Antifriction slide assemblies

An antifriction .›.ball.!. slide assembly, comprising

• a pair of elongate members, each having therein a pair of like, laterally spaced, longitudinally extending, parallel grooves,
• means mounting said members for longitudinal reciprocation relative to each other, and with the centerlines of the pair of grooves in one of said .›.one.!. members confronting upon and registering with the centerlines of the pair of grooves in the other of said members,
• said mounting means including a pair of .›.spaced,.!. parallel.›.,cylindrical.!. bearing .›.rods.!. surfaces mounted in and extending longitudinally of each of said grooves, and with the pair of bearing .›.rods.!. surfaces in each groove on said one member being disposed in spaced, confronting relation to the pair of .›.rods.!. bearing surfaces in the confronting groove on said other member,
• said mounting means further including two linear sets of bearings each of which is mounted for limited reciprocation between a confronting pair of said grooves, and with the bearings of each set thereof having rolling engagement with the bearing .›.rods.!. surfaces in the associated pair of said grooves, .›.and.!.
• adjustable means on said one member operable selectively to bend at least a portion of said one member .›.at one side of.!. adjacent one of said grooves therein to shift the set of bearings confronting upon said one groove slightly toward the .›.opposite side of said one groove,.!. other set of bearings thereby .›.to reduce the space between the two bearing rods in said one groove, and.!. operatively to effect a corresponding preloading of said bearings ,
• said one member having therein an elongate slot extending between opposite ends of said one member in a plane extending parallel to a plane containing the centerlines of said pair of grooves therein, and
• said adjustable means comprising a plurality of screws in said one member extending transversely of said slot, and rotatable selectively to bend said portion of said one member in a direction slightly to effect said preloading of said bearings . .›.

An anti-friction slide assembly, comprising

• a pair of elongate members each having therein a pair of like, laterally spaced, longitudinally extending, parallel grooves,
• a pair of parallel bearing surfaces disposed in and extending longitudinally of each of said grooves,
• means mounting said members for longitudinal reciprocation relative to each other with the pair of grooves in one of said members confronting upon and registering with the pair of grooves in the other of said members, and with the pair of bearing surfaces in each groove on said one member being disposed in spaced, confronting relation to the pair of bearing surfaces in the confronting groove on said other member,
• said mounting means including two linear sets of bearings each of which sets is mounted for linear movement in a common plane between a confronting pair of said grooves, and with portions of the bearings of each set thereof having rolling engagement with the bearing surfaces in the associated pair of grooves,
• said one member having therein an elongate slot extending in a plane parallel to said common plane between opposite ends of said one member adjacent one of said grooves in said one member, and
• adjustable means on said one member operable selectively to bend at least a portion of said one member at at least one side of said slot, thereby operatively to shift one of said sets of bearings toward the other to effect a corresponding pre-loading of said bearings.