In medium-precision applications, the right precision bearing can solve the greatest threats to a linear motion system’s lifetime.
How do you know when a linear bearing has reached its end of travel? When the carriage hits the wall. At least that is how the old engineering joke goes. But in reality, crashes are no laughing matter.
Also known as “hard stops,” crashes occur when an out-of-control pillow block slams into the bearing’s end stop or some other intermediate target. They most often occur when a linear axis is started up for the first time. Even a single crash on that very first stroke can ruin a bearing, triggering expensive repair or replacement costs.