Bearings solve motion problems
Vee bearings are used to create accurate sliding systems in a variety of applications, especially applications where ball bushings or re-circulating ball carriages would be prone to dust, dirt and other foreign matter penetration, which would ruin their performance.
In those applications, vee bearings are superior and can be run on relatively low cost mild steel or stainless steel 90-degree equal angle, creating more than adequate linear sliding systems at relatively low cost.
UK-based bearings manufacturer Euro-Bearings has introduced a range of low cost 'Euro-Vee' bearings in four popular sizes, with either steel shields or rubber seals.
These bearings (or wheels) can either run on top of a 90-degree rail/bar, or inside a 90-degree angle utilising their dual v shape. This versatility enables the bearings to be used in a wide variety of applications with varying degrees of precision depending on the guide rails used. Suitable rails include hardened and ground shafting; bright angle; and flat ground stock.
Applications covered so far involve wood working equipment, packaging machines, machine guards and positioning systems.
Euro-Bearings specialises in custom bearings for other industries too. In January this year, the Airbus A380 'superjumbo' airliner was unveiled to the public. This incredible piece of engineering was aided by Euro-Bearings' jumbo combined roller bearings and welded steel channel.
Gerry Smith, MD at the company told Eureka: "The wings for the superjumbo were manufactured in Broughton and were then shipped to Toulouse for assembly to the fuselage. However, moving such a gigantic, fragile structure was not easy. In order to get the wings from the factory at Broughton to the port at Mostyn, on the River Dee, a special jig and trailer was used. On arrival at Mostyn, the Airbus wings were lifted from the trailer and loaded onto the barge using a rig manufactured from Euro-Bearings' steel channel and jumbo combined roller bearings.
The principle is similar to that of a forklift truck, except this was on a much larger scale. The 4.093 bearings have a dynamic load capacity of 1066kN and are nearly a foot in diameter.
The wings then travelled by sea to Bordeaux before being trans-shipped by a barge on the River Garonne to Toulouse for assembly.
