I have a rail like this where the truck slid off (stupid operator error and by operator I mean me). About 8 or so tiny ball bearings fell out as I tried and succeeded in putting the truck back on. Any thoughts on the viability of this rail now and if I must put the balls back, then how? The truck seems to be working fine thus far nonetheless.
https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tpa-us.com/images/miniature-linear-guides.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tpa-us.com/linear-guides.html&docid=a685EdIBb_nuRM&tbnid=3RC69_ipyFFWHM:&vet=1&w=821&h=564&source=sh/x/im
I’d like to know as well
It will never be right unless the balls are all back in. It will run a bit, but it will eventually catch and jam.
Seconding what @Robert_Norton1 said. My own experience was that it does indeed end up catching and not moving smoothly.
Still need to know how to put the balls back
Something doesn’t sound right. Balls should not come out of the guide and they (should be) captured in recirculating groups. In the ones I have seen, you can remove the “truck” as you call it, and the balls are still captured in their channels.
If your linear guide is like the one in the picture, I would think the balls may be put in from the top and the covers are put in place later… are there some screws in the top? I’m thinking those two black panels might be attached with screws and you can remove those and put the balls back in place when the guide is on the rail?
If that does not work and as the balls appear to be able to fall out of your particular linear guide, and you want to put it back in service, I would suggest using grease to keep the balls in place until you get it back on to the rail. I do that when working with loose balls in bearings such as those used on bicycles. A bit of grease in the ball race and you can put the balls into the grease which keeps them in place until assembled.
I know grease is not the perfect answer as we want to keep the rails clean, so perhaps you can use a spray type cleaner after it’s assembled and I guess make sure you use a compatible grease for whatever lube you might use normally (silicone for example is available in grease form and a thin spray) .
Most linear sleds will lose their balls if you slide them off the rail.
If you can collect all the balls, you should be able to put them back into the sled when it’s partially on the rail, using a bit of grease as Chris suggested to keep them from bouncing around. I wouldn’t suggest disassembling.
The sled/carriage should never be taken off the rail, if you have to, there are small plastic retainers you can slide them onto to keep their balls in place.
@Thomas_Sanladerer maybe the ones for 3d printing. At work they sell the sled seperatly and the balls only fall out if the sleds are like 5-10 years old and worn out. Depends. Like allways.
Eight is a lot. If it were just one or two, you’d probably be fine. I’ve reinserted bearings before. I don’t think it’s terribly difficult. Make sure the bearings are clean. Flip over car & rail assembly and side it so the car’s slot is barely exposed. Gently push in bearings one at a time. The tip of a ball point pen body might help guide it into the slot. Anything that’s just pointy might work but will probably let the bearing slip.
Thanks all, I will try it
Don’t these have alternating diameters? The balls usually have microscopic differences in their diameters, with larger ones rolling against the rail and smaller ones reverse rolling between them. If this is the case, you’re better off leaving them out, because you’ll never get them back in in the right order.