Linear Slides Photo Courtesy of Del-Tron Precision, Inc.

Although it may look like a jump drive from this angle, which is a small back-up storage device for computers, linear slides do no such thing. Instead, linear slides are maneuverability focused devices, ranging in scale and size from tiny internal automatic machine parts to large bulk machinery. With a minimum of friction and utilizing only small amounts of energy, linear slides are built to push, pull or position other objects. The simplest design involves movement on a single axis, but more complex designs can move on multiple planes. Linear slide varieties are vast, as are the applications they are used for.

A ball bearing slide is one of the major types of linear slides, designed to utilize spheres within a framework, which is also known as a railing system to direct the flow of motion. Often made of light but durable materials such as aluminum, ball bearings show up in many applications, including the tracks for drawers. Another common linear slide that functions similarly to the ball bearing slide is the roller slide, which uses cylindrical pieces of metal within the railing system instead of spherical pieces of metal. Because there is more contact space roller slides are able to handle more weight and therefore are used in applications with heavier loads.

Both of the previous examples are simple mechanisms that function without motors and are small but very common in industrial, commercial and residential settings. An example of a more complex linear slide that is not so common is the XY table often incorporated into robotic applications. Using roller slides that are attached to an electric motor via the railing system, XY tables can have multiple configurations depending on their use. Regardless of the complexity, all linear slides must be consistently cleaned because dust and small debris restricts their movement.