by John Feitl, Senior Application Engineer and Larie Butler, Marketing Communications Specialist, NSK Americas Ball screws have an efficiency that makes them suitable for use in actuators that drive industrial and automotive applications, including robotics, machine tool axes, and semiconductor wafer-transport systems. Here we review the different ball screw subtypes and where each one excels. […]
Ball + roller guides
How to compensate for alignment errors with profile rail guides
When an application has uneven mounting surfaces or the potential for alignment errors, the typical linear guide solution is to use round shafting and ball bushings, which can tolerate imprecise mounting and misalignment. Profiled rail guides, on the other hand, require precision mounting to ensure even load distribution among the recirculating balls. For this reason, profiled […]
The many facets of linear bushing life
Linear bushings (also referred to as ball bushings, or, more generically, as linear bearings) are round linear guides with circuits of recirculating balls that ride on a precision steel shaft. Linear bushings provide good load-carrying capacity with very low friction, but despite their simple design and easy installation, sizing a linear bushing is not a straightforward endeavor. […]
Profiled rail + rack & pinion = integrated solution
Profiled linear guides are typically used in conjunction with a drive system, such as a belt or ball screw, to provide rigid, accurate motion. When the specification calls for extremely long travel and high thrust force, the drive mechanism of choice is commonly a rack & pinion system. Fortunately for design engineers and machine builders, several […]
Why use integrated position measuring with linear guides?
Linear guides provide accurate, high-capacity travel for a wide variety of machine types and processes. In the most demanding applications, linear position feedback is often needed in order to ensure the tool, gripper, or workpiece follows an exact path or reaches a precise position. In these cases, design engineers can choose to add a linear […]
What are ball splines and rotary ball splines?
Ball splines are often lumped into the category of recirculating linear bearing guides (aka linear bushings), but they offer functionality beyond that of traditional linear bushings. Standard ball splines provide both linear motion and torque transmission, while rotary ball splines combine linear and rotary motion in one device. Ball splines for torque transfer A ball […]
A glossary of linear guide terminology
The term linear guide covers several categories of products, from plain bearings to ball bushings and recirculating roller bearings. To compound the potential for confusion, many terms are used interchangeably, or are so generic (take linear guide for example) that they could refer to any one of several different products. And this doesn’t apply to just […]
When should you use dual guide rails?
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 […]
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 […]
What are the differences between plain and rolling linear guides?
A linear guide (or linear bearing) is a mechanical element that allows relative motion between two surfaces, with one surface supporting the other, and minimum friction between the two. There are two basic types of linear guides: plain and rolling element. While their general function is the same, their design and performance differ significantly. Linear […]
