Pillow Blocks Supply Gentle Lift on CW Shaw Bed of Nails Exhibit “How much do you trust your linear bearing technology?” That is the type of question PBC Linear asks design engineers on multiple different projects demanding reliable performance, long product life, and simple integration. On a bed-of-nails lift table application, the question becomes more to the point. For linear ball-bearings, any slight contamination of the bearing cages can lead to breakage, stalling or total machine failure; which results in a low rate of confidence when lying on a spiky table. CW Shaw Inc, a designer and...

Simplicity®: The Preferred Choice for ADI’s New De-burring System Advance Design Industries (ADI) in Sheffield Village, Ohio has designed and built innovative custom machine systems for industrial and defense applications for more than 50 years. Their latest problem-solving design, a de-burring system that removes burrs from hobbed gears, was constructed using a series of drive platforms, a robotic with grinding tool attachment and brushing stations. To accurately and repeatedly position the various stations, in a multitude of pre-programmed locations, ADI required a linear motion system that...

Doctor Bearings Provide Constant Linear Motion in Paper Mill Since 1992! 16 years and counting, what seemed like an impossible promise back in the early ‘90’s has evolved into the new standard for doctor blade bearings. PBC Linear’s doctor bearings are not a new product; however they show PBC Linear for what it is, providing long-lasting innovative solutions to the toughest linear motion applications. PBC Linear’s doctor blade bearings have been running for over a decade in paper mills all over the country. Paper mills typically present a difficult environment for reliable linear motion. Corrosion,...

Simplicity® Products Do Not Fail When Conditions are Shaken Up! Simplicity linear bearings have been installed in an earthquake simulation machine developed by the Washington University Structural Control and Earthquake Engineering Lab (WUSCEEL) in St. Louis, Missouri. Due to their ability to tolerate intense shock and vibration without fretting and require no added grease or oil, the PBC Linear plane bearings were perfectly suited to handle the job. Intense shock vibration is an obvious pre-requisite to study the impact of earthquakes and structure analysis. To recapture the conditions of an...

Simplicity® Keeps Automotive Welding Line Running The automotive production line centers around several machines all working together with production workers to ensure high production rates and quality. A kink in this chain can halt production and greatly increase costs to a staggering level. PBC Linear was recently called in to a major automotive manufacturer to devise a solution to crashing welding guns on the manufacturer’s production line. The Problem When the manufacturer contacted PBC Linear, the welding guns were running on conventional linear shafting and ball-bearing technology. Welding...

Simplicity® Bearings Put Stonework Manufacturer Back on Schedule! Stonework machining has to be precise and productive. CNC multi-axis machines cut large bullets of stone into counter tops, floor covering, stone laminates, and many unique shapes used in the laboratory and as building façades. The cutting and routing through stone creates clouds of dust, coolant swarf and other industrial waste that is tough on linear motion way systems, particularly for rolling element linear motion. Coolant slurry and stone dust created by the machining process goes everywhere, washing out lubrication and jamming...

Custom Simplicity® Pushdown Foot Assembly Saves 95% on Scrap! Carpet tufting creates a tough environment for linear motion products. Processing synthetic fibers into carpet backing using a high speed, reciprocating short stroke machining system, a carpet manufacturer was experiencing unplanned downtime due to linear bearing failure and massive profit loss due to thousands of yards in scrapped end-product. Poor quality and damaged carpeting were sited as the main reason the manufacturer lost up to 54,000 yards of carpet to scrap. When PBC Linear came in to examine the application, they discovered...

The performance quality of the ball bushing system also posed problems and created scores of scrap carpet. The inaccurate tolerances (.005/.007’’) of the ball bushing system allowed for rocking motion along the needle bar. This phenomenon, known as needle wander/loss motion, results in loss of positioning and missed tufts— leading to poor quality carpeting. This occurred almost immediately after the initial installation, and grew more prevalent as the system wore under use. Throughout operation, loss motion and contaminated carpet resulted in 34,000-54,000 yards of scrap material and lost profit....

Laser Etching System Simplied Bearing Assembly A laser etching design firm was experiencing relentless failures with their lasers; specifically their targeting mirrors. The company used these mirrors to position light onto the etching surface to ensure maximum accuracy and etching quality. However, due to failing ball-bearing linear guides, the mirrors would stall; creating scrap product, increased production time and lost profits. To fix the linear motion problem, PBC Linear™ came in to recommend Simplicity® linear plane bearings and shafting as a solution. Problem These lasers were used to...

Simplicity® Bearings Installed into Acushot’s™ Needle-free Injection Gun Healthy animals are necessary for efficient stockyard production. Disease and other bacterial conditions thrive in close quarters; making regular vaccination for all livestock a natural pre-requisite. However, implementing and documenting consistent injections for all animals is tedious, expensive and, in some cases, hazardous. To solve these problems, Acushot, an innovative veterinary design company, designed an automated, needle-free injection gun for mass livestock vaccination. The design required a linear bearing system...