Choosing a shaft for a traditional linear ball bushing is relatively easy — choose the appropriate diameter, material, and hardness, check the dimensional accuracies and tolerances, and if the shaft is unsupported, perform a beam deflection calculation. But because spline shafts can withstand both radial and torque loads, it’s important to ensure the shaft strength […]
Applications
How to calculate bearing life for a ball spline
A ball spline is much like a linear ball bushing and shaft, but with axial grooves along the outer diameter of the shaft and the inner diameter of the nut. These grooves prevent rotation of the bearing (referred to as a spline nut) and allow the ball spline to transmit torque. Because a ball […]
Linear actuators automate shampoo-bottle filling with less drips
Consider the equipment that fills shampoo bottles. Such filling machines use conveyors to transport empty bottles to sensor-tracked wait positions. Then they insert shampoo-dispensing nozzles into the bottles and slowly raise those nozzles as the liquid rises during dispensing. Holding a constant distance between the nozzle ends and liquid surfaces prevents the shampoo from foaming. […]
Industrial gas springs help in fight against COVID-19
Gas springs, also called gas dampers, tension springs, gas-pressure springs depending on the setup and context, are compressed-air or oil cylinders that install in motion designs to damp forces and return kinematic linkages and more complicated assemblies to default positions. Gas springs work through a piston on the end of a rod that protrudes from […]
How to calculate linear ball bushing life (and how it differs from other life calculations)
The standard life calculation for linear ball bearings is widely known as: L = bearing life (m) C = rated dynamic load (N) F = applied dynamic load (N) But linear ball bushings often experience operating conditions that aren’t accounted for in the general bearing life equation. To account for these adverse conditions, the life calculation […]
Round-rail linear guide or profile-rail linear guide?
In this article, we outline how to choose a linear guide for your application and environment. By Lindsey Brimage and Eric Schultz | Thomson Industries Ian Miller | Motion Industries Canada Designers of linear motion systems often find themselves weighing the pros and cons of round versus profile (also known as square) linear guides. Many […]
How to make sure you get the right linear bushing interchange
Linear ball bushings are one of the few interchangeable product types in linear motion, with industry-standard sizes and styles, so that a product from one manufacturer can often be substituted with a product from another manufacturer that has very similar dimensions and technical specifications. And most linear bushing manufacturers offer several product lines that are […]
Automated farm equipment uses rugged linear components
Precision agriculture is the discretization of farming — defined as the analysis of highly variable (and often unpredictable) landscapes to: • Break larger agricultural fields into smaller discrete sections • Quantify the characteristics (such as soil composition, light, and seed spacing) of each section • Adapt to the variations between sections with automated farm equipment […]
How to protect ball screws in harsh environments
Harsh environments can wreak havoc on motion system components — especially rolling element systems such as linear guides and ball screws. And while protective devices such as rail covers, wipers, and scrapers are widely available for linear guides, protecting ball screws in harsh environments is a bit more tricky. But despite being more difficult to […]
New multi-axis stages: Driving dynamics in one plane for top performance
Having all of a stage’s driving dynamics in one plane can prevent problematic reaction torques on sensitive workpieces … and maximize machine performance for demanding motion applications. By Mathys te Wierik • Lead system engineer Jan Willem Ridderinkhof • Manager of R&D and engineering | PM B.V. High-end mechatronic motion solutions have proliferated as various […]
