HIWIN linear guideways
HIWIN Linear Guideways
HIWIN profile rail linear guideways -- HG, EG, WE, MG, CG, RG, CRG and SynchMotion Q-series families with catalogue engineering data, ordering codes and bounded comparison reference.
HIWIN linear guideway portfolio
HIWIN manufactures ball-type and roller-type profile rail linear guideways for machine tools, semiconductor handling, packaging automation and precision positioning. This page publishes catalogue-grounded engineering reference data extracted from the HIWIN engineering reference source. Golden Bearing Company does not imply authorization, dealership or stocking unless that relationship is stated on a dedicated GBC page.
Searchable block configuration examples include: HGH-CA, HGH-HA, HGL-CA, HGL-HA, HGW-CA, HGW-HA, HGW-CB, HGW-HB, HGW-CC, HGW-HC, EGH-SA, EGH-CA, EGW-SA, EGW-CA, EGW-SB, EGW-CB, WEH-CA, WEW-CC, MGN-C, MGN-H, MGW-C, MGW-H, CGH-CA, CGH-HA, CGW-CA, CGW-HA, RGH-CA, RGH-HA, RGW-CC, QHH-CA, QHW-CA, QEH-CA, QEW-CA, QWH-CA, QRH-CA. Example size designations include HGW-25, HGH-CA and HGH25CA format variants used in industry literature.
HIWIN family comparison
Primary HIWIN linear guideway families documented in the catalogue extract:
| Series | Type | Design summary | Catalogue sizes (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HG | Heavy load ball | Four-row circular-arc contact; equal load in radial, reverse radial and lateral directions | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 55, 65 |
| EG | Low profile ball | Low assembly height and shorter block for space-constrained high-speed automation | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 |
| WE | Four-row wide rail ball | 45-degree contact, wide rail layout; high moment loads especially MR | 17, 21, 27, 35, 50 |
| MG | Miniature (MGN/MGW) | Gothic arch contact; steel ball retainers | 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15 |
| CG | Superior rolling moment with cover strip | Stainless steel cover strip seals rail mounting holes | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45 |
| RG | High rigidity roller | Cylindrical rollers for ultra-high stiffness | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 55, 65 |
| CRG | Roller with cover strip | RG rigidity with CG cover strip protection | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 55, 65 |
| QH | SynchMotion quiet HG | Ball separators lower noise and friction fluctuations | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45 |
| QE | SynchMotion quiet EG | Quiet low-profile ball guideway | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 |
| QW | SynchMotion quiet WE | Quiet wide-rail ball guideway | 17, 21, 27, 35 |
| QR | SynchMotion quiet RG | Quiet roller guideway | 20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 55, 65 |
Specialty series (AG, PG, SE, RC)
Brief specialty types from the HIWIN portfolio map:
| Series | Role | Sizes (mm) |
|---|---|---|
| AG | Angle linear guideway; perpendicular dual-rail set for sliding-head lathes and robot dispensers | 20, 25, 30 |
| PG | Positioning guideway with magnetic encoder strip and sensor | 20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 55 |
| SE | Metal end cap for high temperature duty up to 150 C | Per catalogue |
| RC | Reinforced cap for rail mounting holes in severe dust duty | Accessory suffix |
Size table by series
Catalogue-documented rail/block size envelopes:
| Series | Sizes available (mm) |
|---|---|
| HG | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 55, 65 |
| EG | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 |
| WE | 17, 21, 27, 35, 50 |
| MG | 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15 |
| CG | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45 |
| RG / CRG | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 55, 65 |
| QH | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 45 |
| QE | 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 |
| QW | 17, 21, 27, 35 |
| QR | 20, 25, 30, 35, 45, 55, 65 |
Preload levels (Z0, ZA, ZB)
HIWIN preloads are set by selecting oversized rolling elements to induce negative internal clearance:
| Preload code | Ball types (HG, EG, WE, CG, QH, QE, QW, PG) | Roller types (RG, CRG, QR) |
|---|---|---|
| Z0 | Very light: 0 to 0.02C | Light: 0.02C to 0.04C |
| ZA | Light: 0.03C to 0.05C | Medium: 0.07C to 0.09C |
| ZB | Medium: 0.06C to 0.08C (up to 0.10C to 0.12C for AG/PG) | Not specified in supplied roller catalogue excerpts |
Running parallelism
Running parallelism of the block reference surface relative to the rail reference surface varies with rail length and accuracy class:
| Rail length (mm) | Normal (C) | High (H) | Precision (P) | Super Precision (SP) | Ultra Precision (UP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ~ 100 | 12 um | 7 um | 3 um | 2 um | 2 um |
| 100 ~ 200 | 14 um | 9 um | 4 um | 2 um | 2 um |
| 200 ~ 300 | 15 um | 10 um | 5 um | 3 um | 2 um |
| 300 ~ 500 | 17 um | 12 um | 6 um | 3 um | 2 um |
| 500 ~ 700 | 20 um | 13 um | 7 um | 4 um | 2 um |
| 700 ~ 900 | 22 um | 15 um | 8 um | 5 um | 3 um |
| 900 ~ 1,100 | 24 um | 16 um | 9 um | 6 um | 3 um |
| 1,100 ~ 1,500 | 26 um | 18 um | 11 um | 7 um | 4 um |
| 1,500 ~ 1,900 | 28 um | 20 um | 13 um | 8 um | 4 um |
| 1,900 ~ 2,500 | 31 um | 22 um | 15 um | 10 um | 5 um |
| 2,500 ~ 3,100 | 33 um | 25 um | 18 um | 11 um | 6 um |
| 3,100 ~ 3,600 | 36 um | 27 um | 20 um | 14 um | 7 um |
| 3,600 ~ 4,000 | 37 um | 28 um | 21 um | 15 um | 7 um |
Mounting surface height tolerance
Maximum tolerance of reference surface height S1 relative to a 500 mm horizontal rail span:
| Size | Preload Z0 | Preload ZA | Preload ZB |
|---|---|---|---|
| EG15 | 130 um | 85 um | Not specified in catalogue |
| EG20 / HG20 | 130 um | 85 um | 50 um |
| EG25 / HG25 | 130 um | 85 um | 70 um |
| EG30 / HG30 | 170 um | 110 um | 90 um |
| EG35 / HG35 | 210 um | 150 um | 120 um |
| HG45 | 250 um | 170 um | 140 um |
| HG55 | 300 um | 210 um | 170 um |
| HG65 | 350 um | 250 um | 200 um |
Ordering code decoder
Example ordering code: HGW 25 C C 2 R 1600 E ZA P II + KK+RC
- HGW -- HG heavy-load ball series; W flange block, lateral mounting.
