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Linear Motion Tips

Covering Linear Motion Systems, Components and Linear Motion Resources

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    • Ball + roller guides
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    • Ball + lead + roller screws
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    • Rack + pinion sets
  • Actuators
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  • Encoders + sensors (linear) + I/O
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Ball + roller guides

Tips for preventing linear bearing corrosion

★ By Danielle Collins 1 Comment

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, […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + lead + roller screws, Ball + leadscrew driven, Ball + roller guides, Linear actuators (all), Linear drives (all), Slides + guides (all), Track roller (cam + wheel) guides Tagged With: Ball Screw, bearing failure, corrosion, linear bearing, linear drive, linear guide, profiled rail, wash down, washdown

What are miniature profiled rails?

★ By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

miniature profiled rails

Updated 2021 ⚙️ As we explain in this article, miniature rails are more than just smaller versions of standard profiled rails. Profiled rails have high load-carrying capacity for their size. But when smooth, precise motion is needed and the load being moved is not very high, they can be overkill for the application. That’s why […]

Filed Under: Ball + roller guides, Slides + guides (all) Tagged With: linear bearing, linear guide, miniature linear bearing, miniature linear guide, miniature profiled rail, profiled rail

How to calculate hole spacing for joined linear guide rails

★ By Danielle Collins 3 Comments

Joined Rail

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 […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides, Plastic + composite guides, Slides + guides (all), Track roller (cam + wheel) guides Tagged With: butt jointed rail, calculation, cam roller guide, hole spacing, jointed rail, linear guide, mounting holes, profiled rail

How to calculate hole spacing for linear guide rails

★ By Danielle Collins 1 Comment

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 […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides, Plastic + composite guides, Slides + guides (all), Track roller (cam + wheel) guides Tagged With: calculation, cam roller guide, hole spacing, linear guide, mounting holes, profiled rail

How to calculate combined static load

★ By Danielle Collins 3 Comments

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 […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides, Slides + guides (all) Tagged With: bearing life, calculation, combined static load, linear guide, static load

How to calculate mean equivalent dynamic load

★ By Danielle Collins 3 Comments

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 […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + lead + roller screws, Ball + roller guides, Linear drives (all), Slides + guides (all) Tagged With: Ball Screw, bearing life, calculation, dynamic load, linear guide, mean equivalent load

Seven Interchange Tools for Linear Guides and Bearings

★ By Danielle Collins 1 Comment

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 […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides, Slides + guides (all) Tagged With: linear bearing, linear guide, Linear Slide, Linear Slides, profiled rail, roller rail

The top 10 Linear Motion Tips articles of 2015

★ By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

Top 10

With the range of technologies, designs, and options available for linear motion components, ploughing through the alternatives and making the best decision takes more time and resources than many designers and engineers are able to expend on any individual component. Looking back at the top 10 most-read Linear Motion Tips articles of 2015 confirms this situation. From primers on […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + lead + roller screws, Ball + roller guides, Crossed-roller slides, Linear actuators (all), Linear drives (all), Slides + guides (all), Stages + gantries Tagged With: ball screws, Linear Drives, Linear Guides, motor sizing, robots, slides

How do self-aligning linear bushings work?

★ By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

linear bushings

Linear bushings, also known as ball bushings, are linear bearings that ride on a hardened, round shaft to provide linear guidance with low friction. The first linear bushing designs were patented in 1945 and became commercially available in the 1950’s. Until the introduction of profiled rail linear guides in the 1970’s, linear bushings served as the […]

Filed Under: Ball + roller guides, Slides + guides (all) Tagged With: ball bushing, linear bearing, linear bushing, self-align

Ball rail systems: twice the service life and high travel accuracy

★ By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

Profiled Rail

The patented entry zone of the new BSHP ball runner blocks from Rexroth improves travel accuracy and work piece quality while greatly increasing load capacities and service life. These runner blocks are available in most sizes, versions, and accuracy classes. BSHP ball runner blocks are 100% interchangeable into existing profiled rail applications using the same […]

Filed Under: Ball + roller guides, Industry news, Slides + guides (all) Tagged With: ball rail, bearings, Bosch Rexroth, Linear Guides, profiled rail

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