WOOD DALE, IL –Thomson Industries, Inc. has expanded its Online Thomson Education Center with four new technical training videos to help machine builders properly select and apply industrial linear actuators, square rails, round rails, ball screws, gearheads, clutches and brakes.?

“Thomson is committed to helping machine builders find the ideal motion control solution for their application, and typically that means far more than simply identifying the fastest, sturdiest, most accurate or even least expensive option,” says Rob Gallagher, Marketing Communications Manager for Thomson.? “Our breadth and depth of product solutions, combined with over 70 years of global application experience and robust design tools and education resources such as these new videos, enables Thomson to help OEMs identify the optimal balance of performance, life and cost that satisfies their unique application needs.”

The new training videos include:

• Industrial Linear Actuators vs. Hydraulic Systems?highlights how utilizing electric actuators instead of hydraulic systems can “green” an application while saving money and improving safety
• Square Rails and Round Rails?addresses the key differences between each technology, and reviews when to use each
• Ball Screws?delivers basic design and installation considerations for applying ball screw drives
• Gearheads, Wrap Springs and Friction Clutches?helps viewers see and understand the differences between friction and wrap spring clutches, brakes and gearheads

In addition to these concise educational training videos, Thomson has available a wealth of additional freely available?educational resources and?design tools to help OEMs make informed mechanical and electromechanical motion control decisions, including:

• Live and archived?webinars and?technical articles on a wide array of motion control topics
• Solution Center?– an interactive knowledgebase that provides technically substantive answers to a broad range of questions on the selection, application, installation, maintenance and general use of motion components and systems
• Product Selectors?– attribute-based product selection tools
• Configurable and downloadable 2D and 3D?interactive models
• Linear MOTIONEERING®?- application-based sizing and selection for linear motion systems, as well as?ball and lead screws
• Linear MOTIONEERING®: 60 Case Shafting - web-based tool to customize machined 60 Case® LinearRace Shafting
• Micron MOTIONEERING®?- application-based sizing and selection for gearheads
• EngineersCALC?– a powerful and simple-to-use engineering calculator for , iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and Blackberry users

About Thomson
With more than 60 years of motion control innovation and quality, Thomson is the industry’s premier producer of Linear Ball Bushing® Bearings and Profile Rail Bearings, 60 Case? Shafting, ground and rolled Ball 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); [email protected]; www.thomsonlinear.com.