Many of the leading life science equipment manufacturers turn to IKO to help solve these challenges. Our quality, maintenance-free motion components and assertive customer service are backed by a full infrastructure that gives customers clarity and certainty as they plan ahead for ramped up production in response to the COVID crisis. As the effort to get your equipment to market takes on greater urgency, here’s how IKO can be your indispensable partner to combat the pandemic:

For example, our CRB Series of crossed roller bearings are well-suited for robotic systems with rotating, articulated arms because they can handle radial, thrust and moment loads at the same time. Linear motion rolling guides come in rail sizes from 1 to 85 millimeters to handle large, heavy loads or to fit into space- and weight-constrained robotic devices. They also provide smooth motion, accurate performance and good rigidity to deliver precise, repeatable motion. 

Our products are also well-suited for use in hazardous spaces or sanitation-intensive industries like healthcare, where construction and protection are important. Many of our products are offered in stainless steel to prevent corrosion and tolerate extreme temperatures, and they can be modified with special seals and greases to protect them and extend life in food- and vacuum applications. And C-Lube lubrication technology can significantly reduce maintenance requirements over a long lifetime, which is important for operations where system uptime and lower costs are critical. 

Our linear guides can handle loads in any direction and are available in a wide array of sizes to handle heavy loads or to fit into space- and weight-constrained robotic devices. For robots with rotary motion, designers can choose crossed roller bearings that handle radial, thrust and moment loads at the same time, or high load capacity needle roller bearings. And we stock large quantities of components, rails and parts to ensure prompt lead times—even for large ASRS systems with many bins. 

Many products come with our innovative C-Lube technology, which uses capillary action to lubricate the bearings over a long lifetime. Built-in lubrication greatly reduces the burden and expense associated with disassembling equipment to perform maintenance within tight spaces. And customers can choose various seals and accessories to protect against dust and contaminants. Our products help you move goods quickly, efficiently and reliably over a long lifetime so you’ll get a better return on investment from your automated warehousing systems.

We get our products to you fast. We carry a large inventory of off-the shelf products stocked in multiple U.S. locations to ensure delay-free availability. IKO products feature robust construction to perform reliably in welding lines, stamping machines and tooling equipment. For example, we offer a linear motion rolling guide with a highly rigid slide unit that moves over a wide track rail to enhance moment ability. For chucking and mold fixtures, our Linear Way H Series features two rows of steel balls that contact the raceway at four points to deliver high accuracy and rigidity. And many IKO products come with C-Lube built-in lubricating technology to minimize maintenance requirements. 

Reliable, robust and readily available components plus C-Lube technology make IKO one of the most trusted names in the automotive equipment industry.

Some packaging machines are sensitive to contamination, whether via cardboard particles or lubricants that come into direct contact with linear guides. That’s why many of our linear guides offer built-in lubrication technology—called C-Lube—which is designed to release oil slowly through direct continual contact with the linear guide’s rolling elements. We’ll keep contamination contained so you’ll achieve maximum machine uptime in this productivity-driven industry.

We also offer cost-effective positioning tables that combine precision with compact size—two important criteria in ever-shrinking packaging equipment, as well as ball spline rolling guides and linear bushings. Customers can choose standard carbon steel products or stainless steel material for use in wet conditions typically found in food processing facilities.

For example, our linear guides come in sizes ranging from 85 millimeters to handle heavy loads, to as small as 1 millimeter to address space-constrained robotic and lab-automation equipment. Our products feature robust construction and deliver smooth, accurate motion, and most come in stainless steel versions to meet strict federal clean room standards. They can also be modified for patient contact. In fact, we can cut linear guides to specific rail lengths and provide special lubricants and coatings to meet most any need.

We also offer long-term, maintenance-free operation thanks to C-Lube. This innovative technology is designed to release lubricating oil directly to the rolling elements of a guide without risk of contaminating machine parts and lab samples. When you partner with us, you can be sure your device moves reliably and safely.

IKO linear motion rolling guides come in a wide range of sizes to handle heavy loads in aircraft construction as well as lighter loads as more aircraft parts turn to lightweight materials. They also provide smooth motion, accurate performance, good rigidity and long operating life for increasingly automated airplane assembly systems and machine tools. You’ll also find IKO products in challenging conditions such as airplane seating where high shock loads are always a concern. IKO even rides aboard the Mars Curiosity rover and newly launched Perseverance, supporting the Mastcam as it sends images of Mars back to Earth. 

Many IKO products come in corrosion-resistant stainless steel versions, and many of our linear guides feature interchangeable parts to give designers maximum flexibility to address material, space savings, capacity and cost considerations. And built-in C-Lube lubrication technology provides long-term, maintenance-free operation in an industry where disassembling equipment isn’t always an option.

So, whether you require a motion system to explore the surface of Mars or need smooth, rolling motion for airplane seats, you can count on quality, rugged motion components from IKO.