Category Archives: Industries

Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Communications, Electronics, Factory Automation, Food & Beverage, Linear Motion Design Considerations, Medical, Military & Defense, MRO, Packaging, Steel, Transportation, Uncategorized

Industry Insights at Arm’s Reach

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With so many markets, products and changes happening  within the industry, it can be a challenge for designers to know where to find reliable and helpful information . Luckily, we’ve provided two companies who work hard in delivering topnotch, insightful content to help broaden your knowledge of the industry.

You might know Rockwell Automation as the world’s largest company for industrial automation and information, but did you know the company delivers a wide array of white papers, tools and other industrial automation methods, trends and technologies? The Journal from Rockwell  and Our PartnerNetwork™ recently published “The Basics of Ball Screws,” which teaches the key terms, preloading methods and calculations for understanding ball screws.

Rockwell also provides beneficial tools, such as its “Motion Analyzer,” which offers an inertia calculator and compatibility browser for a variety of different products, including linear motion products & systems.

Design World provides daily news in the industry, videos, tech tutorials, webinars and trending topics.According to its website, “Design World is written for engineers by engineers with an emphasis on applying the engineering fundamentals to real world machine design applications across industries including medical, packaging, semiconductor, material handling, and off-highway.” From pneumatics to robotics, the magazine and its digital brand stand as invaluable resources for designers and engineers who wish to be ahead of the curve in the latest industry happenings.

 

Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Communications, Electronics, Factory Automation, Food & Beverage, Industries, Linear Bearings and Pillow Blocks, Linear Motion Design Considerations, Linear Slide Systems, Medical, Military & Defense, MRO, Packaging, Paper, Steel, Transportation

Getting the Most out of Your Linear Bearings (Part 2)

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In order to get the best performance and life out of your linear bearings, proper lubrication is key.

A lubricant formulated for rolling friction should be used with linear bearings. In applications where operating speeds are low and loads are light,  linear bearings can be used without lubrication at a greatly reduced life. However, it is never recommended to operate linear bearings without lubrication. To protect the highly polished bearing surfaces from corrosion and wear, a lubricant is required.

Where linear speeds are high, a light oil should be used and provision for re-lubrication should be made to avoid operating the bearings dry. For typical applications, a medium-to- heavy oil has good surface adhesion and affords greater bearing protection. Linear bearings 2 inches in diameter and above may use high pressure lithium grease such as Shell Alvania #2 for moderate speed applications. Lubricants containing additives such as molydisulfide or graphite should not be used.

lubrication

Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Communications, Electronics, Factory Automation, Food & Beverage, Linear Bearings and Pillow Blocks, Linear Motion Design Considerations, Linear Shafting and Shaft Supports, Linear Slide Systems, Medical, Military & Defense, MRO, Packaging, Paper, Steel, Transportation

Getting the Best out of Your Linear Round Rail Bearings (Part 1)

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In order to get the most life and best applications out of your bearings, it’s important to understand the size of the load, how the load will be applied and the length of the stroke. Applying too much weight to a load can significantly reduce the life and efficiency of your bearings. Also, incorrectly distributing the weight on the load can be harmful. In addition to some helpful design considerations, let’s take a look at the load considerations below.

Load ratings are the required design life, shaft hardness and bearing dynamic that affect the load and can be applied to a linear bearing. Two dynamic load ratings are given for each bearing size based on the rotational orientation of the bearing.

The normal load rating is used in applications where the orientation of the ball tracks relative to the load cannot be controlled. The normal load rating is based on a load imposed directly over a single ball track. The normal load rating shown in the specification tables is slightly greater than would be mathematically calculated based on one track loading, because it assumes that the load is shared to some degree by one or more of the adjacent ball tracks.

The maximum load rating assumes that the load is applied midway between two ball tracks as illustrated below. In this orientation the load is distributed over the maximum number of bearing balls.

The normal and maximum load ratings are based on a Rc 60 shaft hardness and a travel life of two million inches. For linear bearing system operating at less than full rated load, the Load-Life Curve may be used to determine the travel life expectancy.

An equivalent load value can be calculated when sizing linear bearings for applications at conditions other than maximum rating.

linear bearings

Industries, Worm Gear Machine Screw Jacks

Benefits of Anti-Backlash Jacks

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When working with ball screw systems, lashing can sometimes compromise the accuracy of the screw. Lash is the result of the axial movement between a nut and screw without rotation. While lash is not always a bad thing in an application, it can be controlled through preloading or the use of anti-backlash jacks.

Anti-backlash machine screw jacks may be used wherever reversible load conditions require precision positioning control. Leading adjustable backlash machine screw jack models are available to reduce backlash to approximately 0.003 inches.

There are number of advantages for using anti-backlash jacks in your applications. An anti-backlash machine screw jack allows the lash between the drive sleeve thread and the lifting screw thread to be controlled by adjusting the top cover of the jack. The anti-backlash jack design has an upper drive sleeve and a lower drive sleeve.

Adjustment of the cover changes the relative distance between the drive sleeves. This change in distance compensates for any lash. Because the drive sleeve is split, the life of an anti-backlash machine screw jack will be less.

Anti-backlash machine screw jacks minimize backlash, but should not be used to completely eliminate backlash. While it may be desirable to totally eliminate backlash, the result would be a lock-up of lifting shaft and drive sleeve.
abl jack

Industries

Key Considerations for Choosing Worm Gear Screw Jacks

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MachineScrewJackWorm gear screw jacks can be found in a great number of industries, including military, automotive, manufacturing and many more. When choosing the right kind of worm gear screw jack for your product, here are just a few crucial industry considerations and specifications to keep in mind.

→ Worm gear screw jacks built up to leading industry standards are rated for up to 3,000 rpm input speed, provided horsepower and temperature ratings are not exceeding.

→ Top worm gear jack models are ruggedly designed and produced in standard styles with load-handling capabilities from 1/4- to 100-ton and can be used individually or in multiple arrangements.

→ For duty cycles, the cycle is limited by the ability of the worm gear screw jack to dissipate heat. An increase in temperature can affect the properties of some components resulting in accelerated wear damage and possible unexpected failure. The approximate allowable duty cycles are 35 percent for ball screw jacks and 25 percent for machine screw jacks. The rolling action of these screw jacks reduces friction for smooth and efficient load movement, providing higher speed operation and increased duty cycle.

→ Leading worm gear screw jacks are made to be suitable for temperatures no lower than 20 degree below Fahrenheit and no higher than 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Continuous or heavy duty operation is possible by operating the jack capacity, external cooling of the unit or through the use of a recirculating lubrication system.

→ Leading machine screw jacks incorporate an Acme screw with a 2C thread form. With a 20:1 or greater gear ratio, the jacks are considered self-locking. A drive sleeve including the Acme thread form makes an anti-backlash option possible.