Why not 'Linear Bearing Mandrel Systems'? We have been asked on numerous occasions “Why don’t you have a linear bearing mandrel system like your competition?” The machine design has a mandrel crank shaft with a cam follower running in a machined slot in the main gear of which drives the forming mandrel back and forth for each cycle. The mass of the forming mandrel going back and forth, especially at higher cycle rates creates a lot of inertia at both ends of the stroke. This movement has to stop and reverse directions at each end of the stroke. The cam follower and main gear cam track has to accept this load. The original cam follower, main gear cam track, was designed with a friction type of mandrel guide system in mind. This friction helps keep the inertia in the mandrel cycle from “freewheeling” to gain momentum at each end of the stroke. This friction mandrel guide system is still what we use today to eliminate premature wear and ultimately failure of the main gear track and cam follower system. The linear bearing mandrel system, while eliminating the friction wear parts of the mandrel guide system, it allows for excessive loading of the main gear cam track, cam follower and mandrel crank shaft, thus premature wear and sometimes failure occur. The replacement of the mandrel guide system wear parts are 1/10 the costs associated with the replacement of the main gear, cam follower and mandrel crank shaft. Actually in the early design days of this equipment, a form of the linear drive system was experimented with and ultimately scraped, for these same reasons, by the original designer of the drive systems on these machines.
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