As part of the Schaeffer Group, INA has been contributing to the automotive and aerospace sectors for over seventy years since the company’s founding by the Schaeffer brothers in 1946. The products produced by INA can also be found in a wide range of industries beyond the automotive and aerospace sectors they are most renowned for.
Both the rolling and the plain variety of INA linear bearings are utilised in sectors as wide ranging as civil, electrical and agricultural engineering, as well as the likes of food processing and packaging, pneumatics, solar power plants, machine tools and an array of medical systems. The list goes on and on and actually counts over sixty different industrial sectors which rely on INA’s rolling and plain bearings.
INA Linear Bearing Products
The linear bearings INA manufacture under the Schaeffer Group umbrella are bearing elements explicitly for translation type motion. There are differences in the products they produce according to whether the forces at work are transmitted via rolling or sliding elements. There are also many other different requirements for linear bearings, such as some applications requiring more speed and accuracy, while another industrial application might prefer more precision and rigidity. To meet these requirements, INA have compiled a sophisticated catalogue of linear bearing designs to suit each and every purpose.
Each of the INA linear bearing designs has individual characteristics ranging from load capacity, acceleration, constant speed and stroke, as well as other significant factors such as temperature and vibration resistance, plus ease of lubrication and maintenance. But while there are numerous linear designs for specific tasks, each of them generally falls into one of two groups, either the rolling or the plain linear bearing.
INA Linear Rolling Bearings
The INA rolling bearings can be acquired in various forms, either as monorail guidance systems, track roller guidance system or as a shaft guidance system. In addition to these, INA can provide rolling bearings for flat cage guidance systems as well as other guidance systems that feature linear ball bearing units that re-circulate.
Also featured in the INA product catalogue are their specially designed miniature guidance systems which are ideal for smaller-sized design operations like the ones required for precision engineering. The elements in these particular guidance systems using INA linear bearings are extremely compact which enables a high load capacity. The design also reduces friction while performing with a high rigidity. Usually, these INA rolling bearings can endure much higher loads than other ball guidance systems of a similar size.
INA Linear Plain Bearings
In basic terms, the plain linear bearings are linear locating bearings, essential for guidance systems utilising unlimited stroke lengths. The INA plain bearings differ significantly from the rolling bearings in that they are not distinguished by rolling elements but are actually contained within a static guidance shaft. Obviously, there are multiple different types of guidance system, but essentially the sliding components are applied to the movable or rigid layer. The guidance system is then lubricated via the sliding layer.
As with the rolling bearing, these plain linear guidance systems are available in INA’s specially designed miniature system, which consists of a carriage system (or guide way) with a sliding layer that is completely maintenance free.
If you require any more information regarding INA linear bearings such as the many rolling or plain bearings they manufacture, then simply contact YB Components who can provide all the information you need as well as ship these parts all over the UK and the world.