As the global bearing industry enters a period of renewed technological ambition, APO-GEE stands at the center of one of its most compelling shifts. After more than a decade of research dedicated to solving cage instability, a problem acknowledged for more than fifty years, the company is now experiencing the first waves of industrial adoption. But 2026 will not simply continue this trajectory: it will open a broader chapter, marked by the emergence of a second breakthrough technology and significant strategic evolutions.
The year 2025 marked a decisive turning point for APO-GEE. After years of intensive research and extensive testing, the company implemented the Butterfly cage on new applications and mechanisms, a cage capable of eliminating instability in ball bearings (patent pending). Beyond preventing instability in mechanisms, the Butterfly cage also delivers significantly reduced noise and vibrations, outperforming traditional cage designs across a wide range of operating conditions. This brings decisive value in demanding applications such as the space industry and precision machining for instance.
This result, long considered impossible, has been confirmed by effective implementations.
“Solving a problem the industry has lived with for half a century demanded not just technical rigor, but a deep long term effort. Today, that solution is not theoretical, it is deployed, it is scalable, and it is transforming what engineers can expect from a bearing.” Sébastien Assouad, CEO of APO-GEE
The unexpected challenge: being believed
Despite strong evidence, one of the company’s greatest hurdles was not engineering, it was credibility. Accepting that a small, focused team could solve a universal, decades-old problem required openness from early industry adopters. These pioneers, drawn from the aerospace, machine-tool, and industry sectors, asked questions, challenged the hypothesis, and ultimately validated the innovation. Their willingness to test was the decisive step that paved the way for broader acceptance.
With credibility established, APO-GEE advances its next breakthrough: the Cobweb bearing
The validation of the Butterfly cage unlocks a new phase for APO-GEE. With credibility now firmly established, the company can accelerate the development of its second major innovation: the Cobweb bearing, an entirely new architecture based on an auto-adaptive profile geometry. This design enables speeds and levels of precision previously considered unattainable and removes longstanding engineering compromises that designers have been forced to accept for decades.
The Cobweb bearing introduces a dynamic optimization mechanism within the bearing itself, opening pathways for applications requiring ultra-high accuracy, extreme rotational speeds, and precise temperature control. Space and spindle systems stand out once again, but additional markets such as dental handpieces, automotive systems, and the defense industry are also relevant.
“The Cobweb bearing is a step change in adaptability and precision. It allows to reach speeds never imagined before and avoid the common unsatisfactory compromise between loads and speed. Not to mention that the reduction in power dissipated by friction can be expressed in two digits!» Christophe Servais, CTO of APO-GEE.
2026: a year of major evolutions
If 2025 was a year of proof and concrete implementations, 2026 will be the year of transformation.
Thanks to the strength of its innovations and its unique diagnostic tools, APO-GEE now counts among its clients some of the most prestigious firms in their field. The company can therefore confidently enter a period in which its technologies will reshape expectations around bearings. Growing trust from the market is accelerating a shift that once seemed out of reach. As more engineers evaluate and adopt the Butterfly cage, APO-GEE is preparing to support large-scale deployment.
The coming months will bring major announcements and strategic initiatives.
More info: www.apo-gee.tech
