in weight savings when replacing bearings with bushings
• Extremely cheap, sometimes only 25% the cost of an equivalent bearing
• Toleranced for a clean fit with commonly-used FRC stock

Bushings make building robots easier when they’re applicable. Make sure you’re using them in the correct situation, and make your dream robot do more with less!