Press Release

Press Release

April 11, 2014

NSK Ltd.
Public Relations Department

NSK Adds NH and NS Series to Its Linear Guide™ Lineup

World's highest level of Load Rating with more than twice the Life of conventional Linear Guides

NH and NS Series to Its Linear Guide(TM)

Tokyo, Japan, April 11, 2014 - NSK Ltd. ( NSK ; Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Norio Otsuka) today announced that it has developed an NH Series and an NS Series for its NSK Linear Guide™ lineup. NSK will launch these products in July 2014 and is targeting to expand the sales for 2.5 billion yen in global annual sales by 2015.

Development Background

NSK Linear Guides™ products are used in wide variety of applications across a variety of production equipment, including material handling robots, machine tools and other production equipment used for semiconductors, LCDs and automobiles. Due to the expectations of improved productivity and longer maintenance intervals, the linear guides used in such devices must be able to last a very long time.

Linear guides are able to support load through the mechanism of contact between balls and the ball grooves. The technology used to design and manufacturing the ball grooves determines the life of linear guides. Knowing this, NSK pooled its strengths of analysis technology (simulation technology) and production technology to develop a new shape for the ball groove. This new shape optimizes the contact surface pressure distribution for a dramatic improvement in life.

The NH and NS Series apply this new ball groove to achieve double the life expectancy of the conventional linear guide. These series of linear guides will help improve the life and enable the downsizing of devices.

Features

1. World's Highest level of Load Rating, with More Than Twice the Life of Conventional Linear Guides
These new linear guides achieve more than twice the life and 1.3 times the dynamic load rating* compared to the conventional LH and LS Series products, which in turn improves the life of devices. Also, since these new linear guides are compact and have long life, they make it possible to downsize devices.
2. Interchangeable with Conventional Products
The installation dimensions are the same as the conventional LH and LS Series products, which in turn means that the these new NH and NS Series linear guides can be used as is without changing the design of devices.
In addition, popular options such as NSK K1™ lubrication units that provide for maintenance-free operation for a long period of time and random matching parts that provide for the free combination of rails and ball slides can be used with these new linear guides.
*: Dynamic load rating is a metric measurement used for indicating the load capacity of linear guides. The greater the rating, the longer the life.

Applications

  • All varieties of production equipment: Material handling robots, machine tools, production equipment used for semiconductors, LCDs, automobiles, etc.
  • All varieties of devices: Train platform doors, CT scanners, etc.
Development Goals
NH and NS Series Design Direction
Confirmation Test Results of Improved Life