Caged ball guides handle more load

The dynamic capacity of THK's LM guides with Caged Ball technology has been increased by more than 30%.

The dynamic capacity of THK's LM guides with Caged Ball technology has been increased by more than 30%.

As a result, the latest generation of THK LM guides featuring the Caged Ball system can now provide users in the automation and manufacturing sectors with linear motion products that offer even greater longevity and performance than ever before, with instances of doubling the calculated fatigue life being common.

Extensive testing at the company's R and D facilities in Japan, where the range of products have undergone thorough dynamic load trials on life-test machines, have produced exciting results which prove that the Caged Ball guides are officially able to 'carry' more weight for longer, thereby reducing maintenance costs and downtime.

In particular, this will impact on the use of SSR, SNS, SNR, SRS, SHS and SHW LM guides.

Bob Love, Technical Manager at THK UK, revealed that a combination of recent test results had confirmed that Caged Ball technology provides an increased dynamic capacity.

"We had been able to prove that a Caged Ball system was a maintenance-free alternative to traditional LM guides because of the removal of ball to ball contact.

We believed that the same principle could increase the dynamic capacity; but we had to prove it.

These test results do that and, unsurprisingly, we're extremely pleased and excited".

The findings add to the growing body of evidence that validate THK's Caged Ball technology as a high-speed, low-noise and maintenance-free method of providing linear movement.

What's more, with equal spacing between the balls and the added retention of the system's lubricating grease, THK's Caged Ball technology offers highly precise and extremely smooth operation, typically realising one tenth of conventional resistance variation.

Love concluded: "THK's LM guides with Caged Ball technology already provide quiet, maintenance-free movement.

Now, with these results, they offer increased capacity and a significantly longer operating life".

Back to top