MINIRAIL

Profiled miniature guideway

Table of Contents 1 Product overview and technical informations
MINIRAIL – a range of high-precision products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MINIRAIL – overview accuracy classes:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MINIRAIL – overview preload categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MINIRAIL – carriage replacement warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 MINIRAIL — Technical highlights

Accelerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Ball retention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Protection against pollution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Vacuum capacity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Packaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Smoothness and displacement force. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Clamping element for safety purposes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3 Technical Data
Accuracy classes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Running accuracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Preload classes V0, V1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Rail lengths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Tolerances for rail lengths and fixing holes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Lubrication with grease. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Lubrication with oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Re-lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Permissible speeds and accelerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Permissible operating temperatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Dimension table, loading capacities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12/13
Accessories and options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Plastic plugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Multi-part rails (ZG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

4 Sizing and installation guidelines

Dynamic loading capacity C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Tightening torques for rails and carriages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Configuration of the lateral location sides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Configuration of assembly surfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Geometrical and position accuracy of the support surfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Parallelism tolerances of the locating surfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Mounting instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
As delivered condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Transportation and intermediate storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

5 Ordering information MINIRAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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 Product overview and technical informations
1

MINIRAIL - a range of high-precision guideways

MlNlRAlL represents the latest generation The range includes eight rail widths. The following carriage sizes are available to select from:
of miniature guideways for sophisticated
applications. They are extremely robust, Standard, short MNNS 7 MNNS 9 MNNS 12 MNNS 15
and their smooth running, precision, and Standard MNN 7 MNN 9 MNN 12 MNN 15
reliability are demonstrated in every appli- Standard, long MNNL 7 MNNL 9 MNNL 12 MNNL 15
cation.
Standard, x-long MNNXL 7 MNNXL 9 MNNXL 12 MNNXL 15
The design, material selection, and sur- Wide MNN 14 MNN 18 MNN 24 MNN 42
face finish of the recirculation element and Wide, long MNNL 14 MNNL 18 MNNL 24 MNNL 42
ball entry zone guarantee low pulsation
and therefore a smooth ride.

Rail Length L 3
Our manufacturing know-how supports
high-precision manufacturing of rails up to
1000 mm in length, which can be offered
in graded lengths.
7
S
N

9
N

S
M

12
N
M

S
N
N

15
M

S
N
N
M
7
NN
M

9
N
N
M

12
N
N
M

15
N
N
M
7
L
N
N
M

9
L
N
N

12
M

L
N
N

15
M

L
N
N
M

14
7

N
L

N
X

18
M
N

9
N

N
L
M

N
N

7 mm
M
12
N

24
M

N
X

9 mm
N

15

M
N
M

42
XL
N

12 mm
N
N

M
M

14
L
N

15 mm
18
3

N
L

M
h

L
gt

N
en

N
M

24
lL
ai

L
N
R

N
M

14 mm
42
L
N
N
M

18 mm

24 mm

42 mm

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 MINIRAIL in two
accuracy grades: G 3 and G1 G3
Depending on the requirements of your ap-
plication, you have the choice of two accu-
racy grades: precision G3 and high-preci- G1
sion G1.
Tolerances: G1
A / B2 ∆A / ∆B2 G3
G 1, high-precision ± 10 µm 7 µm
G 3, precision ± 20 µm 15 µm
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MINIRAIL in
,t

­ ategories: V0 and V1
cy

two preload c
ra
cu

The pre-tension influences the rigidity, dis-

ac
ng

placement resistance and service lifetime.

n ni
ru

With two different pre-tensioning catego­

l
ra

ries, the MINIRAIL is suitable for your appli­

te
La

A
cation.
B2 V0 corresponds to a light preload of up to
∆ A and ∆ B2 = 7µm    0.01 C and is available for the accuracy ca-
Maximum dimensional differ­ tegory G3 (C = Dynamic load).
en­ce of several carriages V1 corresponds to the preload 0 to 0.03 C
measured at the same rail
position
and is available for both accuracy catego-
B2
A ries.

A and B2 = ±10µm   MINIRAIL

Maximum dimensional
difference measured on Carriage interchangeability guarantee
several MINIRAIL systems The carriages are manufactured with high
precision and are completely interchan­
geable. This makes a high degree of flexi-
µm - accuracy bility with respect to operations planning,
Our manufacturing control of this precise ­stocking and assembly. As a result of the
dimension is decisive for the complete in- interchangeability, additional carriages can
terchangeability of the carriages. be installed onto an existing rail.

