Linear Motion Tips provide information on the latest innovations in linear motion components such as linear bearings. Linear bearings systems are an appropriate solution for demanding applications and newest ball bearing materials and construction. Browse the articles below for more information.

Bishop-Wisecarver Promotes National Sales Manager

Pittsburg, CA - Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation announced that National Sales Manager Michael McVeigh has been promoted to Vice President of Sales. He will have the primary responsibility of overseeing the entire sales channel for Bishop-Wisecarver, and manage all global efforts both domestically and internationally.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Mike for four years as our National Sales Manager. He has done a fabulous job of growing our sales efforts, even during the recent economic downturn,” said Pamela Kan, president of Bishop-Wisecarver. “The Board of Directors felt that bringing Mikes’ management skills to our entire sales channel will be an important element of our global sales efforts going forward. I look forward to working with Mike on our strategic sales plans for growing our sales both domestically and internationally.”

McVeigh is a college graduate from the University of New York at Buffalo. Prior to joining Bishop-Wisecarver in 2006 as the National Sales Manager, McVeigh worked in the bearing industry for 16 years in both sales and marketing. Since his hire at Bishop-Wisecarver, he has grown to appreciate the uniqueness of Bishop-Wisecarver’s customer base and their applications.

“Our overriding company goal is to become the customer’s 1st choice,” said McVeigh. “I am honored to be leading our team to meet this challenge as the Vice President of Sales.”

Bishop-Wisecarver
www.bwc.com

Renishaw Helps Achieve High Accuracy Grinding for Giant Wind Turbine Bearings

KMT Lidköping (www.kmtgroup.com/lidkoping/) has unveiled its new hard-turning VTG4000 (Vertical Turning Grinding) machine that uses a combination of Renishaw SiGNUM optical angle and linear encoders to achieve the required accuracy, and Renishaw magnetic encoders placed on the exposed axes of the cutting heads.

“Our largest machine used to accommodate parts up to 600 mm diameter, but the VTG4000 can handle diameters in excess of 4000 mm, the size of the largest wind turbine bearings. This is hard turning and grinding which can be very demanding, and the positioning accuracy is very important, with a direct effect on the quality of the finished bearings. A standard size machine, using ballscrews on the axes, will manage to maintain a 3 µm form deviation, yet despite the considerable difference in relative size, the VTG4000 has been proven to achieve an exceptional form deviation of less than 1 µm, with feed resolution in 0.1 µm steps,” said Eive Johansson, Lidköping’s VTG Chief Designer.

“At the heart of a Lidköping machine are the linear slides. The combination of hydrostatic guideways, air seals and linear motors create a stiff, accurate and maintenance-free system. To achieve dynamic stiffness we need high gain and the gain is linked to the quality of the encoder scales. It also makes a big difference that the angle encoders have the scale integrated directly onto the ring,” he added.

Mr. Johansson first saw the Renishaw SiGNUM encoders during the EMO 2007 exhibition in Hannover, and then followed a period of rigorous testing by the company. As he explained: “The choice of Renishaw was easy; we compared different scales assembled on our reference slide and bought the one with the best performance. It was important that the linear encoders could be supplied in a continuous length of at least 4.5 m and SiGNUM is the easiest way to achieve this. The Renishaw encoders also give more resistance to dirt. We have now fitted Renishaw encoders to all four linear slides and as expected, we have had no problems!”

“The rotary table has the same design principle, with hydrostatic radial and axial bearings, air seals and torque motors for the drive. The same analysis was done, and the Renishaw SiGNUM angle encoders were chosen,” he added.

The Renishaw encoders have an integral patented set-up LED that speeds installation and eliminates the need for separate set-up equipment/complex external, or oscilloscopes.

“One of the best features of the Renishaw encoders is how easy they are to set-up,” Mr. Johansson said. “With the scale attached and the readhead approximately located the indicator lights make it very easy to see how well the two elements are aligned and then make the final adjustments.”

Sliding Slewing Ring Bearings Used in Welding Machine

A developer and manufacturer of custom-made equipment for the fabricating industry uses sliding slewing ring bearings from igus® for rotary motion on an ultrasonic welding machine.

iglide® PRT slewing ring bearings facilitate movement on both the X and Y axis of the machine, which enables the welding gun to achieve numerous degrees of freedom. This means a variety of different welding jobs can be performed. The slewing ring bearings replaced a system of metal shafts and flange bearings that required time-consuming assembly and maintenance.

