Profab Machine

Stainless Steel Rod Ends

CNC-machined stainless rod end bearings for automotive, marine, hydraulic, and industrial applications. 304, 316L, and 17-4PH grades — metric and imperial threading, PTFE-lined or greasable, male and female.

Rod End Supplier

Professional Stainless Steel Rod End Manufacturer

Our stainless steel rod ends are precision and durable for harsh environments. With more than 20 years of experience in serving OEM and industrial brand customers, we support customization of size, thread, and models.

All stainless steel heim joints are CNC machined, with high strength, corrosion resistance, and smooth rotation performance. Select from greasable rod end and PTFE-lined rod end in Profab.

Profab offers multiple models of ss rod ends like XM/XF, CM/CF, JMX/JFX, SATK/SITK. Each model is designed with specific load capacities and thread types to meet diverse application needs.

Product Range

Types of Stainless Steel Rod End Bearings

Profab offers custom rod ends and a full range of matched connectors, including ball joints, clevises, and spherical bearings. Our one-stop solution saves you from sourcing multiple suppliers. All products come with CAD support, material traceability, and quality control.

XM / XF

Design	Loader Slot
Thread	Male and Female, Left Hand and Right Hand
Race	PTFE Liner
Material	304 Stainless Housing & 440C Ball (Optional 316 / 17-4PH)
Surface	Custom Finishing Available

CM / CF

Design	2-Piece Construction
Thread	Male and Female, Left Hand and Right Hand
Race	No Liner
Material	304 Stainless Housing & 440C Ball (Optional 316 / 17-4PH)
Surface	Custom Finishing Available

JMX / JFX

Design	3-Piece Construction
Thread	Male and Female, Left Hand and Right Hand
Race	PTFE Liner
Material	304 Stainless Housing & 440C Ball (Optional 316 / 17-4PH)
Surface	Custom Finishing Available

SATK / SITK

Design	3-Piece Construction
Thread	Male (SATK) and Female (SITK), Left & Right Thread
Race	PTFE Liner
Material	304/316 Stainless Body & 440C Ball
Surface	Custom Finishing Available

Material Specification

304, 316L, or 17-4PH — Matching Grade to Environment

304 Stainless

General-purpose grade. Good resistance to humidity, mild chemicals, and food-safe cleaning agents. Use this for indoor machinery, agricultural equipment, and dry-run automation.

Food · Automation · Indoor

316 / 316L

Molybdenum addition gives 316L roughly 3× better chloride resistance than 304. Required for marine applications, salt-spray environments, offshore, and food-grade lines with CIP chemical cleaning.

Marine · Chemical · Pumps

17-4PH

Precipitation-hardened grade. After H900 heat treatment, tensile strength reaches ~1310 MPa — significantly stronger than 316. Used in motorsport, aerospace, and high-cycle fatigue applications where load ratings matter more than cost.

Aerospace · Motorsport · Hi-load

Applications

Where Stainless Steel Rod Ends Are Used

From off-road suspension to dairy processing lines, the common thread is that these are environments where a rigid connection would fail and a spherical joint solves the problem.

Automotive & Motorsport

Suspension linkages, steering drag links, exhaust bypass valves, and anti-roll bar end links. Off-road and modified vehicles often run 304 or 17-4PH rod ends to handle mud, salt, and dynamic loading.

Marine & Offshore

Yacht rigging, marine actuators, deck machinery, and hydraulic steering systems. 316L housing specified for salt air and submerged environments. PTFE liner preferred over grease fittings in sealed marine assemblies.

Hydraulic Cylinders

Cylinder rod end connections are one of the most common rod end applications — they absorb misalignment between cylinder axis and load pivot. PTFE-lined rod ends reduce seal wear by maintaining consistent geometry under side loads.

Food & Beverage

Filling machine nozzle mechanisms, guide rail linkages, and conveyor pivot points. 304 or 316L with PTFE liner required — no grease fittings in food zones. CIP washdown compatible. Electropolished finish available.

