Key Takeaways:
Hydrodynamic bearings generate their oil film from relative motion; hydrostatic bearings are pumped up by an external supply. The difference decides stiffness, low-speed behavior, and where each belongs.
Two Ways to Make an Oil Film
Both hydrostatic and hydrodynamic bearings use a lubricating oil film to separate surfaces, but they create it differently. A hydrodynamic bearing relies on the relative motion of the surfaces to wedge oil into a load-carrying film—no external pump is needed.

Why Hydrostatic Differs
A hydrostatic bearing is fed by an external high-pressure pump through restrictors, so the film exists even at zero speed. That gives it high, load-adaptive stiffness, no low-speed crawl, and sub-micron runout from the first rotation. A hydrodynamic bearing is stiff only once it is spinning fast enough to build its wedge.
When Each Is Right
Hydrodynamic bearings suit high-speed, continuous-duty shafts where simplicity matters. Hydrostatic bearings suit precision, low-speed, or frequently-started axes where stiffness, accuracy, and zero wear matter most—exactly the domain of Marusaku spindles and rotary tables.