How a $25 invenstment now can prevent tens of thousands of dollars in unplanned downtime. While the cost of linear bearings is low, their performance is essential to the accuracy, repeatability and...

Balls are one of the oldest mechanical devices, being found in bearings used on Roman ships constructed around 40 A.D. Yet new designs, manufacturing techniques and applications are continually being...

Machine Builder Question> -- "Ballscrews and leadscrews often are not interchangable, and there's always a trade-off between precision, rigidity and load capacity. I'm also told that specs don't...

Many parameters must be considered when designing or selecting a ball screw assembly. Operating load, speed, accuracy, environment, and power requirements all play major roles in the design criteria....

The formula for determining the equivalent operating load (Feq) is important. Many engineers will just use the nominal operating load (F) when calculating the life of a ball screw but in extreme cases...

Linear rails come in basically two types, round and square. The criteria for choosing one over the other is no different than choosing any other machine component; spec out the design, defi ne the...

The selection of the correct ball screw assembly for a specific application is an iterative process that determines the smallest envelope and most costeffective solution. The design load, linear...

Hydraulic steering systems have long dominated the industrial utility vehicle market because of their familiarity both to vehicle designers and operators. More recently, a trend has been seen towards...

Reducing engineering design time for new linear motion system projects is integral to lower overall costs and faster time to market. This article is intended to help you reduce design time by...

Today's motion control equipment faces tougher challenges than ever before. Conveyors, and packing, sorting, and other positioning equipment often operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As demand...

Linear actuation plays a critical role in a wide range of products and processes in factory automation, packaging, medical devices, and many other fields. Linear actuators are commonly divided into...

As farmers strive to increase yields and reduce expenses, increased attention is being paid to overplanting. A major challenge for OEMs is developing a compact, reliable and economical method to...

Machine builders strive to achieve the right balance of functionality, performance, price, durability, energy consumption and other attributes that will enable their products to excel against the...

For the best linear motion system designs; avoid canned solutions, develop a robust product development process, use modified or configured parts where practical, select competent and capable...

Rolling element linear motion bearings are widely used to guide, support, locate, and accurately move machinery components and products in a wide range of automation applications. Rolling element...

Minster Machine's Dynamics Zig-Zag roll feeder allows parts to be fed in a staggered pattern for optimum material yield. Previously Minster would build the Zig-Zag feeder's linear motion systems used...

Thomson and Kollmorgen have delivered a complete motion control solution for UK-based Ball Racing Developments Ltd (BRD) BRD-05 Formula One Race Car Simulator. After many years of evaluation and...

A UK designer and manufacturer of large off-highway earth moving equipment had a recent challenge involving the hoods on some of their larger trucks. The larger earth moving trucks had become so...

Throttles on drive and auxiliary engines on off-highway vehicles have traditionally been controlled by cables connected to the driver's cab. Problems with this approach include the need to place...