Manual BiSlide® Side Knob Linear Stage
A unique assembly suitable for precision vertical test stands. Smooth, precision rotary to linear motion is created using a right any timing belt drive connected to a fine pitch lead screw.
SKU:
MN10-XXXX-XXX-4XThe Velmex Side Knob BiSlide® Assembly is a unique translation stage suitable for precision vertical test stands. Smooth, precision rotary to linear motion is created using a right angle timing belt drive connected to a fine pitch lead screw. The motion allows the slide to move a payload up and down into position smoothly and precisely.
The Side Knob BiSlide® Stage is constructed with hard-coat anodized, aluminum dovetail ways and smooth motion PTFE bearings; BiSlide® Assemblies deliver higher rigidity for longer life and more precise movement.
Features
Maximum Horizontal Load Capacity – 40 lbs. (18.1 kg.)
Maximum Vertical Load Capacity – 40 lbs. (18.1 kg.)
Maximum Travel Distance – 15″ (38.1 cm)
Large 3.15 inch diameter knob with a folding crank for pinpoint control
Zero backlash timing belt and fine pitch lead screw drive for smooth motion
Precision lead screw constructed with rolled acme thread and hard nickel-plated for smooth, trouble free operation and long life
Long-life I-beam design for maximum stiffness and strength
45 degree opposing ways provide maximum rigidity in any direction
High precision, lightweight offering more durability and strength
Large carriage provides a 4.6” x 3.1” (11.7 x 7.9cm) mounting surface for carrying a wide variety of payloads
Corrosion resistant and impact tolerant for longer life and straight, smooth movement
Exclusive StabilNut II™ drive nut delivers a solid, low friction connection between the lead screw and carriage
Three typical test stand travel heights are available – 5, 10 and 15 inches (12.7, 25.4 and 38.1 cm respectively) – or a custom height Side Knob BiSlide® can be designed.
BiSlide® Side Knob Assemblies can be purchased with or without the Side Knob Base. The configuration with the base most often functions as an inspection stand. The slide can be direct mounted vertically to a horizontal surface using a standard BiSlide® mounting.
The Side Knob BiSlide Assembly has three style options based on the mounting of the Knob and Lock:
(-40) – Lock Left / Knob Right
(-41) – Knob Left / Lock Right
(-42) – Mounting – Knob Left / Knob Right
Specifications
Factors such as size of the motor, size of the payload, travel distance, mounting direction/plane, etc. effect the actual capability of any assembly. Please contact Velmex Application Engineers to configure a system that will meet your exact requirements.
| Coefficient of friction | .09 typical |
| Coefficient range | 0.04 (Heavy Load Dynamic) to 0.15-0.3 (Lubricated heavy Load Static>1 hour) |
| Operating temperature | 0 to 180° F (-18 to 82° C) |
Properties of Velmex Stages - Information on stage composition, tolerances, wear and design for specialty applications.
Load Parameters - Definitions and parameters that effect the various load ratings.
| Standard | Metric | |
| Travel Distance | 5" - 15" | 12.7 – 38.1 cm |
| Base Length | (Height) 15.15" – 25.15" | 38.48 – 63.88 cm |
| Slider Length | 5" | 12.7 cm |
| Weight | 7.4 – 11 lbs. | 3.4 – 5 kg. |
| Height | 15.15" - 25.15" | 38.48 – 63.88 cm |
| Width | 7.24" (depth 4.6 ") | 18.4 (11.68) cm |
‡Standard travel distances available are in 5″ increments up to 15″ in length. Additional travel distances are available by special order.
BiSlide® Load Calculations
Note: Because of the interlocking nature of the BiSlide® carriage and the dovetail ways, the maximum recommended load centered (normal) or under thrust would be comparable whether the slide was upright (Normal – LN), Inverted (LI) or set on the Edge (LE).
| Dynamic Load | Static Load | Momentary Load | ||||
| Load Capacity | lbs. | kg. | lbs. | kg. | lbs. | kg. |
| Lift (Maximum) | 40 lbs. | 18.1 kg | 40 lbs. | 18.1 kg | 100 lbs. | 45.36 kg |

Deflection: a = 0.000011 degrees / in-lb (F x d = in-lbs)
Lead Screw Specifications
English Thread Lead Screws
| Pitch | Backlash Typical | Resolution | BiSlide® Code | |||
| Turns per inch | Advance per revolution | English | Metric | Degrees | English | |
| 2.5* | 0.400" | 0.002" | 0.051 mm | 1/200 rev or 1.8° | 0.001" | E04 |
| 5* | 0.200" | 0.001" | 0.025 mm | 1/200 rev or 1.8° | 0.0005" | E02 |
| 10 | 0.100" | 0.0005" | 0.013 mm | 1/200 rev or 1.8° | 0.00025 | E01 |
Metric Thread Lead Screws
| Pitch | Backlash Typical | Resolution | BiSlide® Code | |||
| Turns per cm | Advance per revolution | English | Metric | Degrees | Metric | |
| 5 | 2 mm | 0.00039" | 0.01 mm | 1/200 rev or 1.8° | 0.005 mm | M02 |
| 10 | 1 mm | 0.0002" | 0.005 mm | 1/200 rev or 1.8° | 0.0025 mm | M01 |
*Not recommended for vertical assemblies because the lead screw could back drive.
