11/3/2009 | Thomson RoundWay® Linear Roller Bearings Now Provide up to 20x Greater Load Capacity than Conventional Linear Ball Bearings

WOOD DALE, IL – Thomson introduces the RW64-V RoundWay® Linear Roller Bearing. The newest and most robust member of the innovative RoundWay family, the RW64-V is a 4 in. version boasting a dynamic load capacity of 70,000 lbf (310,800 N) – more than 20x the load capacity of a conventional linear ball bearing, even at extreme operating temperatures (up to 500°F; 260°C) and speeds (up to 100 ft/s; 31 m/s).

“Thomson RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings are specifically engineered to withstand extreme loads, speeds, temperature and contamination, and have the unique advantage of providing high load capacity without the installation costs typically associated with Profile Rail products – and with significantly greater resistance to environmental contaminants,” says Ellen Steinbrunner, Product Manager. “RoundWay users will also benefit from what we call the ‘RoundRail Advantage’ - a round shaft enables the bearing to rotate, thereby eliminating the potential for induced torsional stresses and facilitating reliable and robust operation, even when mounted on less-than-ideal surfaces,” she says.

Thomson RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings operate on Thomson 60 Case® LinearRace® shafting, and are available in sizes ranging from ½ in. to 4 in. to satisfy varying application needs. They feature concave rollers to reliably handle extremely high loads (up to 70,000 lbf), with a 10 million inch L10 rated travel life. And where conventional linear bearings and guides are limited to top speeds of 10 ft/s, RoundWay chain-link rollers enable high travel speeds up to 100 ft/s (31 m/s). Additionally, the unique chain-link design also enables their use in severely contaminated applications such as metal removal, paper and wood processing, and granite quarrying – applications in which metal chips, paper flour, wood chips and abrasive dust would otherwise quickly destroy conventional linear bearings and guides.

All steel and iron construction promises increased rigidity and durability in extreme environments, even at operating temperatures up to 500°F (260°C). A lateral self-alignment feature means that RoundWay bearings may be out of parallel as much as 0.1875 in., where Ball Bushing Bearings and Profile Rail products require significantly greater parallel alignment to operate. This makes them well suited for use in gantry systems where it is difficult to maintain the necessary 0.001 in. or better parallelism tolerances needed over long rail lengths that may be spread far apart.

Thomson RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings also feature an eccentric trunion pin that enables pitch self alignment for reliable operation in inaccurate mounting surfaces, and ± 0.030 in. height adjustment that can be used to set preload in “l(fā)ocked-in” arrangements – ideal for applications requiring maximum stiffness and minimal deflection. A recirculating ground roller assembly has the ability to span across gaps in a shaft for quicker and more efficient pallet changing in assembly and packaging systems. The recirculating ground roller assembly also provides a dynamic co-efficient of friction of 0.005 and a height tolerance of ±0.003 in. to allow for energy efficient, high load and precise linear motion, with smoother, quieter operation than anti-friction linear bearings and guides.

Learn more in the new Thomson RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings brochure.

About Thomson
With more than 60 years of motion control innovation and quality, Thomson is the industry’s premier producer of Linear Ball Bushing® Bearings and Profile Rail Bearings, 60 Case? Shafting, ground and rolled Ball Screws, Linear Actuators, Gearheads, Clutches, Brakes, Linear Systems, and related accessories. Thomson invented the Linear Ball Bushing Bearing in 1945, and has set the standard ever since with an unsurpassed set of mechanical motion control solutions serving global commercial and aerospace & defense markets. Thomson Industries, Inc. has facilities in North America, Europe and Asia with over 2000 distributor locations around the world.

Thomson, 1500 Mittel Boulevard, Wood Dale, IL 60191-1073; 1-540-633-3549; 1-540-633-0294 (fax); thomson@thomsonlinear.com; www.thomsonlinear.com.