Situation
A German machine-tool builder needed full-extension slides for hinged service panels on a new machining centre. The panels had to slide completely clear of the cabinet so technicians could reach filters and drives, but the slide also had to tolerate coolant mist, metal dust and occasional impact from tooling boxes.
Space was limited: the slide had to fit inside a 25 mm wall cavity. The customer also wanted a positive stop at full extension to prevent the panel from dropping when opened, and a defined side-play tolerance to keep gap lines consistent across the machine enclosure.
The annual programme was modest at 1,200 machines, but each machine used eight slides, so reliability was critical for field reputation.
Engineering response
We chose a 45 mm three-member ball-bearing slide with a full-extension geometry and a rear-mounted stop block. The stop block was customised to engage at 2 mm before absolute end-of-travel, absorbing operator momentum without stressing the slide members.
To survive the coolant environment we specified a hard zinc-plated finish with an additional organic topcoat, and added dust shields over the ball races. Samples were cycled 30,000 times in a fog cabinet that alternated between coolant mist and dry air to prove the coating.
We produced a drilling template matched to the customer’s sheet-metal bend radius and supplied pre-assembled slide pairs so the customer’s line workers could not mismatch left and right units.
Verification
Real figures from the project file.
Outcome
Panel movement became a non-issue in the machine's field trials. The slides still operated smoothly after 18 months in three beta customer plants.
Side-play remained within the 0.3 mm specification across the full temperature range, and the stop block eliminated the panel drop the customer had experienced with the previous supplier. The machine builder has now standardised the slide across two additional machine families.