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Simplicity Plain Linear Bearings: Absorbing the Recoil of Livestock Vaccination

Plain Linear Bearings Absorb Recoil for Vaccine Guns

Linear Bearings absorb recoil for vaccine gun

Simplicity linear bearings absorb recoil for vaccine gun device

Healthy animals are critical for efficient stockyard production, yet the labor-intensive, costly, and hazardous process of vaccinating livestock demanded an innovative solution to replace outdated needle-based methods. Diseases thrive in the close confines of stockyards, necessitating consistent vaccinations for all animals. For workers, manually administering and documenting thousands of injections is not only tedious and expensive but also poses safety risks due to repetitive handling and potential needle injuries. These challenges underscored the need for a reliable, automated vaccination system. Acushot™, a forward-thinking veterinary design company, addressed this by developing a needle-less injection gun, powered by PBC Linear®’s Simplicity® Plain Bearings with a self-lubricating Frelon® liner, ensuring smooth, high-pressure linear motion in harsh stockyard conditions. This advanced bearing technology enhances worker safety, reduces animal trauma, and streamlines operations, revolutionizing livestock health management.

Components:

Simplicity Plain Linear Bearings

Retrofit or OEM:

OEM

Problem:

A needle-free injection gun for mass livestock vaccination required a linear bearing system to absorb recoil.

Solution:

Simplicity linear bearings provided even disbursement of forces throughout the bearing for smooth, reliable travel.

A better way

The solution by Acushot was to first design the prototype for an automated, needle-free injection gun specifically for mass livestock vaccination. Since this design required a linear bearing system to absorb recoil, they requested the help of a third-party engineering firm, Colpitt Designs. In response, Colpitt recommended using Simplicity® plain bearings from PBC Linear. Together, Acushot and Colpitt worked to reduce components and assemble a triggering/injection system that uses a gas cylinder with varying degrees of strength, providing up to 600 pounds of force. The system will automatically save each dose with a time stamp for accurate vaccination records. The cylinders were designed to inject the vaccines to the same recommended depth as a typical needle that would have been used on a range of animals. The injector allows for the option of being set at a low threshold of 0.2 cc and deposited just under the skin, or set up to 2.5 cc and injected at a recommended depth into the animal’s muscle.

Vaccine Figure 1

Simplicity Plain Linear Bearings: Revolutionizing Livestock Vaccination with Acushot

Simplicity Plain Bearings from PBC Linear® played a pivotal role in enabling Colpitts to develop a cost-effective, high-performance needle-less injection unit for Acushot, streamlining livestock vaccination while enhancing animal welfare and worker efficiency. By reducing moving components, the design achieved a lightweight, compact, battery-powered device delivering up to 28,000 psi of pressure, with integrated injection documentation. These self-lubricating bearings, featuring a proprietary Teflon liner, ensure smooth, reliable linear motion under extreme conditions, making them ideal for this demanding application.

Engineered to withstand harsh outdoor environments, Simplicity Plain Bearings endure 650 lbs of continuous force, extreme temperatures and short-stroke cycles without compromising performance. Unlike bronze or linear ball bushings, which would spall the shafting under such high forces, leading to contamination and system failure, the Frelon® liner evenly distributes forces across the bearing surface, preventing wear and ensuring durability. This robust design eliminates the risk of catastrophic failure, providing consistent operation in stockyards and barnyards worldwide.

The Acushot injector, powered by Simplicity Plain Bearings, eliminates needle trauma, reducing injection mark diameter to one-eighth of its previous size and allowing livestock to remain undisturbed during vaccination. Workers benefit from a user-friendly device that requires no extra vaccine containers, boosting productivity and simplifying operation. By delivering maintenance-free, low-friction performance, PBC Linear’s Simplicity Plain Bearings have transformed livestock health management, improving outcomes for animals and workers alike.

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