Equipois Inc., a technology company based in Los Angeles provides ergonomic solutions, to reduce injury costs and increase productivity in hand tool applications at major manufacturing companies. Their product, the zeroG® arm, allows for heavy tools (grinders, torque wrenches, drills) to be rendered weightless while providing complete range of motion and completely eliminating heavy-lifting.
Successful linear guidance rested on two factors: ease of movement and load handling. The application required a linear system to support the wide working envelope in the grinding area. Fitted with the grinding tool, the moment on the slide was 1500 in/lbs and the zeroG arm system weighed 30lbs. The linear guide system successfully supported both the heavy moment load of the grinding arm while smoothly traveling along the guide rail at the hands of the operator.
Integral V™ Technology (IVT) was the solution for Equipois’ mounting challenge. Introduced as the next generation linear guide, IVT is designed for heavy load support, precise guidance, and smooth travel. Each IVT linear guide aluminum extrusion is precision-machined using PBC Linear’s patent pending SIMO™ process. This creates a stronger, more rigid extrusion that matches the strength of steel—allowing IVT to easily handle high static/dynamic loads. The SIMO process machines all critical sides of an aluminum extrusion in one pass, creating a remarkably straight surface (tolerances held within ± .001"). This eliminates the need for fasteners, and drastically reduces alignment/installation time while ensuring high accuracy.
Reduced costs and simplified assembly are very attractive reasons to choose IVT, but the proof lies in the performance. Equipois needed a guide system to support a high roll moment load (the zeroG suspends tools using an movable arm attached to the linear guide). Once installed, the Integral V linear guide system easily tolerated the required static/dynamic loads (IVT Double Bolt-on tested for roll moment loads of 338 N-m static and 374 N-m dynamic). Gothic arch dual row bearings provided smooth, hand-operated travel of the linear guide; allowing the zeroG to be freely used throughout the grinding area.
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