THK FTW / FTW-V Series Flat Roller

The Flat Roller uses precision rollers compliant with JIS B 1506, retained within a lightweight, high-rigidity cage formed by press-shaping a steel plate into an M-shaped structure. Each roller is securely held in a pocket to prevent it from dropping out. When installed between two raceways, the flat roller moves in the same direction as the table, but at half the travel distance. For example, when the table moves 500 mm, the flat roller travels 250 mm in the same direction. This motion characteristic enables smooth, highly accurate linear movement under heavy loads.

The FTW and FTW-V models use two or more rows of rollers and incorporate a cage bent at 90°, enabling use on V-shaped guide surfaces. These models employ rollers with a diameter 0.7071 times larger than those used on flat surfaces, allowing FT or FT-V models on flat surfaces and FTW or FTW-V models on 90° V-surfaces to be mounted at the same height. This design ensures accurate alignment and smooth motion in combined flat and V-guide configurations.

Flat rollers are widely used in large machine tools such as planers, horizontal milling machines, and cylindrical grinding machines, as well as in high-precision equipment including surface grinders, cylindrical grinders, and optical measuring machines.