02.21.2014, WOOD DALE, IL - The innovative design of the Glide ScrewTM from Thomson Industries, Inc., a leading manufacturer of linear motion products, has been recognized by the judges in the Design News 2013 “Golden Mousetrap” Awards. These awards showcase the best new products and celebrate people who are leading and invigorating design, engineering and manufacturing in North America. Selected as a finalist in the Automation and Control segment, the Glide Screw from Thomson has re-written the rules for designing linear motion systems utilizing lead screw technology.

The Glide Screw’s breakthrough design combines the function of a linear bearing and lead screw into a single device which eliminates the need for any linear guide. This elegant design frees machine designers from having to use the complex or bulky traditional alternatives. The Glide Screw significantly reduces the overall footprint of a linear motion system, making it ideal for use in small machines or to increase the functionality and value contained within a design.

The streamlined design of the Thomson Glide Screw has significantly fewer parts, with less than 40% of the components of an equivalent traditional round rail system. It simplifies overall machine design and, with no external guides required, provides a pre-aligned solution that reduces assembly times and lowers production costs. It is designed to deliver long-term, reliable operation without requiring ongoing lubrication. This eliminates the frequent need to compromise machine designs by having to allow for regular maintenance access. Overall, it offers the potential for more compact designs, reduced costs and increased reliability while providing fast, smooth linear motion.

The Golden Mousetrap Awards winner will be announced on February 11th at a ceremony during the Pacific Design & Manufacturing Show in Anaheim, California. Whatever the outcome, the judges selection of the Glide Screw as a finalist at these prestigious awards attests to the product’s ingenuity and the real benefits it can deliver in the design of mechanical linear motion solutions for small machines.

About Thomson
With more than 60 years of motion control innovation and quality, Thomson Industries, Inc. is the industry’s premier producer of Linear Ball Bushing® Bearings and Profile Rail Bearings, 60 Case® Shafting, ground and Ball and Lead Screws, Linear Actuators, Gearheads, Clutches, Brakes, Linear Systems, and related accessories. Thomson invented the Linear Ball Bushing Bearing in 1945, and has set the standard ever since with an unsurpassed set of mechanical motion control solutions serving global commercial and aerospace & defense markets. Thomson Industries, Inc. has facilities in North America, Europe and Asia with over 2000 distributor locations around the world.

Thomson, 1500 Mittel Boulevard, Wood Dale, IL 60191-1073; 1-540-633-3549; 1-540-633-0294 (fax); Thomson@thomsonlinear.com; www.thomsonlinear.com.