Rail guides prevent creep

ACS technology eliminates the problems associated with cage creep, such as friction and misalignment within caged roller units, to provide greater reliability and consistent levels of accuracy.

SKF has released the latest version of its Anti-Creep System (ACS) technology for use in its range of precision rail guides.

Incorporating tough involute brass gear teeth for smoother, more accurate performance and quieter operation, the new ACS technology eliminates the problems associated with cage creep, such as friction and misalignment within caged roller units, to provide greater reliability, consistent levels of accuracy and repeatability and extended operating life.

The latest brass ACS technology has been introduced to complement SKF's existing anti-creep devices, which incorporate robust plastic alignment mechanisms.

Although these devices provide a high degree of accuracy and reliability in many applications, the new brass mechanism has been introduced for use in particularly demanding areas, especially where extremely rapid operating speeds and rates of acceleration are required or where operating conditions are especially hostile.

Cage creep is a phenomenon of many linear rail guides, where sustained use at high speeds or under conditions of heavy load can cause the ball or roller-retaining cage in the carriage of each guide to slowly move out of its original position.

This can lead to increased wear, reduced accuracy and repeatability and, in a worst case scenario, to complete unit failure.

To overcome this, the latest anti-creep system is based on a conventional design of roller cage, with the addition of a drive element and specially shaped control gear, the teeth of which continuously mesh with the rail gearing to ensure that the cage unit remains anchored in its correct position place at all times.

Due to the slight curvature of each brass tooth, the high-quality involute gears maintain smooth contact between the teeth as they mesh, providing a more stable and durable operation, which prevents the cage retainer from misaligning, even under high levels of acceleration.

In addition, the latest ACS minimises torque and speed variations, while offering a long service life with virtually maintenance-free requirements.

The ACS technology has been tested by SKF to maximum speeds of 3.2m/s and 16g acceleration over more than 20 million operating cycles, using eccentric mass and uneven payload to mimic real life applications.

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