Linear guide rail
Telescopic Slide Rail
A telescopic slide rail (partial extension type) is a two-section linear motion component that enables controlled sliding extension and retraction of drawers, equipment modules, trays, and functional assemblies in industrial equipment. The partial extension design retains a longer overlap between the fixed and moving rails during extension, providing greater structural rigidity and lower deflection under load compared to full-extension designs. Internal ball bearings convert sliding friction to rolling friction, enabling smooth, low-force operation even under significant loads and across many cycles. BOM Bearing manufactures telescopic slides using bearing-grade precision grinding processes for the ball raceway surfaces, achieving superior smoothness and consistency compared to standard hardware-grade slides. Standard and custom lengths and load ratings manufactured to order.
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Telescopic Slides
Precision Ground Raceways Custom Sizes Available
BOM Bearing manufactures telescopic slides with precision ground raceways — the same bearing-grade grinding process applied to our rolling bearing products. Where conventional telescopic slides rely on cold-drawn profiles, our ground raceways achieve tighter surface finish and dimensional tolerances, delivering smoother motion, lower and more consistent running resistance, and better positioning repeatability.
- Raceway Manufacturing: Bearing-grade precision grinding produces uniform surface geometry and tight straightness tolerances — the foundation of smooth, consistent motion across the full stroke
- Load Capacity: Up to 500 kg per pair depending on profile height and length; custom-engineered slides available for higher load requirements
- Closed Length Range: 200–1,500 mm standard; custom lengths outside this range on request
- Rolling Elements: Precision recirculating ball bearings running in ground raceways — low friction, quiet, and consistent force throughout the stroke
- Materials: Bearing-grade carbon steel standard; stainless steel for corrosion-resistant environments
- Mounting: Side, bottom, or top mount; designed for direct integration into robot arm, shuttle, and equipment structures
Precision Ground Raceways
Bearing-Grade Manufacturing High-Cycle Reliability
Conventional telescopic slides form their raceways by cold-drawing steel through a die — the raceway geometry is determined by the die shape and the material's springback behaviour. BOM telescopic slides use the same precision cylindrical grinding equipment and process controls as our bearing production lines, where raceways are ground to finished geometry after heat treatment. The result is a meaningfully tighter surface and a more consistent ball-to-raceway contact condition.
- Ground vs Cold-Drawn: Grinding removes material to achieve final geometry after heat treatment; cold-drawing forms geometry before heat treatment and accepts the resulting distortion. Ground profiles deliver tighter dimensional accuracy and better surface finish
- Consistent Running Resistance: Uniform surface finish across the full raceway length means friction variation between cycles is minimal — important for servo-driven systems where motor torque control relies on predictable load
- Positioning Repeatability: Tight raceway straightness tolerances translate directly to repeatable extension stroke length — critical in AMR fork arms and ASRS shuttle retrieval where the extended position must be accurate to pick or place a bin
- High-Cycle Durability: Ground surfaces wear uniformly, maintaining performance specifications over tens of millions of cycles in 24/7 automated warehouse environments
- Positive Locking: Optional lock mechanism at the retracted and/or extended position; prevents unintended slide movement during robot travel or vehicle transport
- Surface Treatment: Zinc electro-plating standard; stainless grades with passivation for cleanroom, food-grade, or humid environments
Custom & Integrated Slide Assemblies
Integrated Assemblies Engineering Support
Beyond standard dimensions, BOM designs and manufactures custom slide assemblies where the telescopic slide, mounting frame, end stops, and locking hardware are engineered and produced as a single precision unit — not sourced separately and assembled on-site.
- Integrated Assemblies: Slide and mating structure (mounting brackets, housing frame, end plates) manufactured and aligned as one unit — more compact installation, smaller envelope, and higher structural rigidity than separately assembled components
- One-Piece Machining Precision: Integrated machining eliminates the assembly stack-up errors that accumulate when a slide is bolted to a separately sourced bracket — delivering tighter alignment and better positioning accuracy for automated equipment
- Custom Dimensions: Non-standard closed lengths, profile heights, cross-section widths, and stroke ratios specified to your exact installation envelope — particularly useful in the tight packaging constraints of AMR and shuttle vehicles
- Custom Locking & End Stops: Locking positions, end-stop force, and damper specifications tailored to your load and cycle requirements
- Special Materials & Finishes: High-strength steel, stainless grades, special coatings — specified to your operating environment
- Integration Support: Engineering review of your assembly interface, tolerance stack-up, and load case to ensure the slide meets the application's performance requirements before manufacturing
Applications
AMR Fork Arms
Autonomous Mobile Robots extend and retract telescopic fork arms to retrieve and place bins, totes, and pallets on storage racks. Positioning repeatability from precision ground raceways ensures accurate engagement with the load on every cycle.
