Ball spline The manufacturer believes that when linear slides are used as linear guides, thanks to the rolling friction characteristic of linear slides, the coefficient of friction is reduced to just 1/50 of that in conventional linear guides. Moreover, the gap between dynamic and static friction becomes extremely small. As a result, during bed movement, there will be no slippage, enabling positioning accuracy at the M-level.

　　Ball spline manufacturers believe that traditional linear slides, due to the inevitable reverse flow of the oil film, inevitably suffer from poor platform positioning accuracy. Insufficient lubrication during operation leads to wear on the contact surfaces of the running tracks, seriously affecting precision. In contrast, rolling guides experience very little wear, allowing machines to maintain high precision over extended periods. Because linear slides exhibit minimal friction during movement, the machine bed can operate with lower power consumption—especially when the bed performs regular reciprocating motions, significantly reducing the machine's energy usage. Moreover, the heat generated by friction is minimal, making these guides well-suited for high-speed operation.

　　Ball spline manufacturers believe that, thanks to the special bundled structural design of linear guides, these guides can simultaneously withstand loads in the up, down, left, and right directions—unlike conventional linear guides, which can only handle slight lateral loads acting parallel to the contact surfaces, often leading to poor machining accuracy. During assembly, all that’s required is to mill or grind the guide rail mounting surfaces on the machine bed and then secure the guide rails and sliders onto the bed using the recommended steps and specified torque levels, thereby restoring the high precision achieved during manufacturing. In traditional sliding guides, the running tracks must be scraped, a process that is time-consuming and labor-intensive; moreover, once the machine’s accuracy deteriorates, the scraping must be repeated. Linear guides, however, are interchangeable: individual sliders, guide rails, or even entire linear guide assemblies can be replaced separately, enabling the machine to regain its high-precision guidance performance.

　　Ball spline manufacturers believe that insufficient lubrication of linear guides can lead to direct metal-to-metal friction at the contact surfaces, resulting in loss of table accuracy. However, achieving adequate lubrication of linear guides is not easy; it requires drilling holes at appropriate locations on the machine bed to supply oil. Linear guides are equipped with grease nipples on the sliders, allowing for direct lubrication via a grease gun. Alternatively, specialized oil pipe fittings can be used to connect to an oil supply line, enabling automatic lubrication by an oil supply unit.

　　Ball spline manufacturers believe that if linear guides are improperly lubricated, friction in the rolling elements will increase, and prolonged use under such conditions will be a major factor leading to reduced service life. However, adding an appropriate amount of grease does indeed offer significant benefits to the guides, which can broadly be categorized into three aspects:

　　1. Reduce friction in moving parts and minimize wear.

　　2. Forming an oil film between the rolling surfaces can extend the rolling fatigue life.

　　3. Prevent rusting.

　　Ball spline manufacturers recommend that each set of linear slides be coated with high-quality grease before leaving the factory to lubricate the ball raceway. Although the grease is not easily lost, to prevent insufficient lubrication due to grease depletion, we advise customers to replenish the grease once the travel distance reaches 100 km. At this point, a grease gun can be used to inject grease into the slider through the grease fitting provided on the slider. This grease is suitable for applications where the speed does not exceed 60 m/min and cooling is not required.