Single direction angular contact thrust ball bearings are designed to accommodate axial loads in one direction only and therefore are adjusted against a second bearing or mounted as sets. In their main application area of rotary tables, two bearings are always used and adjusted against each other.

Angular contact ball bearings have inner and outer ring raceways that are displaced relative to each other in the direction of the bearing axis. This means that these bearings are designed to accommodate combined loads, i.e. simultaneously acting radial and axial loads.