Patent ID: 7290647

Claim:
A guide apparatus comprising: a track rail having a longitudinally extending rolling element rolling surface; and a moving block relatively movably attached to said track rail; said moving block having: a moving block body having a load rolling element rolling surface that forms a load rolling element rolling passage in cooperation with said rolling element rolling surface, said moving block body further having a rolling element relief bore associated with said load rolling element rolling surface; an end plate attached to each end of said moving block body in a direction of relative movement of said moving block, said end plate having a rolling element direction change passage that forms a rolling element recirculation passage in cooperation with said load rolling element rolling passage and rolling element relief bore; and a plurality of rolling elements disposed in said rolling element recirculation passage so as to recirculate in response to relative movement of said track rail and moving block; wherein said moving block body has in a section perpendicular to an axial direction a geometry that allows said moving block body to be assembled to said track rail at an intermediate part of said track rail; said end plate consisting essentially of a pair of split parts that are splittable to right and left in a width direction of said end plate; wherein the split parts of said end plate are connected to each other into an end plate assembly with a high positioning accuracy by connecting means, and said end plate assembly is secured to one end of said moving block body in the direction of relative movement by securing means.