PRT slewing ring bearings do not require lubrication and so are unaffected by the welding dust produced by the machine and will not seize, unlike other bearing systems can. The unit comes as a ready-to-install solution, so the manufacturer saves both time and money during the design and assembly process.

The iglide PRT range uses low-friction polymer sliding elements in place of ball bearings. These sliding elements are made from an igus-developed, low-cost, high-performance polymer called iglide J, which is completely lubrication- and maintenance-free. iglide PRT slewing ring bearings are suitable for all environments; in particular, semiconductor and cleanroom applications, assembly lines, production facilities and robots.

PRT slewing ring bearings are an off-the-shelf, low-cost solution. All the housing components are made from aluminum (except style 02 – which has wear-resistant iglide J head rings) and all the surfaces parallel to the iglide J sliding elements are hard anodized with stainless steel fasteners. Stainless steel and geared versions are also available upon request.

igus
www.igus.com

Amish Communities Adopt Plastic Bearings

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – An Ohio-based manufacturer of horse-drawn farming equipment predominately employed by Amish communities uses iglide® plastic plain bearings from igus® on a ‘crumbler’ mechanism; used to crush clods of dirt during the tilling process. The bearings replaced a system of metal shafts and collars that required messy lubricants and frequent maintenance.

iglide G300 bearings are used on each of the crumbler’s eight rolling elements. Grease fittings made the rollers susceptible to dirt build-up, which eventually led to the formation of a thick sludge as the tool sat idle in-between harvests. Fortunately, iglide bearings are lubrication-free and dirt- and dust-resistant and so are ideal for use in this outdoor application. They are also unaffected by rain and any moisture from the soil, thanks to their corrosion-resistant and low moisture absorption properties.

iglide plastic plain bearings are available in 28 different polymers. Every iglide bearing material possesses a number of special features, which makes it suitable for particular applications and requirements. iglide G300 bearings are cost-effective and can be paired with a number of different shafting materials. They are best for rotational and oscillating movements and low to average running speeds. They also possess a low coefficient of friction and high wear-resistance. To request free samples, call 1-888-803-1895, visit www.igus.com/iglide.asp or e-mail sales@igus.com.

igus
www.igus.com

Reduce Friction in Machine Guard Doors

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The word ‘hybrid’ is used in engineering to describe a system where two technologies are combined together. igus® has now achieved this with a completely new type of cost-effective hybrid linear bearing that both rolls and slides.

The new hybrid bearing, DryLin® WJRM, was developed with the goal of reducing driving force, especially in applications involving the manual adjustment of machine-guard doors, partitions and adjustable locks, or for light handling tasks. For this purpose, igus took the advantages unique to sliding and rolling movements and combined them.

A self-lubricating plastic, sliding sleeve bearing ensures the hybrid linear system is robust, dirt and moisture resistant, lightweight and low cost. Meanwhile, a maintenance-free polymer roller brings ease of use to applications where heavy machine doors up to 110 pounds have to be adjusted manually. The required driving force is reduced by a factor of 4 to 5 due to this roller bearing, which carries the main load. This makes manual operation much easier.

The new hybrid bearing is the latest extension to the tried-and-trusted DryLin W linear guide range from igus. The extremely compact system was modeled by igus’ design engineers in such a way that the rollers fit inside the linear profile without increasing height, which remains at a low profile 0.71 inches (18 mm). Standard linear guide profiles can be used, which are available in three styles for shaft diameters of 0.39 (10 mm): as individual rails for more flexibility and as double rails for fast installation without time-consuming alignment. The latter comes with a distance between rails of 1.57 inches (40 mm) or 3.15 inches (80 mm). The hybrid bearing housing is made from blue-chromed die-cast zinc.

