Engineers Open New Doors With Accuride Linear Motion Tracks

Engineers are using Accuride Linear Motion Components very creatively

The JET PRESS team love seeing the innovative ways that engineers and designers are using the Accuride Linear Motion Tracks we supply. Grouse shooters and wine buffs, hospital patients and even the engineers at Accuride have recently benefited from creative applications of Linear Motion Tracks.

 

Making the lives of children in hospital better

When the NHS commissioned the building of the brand new Alder Hey in the Park Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, they carried out their biggest ever public consultation to find out what families wanted. The kids wanted rooms that were like home, would let them get out into the park and let lots of light and fresh air in.

The solution was large, double glazed doors. They had to be very safe and robust, with integrated blinds for privacy, so each door ended up weighing up to 180kg. But they had to be opened and closed by small children, which meant a low movement force was essential.

Accuride engineers worked closely with the door manufacturers to come up with a friction reducing solution using recirculating ball carriages. It’s so effective that the 180kg doors require less than 20N movement force. Dampers have been fitted to avoid slamming when opening or closing.

More than 200 door sets of various configurations have been installed and everyone is very happy with the results. Especially the kids.

 

 

Throwing light on the way engineers work

The bespoke solution for Alder Hey was soon turned into a product. When Accuride design engineers working in Diez in Germany heard about the DAO116RC they saw a solution for a problem of their own. They valued the creative and collaborative benefits of working in an open plan space office but needed a break out room for meetings. Space was limited so they partitioned off part of the room. The space they created was dark and didn’t block out any noise, so meetings disrupted the work of others.

They replaced the office partitions with a sliding glazed partition using Accuride Linear Motion Tracks and created a light filled, soundproof space where people could hold meetings without disturbing the whole office.

 

Prost! at the Posthotel

Wine matters to the guests at the Posthotel in Austria. The hotel had an old style cellar but it wasn’t big enough for the range of wine they wanted to offer. Their furniture makers suggested a solution based on Accuride’s DA0116RC Heavy Duty Linear Motion Slide, usually used for sliding doors.

Now the cellar has a large number of shelving units just a few millimetres apart with Accuride tracks beneath and guide rails above. Despite the weight of the bottles the units glide easily apart so every bottle is accessible. Dampeners make sure the units don’t bump together.

This has saved a huge amount of space in the cellar so the Posthotel can keep better stocks of a wider range of fine wines. We’ll drink to that.

 

Top Drawer Slides

At JET PRESS we are used to providing components to the automotive industry. We’re also used to dealing with the furniture industry. But it’s rare that we do both in one. However, if you are in the market for a top end SUV you might be interested in a project we are working on with a prestige car maker.

In a model aimed at people interested in country pursuits, they have installed a number of very useful and stylish sliding stowage compartments in the spacious boot.

Beneath all the handcrafted, luxury surfaces are Accuride Linear Motion Drawer Slides making everything work smoothly. Supplied, of course, by JET PRESS. We worked with the designers and engineers on the project and provided a bespoke product to match their premium brand. The slides were packaged in kits, pre-cut to length and anodised to protect against the elements in the great outdoors.

Most Accuride Linear Motion Drawer Slides go into more conventional industrial applications and the majority of tracks are used for sliding doors. We would be more than happy to talk to you about tried and tested implementations or solutions that are more project driven, please get in touch.

If you have any questions please call 01623 788 400 or use our online form.