Ball guide: types and installation

We do not imagine our life without furniture. And this is not surprising. Without it, you can not rest, prepare food, eat. Office furniture is designed to simplify the life of office workers as much as possible.

An integral part of any furniture are sliding elements that can not be imagined without guides. Today, manufacturers use several types of guides, the most common of which are roller and ball.

History

The guides seem at first glance to be a fairly simple mechanism. They have a very interesting story. The progenitors of the guides can be called wooden and plastic bars, which used to be used as furniture in furniture. After the bars began to use skid guides. The latter also did not last for a long time, because they made an unpleasant creaking during operation. In the case of jamming, it was necessary to exert a lot of effort to move the structure from its place. All these problems were solved when the guide ball and roller appeared in the furniture. What is their peculiarity?

Roller guides

Back in the 90s, roller guides appeared. At that time, furniture with such a mechanism testified to the viability of the owners. And not surprising, because their cost was very high. At that time, the technology developed rapidly, this contributed to the mass production of roller guides. The cost of furniture with this mechanism has decreased, it began to be used everywhere. At present, this type of guide is used in almost every kind of furniture.

Mounting the roller guides is quite simple. The advantage is the cost advantage. Disadvantage - the possibility of tipping the box when extending over the entire length. After all, the roller mechanism is not equipped with a counterweight or braking system.

Ball guides

The main competitor of roller guides is the ball guide. They have a more complex construction and operating principle. To move the box in this mechanism used balls, not wheels. They are arranged in several rows. Ball guides, as well as roller guides, move silently and smoothly. But their design is more complex, which ensures good stability of the box and distributes evenly the entire load on its surface.

The design of the ball mechanism includes a braking system and a counterweight. This allows the consumer not to worry about the length of the drawer extension and the load that is created on it.

The presence of several rows of balls can save some time on furniture repairs. After all, if suddenly one ball breaks, then all the others will be able to evenly distribute the weight for the remaining amount. Thanks to this, the full-extension ball guides have a long service life.

Features of ball guides

The advantages listed above justify the high cost of construction. In addition, its installation also has many features. And you should periodically lubricate the balls and adjust the sliding elements. Ball guides for furniture are:

• Double row;
• Four-row.

They have significant differences. Four-row full-width ball guides have a long service life compared to two-row. Because of its features, this design is capable of withstanding heavy loads.

More common is a two-row ball guide. Their cost is much less than the price of four-row. They are able to withstand loads of up to 35 kg.

The design of the ball guides includes metal balls arranged in two rows. They move evenly with respect to each other. The guides may have both partial and full extension.

Full extension of the box facilitates its opening to the full depth. This is very convenient, because you can easily access all the content. Ball guides with a door closer are very strong, which depends on the grade of steel thickness.

Benefits of ball guides

Advantages for this design is quite a lot.

1. They are reliable. This means that for a long time you do not have to think about repair.
2. Drawing drawer is smooth, noiseless.
3. They are able to withstand heavy loads.
4. Various modifications can be made. The minimum length is 1.5 cm.

Disadvantages of ball guides

Of course, there is no ideal mechanism. Therefore, even the ball guides have some drawbacks:

1. High cost (some types exceed the roller three times).
2. Many modifications are not equipped with a self-closing mechanism.
3. If these boxes do not have full extension, they can not be completely removed from the cabinet without dismantling the guides.
4. Special requirements for parallelism of the side walls during installation.
5. Small color range.

Using

The ball guide is often used in special purpose furniture. This is ideal for bathrooms, where small lockers of small length are used. Furniture with such guides often acquire for hospitals and bedrooms, recording studios, etc.

The installation of ball guides is a fairly complex process, which requires accuracy and accuracy. Therefore, it is better to use the services of professionals.

Such guides are used in furniture, in which drawers are often put forward. This is ideal for lockers with archival data in offices or for shelves with tools. The load on the boxes directly depends on the width of the guides.

Such furniture is very convenient in small kitchens. A microwave oven or a TV set can be installed on small rails and closed in a cabinet.

Guides for ball-type boxes are available in several colors: black, colors of pure and yellow zinc, cold-rolled steel, etc. Balls are made of nylon or steel. Plastic dividers are capable of damping the sound.