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 […]
Slides + guides (all)
Low-load polymer bushing bearings increase motion system design flexibility
Thomson Industries, Inc., has added a polymer bushing to its line of state-of-the-art Ball Bushing bearings. It expands the company’s extensive bearing portfolio, providing design engineers a new option that helps them avoid overdesigning for low-load applications. Thomson polymer bushing bearings provide a reliable solution for machines where moment load is non-critical (30 to 40 […]
Linear and rotary motion components satisfy aerospace requirements
Linear guides, cam followers, and crossed-roller bearings can satisfy the demanding requirements for space-flight hardware. By IKO engineering staff | www.ikont.com As space activity shifts from governmental agencies to a growing industry driven by commercial entities and even startups, the types of spacecrafts and the missions they support are also expanding. This diversifying industry is […]
Machining Center Manufacturing MCM S.P.A. to exhibit at this year’s IMTS
Flexible manufacturing system (FMS) systems leader MCM S.P.A. Machining Center Manufacturing will be participating in the upcoming IMTS show this September at McCormick Place in Chicago — September 12 through 17. They will be at booth # S-8574. MCM will showcase a portion of their eight-machine system FMS, including an RVG pallet system, load stations, […]
New rail/roller bearing wheel system for high speed, low friction linear motion
LM76’s new SPEED DEMON EL300 rail/roller bearing wheel system is the latest edition to the SPEED DEMON linear bearing family. It features travel lengths of 400 to 3,000 mm, a wide 90 mm base and 49 mm centerline to centerline of the parallel rails of the base, and 100 mm centerline to centerline spacing of […]
Rollon’s updated digital platform includes personalized product selector
Rollon, a leading manufacturer of linear motion systems, guides, linear actuators and gantry systems, has unveiled a new digital tool to help engineers design equipment and systems more efficiently. The new ecosystem consists of two core elements: a redesigned corporate website and myRollon — a tool that personalizes product selection. The website has been expanded […]
How to calculate duty cycle and what it means for machine life
Determining the life of a linear system that uses balls or rollers is relatively straightforward, thanks to the L10 bearing life equation, which gives life in meters of travel (for linear bearings) or revolutions (for screws). And for plain bearings and lead screws, manufacturers typically use the bearing’s PV value and operating conditions to provide an […]
Pandemic impacts linear motion component manufacturing, applications
Linear motion components include everything from various types of linear actuators to linear guides, slides and ways, and a host of components in between. One thing they all have in common is that their development and production are influenced by both technological trends as well as broader market forces. One of those forces has been […]
Miniature linear guides for mounting in tight spaces
IKO has expanded its LWL family of miniature guides with the addition of its newest LWLF2 linear motion rolling guide, which addresses the demand for device miniaturization with a compact, lightweight design that makes mounting easy in tight spaces. The new LWLF2 features the same ultra-small 2.5-mm height dimension as its predecessor, the LWL1. It’s […]
Linear bearing basics: Surface roughness, texture, and finish
One of the factors to consider when selecting shafts for linear bearings is surface roughness, which describes the microscopic asperities, or peaks, and valleys present on a material’s surface. But surface roughness is an important specification for all types of linear guides and screws — whether plain or recirculating, round shaft or profiled rail, ball […]
