Glide Screw™
Combines the Features of a Linear Bearing and Screw in One Compact Package

www.thomsonlinear.com

Introduction
What is a Glide Screw™? Part linear bearing, part lead screw; a combination of two
favorites to create something better than both. The patent-pending Glide Screw™
brings high performance, fast installation and less complexity in a small package.

Standard Sizes and Configurations Stocked for Immediate Availability!
•7 Metric Series includes 4, 6 and 10 mm nominal diameters•7 Inch Series includes 3/16”, 1/4” and 3/8” nominal diameters•7 Flanged and cylindrical nut bodies standard
Optional Configurations for Harsh Environments Available•7 High temperature resistant – inside ovens or autoclaves (up to 175 °C)•7 Clean room – in robot vacuum chambers, laboratories or medical equipment (ISO 6)•7 Food grade – in packaging and food processing equipment
Custom Nut Configurations, Screw Diameters and Thread Leads Available•7 Don’t see your perfect configuration – call us, we make custom sizes!
Easy to Install and Maintenance Free!
•7 All that is required is a Glide ScrewTM and an anti-rotation feature•7 No need for reference surfaces or the pain of “floating” your system into alignment•7 Plug and play! Install it and forget it!
•7 Integrated Thomson’s patented Lube for Life technology• 7 Bearing grade plastic and stainless steel construction standard

2

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrewGlide Screw™

Benefits of the Glide Screw™ Technology
The Glide Screw™ combines the features of a linear bearing and a lead screw in one
smooth operating package. Inch and metric sizes are standard. Custom sizes are alsoavailable quickly and to your specification.

Glide Nut Housing

Glide Screw
Lubrication Block

Radial Bearing

Reduced Footprint•7 Integrated lead screw / linear bearing•7 Side load / moment load capable
Improved Equipment Uptime•7 Screw and linear bearing are already aligned•7 Component alignment is not critical – smooth and quiet motion•7 Integrated lubrication block – Thomson Lube for Life standard
Lower Cost of Ownership•7 Less complexity – faster installation•7 Less components – simpler bill of material•7 Maintenance free! No lubrication required

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrew3

Typical Application
Every engineer’s objective is to eliminate parts, streamline the design, simplify
installation and reduce the maintenance required – exactly what a Glide Screw™ does.
3D Printing or Engraving
Innovative and portable multi-axis printers / engravers are revolutionizing rapid prototyping and consumer
products. The Glide ScrewTM can reduce the number of components, decrease system complexity, decrease
assembly time and produce a better machine as decribed in the table below. It requires no maintenance, canshorten overall guided length and has a longer life which makes our Thomson Glide ScrewTM the better design
solution and less expensive overall.

Generic design
Glide Screw™ design!

Generic vs. Glide Srew™ Design

4

Generic

Glide Screw™

X, Y Area Compactness

4100 mm2

1600 mm2

Z Axis Length

64 mm

46 mm

Approx. Installation Time

45 min15 minNumber of Parts

74

30

Self Aligning

No

Yes

Maintenance Free

No

Yes

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrewGlide Screw™

Other Application Ideas
Fluid Pumps
Syringe pumps and integrated fluid pumps are a growing segment of the medical
industry. The stringent demands of these customers require smaller, cleaner,smoother, and quieter products. This is exactly the challenge the Glide ScrewTM
was designed to solve.

Fluid Pipetting / 3-Axis Lab Automation
Lab automation and diagnostics require faster and more accurate systems
in smaller footprints. Optimized for z-axis applications requiring the smallest
footprint, the Glide ScrewTM can replace traditional linear guided products thatare overdesigned and more expensive.

Other Applications
The Glide Screw™
improves performancein a smaller and lighter
package. It is easierand faster to install.
Also, it requires lessmaintenance compared
to traditional leadscrew and linear guidesolutions. Other great
applications for the
Glide Screw™ include:• Test tube handling• Lab automation• CD duplication• Pick & place• Syringe pumps• In vitro diagnostics• Medical imaging

Generic design
Glide Screw™ design!

