Just IN- PBC Linear Provides Upgraded Linear Guide Parts to Bay Area Transit

[Pacific Bearing]

Bay Area Rapid Transit transports millions of people on a daily basis. These high volume/high traffic trains employ several ways to save on space. One such way is using positive locking seat adjusters that slide out for easy entry and exit. Recently, BART was looking to upgrade their driver’s seat assemblies with new parts to ensure continued operation. They turned to C & C Enterprises, who began updating and upgrading various parts of the seat. When they came to the linear guide adjustments, they recognized PBC Linear’s Redi-Rail® along with a custom slider. C & C then turned to PBC Linear’s expert product engineering team to work backwards and reverse-engineer the custom Redi-Rail® for the seat.

The seat adjustment application was fairly straight-forward. Utilizing the custom Redi-Rail® assembly, the driver could manually slide out 9’’ at full extension. The seat would then lock into position until further adjustment was necessary. To achieve this, the previous designer created a custom dual carriage slider of their own.

While Redi-Rail® provided optimal linear guidance and smooth motion for the application, PBC Linear engineers thought the custom slider assembly was too bulky and could be improved without necessitating a complete re-design. They immediately set to work creating a new slider. Using a one-piece steel slider component versus the previous dual aluminum sliders, PBC Linear was able to enhance rigidity and performance. The new slider also helped make the entire assembly more cost efficient and easier to install by eliminating a bracket connector; resulting in drastically improved linear guidance adjustment.

After installation, C & C Enterprises indicated that PBC Linear’s new parts were vastly superior to the originals. The new linear guide ensured easier ergonomic adjustment while simplifying assembly delivered with fewer components. For more information on Redi-Rail® linear guides, such as more application examples and detailed technical data, please call 1.800.729.9085, email to marketing@pbclinear.com or visit us at our CRT dedicated page at CRT.pbclinear.com.