ASRS Shuttle Vehicles
Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) shuttles carry telescopic forks that extend into rack channels to transfer goods. High-cycle durability and consistent stroke accuracy are essential for uninterrupted 24/7 warehouse operation.
Mini-Load & Bin-Handling Systems
Mini-load ASRS cranes and bin-handling robots require lightweight, compact telescopic arms that cycle rapidly while maintaining precise reach. Ground raceways reduce motor load variation, simplifying servo tuning and improving throughput.
Automated Picking & Sortation
Pick-and-place stations, goods-to-person fulfilment systems, and sortation conveyors use telescopic slides to align, present, and transfer items. Consistent, low-friction motion supports the speed and repeatability demanded by high-throughput fulfilment operations.
About BOM Bearing
BOM Bearing manufactures precision rolling bearings and telescopic slides, applying the same bearing-grade grinding and quality standards to both product lines for industrial automation applications worldwide.
- Quality Assurance: ISO 9001 certified manufacturing with dimensional inspection and functional testing at every production stage
- Bearing-Grade Grinding: Shared precision grinding capability between our bearing and telescopic slide lines — the same equipment and process controls ensure consistent raceway quality
- Custom & Integrated Solutions: Application-specific slide assemblies with custom dimensions, stroke ratios, integrated mounting hardware, and locking configurations
- Technical Support: Engineering team available for load analysis, stroke specification, mounting interface review, and integration guidance for automated systems
- Fast Delivery: Efficient production lines and global logistics for both standard and custom orders
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the advantage of precision ground raceways over cold-drawn profiles?
Cold-drawn profiles are formed to shape before heat treatment — the final raceway geometry reflects forming tolerances and any distortion introduced by the process. Precision ground raceways are machined to final geometry after heat treatment, achieving tighter dimensional accuracy and smoother surface finish. In practice, this means more consistent ball-to-raceway contact, lower and more uniform rolling resistance, and better positioning repeatability — particularly relevant for servo-driven automated equipment where the controller relies on predictable mechanical behaviour.
Why is positioning repeatability important for AMR and ASRS applications?
In AMR fork arms and ASRS shuttle forks, the extended tip of the slide must reach a precise position to engage a bin, tote, or pallet carrier accurately. If the stroke length varies cycle-to-cycle due to geometric inconsistency in the slide, the robot's positioning system must compensate — increasing cycle time or leading to mis-picks. Ground raceways produce consistent stroke geometry, reducing this variation and allowing tighter positioning tolerance in the robot's motion profile.
What load capacities are available, and how does mounting orientation affect capacity?
Load capacity depends on profile height, closed length, and the overhang distance (the distance between the load's centre of gravity and the nearest end of the rail). A larger overhang moment reduces effective capacity. Standard slides support up to 500 kg per pair in favourable mounting conditions; custom profiles are available for higher loads. Contact us with your load, overhang distance, and closed length to receive a specific recommendation.
Can telescopic slides be locked in the retracted or extended position?
Yes. An optional positive locking mechanism holds the slide in the retracted position during robot travel, or in the extended position during loading and unloading. This prevents unintended movement under vibration or inertial forces. Locking force and release mechanism (manual, pneumatic, or electrical) can be specified based on the application's operational requirements.
Can BOM manufacture custom-length slides or integrated slide assemblies?
Yes. We produce slides in custom closed lengths, profile heights, and stroke ratios outside standard catalog dimensions — important given the tight packaging constraints typical of AMR and shuttle vehicle designs. Beyond dimension customization, we also manufacture integrated assemblies where the slide, mounting frame, end stops, and locking hardware are produced as a single precision unit. Integrated machining eliminates assembly stack-up errors and delivers tighter alignment between the slide and its mounting interface — a meaningful advantage in high-precision automated systems. Contact us to discuss your application.
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