Selecting the right components for optimum application performance

(See ACORN Industrial Services at Machine Building North, 10 April 2025, on stand 67)

World-class automation begins with world-class components, but selecting the best components doesn't always guarantee success. Correct component selection, coupled with the very best design principles, ensures that machine life is maximised, and your customers can rely on your equipment to give them superior performance over the entire machine life with extended service intervals, minimal downtime, and maximised productivity.

ACORN Industrial Services is an authorised supply partner for some of the world's leading linear motion manufacturers, and has a full range of engineering tools to help you select the right component for your application. From simple linear guide arrangements to complex multi-axis systems, ACORN's experts are on hand to help ensure you have the right components to guarantee your success.

ACORN's experts use the manufacturer's product test data to specify the most suitable product for your application in the best system arrangement to maximise productivity and life without oversizing, keeping your designs compact and costs to a minimum.

Using the manufacturer's latest data and sizing software, ACORN can predict the safety factor, expected life, and deflections at critical tool positions and advise on lubrication intervals and quantities to ensure the best ongoing performance.

Simply changing the spacing of linear guide blocks on a rail or the move profile can have a huge effect on the loading of the elements within the system. Some small changes can vastly improve the life expectancy and safety factor, giving greater rigidity and reducing deflections, which then increases system stability, accuracy, and precision.

Preload, when specified correctly, ensures all rolling elements remain in contact and load is shared evenly even when high loads are applied, maintaining the stability of the system and reducing the chance of the rolling elements slipping, resulting in increased wear, heat and premature failure. Selecting a preload that is too high will negatively affect the system, reducing the life expectancy and increasing energy costs through the higher drive forces required and higher lubrication consumption rates.

In a recent application a customer was experiencing regular runner block failures across several critical production cells. But after a system review to evaluate the requirements and arrangement, ACORN was able to carry out some calculations and advise a revised system layout to increase the life expectancy by over 2,000 times, as well as improving safety, running costs and system stability.