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Linear Motion Tips

Covering Linear Motion Systems, Components and Linear Motion Resources

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Ball + roller guides

How to make linear motion systems cleanroom compatible

January 22, 2021 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

linear motion cleanroom

While we often talk about the importance of keeping contamination out of linear motion components such as linear guides and screws, when these systems are used in a cleanroom, the goal is just the opposite — to keep these components from introducing contamination into the environment. What exactly is a cleanroom? According to ISO 14644-1:2015, […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + lead + roller screws, Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured, Linear bearings

How do miniature profiled rail guides compare to their full-size counterparts?

January 14, 2021 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

The basic distinction between “standard” and “miniature” profiled rail guides is the width of the guide rail: profiled rails with a width of 15 mm or less — and the carriages that fit on them — are generally considered “miniature” by bearing manufacturers. (However, some manufacturers also produce 15 mm rail guides in standard versions, as we’ll […]

Filed Under: Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured, Linear bearings

The top 10 linear motion articles of 2020

December 28, 2020 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

linear motion articles

Suffice it to say, pretty much everything about 2020 has been out of the ordinary, and our recap of the top linear motion articles for this year is no exception. For the first time in recent history, only one (1!) of the top 10 articles is about ball or lead screw technologies — a topic that usually […]

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + lead + roller screws, Ball + leadscrew driven, Ball + roller guides, Belt + chain driven, Featured, Rack + pinion driven, Rack + pinion sets

Linear bearing seals: Types, options, and applications

December 15, 2020 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

Seals for recirculating linear bearings serve two functions — keeping contamination out and keeping lubrication in — to ensure the system operates properly without premature wear or failure. Because sealing is so critical to linear bearing systems, manufacturers offer a variety of sealing designs and materials to meet a wide range of applications and environments. […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured

How to size a spline shaft: Shaft strength in bending and torsion

November 18, 2020 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

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 […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured, Linear bearings

How to calculate bearing life for a ball spline

November 15, 2020 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

  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 […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured

How to calculate linear ball bushing life (and how it differs from other life calculations)

October 23, 2020 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

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 […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured, Linear bearings

How does shaft hardness affect the life of a linear ball bushing?

October 15, 2020 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

shaft hardness

A linear ball bushing riding on a round shaft is often compared to a radial ball bearing, with the bushing acting as the outer race of the bearing and the shaft acting as the inner race. But in linear bushing assemblies, the surfaces of both the ball and the shaft are spherical, so contact between […]

Filed Under: Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured, Linear bearings

What are stroke ball splines and how do they differ from standard ball splines?

October 10, 2020 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

stroke ball splines

Standard ball splines use balls that recirculate within a nut, or housing, similar to that of a recirculating ball linear bushing. But the mechanisms and geometry required for ball recirculation result in a spline nut that is relatively large in diameter compared to the diameter of the spline shaft. For a more compact assembly, several […]

Filed Under: Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured, Slides + guides (all)

What’s the difference between a ball screw spline and a traditional ball screw?

October 1, 2020 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

ball screw spline

A ball screw spline is a combination of two components — a ball screw and a rotary ball spline. By combining a driving element (the ball screw) and a guiding element (the rotary ball spline), a ball screw spline can provide both linear and rotary motion, as well as spiral motion, in a highly rigid, […]

Filed Under: Ball + lead + roller screws, Ball + leadscrew driven, Ball + roller guides, FAQs + basics, Featured

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