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Technical Solutions developed a stock feeding device that feeds stock in the form of phenolic disks with various diameters and thickness at high speed into a punch press for processing. It runs at a variable speed, with approximately 150 cycles per minutes as a maximum speed. The machine has only 400 milliseconds to get the job done each cycle and the motion profile involves very extreme acceleration and deceleration.

With a linear ball bearing installed, current fluctuations occurred during acceleration and caused noise produced by the carriage. The high acceleration rates caused the balls in the carriage to skid instead of roll, resulting in premature failure. In order to fix the problem, cycle times were reduced and material flows were slowed, disappointing the end user.

The guide was also experiencing dust contamination from the sever, abrasive dust produced by handling the stock, causing it to fail after 25,000 cycles.

By replacing the ball slide with a DryLin® T linear guide with plastic slides, the process speed has been increased over the original design specifications, boasting shorter cycle times and faster material flow. Long service life is assured, with more than 500,000 cycles on the system and no wear. Maintenance costs are reduced by more than 90%. No lubrication is required and it’s and completely resistant to dirt and dust. There is also a significant reduction in noise.