THK Aims for More Precise Linear Motion with New Dust-proofing Plate
Linear Motion (LM) Guide mechanism company, THK, upgrades dust-proofing plate cover for its linear motion technology.
THK company recently improved the HDR20 and 25, with the availability of compact blocks featuring a low block height. GK Series Model HDR comes both in a rail and block set and is currently available for individual purchase.
THK: A Company Overview
Founded by Toho Seiko in 1971, THK was one of the first companies to develop and manufacture a method of linear motion (LM) with rolling contact. Today, their LM Guide devices are fairly ubiquitous and can be found as components of mechanical and electronic systems across several industries.
The GK Series Model HDR. Image used courtesy of THK
THK has also developed many other mechanical components such as the ball spline, ball screws, and link balls, which the company manufactures and supplies to customers worldwide. In 2021, beyond the new LM Guide Model HDR upgrades, THK has so far released two new products.
In May, the company started accepting orders for the LM Guide Actuator Model KR-RL, a device combining an LM Guide and ball screw to create a compact design with high rigidity and precision. THK also announced its Utility Slide ATG, which is now available for purchase. The product features high load capacity and superior durability. It is designed for logistics and railway applications.
The Importance of Dust Proofing
It is crucial to prevent foreign materials from getting inside LM rail surfaces, as this may lead to unusual wear and shorter service life.
The ball raceways HDRs are placed on the sides of the LM rail, making it harder for foreign materials to reach them. Image used courtesy of THK
For instance, woodworking machines may produce wood chips that could get on the LM rail surfaces. Similarly, this might happen with tire manufacturing machines (rubber might get on the rail) and with resin molding machines. If unknown materials such as dust get inside a certain component, it is important to select an effective sealing or contamination protection device.
The LM Guide Model HDR from THK is built to circumvent these issues through an innovative design and synthetic rubber end seals.
Dust-proofing Plate Covers
The Model HDR is an LM Guide designed for single-rail applications and features raceways with a contact structure that holds balls to provide high rigidity in the rolling direction.
The Model HDR enables single-axis tables to be compact and lightweight. Image used courtesy of THK
The solution is also built with raceways on the sides of the rails. This design can prevent foreign materials on the top surface from affecting their performance.
After the new update, the Model HDR now features a dust-proofing plate cover that can easily be applied to rails over 5 m long in addition to being compatible with small models like the HDR15 and 20. According to THK, the new plate covers the entire upper surface of the LM rail, improving seal adhesion and preventing foreign materials from getting inside the LM block.
The Model HDR comes in eight sizes that range from 15 to 65, with THK providing a lineup of ten block types: C/LC, R/LR, V/LV, UV/UW, and US/UT, respectively.
