New Ball Type Profiled Rail Units for Increased Customer Benefits

Faster, higher, further ¨C customer requirements have been following this motto from the Olympics. Often, the answer to this is a "jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none solution", that can't make everyone happy. Not so in INA's Linear Division. Engineers have taken a close look at customer requirements such as high load ratings, dynamics, rigidity, robustness and functional reliability, but they have found a solution of their own. The result, which is also an example for an all new generation of individual solutions, is a linear technology product with excellent functionality and performance: the ball type profiled rail unit KUVE..B KT. Similar to a modular design system and based on the established four-row ball type profiled rail unit KUVE, INA linear engineers have created new functional elements that offer increased customer benefits. This includes a braking and clamping element that reacts quickly when the emergency stop is activated or in the event of power failure and is suitable for use as a safety element for linear axes with linear motor drives because of its high braking and clamping forces. Significant noise reduction ¨C this is a feature that customers have become particularly interested in, primarily for applications in the food processing and packaging industry as well as in transport and handling systems applications. INA has paid special attention to this requirement. In order to achieve low-noise operation, the developers used the trick of separating rolling elements. Using what are called "quad spacers" (plastic cages), couples of four are spaced apart, and collision noises and other noises in the system are kept to a minimum. In this way, high-noise contact is prevented. The new ball type profiled rail units have dimensions and mounting structure dimensions that are identical with its predecessors, making them easy to replace. "We sell solutions ¨C not just a naked bearing," is the conclusion. "That is what we mean by X-life quality in linear technology." X-life is the new quality label for products made by INA¡¯s and FAG Kugelfischer¡¯s industrial divisions. Every catalog product in this quality class has characteristics far above those of standard products and is used as a benchmark for competitors