Proper installation is critical for achieving rated life and accuracy. Follow these steps based on industry-standard procedures from THK and HIWIN.
1. Preparation
- Clean the mounting surface: Use an oil stone to remove burrs, rust, and contaminants from the base mounting surface. Wipe clean with a lint-free cloth.
- Remove anti-rust oil: Linear guides are shipped with anti-rust coating. Clean thoroughly with solvent and apply a light machine oil to prevent flash rusting.
2. Rail Mounting
Proper rail alignment procedure:
- Place rail on mounting surface, lightly tighten mounting bolts (do not fully tighten)
- Align reference side of rail against the mounting shoulder
- Tighten mounting bolts from center toward ends in sequence
- Use torque wrench to achieve specified torque value
- Repeat for additional rails
Critical: Always tighten bolts from the center outward to prevent bowing. For multi-rail systems, establish one reference rail first, then align the second rail using a straight edge or dial indicator.
3. Block (Carriage) Mounting
- Place the work table on the carriages without fully tightening mounting bolts
- Use adjustment screws to bring the carriage reference side into contact with the table reference surface
- Tighten bolts progressively while sliding the table to verify smooth motion
4. Preload Adjustment
For adjustable preload systems:
- No preload: General low-load positioning
- Light preload (C1): Medium precision, light cutting
- Medium preload (C2): High rigidity, machine tools
- Heavy preload (C3): Ultra-high rigidity, heavy cutting
Pro Tip:
After installation, slide the table through full travel to verify smooth motion. Check for any abnormal noise or vibration. Verify parallelism between rails using a dial indicator (deviation should be < 0.02mm per meter).
Conclusion
Following these installation best practices will ensure your linear guides achieve their rated service life and maintain positioning accuracy. For complex installations or troubleshooting, contact our engineering team.