Product category:
Actuators, motion systems, etc
News Release from: Bosch Rexroth | Subject: ELINE ball-rail range
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 03 June 2005
Weight-saving ball-rails suit light
machinery
Capable of being installed on relatively uneven surfaces, a range of ball-rail products meet the needs of simple handling/positioning systems and light machinery.
Complementing its high-capacity ball rail systems, Rexroth's new eLINE ball-rail range is designed to meet the needs of simple handling/positioning systems and light machinery These inexpensive linear motion guides can be installed on relatively uneven surfaces, thus reducing installation costs
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 16 Sep 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Thanks to their reduced cost, eLINE linear motion guides allow the use of ball-rail systems in applications that previously relied on lower performance plastics guideways, plain bearings, U-type profiled guides or cam rollers.
Outside the machinery sector, eLINE ball rail systems can be designed into applications including: automated doors and windows; warehousing; furniture; and vehicle construction.
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* Economical solutions - high capacity ball rail systems (like those manufactured by Rexroth since 1985) are classic machine elements designed to provide precise linear movement.
Their performance characteristics have evolved to match the steadily increasing requirements in machine construction.
Regular improvements have focused on major issues such as accuracy, load capacity, running properties, speeds and service life.
The resulting broad range of high-end products based on the 'Rexroth one-rail concept' lets users select the optimal configuration for each application High performance demands appropriate precision, from manufacture to installation.
This applies to the ball rail system (as a load-bearing element), the mounting base and the accuracy with which the component is mounted.
However, in less demanding applications such as light machinery, general handling/assembly and peripheral equipment maximum dynamics and accuracy are seldom the primary concerns.
Instead, the emphasis is economy and durability.
Therefore, a certain amount of compliance is desirable to allow for slight parallel and vertical offsets of the mounting base or even for mounting on unmachined surfaces.
Aluminium is the ideal material but service life requires hardened tracks in the runner block and rail.
Thus, the required properties can only be achieved by using aluminium for the body and hardened steel for the tracks.
The primary challenge, due to the different coefficients of expansion, was to find a joining technique that would guarantee a long, reliable working life.
* 60% lighter than steel - Rexroth's new eLINE ball-rail system meets this challenge.
The guide rails and runner blocks are manufactured from wrought aluminum alloy, while the balls and tracks are manufactured from hardened antifriction bearing steel.
To enhance corrosion resistance, the aluminum body is anodised.
The runner blocks have two rows of balls, with their larger diameter reducing the guides' sensitivity to dirt.
The guides have equal load capacity in the four main loading directions.
Like the high-performance ball rail systems, plastics runner block end-pieces ensure smooth ball recirculation.
The runner blocks feature a ball retainer which simplifies mounting.
Also, eLINE ball rail systems are 60% lighter than steel versions.
Factory greased, the runner blocks boast a minimum travel life of 4,000km which, in many cases, eliminates re-lubrication during a machines expected life.
To extend lubrication intervals further, runner blocks can be fitted with optional lube units, travel life to at least 12,500km without re-lubrication.
Lube units feature ports for re-lubrication if required.
* Compatible and interchangeable - industry standard product dimensions ensure eLINE systems are compatible and interchangeable with other ball-rail systems in the market.
Thus, users can switch to more cost-efficient, application-oriented eLINE ball-rail systems without modifying their equipment.
The eLINE ball-rail systems are available in sizes 15, 20 and 25, with one-piece rail lengths up to 2000mm, and with two runner block designs.
The series targets accuracy Class-N but, for simpler applications, a new accuracy Class-E will be introduced.
Both accuracy classes are offered with two pre-load classes: 'zero clearance' and 'without preload'.
The eLINE series also profits from Rexroth's logistics which, thanks to the ball rail systems' inherent interchangeability, allows individual stocking of runner blocks and guide rails. Request a free brochure from Bosch Rexroth ...
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