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrew5Engineering
The Glide ScrewTM is designed to actuate a moment load or a side load without
additional linear guidance or support. Therefore, the screw deflection is thedeterminant feature and the following charts must be used when properly sizing a
Glide ScrewTM for an application.
How the Glide Screw™ Works
The unique design of Glide Screw™ allows it tohandle axial, radial and moment loads without
additional guidance. The result is an efficient andspace saving design that is quick and easy to installwith reduced maintenance needs compared to
traditional solutions.

axial
load

axial
load

radialload
momentload= load lines= reactionary forces

End Support
Decide which type of end support you will use toenable accurate selection of diameter.
Fixed support – utilizes a support journal length atleast 1.5 × the journal diameter – such as dual ballbearings.

1.
Max. Length2.

Simple support – uses a single ball bearing, a plain
bearing, or a bushing.

End support configurations shown at left:
1. Simple / simple
2. Fixed / simple
3. Fixed / fixed

6

Max. Length3.

Max. Length

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrewGlide Screw™

Engineering
Moment Load and Radial Load Charts
Determine your end support configuration and thenuse the following charts to properly size the nominal
diameter of the Glide ScrewTM. Select a productdiameter that lies above and / or to the right of thedesign moment or load.

The lead of a Glide ScrewTM is defined as the axial
distance traveled for one revolution of the screw.
Select the appropriate lead of your screw based on
the desired speed and resolution of travel. Note that
the Glide ScrewTM is limited to 300 RPM.

180

250

160

225

140

200
175

120

Radial load [lbs]Moment load [in-lbs]

Inch Diameter Models

100
80
60

150
125
100
75

40

50

20

25

0

0
0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

0

2

4

6

Unsupported length [in]

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

400

450 500

Unsupported length [in]

18

1000

16

900

14

800
700

12

Radial load [N]Moment load [Nm]Metric Diameter Models

10
8
6

600
500
400
300

4

200

2

100

0

0
0

50

100

150 200250

300 350400

450 500

Unsupported length [mm]

50

100

150 200= 10 mm= 6 mm= 4 mmwww.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrew

250

300 350

Unsupported length [mm]End support type

Screw diameters= 0.375 inch
= 0.250 inch
= 0.188 inch0

= fixed in both ends
= simple in one end and fixed in other= simple in both ends

Conversion factors
1.0 in-lb = 0.113 Nm
1.0 lb
= 4.448 N

7

Specifications and Part Numbers
Glide Screw™ configurations
GSF - screw and flanged nut assembly

GSC - screw and cylindrical nut assembly
B

B

D
J

F
A h9

H

BCD

E

G H11

A h11

C

Part number example: GSC25x0500 = glide screw assembly, cylindrical nut, 0.250 inch diameter by 0.500 inch lead

Inch Series Dimensions
Screw
Diam.
[in]

0.188
0.250

0.375

Screw
Lead
[in]

Screw and Nut
Assembly
Part No.

0.050

GS_18x0050

0.125

GS_18x0125

0.050

GS_25x0050

0.500

GS_25x0500

0.063

GS_37x0063

0.500

GS_37x0500

1.000

GS_37x1000

Max
Axial
Load
[lbs]

Max
MomentLoad[in-lbs]

Max
Screw
Length
[in]

30.0

20.5

45.0

70.0

Effic.
[%]

Dimensions [in]
A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

BCD

6.000

0.375

0.750

0.281

0.875

0.140

0.125

0.094

0.188

0.177

0.625

47.5

10.000

0.500

1.000

0.313

1.000

0.140

0.150

0.125

0.250

0.237

0.750

137.5

18.000

0.875

1.750

0.563

1.500

0.200

0.300

0.188

0.438

0.406

1.250

46
68
40
82
36
78
83

Metric Series Dimensions
Screw
Diam.
[mm]

4

6

10

Screw
Lead
[mm]

Screw and Nut
Assembly
Part No.

