Industry solutions · 04

Telescopic rails and linear guides for electronics

Racks live or die by serviceability: a 60 kg server, a 120 kg battery module or a test insert has to glide out to full depth, hold position dead-still, and go back in — thousands of times, in a 19-inch grid where every millimetre of width is spoken for. In the machines that build and test electronics, ball linear guides position heads and handlers to the micrometre.

Slim section100–130 % strokeHot-swap serviceAnti-vibration

Configure online

tune Telescopic rails tune Linear guides
Bright data center room with rows of server racks and one server slid out on its rack rails

Bright data center room with rows of server racks and one server slid out on its rack rails

Where telescopic rails and linear guides work in electronics

Typical mounting points across the industry — the tag shows which product line does the job.

Telescopic rail

19-inch server & switch slides

Slim full-extension pairs carry heavy servers clear of the rack for top-cover service.

Telescopic rail

Battery module trays

BESS and UPS modules slide out for inspection and replacement — load per pair, not per person.

Telescopic rail

Test & measurement inserts

Repeatable extension for burn-in racks and ATE drawers, with two-way options.

Telescopic rail

Patch & cable-management panels

Partial-extension rails present terminations without straining the loom.

Telescopic rail

Semiconductor equipment modules

Cleanroom greases and nickel surfaces for fab-compatible pull-outs.

Telescopic rail

Power electronics drawers

Converter and inverter stages extracted under their own busbar weight.

Linear guide

Placement & dispensing axes

VB and VX ball guides in sizes 15–35 run the fast X/Y axes of pick-and-place, dispensing and laser-marking machines.

Linear guide

Test handlers & inspection gantries

Accuracy classes P to UP keep probe and camera axes repeatable over the whole stroke.

Linear guide

Semiconductor equipment axes

Stainless-steel or nickel-plated rails and carriages with sealed carriages for clean production areas.

What the application demands

The engineering constraints that drive series selection — and how Veltork answers them.

width

Width is the whole game

Between the rack post and the chassis there are a few millimetres. The S-shaped intermediate of VT-S packs full-extension stiffness into the slimmest section in the range.

architecture

Full depth, no droop

A rack unit serviced at full extension must stay flat — connectors, rails and technicians all assume it. VT-S is engineered for minimal deflection even fully extended.

bolt

Live-service loads

Modules are serviced hot: jerks and tipped loads are normal. Zero-clearance running and optional preload keep the unit seated and quiet in transit racks too.

speed

Speed and accuracy together

Placement heads accelerate hard and stop on the micrometre. VB ball guides run to 5 m/s and 500 m/s² in accuracy classes up to UP; preload C1 keeps the axis stiff without raising friction.

Recommended series

Start with these series; the configurators weigh your exact load, stroke and service life against the whole range.

Telescopic rails

VT-S100 % · S1/S2 ext
Slim Full Extension

The rack specialist: slim S-profile, 100 % extension (130 % on request), minimal deflection — sizes 28–63 for everything from switches to battery modules.

Sizes 28–63minimal deflection, slim profile
View series arrow_forward
VT-P≈ 50 % ext
Partial Extension

Partial extension for cable-side panels and drawers where 50–60 % travel is enough and stiffness is everything.

Sizes 22–63highest telescopic load, per pair
View series arrow_forward
VT-X100 % ext
I-Beam Full Extension

I-beam full extension when module mass outgrows slim slides — best capacity per added width.

Sizes 22–63best load-to-weight ratio
View series arrow_forward

Linear guides

VBBalls · O-arrangement
Ball linear guide, O-arrangement

Fast placement, dispensing and handling axes: up to 5 m/s and 500 m/s², accuracy N to UP, sizes 15–65.

Sizes 15–65up to 5 m/s · accuracy N to UP
View series arrow_forward
VXBalls · X-arrangement
Ball linear guide, X-arrangement

Compact, quiet axes on frames that are not machined to guide-rail tolerances: the X-arrangement tolerates mounting errors, sizes 20–35.

Sizes 20–35tolerates mounting errors
View series arrow_forward

Technical fit

Execution options of both product lines.

Telescopic rails

Working speed
≤ 0.8 m/s (derates with length) · max accel 1.2 m/s²
Surface coatings
Zinc per ISO 2081 (standard) · zinc-nickel · nickel · E-coat on request
Lubrication
Medium lithium grease; re-lube every 100 km or 6 months. FDA, cleanroom, marine & temperature greases on request.
Load basis
Telescopic series per pair of rails · VT-L per carriage

Linear guides

Accuracy · preload
Accuracy N · H · P · SP · UP; preload C0–C3 (roller guides C1–C3, C4 and C5 on request)
Speed · acceleration
VB up to 5 m/s and 500 m/s² · VR 4 m/s, 150 m/s² · VX 2 m/s, 40 m/s²
Sealing
End and bottom seals standard; double seals, metal scrapers, inner seal strips and rail cover strip on request
Corrosion protection
Oiled as standard; hard chrome, black chrome, nickel, black oxide or stainless steel
Load basis
Per carriage; load ratings to ISO 14728

Frequently asked questions

Do the slides fit a standard 19-inch rack?expand_more

VT-S sizes 28 and 35 are the usual fit for 19-inch server and test racks — the slim S-profile intermediate was designed for exactly this gap. Mounting-hole patterns and lengths are catalogued per size.

How much can one pair of rack slides carry?expand_more

Capacities are quoted per pair of rails and depend on size, length and extension — from tens of kilograms for switch trays to several hundred for battery modules. The per-size tables on each series page give exact C₀rad values.

Can the tray extend past full depth for top access?expand_more

Yes — VT-S one-way (S1) can be ordered with extended stroke up to 130 % of rail length, carrying the chassis fully clear of the rack frame.

Are ESD or cleanroom environments supported?expand_more

Nickel and zinc-nickel surfaces, stainless balls and cleanroom greases are available on request; the part-number suffix specifies the execution.

Which linear guide for a pick-and-place or test-handler axis?expand_more

Ball guides: VB for fast, highly accurate axes (up to 5 m/s, accuracy to UP), VX where the mounting surface is less precise or a compact, quiet axis is needed. Sizes 15–25 cover most placement and handler axes; the linear-guide configurator sizes the carriage from payload, stroke and speed.

Other industries

Automated Storagearrow_forwardVehicle Equipmentarrow_forwardMachine Toolsarrow_forwardMedical Techarrow_forwardCateringarrow_forwardTransportarrow_forwardAerospacearrow_forwardRobotics & Handlingarrow_forward

Tell us your application — we return a part number.

Send the payload, stroke and envelope, or let a configurator narrow the range first. Our team returns a sized series, deflection estimate and dimension drawing — prototypes in under 14 days.

tune Telescopic rail configurator tune Linear guide configurator forum Talk to an engineer