Our SWISS PROFILE unit manufactures a range of semi-finished profiles, including linear guide rails used in automation. To guarantee the perfect dimensional stability of these rails, the company has developed a manufacturing process that incorporates continuous hardening in a protective atmosphere.
When it comes to linear motion, precision, surface finish and a high hardness value are critical parameters. In today’s industrial context, automation has reached a level of integration that demands high performance, consistency and reliability. Linear motion technologies have to operate under heavy loads without damage to the raceways over their lifetime, which is usually represented by millions of precise strokes of a carriage on a precision guideway.
At Swiss Profile, our experience in the cold forming of metal sections has given us a reputation for surface fineness, precision and form accuracy, particularly in high-quality bearing steels and stainless steels that are specifically designed for extremely demanding applications. We are now extending our know-how and market offering with the integration of our continuous hardening equipment, enabling us to produce high-precision, long-term hardened profiles for linear guide rails.
A continuous process
Rather than creating a case-hardened surface, our process of continuous quenching in a protective atmosphere followed by a low-temperature tempering operation gives linear profiles the dimensional stability required. This heat treatment results in improved mechanical properties, producing a stronger, more durable profile while reducing the brittleness of fully-hardened steel or stainless steel. In correctly dimensioned linear bearings, typical lifetimes range from hundreds to thousands of kilometers of travel.
Our precision profiles and wire raceways are custom-made in various shapes and cross-sections for mounting on base plates, integration into aluminum rails or direct use as rails, depending on applications and requirements. We offer a wide range of products that can be produced in any length up to 6m in a hardness range from 50HRC (510HV) to 60HRC (700HV).