– Danaher Motion introduces Thomson Stainless Steel MultiTrac Ball Bushing® bearings. Constructed of 440 stainless steel components to resist rust and corrosion, these bearings are built to thrive in harsh environments with temperatures up to 180ºF (82ºC). Machine builders will benefit from extended service intervals and longer bearing life, increased machine reliability and reduced service and support costs. They feature a patented multiple track design that delivers up to twice the load carrying capacity, or 8 times the operating life, of conventional linear bearings. When combined with Thomson stainless steel 60 Case shafting the shaft life is also extended when compared to conventional shafting. Most sizes are available with same or next day delivery. “With a coefficient of friction as low as 0.001, these Ball Bushing bearings allow machine builders to use smaller, less expensive motors, belts, gears and ball screws when replacing high friction, plain bearings, to help them build a better machine, faster, and more cost effectively,” says Ellen Steinbrunner, Product Line Manager, Thomson Shafting and Linear Ball Bushing Bearings. “Users will also benefit from patented ball control technology that ensures optimum rolling element transition while eliminating the binding and chatter common to plain bushings and sliding-way bearings. Wear resistant, engineered-polymer retainers further reduce inertia and noise levels for extremely smooth, quiet machine operation,” she says. Thomson Stainless Steel MultiTrac Ball Bushing bearings deliver steady state travel speeds up to 10 ft/s (3 m/s) and accelerations to 450 ft/s2 (150 m/s2), without the use of derating factors that are typically necessary with competitive products. Derating factors can result in the need to specify larger, more expensive bearings to deliver the same level of performance that is achieved with smaller Thomson Stainless Steel MultiTrac Ball Bushing bearings. Thomson Stainless Steel MultiTrac Ball Bushing bearings are available in 8, 12, 16, 20, 25, and 30 mm sizes as standard, with adjustable, closed and open configurations. They feature industry standard dimensions for direct interchange with competitive and legacy applications, and their corrosion-resistant design makes them well suited for use in various industrial automation, food and beverage, and medical device applications, among others.