5
Preparations for Assembly
Setting up the Guide Carriage and Lubricating the Linear Guide System
Installing the Guide Rail
Important: Care and cleanliness during assembly of a linear guide
system are crucial for the correct functioning and long service life
of this machine element. For this reason, all components, the work
bench and the connecting structure must be kept clean!
Compliance with the following instructions will ensure the greatest possible
operating reliability by eliminating any errors during assembly. The Bearing Car-
riage is supplied in protective packaging. It is slotted onto a plastic protective
rail that keeps the ball bearings in their tracks and provides protection against
impacts.
The end caps of the Bearing Carriage, which are screwed onto the end faces,
must not be removed under any circumstances! Doing so would open and
dislodge the re-circulating segments of the raceway, thus rendering the Bearing
Carriage unusable.
In addition, tampering of this nature will invalidate any guarantee!
To ensure the linear guide system runs smoothly, all the fastening screws
should be tightened under controlled conditions using the tightening torques
specified in these instructions and in accordance with the screw tightening
schedule. Furthermore, a chemical screw fixing agent should be used, particu-
larly if it is at all likely that the screws could lose tension.
Check the cut edges of the Guide Rail and remove any burrs with an oilstone.
Do not slide the Bearing Carriage onto the Guide Rail until you need to, as the
seal on the head can be damaged if not handled correctly.
Due to internal stresses that can be generated when Guide Rails are ground to
shape, a rail may not be perfectly straight when supplied.
However, it will be brought into line with the profile grooves when clamped into
place on the profile by the screw connection between the Guide Rail Mounting
Profile and the Guide Rail Clamping Profile. Thanks to this clamping principle,
rails can be designed without drillholes, which means that no Caps or finishing
work is required.
Both ends of the 3800 mm-long Guide Rails are pre-prepared in the factory so
that the Bearing Carriage can be slotted on.
If a rail has to be shortened, it is important to ensure when subsequently align-
ing the rail that the carriage can be slotted on at the non-shortened end.
If the Guide Rail is being installed flush to an enclosing construction, the
carriage must be slotted onto the rail prior to assembly.
The self-centring rail clamping system also directly supports the Guide Rail and
fastens it to any Line 8 support profile with a minimum width of 80 mm.
Profiles 8 light and 8 E should not be used as support profiles.
Take particular care to ensure that the Guide Rail does not tilt and that the
Guide Rail is correctly aligned in terms of position and angle.
The permissible load for a linear guide system depends on the load-carrying
capacity of the guiding elements, the strength of the screw connections and the
design of the profile frame.
When arranging a carriage on two parallel Guide Rails, tighten the Guide Rail
Mounting Profiles PS 4-25 and Guide Rail Clamping Profiles PS 4-25 around
the relevant Guide Rails to ensure the rails run parallel to the grooves. Next,
align the base plate of the carriage with all the Bearing Carriages, screw it in
place loosely, run it back and forth over the entire stroke distance several times
and then tighten the screw fittings (M
T
= 10 Nm, see Section on “Mounting the
Bearing Carriage”).
Remove the Bearing Carriage from its protective packaging. The carriage
is charged with grease at the factory and can also be re-lubricated with
lithium-based greases. If using oil-based lubricants, the grease should first be
carefully wiped off the ball tracks.
Position the carriage – still on its protective rail – in front of the Guide Rail and
slide it carefully onto the Guide Rail, being careful not to tilt or twist the carriage
while doing so.
When sliding the carriage onto the rail, pay particular attention to the wipers
in the end cap. They must not be dislodged from their seatings in the end cap
and the lip seals must not be allowed to fold over. If the lip seals are folded over
despite careful fitting, they can be realigned by pushing the carriage over the
end of the rail.
Push the Bearing Carriage once carefully along the entire length of the Guide
Profile, checking resistance. If you can feel friction, this is most likely due to
the fact that the seals have not yet bedded in. This friction will diminish as the
flexible elements settle and adjust to the rail.
Ensure that the Bearing Carriage is supplied with lubricant, as this has a major
influence on the service life of the linear guide system. Two different methods
of lubrication can be used on the linear guide system:
Oil lubrication: Minimum volume 0.9–1.2 cm
3
Oil type: Only EP-additive oils for mixed friction, CLP to DIN 51 517 or LP to
DIN 51 524. Viscosity between ISO-VG 32 and ISO-VG 68 for an operating
temperature range of 0°C to 70°C. In the case of lower or higher operating
temperatures, select alternative viscosity as appropriate. The oil can be topped
up via the funnel-type lubricant nipple.Grease lubrication: Initial volume 1.0–2.0
g; or at least until grease is expelled.
Grease type: Lithium-saponified greases with a mineral-oil base. The carriages
are filled with grease at the factory. The initial volume of grease should be
applied by hand to the rows of ball bearings; one stroke of a grease gun should
then be applied to the lubricant nipple to ensure that the lubrication channels
are filled.
A funnel-type lubrication nipple with a 120° taper to DIN 3405 (Form D) is
located at each end of the carriage. However, it is only necessary to apply
lubricant at one end of the carriage. While doing so, move the carriage gently
forward and back.
Important: All types of lubricant give rise to lubricant seepage. For this reason,
you should design the connecting structure to ensure that any seepage is
caught and can be properly disposed of.
Place the carriage construction carefully onto the Bearing Carriage(s) and move
the loosely-mounted complete carriage several times along the entire length
of the rail without applying any load. Next, screw the components together. In
doing so, carefully select the correct screw length and, in particular, note the
maximum permissible tightening torque for the screws.Intended for use are four
M6 screws, property class 10.9, to be tightened with the permissible tightening
torque M
T
= 10 Nm.To complete the assembly process, move the Bearing
Carriage along the entire length of the rail again, ensuring in particular that
there is no backlash and that resistance is consistent.The main causes of faults
in linear guide system PS 4-25 are assembly errors, inadequate protection from
soiling and insufficient lubrication. It is therefore important to ensure that the
wipers, which also have a sealing function, are not damaged.How frequently
the linear guide system will need to be re-lubricated also depends on operating
conditions.
