Is corrosion resistance is an important factor in the design of your linear motion system? Take a look at our stainless steel rails together with our corrosion resistant combined roller bearings. When used with the combined roller bearings, these rails offer good load capacities and are suitable for a wide variety of applications. The system can be horizontal, vertical and even cantilevered!
Stainless steel EC053 (to suit 52.5mm ø bearing) is now available from stock. Other sizes on request.
Our technical sales team are on hand to answer any questions.
Linear Motion without noise – Vulkollan coated bearings for use with steel C rails
Are you looking for a quiet linear motion system? Then look no further. Our new Vulkollan coated bearings are designed to run in our steel C channels to make a sliding system that is both smooth and quiet.
Choose from V.053P (52.5mm ø) or V.054P (62.5mm ø). V.054P is also available in stainless steel.
The Oilamid rubbing block can be adjusted – by simply turning a screw – to provide axial guidance and support which helps the system to run true.
Mast bearings are found on fork lift trucks. They carry the forks (carriage) up the mast and they also enable the various stages of the mast to extend.
There are four main types of Mast Bearings:
Mast guide bearings – these bearings guide the mast stages up as the forks are raised beyond the first stage. They also attach the fork carriage to the mast rails.
Carriage bearings – these provide lateral guidance to the fork carriage as it travels up the mast. They are typically smaller than the mast guide bearings.
Side thrust rollers – these bearings transfer the lateral (sideways) loads to the mast and help to prevent twist. Typically they are mounted on a shaft (pin).
Chain roller bearings – these guide the leaf chain that raises & lowers the mast. The bearings are usually flanged like a pulley to ensure the chain is captive.
Sometimes the mast guide bearings and side thrust rollers are fitted as a complete assembly, known as a Combined Roller Bearing.
What features do Mast Bearings have?
Thick Outer Ring: Mast bearings operate at relatively low speeds. They travel along the rail as a track bearing (like a wheel) and consequently experience high loads. The outer ring (steel tyre) of a mast bearing is much thicker than a standard bearing, to enable this load to be transmitted.
Inseparable Design: The components of the bearings are held together to form an inseparable ‘wheel’.
Balls or Rollers: Due to the high loads, mast bearings usually have balls or rollers as their rolling element.
Seals: Mast bearings are usually to sealed to prevent the grease from escaping and to keep debris out. The seal can be rubber (RS) or metal (ZZ), or sometimes a combination of both (ZRS).
How to Identify a Mast Bearing?
Our Technical Sales team are very experienced in identifying mast bearings. To help them, you will need to provide the following information:
Make of the fork truck (e.g. Toyota)
Part numbers or brands stamped on the bearing, or a part number from the parts book. Everything helps.
The dimensions as accurately as possible. That is the ID (shaft size), OD (outside diameter) & width. The width of the outer ring and the inner ring are likely to be different. It is important to know both to ensure the bearing will fit back on the shaft. For side thrust rollers, the length of the shaft and the hole centres is also critical.
The shape of the bearing & whether is has rollers or balls inside. Choose the nearest type from our drawing list or send us some photos.
A typical set of Mast Bearings (Clockwise from back left: Chain Roller Bearing, Mast Guide Bearing, Side Thrust Roller & Carriage Bearing)
Oversize or Custom Mast Bearings
If the bearing you need is no longer in production or you have a special requirement, Euro-Bearings Ltd can manufacture bespoke mast bearings to suit your needs. Typically we would need a sample or pattern to quote and lead times can be as short as 24 hours.
Combined Roller Bearings & Mating Steel Profiles are one of the most versatile linear motion systems. Originally used on forklift trucks, the bearings are designed to carry both the axial and radial loads in one unit. The bearings and rails can be used horizontally and vertically, and can also be arranged telescopically to allow for full extension.
The main
advantage of Combined
Roller Bearings over other track rolling systems is that the smaller
axial rollers contact the web of the profiled rails. This helps to
keep the system running parallel and consequently prevents it from jamming.
The
bearings can be supplied pre-welded to a mounting plate and then
simply bolted onto the carriage or they can be welded directly to the structure
for a more compact configuration.
With good resistance to dirt and heat, Combined Roller Bearings can be used in many industrial applications: from packaging machines to furnace loaders, brick makers to offshore pipe and cable laying devices, to name just a few.
If you have a heavy duty linear motion application, please contact our technical sales team for help and advice.
There is a vast range of linear motion products on the market and it can be difficult to know which product to select. This article discusses the various types of products available according to their rolling element and explores their advantages, disadvantages and limitations. Finally a selection chart clearly lists each product’s characteristics to help with specifying the best linear motion product.
Some of our linear motion products are shown in the table below:
The primary purpose of linear motion products is to move something from one place to another in one direction along a straight line. Usually this is achieved using a bearing with a rolling element. Traditionally this rolling element would be a ball or roller, but these days some linear motion bearings do not incorporate a rolling element and consequently are known as ‘plain’ bearings. These plain bearings are simply plastic or ceramic bushes and are sometimes lined with PTFE or oil impregnated plastic to help reduce the sliding friction. Continue reading →
Combined Roller Bearings were originally designed to be used in forklift truck masts. However, today they are used in a variety of applications (horizontally and vertically) and in a huge range of industries.