DryLin W is a flexible, modular linear guide system made from hard-anodized aluminum profiles, die-cast zinc housings, stainless steel or aluminum and plastic plain bearing materials. The wide variety of different combinations within this easy-to-install system allows users to optimize available design space. DryLin W linear guides work without lubrication as dry-running systems and do not require maintenance during operation. They use plastic liners made from iglide® J or iglide J200, both of which are extremely low wear and have a very low coefficient of friction. They are also chemical resistant, vibration dampening and absorb negligible amounts of moisture.

igus
www.igus.com

Thomson RoundWay® Linear Roller Bearings

WOOD DALE, IL –Thomson introduces the RW64-V RoundWay® Linear Roller Bearing. The newest and most robust member of the innovative RoundWay family, the RW64-V is a 4 in. version boasting a dynamic load capacity of 70,000 lbf (310,800 N) – more than 20x the load capacity of a conventional linear ball bearing, even at extreme operating temperatures (up to 500°F; 260°C) and speeds (up to 100 ft/s; 31 m/s).

“Thomson RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings are specifically engineered to withstand extreme loads, speeds, temperature and contamination, and have the unique advantage of providing high load capacity without the installation costs typically associated with Profile Rail products – and with significantly greater resistance to environmental contaminants,” says Ellen Steinbrunner, Product Manager. “RoundWay users will also benefit from what we call the ‘RoundRail Advantage’ – a round shaft enables the bearing to rotate, thereby eliminating the potential for induced torsional stresses and facilitating reliable and robust operation, even when mounted on less-than-ideal surfaces,” she says.

Thomson RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings operate on Thomson 60 Case® LinearRace® shafting, and are available in sizes ranging from ½ in. to 4 in. to satisfy varying application needs. They feature concave rollers to reliably handle extremely high loads (up to 70,000 lbf), with a 10 million inch L10 rated travel life. And where conventional linear bearings and guides are limited to top speeds of 10 ft/s, RoundWay chain-link rollers enable high travel speeds up to 100 ft/s (31 m/s). Additionally, the unique chain-link design also enables their use in severely contaminated applications such as metal removal, paper and wood processing, and granite quarrying – applications in which metal chips, paper flour, wood chips and abrasive dust would otherwise quickly destroy conventional linear bearings and guides.

All steel and iron construction promises increased rigidity and durability in extreme environments, even at operating temperatures up to 500°F (260°C). A lateral self-alignment feature means that RoundWay bearings may be out of parallel as much as 0.1875 in., where Ball Bushing Bearings and Profile Rail products require significantly greater parallel alignment to operate. This makes them well suited for use in gantry systems where it is difficult to maintain the necessary 0.001 in. or better parallelism tolerances needed over long rail lengths that may be spread far apart.

Thomson RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings also feature an eccentric trunion pin that enables pitch self alignment for reliable operation in inaccurate mounting surfaces, and ± 0.030 in. height adjustment that can be used to set preload in “locked-in” arrangements – ideal for applications requiring maximum stiffness and minimal deflection. A recirculating ground roller assembly has the ability to span across gaps in a shaft for quicker and more efficient pallet changing in assembly and packaging systems. The recirculating ground roller assembly also provides a dynamic co-efficient of friction of 0.005 and a height tolerance of ±0.003 in. to allow for energy efficient, high load and precise linear motion, with smoother, quieter operation than anti-friction linear bearings and guides.

Learn more in the new Thomson RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings brochure.

Thomson
www.thomsonlinear.com

Thomson Introduces New Website

WOOD DALE, IL –Thomson introduces Thomsonlinear.com – a content rich site detailing the company’s comprehensive family of mechanical and electromechanical motion solutions, along with a vast array of helpful, time saving and performance optimizing design tools and educational/training resources. Visitors are also able to browse potential motion solutions by industry of interest. Each resource is provided to engineers streamline the design process and optimize the performance of their machine through quick specification of best in class components and systems.

Machine builder’s will quickly find all relevant features, benefits, specifications and ordering information for Thomson actuators, ball screws and lead screws, clutches and brakes, linear bearings and guides, linear motion systems, precision balls and planetary gearheads. They are also able to browse potential motion solutions by industry, including aerospace and defense, electronic assembly, lift truck, medical, mobile off-highway, packaging and converting, personal mobility, semiconductor and textile.

