MOTION SYSTEM APPLICATIONS
Linear guides and slides
in designs light and large
Linear guide systems include guide rails, slides and ways. Industry categorizes them into a few basic types as well — including profile rails, drawer slides, linear bearings, guide wheels and plain bearings. A typical arrangement includes a rail or shaft, and carriages and runner blocks. They can also be distinguished by the method of contact, either sliding or rolling. A major function of rolling guides is to reduce friction in machines. They’re used in various applications ranging from advanced semiconductor manufacturing devices to large machine tools and construction equipment. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment or inspection apparatus that requires high precision positioning is a good application for linear guides. In the case of a machine tool for cutting, linear guides are used instead of sliding-contact linear-motion bearings to cope with temperature rise and durability issues associated with ever-increasing feed speeds. The classic application for profile rails is in the machine tool industry where load capacity, stiffness and accuracy are paramount. In medical equipment such as CAT scan, MRI and x-ray machines, square rails are more common. On the other hand, round rails can offer several advantages, one of which is the ability to run smoothly when mounted to less than perfect surfaces—defined as having a flatness error of over 150 μm/m. For cleanroom and food-processing applications that can’t tolerate contamination, linear guides that use rolling elements (as well as plain bearing systems) are unsuitable because of their need for lubrication requirements. Some applications demanding extremely high precision and accuracy use fluid-floated bearings for the highest accuracy and precision possible. These are hydrostatic or aerostatic bearings using a highpressure fluid between the rail and carriage. They’re more expensive and harder to manufacture than other linear options but get top precision and accuracy.
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DESIGN WORLD — MOTION
Linear Guide & Rails & Slides & Ways - MC 11-19 V3.indd 58
11 • 2019
Festo software and hardware simplify the design of multi-axis linear motion. More specifically, the Handling Guide and Motion Control Package online tools slash the cost of engineering, assembling, and programming Cartesian robots. Festo slides in such systems include the mini slide EGSC (for interoperability and quick assembly) and the DGSL mini slide for pick-and-place axes.
SCHNEEBERGER MONORAIL AMS linear guideways include an integrated measuring head and scale. Combining guidance and linear-motion feedback helps applications that have space constraints but need top performance.
motioncontroltips.com | designworldonline.com
11/18/19 3:31 PM