More accurate screws are available. Contact a Velmex Application Engineer for more information.
In manually operated applications backlash can be adjusted to near 0.
Resolution specified with standard Velmex motor configurations with 1.8° step angles using VXC Stepping Motor Controller.
| Repeatability | 0.00015″ (4 microns) typical |
| Straight line accuracy | 0.003″ (0.076 mm) over entire travel distance. Higher accuracy 0.0015″ (0.038mm) available |
| Screw lead accuracy | 0.003″/10″ (0.076 mm/25 cm) 0.0015″/10″ available. Consult factory. |
Options/Accessories for Side Knob Velmex BiSlide® Assemblies
Several options can be added to BiSlide® Assemblies to make them more versatile and configurable with other Velmex products.
IM001-130-131 Plate
Payload plate to expand the carriage (8″ x 8″ x 0.375″)
IM001-130-132 Plate
Payload plate to expand the carriage (12″ x 12″ x 0.375″)
MSPP-1 Foot Plate
MSPP-1 Foot Plate is used as part of the foot for BiSlide bases and post assemblies.
MSPP-10A Adapter Plate
BiSlide Plate to connect to two carriages in one slide together with flexible mounting holes
MSPP-10B Adapter Plate
Tandem BiSlide® plate to connect to four carriages together for mounting Y axis Tandem on top
MSPP-2
Multipurpose adapter plate (4.6″ x 4.6″ x 0.375″)
MSPP-3 Adapter Plate
MSPP-4 Adapter Plate
Use to mount Rotary Table (A59 or B59 Series) to BiSlide Linear Stages
MSPP-5 Adapter Plate
Use to end mount BiSlide extrusion.
MSPP-6
Adapter plate to end mount BiSlide Linear Stage to an optical bench
XS001-20 Adapter Plate
Connects an XSlide™ Linear Stage to a BiSlide Linear Stage.
MB-1 Mounting Bolts
BiSlide® Bolt - 1/4-20 x 3/4" Socket Cap Screw (10 Pack)
MB-1-SS Mounting Bolts
BiSlide® Bolt - 1/4-20 x 3/4" Stainless Steel Socket Cap Screw
MB-2 Mounting Bolts
BiSlide® Bolt - 1/4-20 x 1/2" Buttonhead
MC-1 BiSlide® Cleat
Standard 1 hole cleat. Mounts the BiSlide to a frame / base / surface. Can be used to mount to other BiSlides in an XY, XZ or XYZ configuration.
MC-2 BiSlide® Cleat
Standard 2 hole cleat. Mounts the BiSlide to a frame / base / surface. Can be used to mount to other BiSlides in an XY, XZ or XYZ configuration.
MC-3 BiSlide® Cleat
2 hole cleat with 2″ center to center for use with optical benches with 1″ or 25 mm centers.
MC-4 BiSlide® Cleat
Sandwich cleats – used to connect two parallel bases.
MTN-1 T-Nuts
Use to create strong, secure attachments on BiSlide Assemblies.
BiSlide® Base Material
The extruded I-beam base is made from a hard alloy aluminum and includes T-slots on each side to easily connect BiSlides to each other or attach the BiSlide to a frame or base structure.
BiSlide® Foot
Acts as an adjustable foot for BiSlide bases and post assemblies. (LFS-1) (Shown with a MSPP-1 foot plate.)
F2 Style BiSlide® Base
These bases have I-Beam top rails running parallel on two sides and are ideal for supporting parallel coupled BiSlide® Assemblies.
F4 Style BiSlide® Base
F4 Style bases have I-Beam top rails on all four sides for maximum support of heavy loads.
Support Rails
BiSlide® Support Rails are attached to the frame or a surface to provide added support to the system, particularly multi-axis configurations.
T-Slot Plate
T-Slot Plate creates a heavy-duty support structure for building BiSlide mounting and framing structures or configuring multiple coordinates.
