Linear Motion Products Made in the USA

Linear motion products are mechanical components and systems that guide, support, or drive a load along a straight path. They include linear bearings, linear guides and rails, shafts, ball screws, lead screws, actuators, cam rollers, linear slides, and related motion-control components. Some guide movement, while others convert rotary motion from a motor or hand drive into controlled linear travel. Together, they reduce friction, support loads, maintain alignment, and allow machinery to move repeatedly and efficiently from one position to another.

Linear motion products are fundamental to modern manufacturing and automation. They move robot tooling, position machine components, guide packaging equipment, transport materials, adjust medical and laboratory equipment, operate semiconductor machinery, and provide controlled motion in CNC machines and automated warehouses. Without them, many machines would depend on sliding surfaces, improvised guides, or less-controlled mechanisms that create more friction, wear, vibration, and positioning error. Modern robotics, automated assembly, precision machining, and material handling would be far more difficult to build and maintain.

The global industry reflects how widely these components are used. Grand View Research estimated the worldwide linear motion market at approximately $13.4 billion in 2026 and projects it to reach $21.5 billion by 2033. Major producers include THK in Japan, Bosch Rexroth in Germany, HIWIN in Taiwan, and PBC Linear in Roscoe, Illinois, just west of Chicago, serving the US market with specialized linear bearings, guides, shafts, screws, actuators, and complete motion systems.

Linear Motion Systems Made in the USA

PBC Linear is a U.S. manufacturer of linear motion products headquartered in Roscoe, Illinois, just west of Chicago in the Rockford manufacturing region. Founded in 1983 as Pacific Bearing Company, the company began with the development of the patented Simplicity® self-lubricating linear bearing and has expanded into a broad portfolio of linear bearings, linear guides, shafting, ball screws, lead screws, actuators, cam roller systems, and complete linear motion assemblies.

The PBC Linear online store offers linear motion components and systems for applications ranging from light-duty positioning to demanding industrial automation. The bearing portfolio includes Simplicity® plain linear bearings, which use a bonded self-lubricating liner to provide smooth motion without external lubrication, as well as the economical EconoGlide® family of polymer-lined plain bearings. Linear ball bearings are available for applications requiring rolling-element motion, low friction, higher travel speeds, and repeatable positioning.

Round linear shafting is offered in hardened steel, stainless steel, and ceramic-coated aluminum configurations to address different requirements for load capacity, corrosion resistance, weight, wear resistance, and operating environment. Shafts can be combined with plain bearings, linear ball bearings, roller bearing pillow blocks, and supported rail systems to create complete round-shaft linear motion assemblies.

PBC Linear also manufactures several families of cam roller linear guides, including Redi-Rail®, Commercial Rail, Steel Rail, Steel Rail Plus, and Hevi-Rail®. These systems use rolling cam bearings or track rollers running along linear rails to support applications ranging from compact automation assemblies to heavy industrial equipment. Steel Rail systems use hardened steel raceways and adjustable cam rollers, while Steel Rail Plus adds guiding, floating, and rotating carriage options to compensate for lateral and coplanar misalignment in parallel-rail installations.

Gliding-surface linear guides, including UniGuide® and MiniRail®, provide another approach to guided linear motion. Often described as linear slides, these systems combine a rail and carriage into a compact assembly suited to positioning, packaging, handling, automation, and other applications where low maintenance and simple installation are important.

For higher-speed and long-travel applications, PBC Linear offers V-wheel linear guides including V-Guide and Integral-V™ systems. Their rolling contact and wheel geometry provide smooth travel while helping tolerate contamination and installation variation. Cam followers, also known as cam roller bearings or track rollers, are available separately for linear guides, track systems, conveyors, indexing mechanisms, and other applications requiring durable rolling contact.

Slew ring bearings extend the product offering from linear to rotary motion. Available with plain bearing surfaces or ball-bearing configurations, these compact bearings support controlled rotation under combinations of axial, radial, and moment loads. Applications include turntables, robotic bases, positioning equipment, material-handling machinery, and mechanisms carrying offset loads while rotating.

Ball screw and lead screw products provide driven linear motion by converting rotary input into straight-line travel. PBC Linear offers screws, nuts, assemblies, and linear actuators for positioning, repeatable motion, and multi-axis automation. Available configurations include anti-backlash lead screw nuts that reduce axial play for robotics, laboratory equipment, machine tools, pick-and-place systems, and other applications requiring controlled positioning.

From individual bearings and shafts to complete guides and actuators, PBC Linear develops linear motion products for machine builders, automation engineers, OEMs, and maintenance operations worldwide. Many products are designed and manufactured at the company’s Roscoe, Illinois facility, where engineering, manufacturing, and application support are brought together to develop both standard and customized linear motion solutions.

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