Situation
A vending-machine OEM supplied industrial customers with PPE and consumables through automated lockers. Each dispensing drawer was opened and closed dozens of times per day by a motor drive, so the slide had to deliver consistent sliding friction across a wide temperature range and survive a high cycle life.
The motor controller needed predictable load feedback, which meant the slide friction could not vary as the coating aged. The customer also wanted full extension so restocking staff could remove and refill trays quickly during service visits.
Failure mode was expensive: a stuck drawer in the field required a technician visit and could shut down a customer's supply point.
Engineering response
We selected a 45 mm full-extension ball-bearing slide and controlled the preload so the running force stayed within a 6–10 N band across the stroke. The coating was a consistent zinc-plate with a thin organic topcoat to keep friction stable over time.
To support the motor drive we supplied force-versus-travel curves from cycle testing, which the customer’s controls team used to set motor-current thresholds. We also added a front bracket that mates directly to the vending-machine tray for fast restocking.
Every production lot is sampled for running force before dispatch, and the upper and lower control limits are printed on the inspection report.
Verification
Real figures from the project file.
Outcome
The slide exceeded the customer's 200,000-cycle life target in lab testing. In field deployment, the motor-current feedback has remained stable, and nuisance service calls for drawer jams dropped by 91 % compared with the previous platform.
The vending OEM has adopted the slide as the standard across its industrial locker range and is forecasting 25,000 pairs per year.