Closing plugs: insert, drive in, job done

Closing plugs for profiled guide rails must perform significantly more functions than may at first be apparent. 

The top priority for many customers is fast and simple mounting, a minimal annular gap between the plug and guide rail surfaces, and a high retaining force.

Schaeffler has fulfilled these essential customer requirements with its new, patented KA-TN/B closing plugs. 

The KA-TN/B plastic closing plugs have a special feature: the plastic plug is joined to the respective component using a clinch ring. 

Mounting the closing plug simply involves inserting it into the bore and then driving it in until it is flush with the surface. 

There is a predetermined breaking point between the clinch ring and the plug, which comes loose when the plug is driven in, while small clamping lugs on the clinch ring hold the closing plug securely in position in the bore.

This innovative design now makes it possible to manually place several closing plugs into the bores and drive them in one by one in a single working step. This reduces mounting times more than fourfold compared to other systems.

This means the previously very complex tasks of wall and overhead mounting no longer pose a problem. 

Any tilting of the closing plug while it is being driven in is virtually eliminated by the clinch ring’s guidance. 

The small dimensions of the annular gap between the closing plug and the counterbore make it almost impossible for fluids and contamination to accumulate there, ensuring that the guide carriage is well-sealed.