When using linear slides & bearings, what applications present the most challenges in terms of machine productivity and why?

BEN/POLYGON: The role becomes most critical in an environment where high levels of contamination exist. Applications where the environment may be very dirty require a design review that takes into account pin selection, liner construction, and seal design. Excessive debris that is not properly managed will result in premature shaft scoring, will attack the integrity of the bearing system, and will drive the wear of the bearing, as well as destroy any desired frictional response between bearing and shaft.
BOB/BISHOP: Environments where lubrication cannot be used. Most every type of bearing works better with proper lubrication. However, certain applications, such as biomedical equipment, cannot tolerate the presence of oil near sensitive processes. Also, applications which serve in the presence of corrosive chemicals. Materials such as acids or strong base chemicals can etch away material from the smooth surfaces of the wheels or tracks, thereby accelerating the wear of the aforementioned components.
RUSS/INA: The most demanding application in terms of productivity today is in semiconductor processing, where operating cycle times are contained, in some applications, in fractions of a second. In such applications, the acceleration requirements and the dynamic behavior of the rolling element systems are stretching the limit of the current technology. The most demanding applications in terms of durability are in the woodworking and processing industries where the environment is such that the linear units employed are limited by the duration of the lubricant.

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