Contamination and poor lubrication practices can shorten the life of linear bearings. Here is a look at how to avoid both problems.
To get the longest working life out of a linear bearing, keep it clean and well lubricated. This common-sense advice may sound easy enough to follow. Yet in the real world of roundthe- clock, high-cycle manufacturing operations, bearings do get dirty and dry.
And when either of these conditions happens, linear bearings will wear prematurely. In the worst-case scenarios, contamination and inadequate lubrication can create metal-on-metal contact between the bearing’s rolling elements and raceway. This can cause excessive wear in the form of denting, pitting or galling results.