GST-1 BiSlide® Gusset
A compact, standard vertical support gusset that increases stiffness and stability for vertically mounted BiSlide® systems in free-standing, side-mounted, or horizontal configurations.
GST-2 BiSlide® Gusset
A larger, heavy-duty vertical support gusset designed to provide increased rigidity and load support for taller or higher-moment BiSlide® assemblies in free-standing, side-mounted, or horizontal configurations.
GST-U BiSlide® Gusset
A fully configurable, inline-mounted vertical support gusset that delivers maximum stiffness for custom-length, high-load, and tall BiSlide® positioning systems.
Post Assemblies
Attach at right angles to the BiSlide® Assembly to provide a convenient method to connect rotary tables or other accessories at a right angle, a distance from the carriage surface. Supports an adapter plate either vertically or horizontally.
BiSlide® Vertical Test Stand
The BiSlide® Side Knob Base is a precision Z-axis adjustment assembly, ideal for optical setups, vertical test stands, or microscope stands.
Encoders
VRO™ Encoder Readout
The Velmex VRO™ Encoder Readout is a compact one or two axes digital readout for linear and rotary incremental encoders.
Velmex offers a multitude of options and accessories for all its products. Usually an option or an accessory will address your requirements. When it doesn’t, we can make custom modifications, including:
• Additional holes or slots. (A drawing is required.)
• Intermediate plates to mount your payload
• Special or in between lengths of the dovetail base
• Lead screw shaft extensions
• Choice of drive nut materials, including brass and Vespel
• Right and left-hand threads on the same lead screw, allowing a pair of sliders to move together or apart.
We can also offer customized configurations to address special environmental and vacuum applications.
Applications and Examples
Note: the example displayed may be a custom configuration, designed to the customer’s specifications; and not offered as a standard product. Custom configurations could contain custom, externally-fabricated components.
The Velmex Side Knob BiSlide configuration serves as a simple, easy-to-use vertical test stand. The stage aids in delivering consistent measurement results in quality control and laboratory environments.
In addition, the Side Knob BiSlide can be used for many other applications where a vertical positioning stage may be useful, such as positioning a laser or a camera.
The Side Knob Assembly is a specific configuration of Velmex’s popular, modular BiSlide positioning systems. Standard linear BiSlide systems are available in travel distances to 84 in. (215.4 cm). The systems also include tandem and belt-driven designs which can handle higher payloads and have longer maximum travel distances.
Downloads
The majority of CAD drawings found in our Technical Library are Step (.stp) files. You will also see .dxf, .dwg, .sat and .pdf files. For .STP files, you may need to right click on the download button and save the “target” or “link”. If you require a different format or cannot located the drawing you require, please contact us.
| Title | Summary | File Type | Link | hf:file_type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BiSlide Catalog | Overview of BiSlide® Assembles – manual and motorized | |||
| BiSlide Dimensional Drawing | 2D Dimensional Drawings | |||
| BiSlide Side Knob Info Sheet | BiSlide® Side Knob System | |||
| BiSlide User Guide LEGACY models | LegacyUser’s Operating Manual for BiSlide Assemblies built before March 2019 with StabliNut I™ drive nut. | |||
| BiSlide Users Guide Current | Current User’s Operating Manual for BiSlide Assemblies built after March 2019 with StabiNut II™ drive nut | |||
| BiSlide_Side_Knob_Left_30 inch | Side Knob BiSlide, Lead screw, 30″ VerticalTravel – knob left / lock right | stp | stp | |
| MN10-0050-xxx-40 Side Knob.stp | Side Knob BiSlide, Lead screw, 5″ Vertical Travel, – lock left,/knob right | stp | stp | |
| MN10-0100-xxx-40 Side Knob.stp | Side Knob BiSlide, Lead screw, 10″ VerticalTravel – lock left / knob right | stp | stp | |
| MN10-0150-xxx-40 Side Knob.stp | Side Knob BiSlide, Lead screw, 15″ Vertical Travel, – lock left,/knob right | stp | stp | |
| MN10-0150-xxx-41 Side Knob.stp | Side Knob BiSlide, Lead screw, 15″ VerticalTravel – lock left / knob right | stp | stp | |
| MN10-0200-xxx-42 Side Knob.stp | Side Knob BiSlide, Lead screw,, 20″ VerticalTravel – knob left / knob right | stp | stp | |
| Side Knob BiSlide Dimensional Drawings | Dimensional drawings for the Side Knob BiSlide |
Knowledge Base
| Motion | Linear |
|---|---|
| Maximum Travel | 15" (38.1 cm) |
| Minimum Travel | 5" (12.7 cm) |







































