Linear actuators with belt drives, ballscrews, or leadscrews for their rotary-to-linear mechanical transmission most commonly pair with servomotors, stepper motors, or brushless motors. Belt-driven actuators frequently employ servomotors with planetary gearboxes for speed and precision. In contrast, ballscrew and leadscrew actuators often integrate servo or stepper motors that are coupled directly or via gear reducers […]
Editor's blog
Linear encoders give it straight
Linear encoders are often essential. Even where they’re not, benefits they offer can justify the additional cost they incur. Linear encoders bypass the mechanical linkages of rotary-to-linear motion axes to directly measure positions of loads. That avoids the effect of backlash, pitch errors, vibration problems, and the way in which heat causes expansion and geometrical […]
Part 2 of 2: Update on electrification
In the first installment of this series, we covered the reasons why off-highway applications are primed for electrification — especially those vehicles with lots of axes that deliver relatively slow yet high-torque (or force) motion. Where the axes on a piece of off-highway or other equipment are linear, electric actuators have in some cases replaced […]
Polymer linear bearings enable realistic simulations
Once a niche hobby, simulation or sim racing has attracted a growing number of enthusiasts seeking virtual motorsport experiences. The popularity surge has fueled demand for professional-grade simulation hardware that accurately replicates real-world racing-vehicle physics, track environments, and driver tactile feedback. Automotive, truck, and flight-simulator R&D and build integrator Sigma Integrale serves this market with […]
Packaging focus: Carton making and packing operations
Carton making and case packing are key operations in packaging facilities. Both rely on extremely fast motion systems with dozens of mechanically and programmatically linked axes for sufficient throughput to satisfy the demands of a global market. Case packing in particular is a common bottleneck. Typically, cartoners are installed at the ends of production lines, […]
Motion designs key to vertical farming
In a recent case study, we detailed how cable-systems manufacturer HELUKABEL helped automate a vertical-farming installation: Cables satisfy the unique demands of vertical farming. In contrast with approaches to optimize the traditional farming of fields, automated greenhouses solutions eliminate issues associated with tight labor markets, guarding delicate or valuable crops, and the need to apply […]
Ballscrew splines updated for 21st-century technological needs
The two types of ballscrew splines from NB Corp. are the SPBR and the SPBF. The SPBR type has a rotary ballscrew nut and rotary ball spline nut. The rotary ballscrew nut is an integration of ballscrew nut and angular contact bearings. The rotary ball spline nut is an integration of ball spline nut and […]
The top linear motion posts of 2022
As the year comes to a close, the editors here at linearmotiontips.com (as, apparently, editors everywhere are prone to do) like to look back over the past year to see what our readers clicked on and read the most. As in years past, readers found our “back to basics” articles quite useful and so it’s […]
Rediscovering ball splines for robust linear and rotary motion
Ball splines were once a staple for machine designers seeking an elegant way to integrate rotary and linear motion. Driven by pressures to speed their machines to market, many designers found it faster to implement prepackaged solutions in which rotary and linear motion shafts had already been integrated. By Charles Isaac • Thomson Industries Chris […]
Gothic arches, tracks, and roller bearings in the context of linear motion
Industry terminology used to describe linear guides and other linear components widely varies. Here we explain three linear-guide phrases and words having multiple meanings — and differentiate how they relate to track-roller linear guides and profiled-rail linear guides. Let’s start by reviewing the multiple linear-motion meanings for Gothic-arch linear bearing. Gothic arches originate from civil […]