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 MINIRAIL — Technical highlights
2

High accelerations of up to 300 m/s2 The recirculation element plays a crucial role in withstanding the constantly increasing
acceleration values. For this reason, SCHNEEBERGER uses a plastic material that is
capable of enduring very high loads The ingenious shape and the smooth surfaces
of the recirculation element are designed with high levels of centrifugal force in mind.

Direct lubrication Two lubrification bores in each front pla-

tes allow the direct lubrication on the ball
recirculation system.

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Ball retention device for If a carriage is removed from the rail or is
easy handling being prepared for installation, the balls
are always retained in the carriage by a
special ball retaining device. This makes
handling significantly easier and is prere-
quisite for quickly changing the carriages.

Protection against dirt To obtain quietness and extended life,

rail and carriage assemblies require clean
run­ning surfaces - even under unfavorab-
le conditions. Therefore our MINIRAIL car-
riages are equipped with rail-wiping, con-
toured front plates.
Should the protective - and wiping func-
tion of the front plates not be required, the
front plates can be removed easily. As a
result, the displacement resistance is re-
duced significantly.

Plastic plugs in the rail mounting holes

prevent the accumulation of any dirt.

Tight clearances between the carriage

and rail prevent dirt penetration.

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 High-grade materials All rails and carriages are manufactured
from corrosion-resistant, through-harde-
ned steel and are suitable for utilization in
the most diverse applications.

Vacuum capacity MINIRAIL can be operated in high vacu-

um without any wiper (max. 10-7 mbar).

Protective packaging Carriages and rails are packed carefully and ready for installation. In the process MINI-
RAIL carriages are shipped on a pro­tective rail, in order to prevent any impairment by
dirt or debris.

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High smoothness and low The precise fine grinding of the ball ent-
displacement force ry position on the running track is crucial
to the operational quietness and service
life, especially in the case of carriages with
pre­load. Here we have indeed produced
our best work.

Clamping element for The clamping element has been develo-

safety purposes ped especially for MINIRAIL. In normal
operation, the clamping element is
maintained in an open position by com-
pressed air, and in the case of an electric
power failure, the spring-force blocks all
movement for operational safety.

www.zimmer-gmbh.de

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 Technical Data
3

Accuracy classes The MINIRAIL guideways are available in two accuracy classes.

Accuracy Tolerances
class 1
A and B2 2
∆ A and ∆B2

A
G1 6 10 µm   7 µm
G3 6 20 µm 15 µm
1
Measuring referring to the center of the B2
carriage
2
Dimension differences between two or more
carriages measured at the middle of each
carriage (mean value of both supports) and at
the same rail position Locating side Labeled side

Running accuracy
18 .0

16 .0 G3

14 .0
Running accuracy ∆ (µm)

12 .0

10 .0

8 .0

6 .0
G1
4 .0

2 .0

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200

Rail length (mm)

Preload classes V0 and V1 Preloading increases the rigidity of the guideway but also affects operational life and
increases translation resistance. The MINIRAIL system is available in two preload
classes to address specific application requirements. The rail up to determines the
preload classes.

Preload class Preload Accuracy class

V0 near clearance G3
to 0.01 · C
V1 0 to 0.03 · C G1, G3
C = Dynamic loading capacity (see page 13)

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Rail lengths L3

L3 L5 L4 L10

L5 L4 L10

L8
Standard rail lengths L3 (length in mm)
Size L4 L5, L10 L8 L3 Max L3
7 15 5 – 40, 55, 70, 85, … 1000
9 20 7.5 – 55, 75, 95, 115, … 995
12 25 10 – 70, 95, 120, 145, … 995
15 40 15 – 70, 110, 150, 190, … 990
14 30 10 – 80, 110, 140, 170, … 980
18 30 10 – 80, 110, 140, 170, … 980
24 40 15 – 110, 150, 190, 230, … 990
42 40 15 23 110. 150. 190, 230, … 990

Custom rail lengths

Other rail lengths are available up to the maximum rail lengths above and are calculated
according to the following formula:
L3 = (n-1) · L4 + L5 + L10 n = number of fixing holes

The following minimum and maximum values should be maintained for the starting hole
pitch L5 and the end hole pitch L10.

Minimum and maximum starting and end hole pitch L5, L10
(lengths in mm)
Size 7 9 12 15 14 18 24 42
L5, L10 minimum 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6
L5, L10 maximum 11 15 20 35 25 25 34 34

Tolerances for rail lengths The position tolerance of the attaching holes and the length tolerance is:
and fixing holes

Rail L3, Xn ≤ 300 mm L3, Xn  300 mm

t (mm) 0.3 0.001 · Xn

L3 ± 0.3 ± 0.001 · L3

L3
n x L4
L4
j nt
0

X1

X2

X3

Xn

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