Linear motion guides keep woodworking in line

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 21, 2006

The latest linear motion guides from THK are delivering major advances in the reliability and performance of woodworking machines, as well as offering significant cost savings in many cases.

The latest linear motion guides from THK are delivering major advances in the reliability and performance of woodworking machines, as well as offering significant cost savings in many cases.

Transforming applications as diverse as carcass presses for kitchen cabinets and adhesive applicators for laminate foils, THK's linear motion guides feature the company's proven, industry leading, Caged Ball technology.

This innovation eliminates ball-to-ball contact, while ensuring that lubricant is retained, resulting in minimal frictional losses as well as smooth, silent and virtually maintenance-free operation.

The Caged Ball system also permits the size and weight of the guides to be reduced without compromising performance, allowing the guides to provide exceptionally long service lives, even in high-speed applications.

The wide range of accessories available for THK guides offers further benefits in woodworking applications.

These products include seals and scrapers to mitigate the effects of wood dust and other contaminants, and the QZ lubrication system which further extends maintenance intervals and minimises the consumption of lubricants.

The QZ system and standard seals and scrapers can ultimately be enhanced by THK's LaCS laminated contact scraper systems to ensure even the smallest of particles are defended from entry to the rolling elements.

With low maintenance an essential requirement in wood working applications, the QZ and LaCS system is being used successfully in kitchen cabinet presses, together with type SSR radial guides for the z-axis motion, and type SHS high-capacity four-way equal-load guides for the x-axis motion.

Type SHS guides are also being used in board stackers and palletisers.

The operation of these machines has to keep pace with the production line, making the dynamic performance offered by the guides of particular importance.

Their low maintenance requirements translates into reduced running costs for the machines, while the low friction of the guides is producing significant energy savings.

With noise levels an issue in the design of a new general-purpose woodworking machine driven by linear motors, SHS guides, with their near-silent Caged-Ball construction, are providing the solution.

As in the previous cases, long-term maintenance-free operation is proving to be an important bonus.

Compact Caged Ball LM Guides are revealing themselves to be an ideal choice for laminate foil applicators, offering greatly increased maintenance intervals.

The smooth, accurate motion of the guides means that the adhesive used on the foils can be applied more thinly, without risking dry spots.

Adhesive consumption is therefore being reduced, along with the risk of adhesive spill from the foil during application.