Linear guide rails and bearings offer high stiffness and good travel accuracy. And they can support not only downward, upward, and side loads, they can also withstand overhung, or moment loads. Of course, the larger the linear rail and bearing system, the more moment capacity it has, but the arrangement of the bearing raceways—face-to-face or back-to-back—also […]
Applications
What does “lubricated for life” mean?
Lubrication is one of the most critical factors contributing to linear bearing life, and to achieve optimum performance users historically had to ensure that a lubrication routine was included in their operating and maintenance program, or implement an automated lubrication system. Seeing the opportunity to reduce maintenance and improve total cost of ownership, linear bearing […]
Tips for preventing linear bearing corrosion
Corrosive environments can include anything from detergents and chemicals for washdown (the high-pressure cleaning of equipment), to acid baths and their related vapors, to chemicals in food processing. Because profiled linear rails, round shafts, and ball screws are made primarily from steel components, they’re highly susceptible to corrosive agents, which can quickly cause rust, pitting, […]
Just for fun: industrial robots doing cool stuff
The line between industrial and commercial (aka “service” or “personal”) robots is blurring, but that doesn’t make industrial robots any less cool. As proof, here are eight industrial robots doing fun things, and doing (most of) them better than us mere mortals can. Play ping pong I won’t spoil the outcome for you, but I […]
How to calculate hole spacing for joined linear guide rails
There are several reasons that a linear guide rail may be supplied in multiple sections rather than in one piece: the overall length is longer than the maximum offered by the manufacturer, the machine design or other space constraints don’t allow installation of a single piece in the length needed, or the risk of damage […]
How to calculate hole spacing for linear guide rails
Profiled linear guides—whether profiled rails, cam roller guides, shaft support rails, or plain bearing guides—are typically manufactured with evenly spaced mounting holes that allow them to be secured to a machine base or work surface. For rigidity and integrity of the rail, there’s often a minimum distance, specified by the manufacturer, that must be maintained […]
How to calculate combined static load
Static load capacity is an important factor in linear bearing selection. While dynamic load capacity is used to calculate bearing life, static load capacity indicates how much load the bearing can withstand before permanent damage occurs to the balls and/or the raceways. Even when they’re not moving, linear guides often experience a combination of both […]
How to calculate mean equivalent dynamic load
It’s rare in linear motion for a guide or ball screw to carry the same load throughout its move cycle. Even in simple pick-and-place applications, the load will be higher in one direction (the pick and carry phase) than in the other direction (the place and return phase). But even more common is for a […]
7.5 resources every design engineer should have
A design engineer often has to be a jack-of-all-trades, with good working knowledge of statics, dynamics, materials, and manufacturing, in addition to their “real” area of expertise (packaging, dispensing, etc.). And while most of us long ago forgot the bulk of what we learned in engineering or technical school, design engineers use those concepts and […]
Seven Interchange Tools for Linear Guides and Bearings
In linear motion, there are few types of components that are truly interchangeable—that is, where a product from one manufacturer is a dimensional and technical replacement with a product from another manufacturer. In fact, only linear ball bearings (bushings) and shafts are commonly interchangeable between manufacturers, with very few dimensional and technical differences. Not only […]