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Linear Motion Tips

Covering Linear Motion Systems, Components and Linear Motion Resources

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profiled rail

A glossary of linear guide terminology

★ By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

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 […]

Filed Under: Ball + roller guides, Slides + guides (all) Tagged With: bearing construction, circular arc, gothic arch, linear bearing, linear bushing, linear guide, LM guide, profiled rail

When should you use dual guide rails?

★ By Danielle Collins 1 Comment

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 […]

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

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

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

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

Round shaft or profiled rail for linear motion? How to choose

★ By Danielle Collins 1 Comment

Round Shaft and Profiled Rail

Updated May 2019 || When designing a linear motion system, engineers have two primary choices in recirculating linear guides — round shaft or profiled rail. Choosing the wrong linear motion system can be a costly mistake, resulting in design or structural changes, poor machine performance, or oversized components with higher costs. Although both round shafts and […]

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

Ball Chains: Two things you might not know

★ By Danielle Collins 1 Comment

Radial bearings have used ball cages for nearly a century, but this technology was only introduced to profiled rail guides within the last two decades. THK pioneered the way, launching its Caged Ball® LM Guide in 1996, and other profiled rail manufacturers soon followed suit with ball chain and ball spacer designs. Now, virtually every style […]

Filed Under: Applications, Ball + roller guides Tagged With: linear guide, Linear Guides, profiled rail

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