1

GS_4x1M

4

GS_4x4M

8

GS_4x8M

82

1

GS_6x1M

36

6

GS_6x6M

12

GS_6x12M

2

GS_10x2M

6

GS_10x6M

12

GS_10x12M

Max
Axial
Load
[N]

Max
Moment
Load
[Nm]

Max
Screw
Length
[mm]

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

BCD
45

89.0

133.4

2.3

5.4

150

250

10

13

20

26

6.5

7.75

20

25

2.5

3.5

3

4

2

3

5

7

5

5.75

15

19

75

75
82
40

311.4

15.5

450

Standard Products• Acetal nut body with all stainless steel internal components• 303 stainless steel screw• Integrated Lube for Life lubrication block• Temperature Rating: -40° to 65°C (-40° to 150°F)• Clean Room ISO 7 (Class 10000)
High Temperature• PEEK nut material and high temperature internal components• Temperature Rating: -10 to 175 °C (15 to 350 °F)

8Effic.
[%]

Dimensions [mm]

22

44

12

38

5

7

4

10

9.85

32

66
77

Clean Room/Vaccum Grade• Class ISO 6 (Class 1000)• Vacuum rating of <10-6 Torr
• PEEK nut material with appropriate grade components• Alternative lubrication system
Food Grade Configuration• Food grade lubricants• Rulon nut body, USDA-H1 compatible

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrewGlide Screw™

End Machining
Recommended end machining

End support type
fixed / fixed

fixed / simple

simple / simple

Inch Series End Machining Dimensions
Screw Screw
Diam. Lead
[in]
[in]

Screw
Part No.

0.050

GS18x0050

0.12

0.125

GS18x0125

0.13

0.050

GS25x0050

0.19

0.500

GS25x0500

0.16

0.063

GS37x0063

0.30

0.500

GS37x0500

0.27

1.000

GS37x1000

0.24

0.188
0.250

0.375

Root
Diameter[in]

Recommended Bearing

Dimensions [in]

OD
[mm]

ID
[mm]

W
[mm]

Bearing
Trade No.

7

2,5

2,5

692X

0.197 0.098

13

4

5

624

0.295 0.118 0.610 0.157 0.374 0.020 0.217 0.150 0.256 M4×x0.5

19

6

6

626

0.394 0.197 0.728 0.236 0.453 0.030 0.266 0.220 0.315 M6×0.75

A

B

C

D

E

N/A

0.098

N/A

F

G

H

L

0.022 0.120 0.075 0.157

THD
N/A

Metric Series End Machining Dimensions
Screw Screw
Diam. Lead[mm] [mm]

4

6

10

Screw
Part No.

Root
Diameter[mm]1

GS4x1M

2.8

4

GS4x4M

2.8

8

GS4x8M

2.8

1

GS6x1M

4.6

6

GS6x6M

4.4

12

GS6x12M

4.4

2

GS10x2M

7.3

6

GS10x6M

8.4

12

GS10x12M

8.4

Recommended Bearing

Dimensions [mm]

OD
[mm]

ID
[mm]

W
[mm]

Bearing
Trade No.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

L

THD

7

2.5

2.5

692X

5.00

2.50

N/A

2.50

N/A

0.55

3.05

1.90

4.00

N/A

13

4

5

624

7.50

3.00

15.50

4.00

9.50

0.51

5.51

3.81

6.50

M4×x0.5

13

6

6

626

10.00

5.00

18.50

6.00

11.50

0.76

6.76

5.59

8.00

M6×0.75

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrew

9Installation
Comparing Alternative Technologies
The Glide Screw™ is both drive system and linear guide, so these features are already perfectly aligned
and cannot bind. Therefore, installation is simple and the mating components do not require high tolerance
geometric features.

