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Linear Motion Tips

Covering Linear Motion Systems, Components and Linear Motion Resources

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calculation

How to calculate hole spacing for joined linear guide rails

February 29, 2016 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

February 25, 2016 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

February 21, 2016 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

February 17, 2016 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

Bearing load capacity explained

August 10, 2015 By Danielle Collins 6 Comments

There are two load capacity specifications for recirculating linear guides and ball screws—static load capacity and dynamic load capacity. Most engineers are familiar with dynamic load capacity, since this is the value used to calculate bearing life. But it’s also important to consider the component’s static load capacity in order to avoid premature bearing failure. Here’s a […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + lead + roller screws, Ball + roller guides Tagged With: bearing life, calculation, Linear Drives, Linear Guides

How to determine if a screw will back drive

May 15, 2015 By Danielle Collins 2 Comments

Screw assemblies are generally preferred over belts or linear motors in vertical applications. This is because a screw will prevent the load from catastrophically crashing if there’s a loss of power to the motor. But a vertical load can still cause a screw to back drive, allowing the load to drop, albeit at a slightly […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + lead + roller screws, Linear drives (all) Tagged With: back drive, Ball Screw, calculation, lead screw

Three factors critical to servo motor sizing for linear motion systems

April 10, 2015 By Danielle Collins 2 Comments

Servo Motor Size Range

Selecting the right servo motor for a linear motion system is a complex task, beginning with initial assumptions and component selections, which must be checked through a series of calculations and, in most cases, repeated over several iterations until a suitable combination of motor and mechanics is found. Most motor manufacturers offer online sizing tools that make […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + lead + roller screws, Belt + chain drives for linear, Linear actuators (all), Linear drives (all), Linear motors, Rack + pinion driven Tagged With: calculation, inertia, servo motor, sizing, torque

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