Thomson RoundWay® LinearRoller Bearings
Designed to withstand extremes of load, speed, temperature and contamination.

Linear Motion. Optimized.

Linear Motion. Optimized.

Thomson RoundWay® Linear Roller Bearings
The patented RoundWay Linear Roller Bearing operates
on 60 Case® LinearRace shafting, with over 20 times
the load capacity of a conventional linear ball bearing.  
RoundWay has the unique advantage of providing highload capacity without the installation costs typical of
Profile Rail products with much greater resistance toenvironmental contaminates.
• Dynamic Load rating of up to 70,000 lbf (310,800 N)1• Velocity up to 100 ft/s (31 m/s)
• Ability to handle exceptionally harsh environmental
conditions° Extremely contaminant resistant° Maximum operating temperature of 500°F (260°C)• Bearing height infinitely adjustable within up to+/- .030” (+/- .38 mm)1
• Size range from ½” to 4”• Replacement parts available to reduce maintenance cost

Eccentric trunnion pin adjusts
bearing height, compensating forminor assembly inaccuracies

Concave rollers on chain
designed to run on standard
Thomson 60 Case“Rockable” inner bearing race
self-aligns in all directions
Mounting block available insingle type, and dual ‘V’ typewhich allows side loading(1) Applies to 6” RW “V” bearing

FeatureAdvantage

Application Benefits

Concave Rollers

1

Double maximum contact ellipse maximizes load
capacity of an anti-friction linear bearing. Can carryloads up to 70,000 Ibs per bearing at a 10 million inch
L10 rated travel life.

Ideal for extremely high load applications.

Chain-linked Rollers

2

Ability to travel at speeds up to 100ft/s. Conventional
linear bearings and guides are limited to top speedsof 10 ft/s.

High speed automation systems - high speed belt
drives, rack systems, etc., are no longer limited by
the max. speed of linear bearings and guides.

3

Ability to operate in severely contaminatedenvironments without protective bellows. There areno pockets where debris can accumulate to bind up
the bearing.

Open roller assembly is suited for metal removal,
paper and wood processing, and granite quarrying.
Metal chips, paper flour, wood chips, and abrasive
dust would normally destroy conventional linear
bearings and guides.

All Steel and IronConstruction

4Offers:• High temperature capacity to 500°F• Rugged use• Increased rigidity.

Durable in extreme environments.

Circular Inner Race

5

Lateral self-alignment feature provides parallelism
forgiveness. Rails for RoundWay bearings may be outof parallel as much as 0.1875". Ball Bushing Bearings
require rails to be parallel within 0.0010". Profile Railproducts require rails to be parallel within 0.0004".

Ideal for use in gantry systems where it is difficult tomaintain 0.001" or better parallelism tolerances overlong rail lengths that may be spread far apart.

Eccentric Trunion Pin

6Enables:• Pitch self-alignment• ± 0.030" height adjustment which can be used to set
preload in "locked-in" arrangements.

• Self-alignment enables operation on inaccurate
mounting surfaces• Preload benefits applications requiring maximum
stiffness and minimal deflection.

Recirculating GroundRoller Assembly

78Ability to span across gaps in shaft.

Assembly and packaging systems - quicker andmore efficient pallet changing is now possible.

Dynamic coefficient of friction of 0.005 and a heighttolerance of ±0.003", the equivalent to standard linear
bearing tolerances.

Allows for energy efficient, high load and precisionlinear motion.

9Quieter, smoother operation than anti-friction linear
bearings and guides. Low capacity nylon balls notnecessary.

Minimal noise while still maintaining high load
capacity and very low friction.

RoundRail Advantage

shafts enable bearing to rotate thereby
10 Roundeliminating the potential for induced torsional

Operates on inaccurate mounting surfaces

stresses.

2

www.thomsonlinear.com

RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings

RoundWay Load, Speed and Performance Capabilities
The RoundWay’s rigid all-steel construction makes it ideal for unforgiving environments
Environment

Cam Follower

Self-LubricatedPlain Bearing

Typical Ball
Profile RailThomson RoundWay

Load Capacity

Poor

Good

Very Good

Excellent

Maximum Speed

Good

Fair

Fair

Excellent

Contaminants

Good

Very Good

Fair

Excellent

Impacts/Vibration

Poor

Very Good

Very Good

ExcellentHigh Temperature

Fair

Very Good

Fair

Excellent

Bearing Dynamic Load Capacity(1)80000

Thomson RoundWay

Dynamic Load Capacity (lbs)70000

Typical Roller Square Rail
Typical Ball Square Rail

60000

Self Lubricating Plain Bearing

50000

The RoundWay ‘V’ dynamic load capacity
exceeds other bearing technology types

Cam Follower

40000
30000
20000
10000
00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

Rail Size (in)Maximum Bearing Velocity
120

Thomson RoundWay
100

Cam Follower

Velocity (ft/s)

Typical Ball Square Rail
8060

Self Lubricating Plain Bearing
Typical Roller Square RailThe RoundWay’s chain guided rollers
allow it to travel at incredibly high speeds– up to almost 70 mph!

40
200(1) As calculated per ISO 14728-1, based on 10 million inches of travel at a speed of 30ft/min

www.thomsonlinear.com3Linear Motion. Optimized.

