Rolling linear guide pair is a rolling support mechanism with unique mechanical properties developed in the late 1970s and gradually improved based on the basic principles of rolling bearings. It has the advantages of simple structure, low dynamic and static friction coefficient, high positioning accuracy, and good precision retention. It has become one of the key basic components of precision CNC equipment. Compared to sliding guides used in CNC machine tools, rolling linear guide pairs have outstanding characteristics and excellent performance.


1. Friction characteristics
Rolling linear guide pairs have outstanding advantages in terms of friction characteristics, with much lower frictional resistance than sliding guide pairs, and generally a friction coefficient of μ=0 002 ~0. 004 is about 1/50 of the sliding guide rail, and the starting friction and dynamic friction are almost equal. When the speed changes, The μ value is stable, and the movement is light, flexible, and smooth, thus enabling high-speed movement and improving production efficiency.


2. Sports characteristics

Due to the minimal friction of the rolling linear guide pair, there is no vibration during startup and no crawling phenomenon during low-speed movement. After applying preloading, gaps can be eliminated and rigidity can be improved. In addition, it has the function of automatic centering and compensating for installation base surface errors, so its overall motion accuracy is high, making it suitable for high-precision and high-performance mechanical products. In addition, due to the excellent error equalization function of the rolling linear guide pair, it is also known as the "magic guide" or "artifact guide". The motion of the rolling linear guide is achieved through the rolling of steel balls or rollers. The friction resistance of the guide pair is small, and the difference between dynamic and static friction forces is very small. It has excellent follow-up performance and is not easy to crawl at low speeds. That is, the time interval between the driving signal and the mechanical action is extremely short, which is beneficial for improving the response speed and sensitivity of the CNC system and achieving high positioning accuracy. As a rolling functional component with high positioning accuracy, the rolling linear guide pair is suitable for frequent starting or reversing of moving parts, and can set the positioning accuracy of machine tools to the ultra micron level. At the same time, the preload of the guide rail pair can be appropriately increased as needed to ensure that the steel ball or roller does not slide, achieve smooth movement, and reduce the impact and vibration of the movement. The rolling linear guide pair is also suitable for high-speed linear motion, and its instantaneous speed is about 10 times higher than that of the sliding guide.

3. Lifespan characteristics

In sliding guides, most of the energy is consumed in the form of wear energy, resulting in rapid wear and making it difficult to maintain high precision in the long term. On the contrary, the rolling guide pair has low friction and wear, and can maintain high precision for a long time. In addition, due to the use of multiple rolling elements as supports in the rolling guide pair, and the easy attainment of high machining accuracy and surface hardness in the raceway, the rolling linear guide pair has a longer working life. For fluid lubrication of sliding guide surfaces, motion accuracy errors cannot be avoided due to the floating of the oil film. In the vast majority of cases, fluid lubrication is limited to the boundary region, and direct friction generated by metal contact is unavoidable. In this friction, a large amount of energy is wasted through frictional losses. On the contrary, rolling contact, due to its low frictional energy consumption, also reduces the frictional loss of the rolling surface, thus enabling the rolling linear guide system to maintain high precision for a long time. Meanwhile, due to the minimal use of lubricating oil, it has become very easy to design and maintain the lubrication system of machine tools.

4. Bearing characteristics

Rolling linear guide pairs have good load-bearing performance and can withstand forces and moment loads in different directions, such as up and down, left and right, as well as pitch, yaw, and rotation moments. Therefore, they have good load adaptability. Applying appropriate preload during design and manufacturing can increase damping, improve vibration resistance, and eliminate high-frequency vibration phenomena. However, the sliding guide rail can withstand relatively small lateral loads in the direction parallel to the contact surface, which can easily cause poor operating accuracy of the machine tool.

5. Driving characteristics

The driving power has significantly decreased, only equivalent to 1/10 of that of ordinary machinery. Machine tools using rolling linear guides can reduce the required power source and power transmission mechanism due to low friction resistance, greatly reducing the driving torque and reducing the power required by the machine by 80%, resulting in significant energy-saving effects. High speed movement of the machine tool can be achieved, and the efficiency of the machine tool can be increased by 20% to 30%.

6. Swap characteristics

Simplified the design and manufacturing of mechanical structures. When using guide rail pairs in pairs, there is an "error equalization effect", which reduces the machining accuracy requirements of the base components (guide rail installation surfaces), lowers the mechanical manufacturing cost and processing difficulty of the base components. Traditional sliding guides require scraping and grinding the guide surface, which is both laborious and time-consuming, and once the machine tool accuracy is poor, it must be scraped and ground again. The rolling guide rail has interchangeability, and by replacing the slider, guide rail, or the entire rolling guide rail pair, the machine tool can regain high precision.

7. Economic characteristics

The rolling linear guide pair has low friction resistance, minimal wear, and easy lubrication, maintenance, and upkeep, resulting in low maintenance costs. In addition, the rolling linear guide pair also has good interchangeability, making it easy to form standardization and serialization, and is mass-produced by professional manufacturers, making it very convenient for users to choose and thus shortening the design time. In addition, energy and fuel saving is another significant feature of the rolling linear guide pair. THK Corporation in Japan conducted comparative performance tests on single axis surface grinders using sliding rails and three-axis surface grinders using rolling rails, and the results showed that the power consumption using sliding rails was 16 7 times. Given the numerous outstanding advantages of rolling linear guide pairs, they are widely used in the mechanical industry, including various CNC machine tools, precision workbenches, industrial robots, medical equipment, testing instruments, light industry machinery, and motion machinery