Linear Bush Bearings

Linear bush bearings, often called linear ball bushings, are mechanical components that use recirculating steel balls to provide smooth, precise, and low-friction linear motion along a cylindrical shaft. They are widely used in a variety of industrial applications requiring reliable straight-line movement.
Key Features and Benefits
Low Friction: By utilizing rolling elements (steel balls) in raceways, linear bush bearings minimize friction, leading to smoother movement, lower energy consumption, and less wear.
High Precision and Accuracy: Engineered for highly accurate and repeatable movements, which is essential for applications like CNC machinery and robotics.
Unlimited Stroke: The design allows the balls to continuously recirculate within the housing, enabling virtually unlimited travel length along the guide shaft.
Load Handling: They are designed to support both radial and minor axial loads, with specific "Super" series designs offering higher load capacity and self-alignment features.
Compact Design: They use a round shaft as a guiding axis, which allows for space-saving and lighter overall machine designs.
Ease of Installation and Maintenance: Their simple design facilitates easy installation, and most types feature double lip seals to prevent contamination and retain lubrication, reducing maintenance needs.
Common Types
Linear bush bearings are available in various configurations to suit different application requirements:
Standard Type: The most common type, suitable for general-purpose applications with moderate loads and speeds.
Flanged Type: Features a flange on one or both ends of the outer housing, which allows for direct mounting to a surface with bolts, simplifying installation and ensuring secure axial location.
Open Type: Designed with an arc machine-cut from the outer raceway to allow use with continuously supported shafts (supported along their entire length) to prevent shaft deflection in high-load applications.
Adjustable Type: Allows for fine-tuning of the clearance between the bearing and the shaft, which is useful for applications requiring extremely high precision or the compensation of manufacturing tolerances.
Self-Aligning Type: Features a design that can accommodate slight misalignments between the shaft and housing (up to ±0.5 degrees), ensuring even load distribution and preventing binding.
Applications
Linear bush bearings are used across a wide range of industries where precise linear motion is required:
Industrial Machinery: Used extensively in conveyors, packaging equipment, and material handling systems.
CNC Machines and 3D Printers: Essential for guiding cutting tools, print heads, and workpieces with high precision and repeatability.
Robotics and Automation: Employed in robotic arms and gantry systems for precise positioning and movement.
Medical Equipment: Found in MRI machines, scanners, and surgical tables that require smooth, controlled, and quiet motion.
Office Automation Equipment: Used in printers, plotters, and other light-duty office equipment.