RoundWay Specifications
CDE

GF
HJ
B

Infinitely adjustable within
A ±.015" range except RW-48-S
which is ±.030"

B

K
45º

60 Case LinearRace

RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings (Single Type) and 60 Case LinearRace (Dimensions in inches)Part Number

Nom.
Dia.

AB

C

DE

F

G

H

JK

L

Bearing
MasslbDynamic (1)LoadCapacitylbf

RoundWay
Bearing

60 CaseLinearRace

Bolt

Hole

RW-8-S

1/2 L PD

.500

1.00

.45

3.0

2.38

1.50

1.25

.19

.94

.31

#6.16.88.50970

RW-16-S1 L PD

1.000

1.75.80

5.0

3.75

2.50

2.13.25

1.63.50#10.25

1.50

2.20

3020

RW-24-S

1 1/2 L PD

1.500

2.50

1.15

6.5

5.38

3.50

2.88.312.13.63

.31

.38

2.13

5.60

6020

RW-32-S

2 L PD

2.000

3.25

1.50

8.5

7.38

4.50

3.63.38

2.75.75

.38

.44

2.88

12.40

12360

RW-48-S

3 L PD

3.000

5.00

2.30

13.0

11.00

7.00

6.00

.50

4.25

1.25

.63.69

4.25

48.00

24000

(1) Dynamic Load Capacity is based on 10 million inches of travel.
CDFHEJAL

Infinitely adjustablewithin ±.015" range except
RW-48-V and RW-64-V
which are ±.030"

K45º

G

B

M

60 Case LinearRace

RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings (Dual Type) and 60 Case LinearRace (Dimensions in inches)Part Number
Nom.
Dia.

A

B

C

DE

F

Dynamic (1)LoadCapacity
lbf

L

M

Bearing
Mass
lb

.19

1.38

.69

1.10

1370

#10.25

2.38

1.56

4.90

4300

.63

.31

.38

3.38

2.13

11.70

8600

.75

.38

.44

4.38

2.50

25.20

17500

.63

12.00 1.25

.63

.69

7.00

4.25

90.00

35000

.75

15.00 1.50.75.81

8.63

5.00

193.00

70000

GH

K

J

RoundWay
Bearing

60 CaseLinearRace

RW-8-V

1/2 L PD.500

1.00.45

2.38

1.38

1.00

3.00

.19

2.25.31#8

RW-16-V

1 L PD

1.000

1.75

.80

3.75

2.25

1.63

5.75.25

4.0.50

RW-24-V

1 1/2 L PD

1.500

2.50

1.15

5.38

2.75

2.00

7.88

.31

6.0

RW-32-V

2 L PD

2.000

3.25

1.50

7.38

3.50

2.50

9.75

.38

7.5

RW-48-V

3 L PD

3.000

5.00

2.30 11.00 5.50

4.00 15.50

RW-64-V

4 L PD

4.000

6.50

3.00 14.88 7.00

5.00 19.25

Bolt Hole(1) Dynamic Load Capacity is based on 10 million inches of travel.

4

www.thomsonlinear.com

RoundWay Linear Roller Bearings

RoundWay Linear Bearings Used Across Numerous Industries:

Steel Processing
Heavy Assembly
Refineries
Woodworking

Application: Fiberglass Saw• Designed using (4) Roundway 32V bearings benefits:° High load capacity – 2 ton load
° High contamination resistance  – fiberglass particles° Minimal installation time - 60 Case LinearRace
shafting can be mounted slightly out or parallel,eliminating the need for costly alignment proceduresRoundWay
Bearing

Application: UV Curing System• Designed using (4) Roundway 32V bearings benefits:° High load capacity - 8 ton load
° High contamination resistance – rubber dust
° Minimal replacement costs – Roundway
bearing components can be replaced
without replacing bearing mountRoundWay
Bearing

Application: Machining Pallet Transfer• Designed using (4) RoundWay 24V bearings benefits° Long life – bearings in operation for 14 years
without replacement° Bearing spans .080” gap between shafting inpart loading area and transfer station
RoundWay
Bearing

Let Thomson help define the optimal linear motion solution for yourapplication. We offer the broadest range of linear guides and components including Linear Ball Bushing® Bearings, Profile Rail Bearings,
RoundWay Bearings and complete linear motion systems.
www.thomsonlinear.com

5USA, CANADA and MExICo
Thomson
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Radford, VA 24141, USA
Phone: 1-540-633-3549
Fax: 1-540-633-0294
E-mail: thomson@thomsonlinear.com Literature:
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Hong Kong
Phone: +852 2503 6581
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SwedenPhone: +46 (0) 44-24 67 00
Fax:+46 (0) 44-24 40 85
E-mail: helpdesk.kid@thomsonlinear.com

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Fax:+82 31 931 5176Email:koreainfo@thomsonlinear.com

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Switzerland
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E-mail: info@thomsonlinear.com

www.thomsonlinear.com

200902-04 TPS 5k TJ 5/2009 USA
Specifications are subject to change without notice. It is the responsibility of the product user to determine the suitabilityof this product for a specific application. All trademarks property of their respective owners.
© Thomson 2009

United Kingdom
ThomsonFishleigh Road
Barnstaple
EX31 3UD, United Kingdom
Phone:
Fax:
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F-72026LeMansCedex2
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Linear Motion. Optimized.