The smallest bearing is just 52.5mm in diameter and when used in conjunction with the corresponding steel profile, each bearing offers a load capacity of approximately 550kg. At the top end of the range the largest bearing is 390mm and has a capacity of over 30 tonnes.
The primary benefit of a Combined Roller Bearing over a standard track roller bearing is the integral side thrust roller bearing. This small roller is able to carry lateral loads and ensures free movement of the system.
To make a complete slide you simply need 2 rails and 4 bearings. The bearings can be welded directly to the structure or can be supplied pre-welded to a mounting plate and simply bolted into place. More complex, telescopic systems can be made by using additional rails and bearings to create further stages.
The application examples below show how versatile this sliding system is.
Being so versatile, combined roller bearings can be used in many applications including:Please click an image for more details.
Lifting & Handling Equipment
Offshore Cable & Pipe Laying
Specialised Vehicles
Packing Machines
Furnace Loaders
Agricultural Equipment
If you think you might have an application for Combined Roller Bearings, please contact our technical sales team. We have many years of experience and our team includes Engineers and Designers.
When the Landscape Director from N T Killingley contacted us about sliding a planter in and out of a glasshouse at RHS Chatsworth, our Technical Sales team listened to his specification and suggested various options. Their requirement was a system that was simple to install and robust enough to carry the weight of a laden planter, but most importantly would not cost a fortune as the display was temporary.
The combined roller bearing system met this criteria. By using the rails upturned, there was very little set up involved and the bearings and mountingplates were simply bolted to the underside of the planter.
The end result was a system that was discreet and could be operated with very little effort. The display formed part of the “Garden for a Changing Climate” at RHS Chatsworth in June 2017 and featured on BBC’s Gardeners World.
The RHS video of the garden can be viewed here. And the BBC Gardeners World episode can be viewed here (approximately 41 minutes in).
If you need help to specify a linear sliding system, please contact us. We have a team of Engineers & Designers who can guide you through both selecting the most suitable product and specifying the correct size.
Combined roller bearings can be used in a huge variety of applications. In the simplest arrangement (4 bearings & 2 rails) they can be used to make a forklift mast (vertically), a telescopic slide (horizontally) or just to slide something from A to B.
Combined Roller Bearings and Mating Steel Profiles (Rails)
The main advantage of a combined roller bearing is the small axial roller that helps to keep the system running parallel and prevent it from jamming or crabbing. The combi bearings come complete with a weldable hub so they can be welded directly to your structure or, for ease of maintenance, they can be purchased pre-welded to a mounting plate. This mounting plate is simply bolted on with 4 bolts.
Used together with the mating steel channels (rails), the combined roller bearings offer a simple and cost effective way to make a heavy duty linear slide system. The smallest bearing diameter is 52mm, and the largest Jumbo bearing is 390mm. The rails are available in both C and H (or I) sections.
What Products are Available?
Standard Range
Precision Range
Jumbo Range
Precision Range: For heavy duty applications requiring high precision, the Precision Combined Roller Bearings offer a reduced clearance between the bearing & the rail and consequently minimise the play in the system. The rail is machined in the web and the bearing diameter is increased to match this, with a tolerance of 0.2mm – 0.4mm.Click on an image to visit the relevant webpage.
Jumbo Range: For ultra heavy duty applications, the Jumbo bearings can offer an affordable solution.
Corrosion Resistance: In some environments (e.g. Offshore) it can be beneficial to use a corrosion resistant system. The Thin Dense Chromium coating withstands salt spray and can considerably improve the operating life. We can offer all of the ranges with coating.
Our Combined Roller Bearings consist of a radial bearing, an axial (face) bearing and a weldable hub. The main radial bearing can take very high loads and the axial roller takes side loads and prevents the bearing from crabbing in the channel. Used in conjunction with their mating steel channel it is possible to design and build a heavy duty linear sliding system, for either horizontal or vertical motion. More complicated systems can be built using the bearings and channel to create telescopic and cantilevered solutions. We can help you to select the correct size for your application. Our bearings range in size from an outer diameter of 52.5mm all the way up to 390mm (Jumbo CR range).
The hub of the bearing is weldable so that the bearing can either be welded directly to a structure or to a mounting plate. We keep the standard mounting plates on stock and we can supply the bearing welded to its plate. The standard mounting plates have both threaded holes and thru holes so that the plate can be fixed from the front or the back. We can fabricate bespoke mounting plates to your design.
We also offer a range of combined roller bearings that a have an eccentric adjustable face roller. The height of the face roller can be varied by removing the front face plate and rotating the shaft of the axial bearing, the ends of which are splined. More information on our website here: Eccentric Adjustable CR Bearings
If your application does not require the axial (face) roller then you could use our Radial Bearings which offer all the advantages of our Combined Roller Bearings and are designed to run in the same steel channels.
When the Landscape Director from N T Killingley contacted us about sliding a planter in and out of a glasshouse at RHS Chatsworth, our Technical Sales team listened to his specification and suggested various options. Their requirement was a system that was simple to install and robust enough to carry the weight of a laden planter, but most importantly would not cost a fortune as the display was temporary.
