Modular linear guides for long distances assembled with ease

See Igus at MachineBuilding.Live, 4 October 2023, on stand 20

The drylin Endless Gear linear module (EGW) from Igus is a modular, lubricant-free linear guide with rack and pinion drive, which can be extended to any length due to the modular plug-in design, at low cost and very light weight.

Separate carriages can travel in different directions and at different speeds, unlike a belt drive. Being modular, the guide can be easily extended many times.

Linear axes with a toothed belt drive are suitable for many material handling and positioning tasks. But when the track is some 10 metres or more, drive belts are ineffective because they begin to sag and the elongation of the belt makes it difficult to drive it with accuracy.

A second problem is the lack of flexibility. Several carriages cannot travel at different speeds on the rails, not even in different directions.

“To offer greater options to all those who require long travel distances, we have developed drylin EGW – a modular linear guide with rack and pinion drive,” says Rob Dumayne, director of dry-tech products and bearings at Igus UK. “There are almost no limits for users in terms of travel length. You can add additional rails at any time, just like a model railway. It is designed as a modular system, supplied in two-metre-long sections, which also makes handling and transport much easier.”

In contrast to the toothed belt drive, it is also possible to have several carriages, each with its own electric motor, travel on a rail in different directions and at different speeds. With the drylin EGW modular system, users receive all the components from one source, from linear guides and carriages to chains and cables for energy supply. And they can be supplied ready for installation, including the motor and control.

The drylin EGW module consists of several components. The foundation is the WS-20 guide rail of the drylin W series, a rail made of hard anodised aluminium with a round profile, on which the slides are mounted and glide. A profile in the middle accommodates the polymer rack and pinion modules. The second component is the drive carriage, that sits on the rail with four plain bearings made of the high-performance plastic iglidur J200. An electric motor in the carriage provides movement, driving a gear wheel that engages the rack. The motor cable moves in an energy chain that runs parallel to the rail.

The third component is attached directly to the drive carriage: a towing carriage that can be used, for example, for a camera or on which handling units such as picking robots or sensors can be mounted.

By using a modular expandable linear guide, tasks such as testing or monitoring, for example, can be carried out with high and repeatable accuracy even over very long distances, ensuring greater quality and safety. For example, for safely inspecting train roofs, or workpieces in automotive production.

“In such applications, drylin EGW operates with much less vibration and more quietly than linear guides with classic recirculating ball systems,” says Dumayne. “In addition, thanks to the plastic-instead-of-metal principle, the weight of the guide system and thus the required drive energy and inertia is reduced.”

The linear guide drylin EGW is durable, proven by tests in Igus’ in-house laboratory. Engineers weighed down a carriage with a load of 200 N and moved it at a speed of 1 m/s on a stroke of 15,000mm. The result was that even after 45,000 cycles, there was no significant wear on the rails and plain bearing bushings. But if the linear guide does reach its wear limit at any point, users can easily replace the liners on the rail in just a few minutes and without dismantling the bearing housings.

Another advantage is that external lubrication is unnecessary because – as with all drylin products – solid lubricants are integrated into the high-performance plastic and are released over time, enabling low-friction dry running. And the maintenance needed is low.

igus (UK) Ltd

51A Caswell Road
Brackmills
Northampton
NN4 7PW
UNITED KINGDOM

+44 (0)1604 677240

sales@igus.co.uk

www.igus.co.uk

More products
11 hours ago
New eBook offers expert insights on embedded security
Mouser Electronics announces a new eBook produced in collaboration with global semiconductor leader Analog Devices (ADI). In Embedded Security: Keeping Edge Data Safe, experts from ADI and other companies take a deep look at embedded security concepts and their importance.
15 hours ago
New era beckons at UK’s largest online valve supplier
Gary Hopkinson, founder of Valves Online, a sales partner for Bürkert, has announced his retirement, planned for the end of this year. In March, the UK’s largest online valves supplier underwent a business acquisition by R&G Fluid Power Group. Gary has been assisting the transition while Valves Online is set to retain its successful business model.
18 hours ago
Lowering production costs in the beverage industry
BrauBeviale, one of the leading capital goods fairs for the beverage industry worldwide, is due to take place in Nuremberg from November 28 to 30, 2023. Schaeffler will be on site with a presentation that focuses on solutions for economical and efficient beverage production.
1 day ago
NSK Europe makes significant environmental progress in FY2022-23
NSK Europe continues to make improvements to its environmental credentials, with the past 12 months seeing significant progress in a number of key metrics as the company works towards its ultimate carbon-neutral goal.
1 day ago
Schaeffler UK partners with homelessness charity Centrepoint
Schaeffler UK has become a supporting partner of Centrepoint, the UK’s leading homelessness charity for young people. As well as making a donation to the charity, Schaeffler UK will support a number of Centrepoint fundraising events and campaigns, and will offer its own employees the opportunity to work with the charity as volunteers.
1 day ago
WDS reinforces Core Values for ultimate customer experience
WDS Components continues to strengthen its commitment to customers, including optimised stock availability and delivery, as well as ensuring quality throughout the entire customer journey. Now the Leeds manufacturer and supplier of standard parts and components has underpinned its customer assurance with the re-energising of its Core Values.
1 day ago
Solenoid interlocks are robust, compact and Ex-compatible
At the Powtech 2023, the steute business unit ‘Controltec’ will be presenting a new addition to its product range: the Ex STM 515 series of Ex solenoid interlocks with ATEX and IECEx approvals.
1 day ago
OMRON Robotics and Safety Technologies enters partnership with Lowpad
OMRON Robotics and Safety Technologies and Lowpad have announced a strategic partnership to expand OMRON’s line of mobile robots with Lowpad’s low-profile product offering.
2 days ago
Create double-sheet detection systems using Contrinex smart sensors
Contrinex smart sensors offer an affordable way to detect the presence of individual sheets and also detect double-sheet conditions, triggering an alarm and halting production to prevent damage to the press.
2 days ago
Essentra makes further progress on sustainability with latest EcoVadis rating
Essentra has been awarded a silver medal by EcoVadis, the global provider of business sustainability ratings, as confirmation of the organisation’s ongoing journey towards a more sustainable future.

Login / Sign up