Industrial Automation

Robot end-effector joints, pneumatic gripper linkages, linear sensor pivots, and cam follower connections. The tolerance stack in automation assemblies means misalignment allowance is critical — rod ends absorb what rigid couplings cannot.

Agricultural Equipment

Air seeder metering systems, section control linkages, and toolbar connections on planters and applicators. These run in mud, fertilizer dust, and UV exposure — 304 rod ends with PTFE liner handle this better than chrome-plated steel.

Why Profab

Precision Machined to Your Exact Specification

Precision Tolerances

Meet demanding assembly requirements. All rose joints are manufactured to exacting critical dimensions, tolerances and thread types (left/right, metric/imperial). This ensures seamless, trouble-free integration into your high-performance system.

Multiple Stainless Steel Grades

Our stainless steel rose joints are designed for long-term reliable operation in extreme conditions. Premium stainless steel grades are available depending on the environment of your application (high humidity, chemical exposure or salt water).

OEM Project Support

Our team provides full-cycle support, from prototyping to mass production to shipping, we optimize every detail to improve performance, simplify manufacturing, and support standard and custom specifications.

Direct-from-Manufacturer Advantage

We are the original manufacturer—eliminate all unnecessary middlemen. That means you get the most competitive prices in the market. Enjoy maximum profit margins while ensuring consistent, high-quality stainless steel parts tailored for your business.

Engineering Support and Fast Sampling

We work closely with your technical team to understand and respond to your unique part needs. Whether it’s a CAD file, material conversion or specific tolerances, we can quickly provide samples and provide expert feedback to accelerate your product development.

Volume Discounts for Scalable Business

The more you order, the more you save. We offer tiered pricing for bulk orders, helping you stay competitive as you scale your business. Enjoy more flexible terms for long-term partnerships.

Technical Reference

Thread Sizes & Dimensions

Thread (mm)	Bore (mm)	Thread (Inch)	Bore (Inch)
M5*0.8	5	10-32	0.1900
M6*1.0	6	1/4-28	0.1900
M8*1.25	8	1/4-28	0.2500
M10*1.5	10	5/16-24	0.2500
M10*1.25	10	5/16-24	0.3125
M12*1.75	12	3/8-24	0.3125
M12*1.25	12	3/8-24	0.3750
M12*1.5	12	7/16-20	0.3750
M14*2.0	14	7/16-20	0.4375
M14*1.5	14	1/20-20	0.4375
M16*2.0	16	1/20-20	0.5000
M16*1.5	16	5/8-18	0.5000
M18*1.5	18	3/4-16	0.5000
M20*1.5	20	5/8-18	0.6250
M22*1.5	22	5/8-18	12mm
M24*2.0	24	3/4-16	0.6250
M30*2.0	30	3/4-16	0.7500
M36*2.0	36	7/8-14	0.7500
M42*2.0	42	7/8-14	0.8750
M48*2.0	48	1 1/4-12	1.0000
Custom	Custom	1-14	1.0000
		1-12	1.0000
		1 1/4-12	1.2500
		1 1/2-12	1.2500
		1 1/2-12	1.5000
		1 3/4-12	1.5000
		1 3/4-12	1.7500
		2-12	2.0000
		Custom	Custom

FAQ

Common Questions

Not seeing your question? Email us at [email protected] and we typically reply same day.

What stainless steel grades do you offer? Can you provide Material Test Certificate (MTC)?

We routinely provide 304, 316, 316L, and custom grades. We can provide Material Test Certificate (MTC) and proof of chemical composition upon request.

How to choose the right rod ends according to the load and working condition?

Please provide the maximum static/dynamic load, mounting geometry (swing angle), shaft diameter and frequency of use. We will recommend a model or give calibration suggestions based on the load table and fatigue data.

Are there low maintenance versions with self-lubricating or polymer bushings?

Yes. For applications requiring low friction or low maintenance, we offer variants with polymer bushings or self-lubricating liners to reduce the frequency of lubrication maintenance.

Factory Direct

Ready to Source Stainless Parts?

If you already have the drawings, please send email to [email protected] directly for an instant quote.

Profab

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