[daedalus]

Hi,

Ive finally scrounged almost enough parts to start my mill project, but am stuck with regards to finding suitable rails. Has anyone here used hiwin rails? They appear to have much better load capabilities then circular bushing type rails, and are about the same price. How do they compare to a more expensive brand such as THK?

[posix]

someone on here said that you can't go wrong with HiWin as far as bang-for-buck goes. and if you're scrounging that means you're on a limited "budget". that would be good enough for me.

[bbergami]

I used Hiwin rails on my recent router project. They work just fine. I haven't used THK so I can't give a comparison.

[yukonho]

Where have you found prices for the Hiwin stuff?
colin

[Zumba]

Where have you found prices for the Hiwin stuff?
colin

www.automation4less.com

[daedalus]

yep, thats the one. Maybe i should be more clear, im looking to run a 1hp 60krpm excellon spindle, and have some thk kr33 precision actuators which i plan to make the axes out of, but i need to add more stiffness so want some rails to run alongside each axis. Im planning to only be milling soft materials and aluminium. Think these are suitable? Are these likely to affect accuracy of each axis more then THK ones?

[svenakela]

Hiwin is very good for the use of making a router or bed mill. The are used in many many many many production systems so they are for sure enough. THK is "top of the line" but a uge overkill for the purpose. But as I use to say: overkill is fun!

[geebow]

I have looked at Hiwin and found that in many cases their product is dimensionally identicl to the equivalent THK product. And they are a mile cheaper so I reckonn you should go for em.
I also have an Excellon spindle model 1010. Do you have any info on driving them?

[daedalus]

hi, its been quite a while since this thread was posted, and i have since managed to get an sieg X3 mill, rather then self build.

With regard to the 1010, i have one of those as well as my 60k one, and have managed to get it running using a danfoss vfd. You need a vfd that goes to up to 1khz, and also you will need one that is rated higher power then you want. I have a vlt 2800 series drive, 1hp output, and although i can run the spindle, the power output is derated to 60% of rated power.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

daedalus
Back to rails. FYI HiWin is a fine product for the $ However it is not always fair to compare on price alone. THK makes ball bearing rails with 4 rows of balls. They also use roller bearings in some applications. I have used all of the rail types including round. When the application permits, I use the least expensive REPUTABLE brand. Almost any of these will suffice for a router. I'd probably go for old fashioned box ways on a heavy milling application.

[mxpro32]

the new hiwins have 4-rows of balls too.

[RICHARD ZASTROW]

I know hiwin has 4 rows of balls available. I was only suggesting that when you compare any vendors product, they are similar.

[daedalus]

guys, this is a really old thread, as i have said i am not using linear rails any more. That said i have used both thk and hiwin since starting this thread, and i really see little difference in quality between them, assuming they are operated within spec.

[Tim Preston]

I've got a ton of Hiwin 15 & 20 millimeter, 4 row, bearing blocks and rail in stock that we will not be using. I'd like to move them. Give me a buzz, I might have what you need. 770.655.9998

[jingham]

I have used Hiwin rails and blocks on my router for about a year now and see no wear patterns on the rails where the balls run. I use THK at work cause the boss likes them and is willing to pay. A special machine we built with THK has been running for 3+ years now with no maintenance issues and very little care in Mexico.