New Linear Motion Technologies at PBC Linear® after 42 Years of Innovation

40+ Years of Developing Linear Motion Systems

PBC linear was founded in 1983 by Bob Schroeder. It has continued as a privately held business under the Schroeder family, building on its core Simplicity plain linear bearing line to include shafting, rails, guides, linear slides, rollers, and actuators. In addition, PBC Linear runs multiple brands including 3D Platform, LEE Linear, and Applied Cobotics. Over the last 40+ years, we have grown with our customers through innovation, continuous investment, and a steady offering of linear motion solutions to fit evolving markets.

"The founder and the family have all been innovative in nature, which is really the backbone of our business… We are heavily vertically integrated, with very innovative processes."
– David Dieter

“From the bottom to the top, we have one of the most diverse product lines in the bearing industry. We can offer just the bearing to full systems that can include a motor, belt drive to ball screw drive… a wide range!”
– Tim Stellmacher

Ball Screws

Miniature ball screw assemblies were successfully launched by PBC Linear in 2023, featuring 6 mm, 8 mm, and 10 mm diameter screws. Developed in response to strong customer demand, this product line enhances our lead screw offerings, providing high precision and performance for compact applications. The launch addresses market needs with streamlined production processes, ensuring shorter lead times and eliminating costly downtimes and delays. Here are quotes from company representatives just before the launch:

“We will be introducing our miniature metric ball screw line very soon. This is a product that is going to be available from stock, which will be great for customers in lab automation, medical field, and more.”
– Tim Stellmacher - 2023

"Screw-driven technology is one of the areas that we have a lot of focus and definition going forward. Ball screw is the next product that we are adding on to our popular lead screw line."
– David Dieter - 2023

Cobot Feeder

Cobots have become ubiquitous within the manufacturing landscape. Back in the year 2020, the owner of PBC Linear brought in approximately twenty cobots to help alleviate the loss of manpower due to Covid. Once implemented, the team of engineers quickly realized that there was still considerable cobot/machine downtime. How could they maximize automation from their cobot investments, and then bring that solution to others? The answer was the Cobot Feeder from our Applied Cobotics brand.

“Our owner posed a challenge to get cobots running longer, so our team of engineers developed a rough prototype using our components. The Cobot Feeder has been successful. Any part you throw at us, we can create a mold for you that will work perfectly with our Cobot Feeder system. It works well with high mix or high volume.”
– Beau Wileman

“The idea is to solve the pain [labor shortage] because that’s not going away anytime soon. We built the Cobot Feeder for ourselves first, and now we’re commercializing it.”
– David Dieter

“The feedback that we're getting from the trade shows is that flexibility is extremely important, but also the small footprint. You can fit our unit into a space and not have to move other machines to make it fit -- and still run a thousand parts at a time.”
– Tim Stellmacher

The Factory of Our Future

Linear motion technology will continue to be central to the PBC Linear® brand, maintaining the company as a trusted source for automation success.

“Additional product innovations are in discussion. The biggest challenge right now is finding resources to capture opportunities, so we are looking at potential partners to help us accelerate our ability to get to market. There’s a ton of potential and we’re really excited about it!”
– David Dieter