Thomson introduces Glide Screw, a new mechanical linear motion solution that combines the features of a linear bearing and a lead screw into a single, compact package. The Glide Screw’s integrated and pre-aligned lead screw and linear bearing design smoothly and quietly actuates a moment load or side load without additional support. The Glide Screw’s simplified design speeds installation and simplifies bills of material, while an integrated lubrication block virtually eliminates maintenance requirements. Numerous standard inch and metric sizes and configurations are stocked for immediate availability; custom diameters, configurations and thread leads are available with short lead times to satisfy unique application needs. Visitors to the website below will find video, 3-D animation, technical documentation and ready access to Thomson application engineers who will assist design engineers in configuring the right Glide Screw solution. “Every engineer’s objective is to eliminate parts, streamline designs, simplify installation and minimize maintenance requirements, with the ultimate goal of producing a superior performing machine with a distinct competitive advantage,” says Ben Gambrel, director of marketing, Linear Components Group.“By combining the best attributes of linear bearing and lead screw technologies into the Glide Screw product, we’ve created a completely new technology category that helps machine designers and builders do exactly that. Glide Screws eliminate the need for reference surfaces, the pain of ‘floating’ a system into alignment and even lubrication – this is truly a plug-and-play, install-it-and-forget it solution.”