- 25 -- Model size (25 mm nominal width).
- C -- Load type: C heavy load.
- C -- Block mounting: C top/bottom universal mounting.
- 2 -- Blocks per rail.
- R -- Rail mounting from top.
- 1600 -- Rail length in mm.
- E -- Special end-cut rail option.
- ZA -- Light preload.
- P -- Precision accuracy grade.
- II -- Two matched rails per axis.
- + KK+RC -- Double seals, bottom seal, scraper (KK); reinforced caps for rail holes (RC).
Manufacturer comparison chart (reference only)
The HIWIN comparison chart excerpt maps HIWIN block types to market-reference product families. This is dimensional research data only. Golden Bearing Company does not guarantee interchangeability, equivalence or substitution without engineering verification.
| HIWIN block type | Market-reference equivalents (catalogue comparison chart) |
|---|---|
| HGH-CA | THK HSR-RSS/SHS-R/V, IKO LWHD-B, INA MHD, Rexroth KUSE-H, NSK 1621, SKF LY-AN, SBC SBG-SL, ABBA BRH-B, AMT MSA-S |
| HGW-CA | THK HSR-A/SHS-C |
Qualification (SHS-V and related profiles): Only size 20 is the same. The rest have different heights.
Ball vs roller HIWIN guideways
| Elastic deformation | Balls use point contact with higher elastic deformation under heavy dynamic loads. Rollers use line contact, reducing elastic deformation by over 50% under equivalent loads. |
|---|---|
| Starting friction | Ball-type guideways exhibit significantly lower starting friction torque. Roller types show moderately higher rolling resistance but stable movement with high kinematic load damping. |
| Kinematic damping | Cylindrical rollers absorb machine vibrations more effectively than balls, reducing cutter chatter in machining centres. |
| Typical families | Ball: HG, EG, WE, CG, QH, QE, QW. Roller: RG, CRG, QR. |
Catalogue and commercial boundary
Send rail size, block type, preload, accuracy grade and stroke for engineering quotation. Model-level load tables and cross-brand substitution require manufacturer verification. Listing HIWIN on this page does not imply Golden Bearing Company distributes, stocks, authorises or represents HIWIN unless separately confirmed.
Common questions
For ball-type linear guideways, life L = (C/P)^3 x 50 km. For roller-type guideways, L = (C/P)^(10/3) x 100 km, where C is basic dynamic load rating and P is applied dynamic load.
Z0 is very light preload (0 to 0.02C). ZA is light preload (0.03C to 0.05C). ZB is medium preload (0.06C to 0.08C). AG and PG series may use up to 0.10C to 0.12C for ZB.
For an HG20 guideway with ZA preload, the maximum allowable parallelism error is 20 um. For EG20 with ZA preload it is 85 um. Exceeding these limits causes internal binding and premature wear.
HIWIN interchangeable blocks and rails are held under strict dimensional tolerance control. Users can purchase blocks and rails separately while maintaining up to Precision (P) grade accuracy. Super Precision (SP) and Ultra Precision (UP) require custom-matched non-interchangeable sets.
Standard linear guideways operate from -10 C to 100 C continuous, with polymer parts limited to 80 C continuous. SE metal end cap type supports up to 150 C.
The chart maps HGH-CA and HGW-CA block types to market-reference families. Qualification: only size 20 is the same; the rest have different heights. This is reference data only and does not guarantee interchangeability.
See the ordering decoder on this page for HGW 25 C C 2 R 1600 E ZA P II + KK+RC. Each segment defines series, size, load type, mounting, rail length, preload, accuracy and accessories.
Specify RG or CRG when heavy dynamic load, maximum rigidity and minimal elastic deformation are required, such as heavy milling machines and grinders. CRG adds CG-series cover strip protection.
Request an Engineering Quote
Share shaft bore, speed, torque duty and ordering designation for HIWIN Linear Guideways. Send HIWIN rail size, block type (e.g. HGH-CA, HGW-25), preload, accuracy grade, stroke and load duty for engineering quotation.