Perhaps most significantly, OEMs have access to the company’s comprehensive and substantive library of design tools and education/training resources, including:
•Sizing software such as Linear MOTIONEERING® and Micron MOTIONEERING® to automate the linear system and planetary gearhead sizing, selection and quoting process
•Attribute-based Product Selectors that automatically identify the optimum components based on user inputs
•On-demand and live technical, educational and non-commercial webinars
•An Engineer’s Toolbar that provides a convenient method of performing common technical calculations
•Configurable 2D and 3D CAD drawings in all major CAD formats
•A library of technical articles and white papers
•Thomson eNews – a monthly enewsletter that covers a wide range of topics including application design, problem-solving insights, product introductions and selection, available literature and online software tools

Machine builders can also check out the company’s training schedule and enroll for upcoming courses, and even request customized, on-site training.

Thomson
www.thomsonlinear.com

Self-Lubricating Linear Bearing Pillow Blocks from Thomson

WOOD DALE, IL –Thomson introduces “Lube for Life” Self-Lubricating Linear Bearing Pillow Blocks. Lube for Life assemblies eliminate the need for expensive lubrication systems and provide continuous bearing lubrication and enhanced protection for maximum linear bearing life and true maintenance-free operation. Available for open or closed pillow block assemblies, Lube for Life can now be ordered as an option with Thomson Super Ball Bushing® Bearing and Super Smart Ball Bushing® Bearing Pillow Blocks. They come as a complete assembly for new applications, or in a retrofit kit for existing non self-lubricating pillow block assemblies.

Thomson Super Smart Ball Bushing Bearings offer more than 200 times the life of a conventional Ball Bushing Bearing. Combined with a Lube for Life assembly that promises up to three times the life of a bearing that is lubricated just once (and not subsequently) during installation, OEMs and after-market applications can realize big benefits. OEM’s will benefit from maintenance-free machines that deliver significantly longer life and increased reliability to their customers, while MRO specialists who need to replace linear bearings in existing applications will benefit from increased maintenance and replacement intervals for greater machine uptime and throughput.

Lube for Life pillow blocks work through self-lubricating cartridges pressed into each end of the pillow block housing, with the linear bearing itself initially lubricated with EP2 grease. The Lube for Life polymer is under constant pressure against the 60 Case shafting, ensuring a film of lubricant is always present between the ball bearings and the inner race. Thomson 60 Case Shafting is available for same and next day shipment, with no set-up fees on cut-to-length and special machining orders.

Thomson
www.thomsonlinear.com

H Series Rod Ends and Spherical Bearings from Aurora Bearings

Montgomery, IL - Aurora Bearing Company answers difficult and demanding misalignment applications with H Series rod ends and spherical bearings. H Series products have been specifically designed and engineered to solve misalignment issues with their narrow raceways and oversized balls with extensions to increase ball width. 

These features allow for greater travel, up to 38 degrees of total misalignment, vs. “conventional” bearings which usually offer about 12 degrees of misalignment. Typically found on racecar and related applications, they are an excellent choice for extreme situations and environments in all industries. 

The Aurora HXAM series rod ends and HAB series spherical bearings are constructed of premium materials, and feature Aurora’s exclusive AT 3200 PTFE liner, qualified to AS81820. The HXAM series is an oversize shank style part, with the shank or thread being larger than the ball bore.

www.aurorabearing.com

Stainless Steel Rail System from LM76

E. Longmeadow, MA – LM76 introduces their new, DEFENDER Linear Rail TM linear bearing system. This all stainless steel rail and bearing system is strong, anti-magnetic, corrosion resistant, low cost and easy to install. Designed to be washed down with disinfectants or high strength industrial cleaners the DEFENDER Linear Rail TM linear bearing system is ideal for medical, pharmaceutical and food processing applications, as well as draw and rack glides, and sliding doors.

The bearing rails are rolled 304 stainless with an internal bearing race. Each three bearing slider unit is 80 mm (3.15 inches) long. Each 440C stainless steel ball bearing roller is lubricated for life, features 2RS seals, and can be washed down. The slider’s center bearing is mounted on a eccentric shaft for adjusting the preload. The cross section of the compact bearing and slider is only 26 mm x .22 mm (1.02 in. x .866 in.). The Stainless Steel rails are available in lengths of 1040 mm (40.94 in.), 1520 mm (59.84 in.), 2080 mm (81.89 in.), and 3120 mm (122.83 in.) or in cut to order sizes.

www.lm76.com

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