The bearing slides smoothly along the length of a metal rail, and sometimes the bearing is designed to fit inside the hollow shape of the rail so that it can move freely without being exposed to interfering equipment on the outside. Linear slide rails have many industrial uses, including: food processing, packaging, clean energy applications and medical settings. Read More…

Leading Manufacturers
Del-Tron Precision, Inc.
Bethel, CT | 203-778-2727Del-Tron is a linear slide manufacturer/distributor of ball bearing slides, crossed roller tables, roller slides, multi-axis positioning stages, xy tables, motor-ready lead screw stages & crossed roller rail sets.

Tusk Direct, Inc.
Bethel, CT | 800-447-2042When describing Tusk Direct, a linear slide distributor, products such as linear motion components, roller tables, ball & crossed roller slides, dovetail slides, bushings, multi-axis positioners & motor ready lead screw actuators, come to mind.

Modern Linear Incorporated
San Rafael, CA | 415-924-7938Modern Linear manufactures guide roller components and integrated slides for applications ranging from clean/vacuum environments to food processing/packaging, and heavy contamination.

Velmex, Inc.
Bloomfield, NY | 800-642-6446Established in 1967, Velmex makes manual & motor driven dovetail slides, open frame tables, twin rail slides, rotary and XY stages. Choose hand, lead screw or belt drive.

ROLLON Corp.
Hackettstown, NJ | 973-300-5492Linear slides manufactured by ROLLON Corp. are technically superior & offer innovative linear motion solutions when it comes to moving machine parts. Our linear slide company’s heavy-duty drawer slides (telescopic rail products) & ball bearing slides are made from the highest quality cold-drawn steel & can perform no matter what the load or plant conditions. Check out our linear revolution today!

Some linear slide rails use ball bearings for movement, but others use roller bearings or magnetic bearings. Ball bearing slides are the most common. Ball bearing linear slide rails are smooth and precise because they operate on a single axis using self-lubricating ball bearings in a linear base.
A roller bearing, also known as a rolling element bearing, has an outer ring with several balls within that are contained by a cage-like material. These are economical and long lasting bearings that cause minimal friction. Magnetic bearings use two encased magnets whose polarized forces oppose each other. This creates a smooth and controlled gliding motion.
3D printing is a relatively new development in the technology field that has possible applications in many manufacturing sectors. A 3D printer uses linear slide rails to move the components along the arms of the printer.
The printer creates items based on design specifications inputted from a computer, and the arms move back and forth to inject filament in the exact dimensions. The bearings in the linear slide rails allow for smooth, uninterrupted movement.
This is absolutely essential for a successful print job. Linear slide rails are also used in conventional household and office paper printers and even large industrial newspaper printers.
The bearings slide across an arm that spans the width of the page and conveys the ink cartridges, causing the ink to come into contact with the surface or paper during printing. The bearings on these slides need to be well lubricated when they