Drive and Guide Technology Comparison
Lead Screw / Linear Bearings

Lead Screw / Profile Rail

Glide Screw™

Small Footprint

Good

BetterBest

Ease of Installation

BetterGood

Best

Stiffness

BetterBest

Good

Misalignment Tolerant

BetterGood

Best

Lube for Life Lubrication

Optional

Optional

Integrated

Total Cost of Ownership

Good

BetterBest

Feature10

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrewGlide Screw™

Installation
Basic Installation Guidlines
The success of the Glide ScrewTM in an application is primarily dependent on the end support configuration.
Since the Glide ScrewTM is a combination of a lead screw and linear bearing, the ability to handle non-axial
loads while maintaining positional accuracy is the key to a successful installation. The load capacity curves are
based on screw deflection and not the lead nut capacity. Therefore, stiffness of the assembly determines load
capacity.
Installation Step-by-Step
1. Select end support configuration
A fixed bearing support should be selected when possible.
A simple support is typically a single radial bearing thatis allowed to float axially to compensate for misaligments.
Typical methods of attaching end supports is either basemounting or flange mounting.
2. Select motor and drive configuration
Select a motor and your means for coupling the screw tothe motor. Typically this is done by a belt, gearing or an
in-line coupler. It is also possible to directly integratea Glide Screw™ with a stepper motor, which can reducecomplexity and save space.
3. Select nut mounting interface
The standard configurations for the glide nut are flanged
nuts and cylindrical nuts but are by no means the only
solutions. Custom configurations, custom mounting anddesign assistance are available from Thomson.
4. Determine anti-rotation method
The Glide ScrewTM requires an external anti-rotation
feature on the nut housing to function correctly. Two
examples of acceptable methods are the finger / slot 		
solution or the bushing / linear shaft solution.
5. Mount the assembly into the application
The actual mounting of the Glide ScrewTM is easy once all of
the periphrials have been determined and designed. Justbolt the assembly in place and fire up the system. No criticalalignment procedures are necessary as the drive system andlinear guidance are already in perfect alignment.

www.thomsonlinear.com/glidescrew

1

2
3

4

5

11

USA, CANADA and MEXICO
Thomson
203A West Rock Road
Radford, VA 24141, USA
Phone: 1-540-633-3549
Fax: 1-540-633-0294
E-mail: thomson@thomsonlinear.com
Literature: literature.thomsonlinear.com
EUROPE
United Kingdom
ThomsonPhone: +44 (0) 1271 334 500
Fax: +44 (0) 1271 334 501
E-mail: sales.uk@thomsonlinear.com
GermanyThomsonNürtinger Straße 70
72649 Wolfschlugen
Phone: +49 (0) 7022 504 0
Fax: +49 (0) 7022 504 405
E-mail: sales.germany@thomsonlinear.com
FranceThomsonPhone: +33 (0) 243 50 03 30
Fax: +33 (0) 243 50 03 39
E-mail: sales.france@thomsonlinear.com
Italy
ThomsonLargo Brughetti
20030 Bovisio Masciago
Phone: +39 0362 594260
Fax: +39 0362 594263
E-mail: info@thomsonlinear.it
Spain
ThomsonRbla Badal, 29-31 7th, 1st
08014 Barcelona
Phone: +34 (0) 9329 80278
Fax: + 34 (0) 9329 80278
E-mail: sales.esm@thomsonlinear.com
SwedenThomsonEstridsväg 1029109 Kristianstad
Phone: +46 (0) 44 24 67 00
Fax: +46 (0) 44 24 40 85
E-mail: sales.scandinavia@thomsonlinear.com

ASIA
Asia PacificThomson750, Oasis, Chai Chee Road,#03-20, Technopark @ Chai Chee,
Singapore 469000
E-mail: sales.hk@thomsonlinear.com
China
ThomsonRm 2205, Scitech Tower
22 Jianguomen Wai Street
Beijing 100004
Phone: +86 400 6661 802
Fax: +86 10 6515 0263
E-mail: sales.china@thomsonlinear.com
India
Thomson India
1001, Sigma Building
Hiranandani Business Park
Powai , Mumbai – 400076
Phone. +91 22 422 70 300
Fax: +91 22 422 70 338
E-mail: sales.india@thomsonlinear.com
Japan
ThomsonMinami-Kaneden 2-12-23, Suita
Osaka 564-0044
Phone: +81-6-6386-8001
Fax: +81-6-6386-5022
E-mail: csjapan@scgap.com
Korea
ThomsonF12 Ilsong Bldg, 157-37
Samsung-dong, Kangnam-gu
Seoul (135-090)
Phone: +82 2 6917 5049
Fax: +82 2 6917 5007
E-mail:sales.korea@thomsonlinear.com
SOUTH AMERICA
ThomsonSao Paulo, SP Brasil
Phone: +55 11 3879 6600
Fax: +55 11 3879 6656
Email: sales.brasil@thomsonlinear.com

www.thomsonlinear.com
Glide_Screw_BREN-0002-03A | 2014-08-22 TJ
Specifications are subject to change without notice. It is the responsibility of the product user to determine the suitability ofthis product for a specific application. All trademarks property of their respective owners. © Thomson Industries, Inc. 2014

Linear Motion. Optimized.