Technical Product Guide

We have put together this central hub of technical information, including product guides and our latest engineering news, to help you to find your way around our website and ensure that you are selecting the right product for your application. If you are looking for support during your design or purchasing decision-making process, take a look at the links below to our latest engineering guides.

Product guides: how they work

For a brief overview of each product type, when you click through to the main product page simply scroll down past the individual item links and you will find a basic engineering guide that covers that specific product category, including information about what the item is used for, how it works and the kinds of applications it might be suitable for. 

Technical articles and guides:

In this section we have listed blogs, product guides and technical articles that relate to our specific areas of expertise. 

Actuator systems & linear motion

Automation and the movement of loads through any plant is critical to effective, efficient production. The engineering guides in this area will help you to select the right components to make your processing plant a success. 

Linear actuators: This basic product guide is found on our main linear actuator product page where we look at what a linear actuator is and what applications they are designed for. 

If you would like a slightly more detailed overview of linear rail actuators and ball screw actuators, this  engineering guide is a good place to start. 

For a more detailed guide to linear actuators, our article on choosing the right linear actuator for your application includes factors you should consider such as stroke length, load, speed and your working environment. 

If you want to know the difference between linear rail actuators and linear rod actuators, our product guide to each is a great place to start. 

Linear motion 

Covering product ranges like linear rails and guides, ballscrews and leadscrews, the technical help in this area takes a broad look at linear motion and the benefits of using one of these solutions.

If you’re right at the start of your journey and want to know what a linear motion control system is, this article provides a basic engineering guide to linear motion systems, covering what they are made up of and a brief introduction to ball screw and lead screw actuators. 

Ballscrews

If you want to delve deeper into ball screws, these articles are a great place to start: 

An introduction to ball screws – including how to select the right one for your application. 

Our product guide on ball screws – including some of the benefits and options on end supports. 

Unsure what you need? This article looks at the basic differences between ball screws and lead screws. 

If motion efficiency is your main concern, this article considers how ballscrews can help improve your efficiencies.  

Our product guide to rotary ballscrews looks at how rotary motion can be used to achieve linear movement and why ballscrews are used so widely for accuracy and precision. 

Considering a linear ballspline but want to know more? Take a look at our product guide for ballsplines. 

If you’re at the point of selecting your ballscrew, we have several articles that may prove useful. The first covers some of the fundamental factors you should consider when choosing a ballscrew, whilst our other guide looks at the types of ballscrew available and the selection process. 

Linear rails:

Linear rails are widely used alongside actuators to provide support for loads and enable fast movement of loads with precision. Our product guide on linear rails considers the kinds of applications and systems that they are most suited to, and the available product ranges. 

For more information on linear rail systems, our article on applications suited to linear rails also looks at how they are made and some of the features and benefits of linear rails. 

Linear rails come in a wide variety of both standard and specialist options to cater for all requirements, from heavy and bulky loads to tight spaces and reduced heights. Our product guide to bespoke linear rails looks at some of the options to give you a taste of what you could choose from. 

If you’re at the point of calculating your linear rail requirements but want some guidance on how to calculate load capacity, including dynamic load, this engineering guide to the difference between static and dynamic load capacity contains some helpful tips. 

Aluminium extrusion:  

Aluminium extrusion and the creation of frames or rails may sound straightforward but getting the right configuration for your application can be daunting. If you’re looking for an engineering guide to aluminium extrusion, this area is right for you. 

Our basic product guide to aluminium extrusion looks at how it is made and some of the advantages of choosing an aluminium extrusion as a solution. 

If you’re thinking of building a modular workspace, this article provides some useful tips on creating a modular hygienic environment and looks at how modular workspaces can be cost effective. 

Pneumatics: 

If you have a need for linear or rotary motion using compressed air but aren’t sure where to start, this section is just the place for you. 

A basic guide to pneumatic cylinders, this article looks at how they work and why they are so popular across industry. 

If you think a compact cylinder may be the right solution for your application, take a look at our product guide to compact cylinders. 

If you’re at the point of selection, this engineering guide to pneumatic cylinders considers some of the factors that you should include when specifying your requirements. 

We all want our pneumatic cylinders to provide us with efficient performance; our article on maximising pneumatic cylinders’ output covers all the basics. 

If you’ve found these product guides useful, you can discover more of our technical articles here.