Volume Five

Press Slide Suspension Designs

Ball and Socket Versus Wrist Pin:
Author Dennis Boerger, Manager of Product Management,
AIDA-America Corporation

Nearly every mechanical press transmits force

from a crankshaft, eccentric shaft or eccentric
gear through connecting rods to the press slide.
The attachment of the connecting rods to the
slide is commonly referred to as the suspension
point (see figure #1).

Figure #2

Requirement 2-The system needs to be of

sufficient size to accept high reverse loads at the
bottom of the press stroke and then lift the slide
and upper die on the up-stroke. Again, the
physical size of the suspension point
components is important for carrying the tension
load.

Figure #1

There are two common systems used for slide

suspension. The first system is the ball and
socket type (see Figure #2) and the second is the
wrist pin type (see Figure #3). The slide
suspension system has four primary
requirements: Figure #3

Requirement #1-The system needs to be of Requirement #3-The system needs to be able to

sufficient size to transmit the force of the press reduce the effect of high off-center loads
drive to the slide and upper die so that work can generated in the die.
be completed on the material in the die. The
physical size of the suspension point
components is very important for carrying this
compressive load.

Copyright © 2002 AIDA-America Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 1

Volume Five
Figure #4
Requirement #4-The slide suspension system
needs to be able to accomplish these tasks with
little or no maintenance.
The effectiveness of the ball and socket versus
the wrist pin design, with the above four
requirements as a guide, can be determined by
selecting any size press and comparing the
suspension point components of that machine.
Figure #5
Compressive Load-Compressive load capacity
is a function of the area of the components to
which the load is applied. The wrist pin design
relies on a saddle bushing below the connecting
rod (see Figure #4). The surface area of the
saddle bushing is given a value of X. The ball
design uses a spherical ball seat with a load
carrying area of 2.2 times greater than the saddle
bushing (see Figure #5). The additional load
carrying area reduces wear and maintenance of
these components.
Copyright © 2002 AIDA-America Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Tension Load-Reverse, or tension load
capacity, is also a function of the area of the
components to which the load is applied. The
wrist pin design relies solely on the wrist pin
diameter (see Figure #4).
Figure #6
The ball design again relies on the spherical ball
seat that provides a minimum of 2 times greater
area than the wrist pin (see Figure#5). This
greater area provides significantly higher reverse
load capacity and reduces wear on the
suspension point components.
Off-Center Load-Slide tipping, caused by off-
center loads in multi-station dies, has a direct
effect on the slide suspension point. When off-
center loads exist and slide tipping is the result,
the ball seat (see Figure #6) rotates with the slide
but maintains a full load carrying area so that no
excessive stress is placed on the suspension
point components and there is no additional
wear of the components. With the wrist pin
design, the connection and saddle bearing are
flat (not spherical) in the right to left direction
(see Figure #7) and as a result, slide
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Volume Five
The Suspension Point Wear and Maintenance
Factor-As outlined previously, the ball seat
spherical design provides less wear and less
maintenance for compression and tension
loading because of its larger area and superior
off-center load capacity. There is still another
situation where the ball design will provide
superior performance when compared to the
wrist pin. The load application point in a wrist
pin design is at the bottom of the adjusting nut
(see Figure #8). With the slide adjustment up,
the head of the adjusting screw is contained
inside its housing and has maximum support.
Figure #7

tipping has a negative effect on these

components. When the slide tips, clearance
between the connection and saddle bearing is
reduced or eliminated on one side of the load
carrying area. This causes the full load to be
applied to a significantly reduced area and
producing a high wear point that can result in the
damage to the saddle bearing. The slide tipping
also places a bending load on the wrist pin,
which causes excessive wear in the wrist pin
bushing and in severe cases, breakage of the
components in this area.

Figure #9

Also, the distance from the wrist pin to the load

application point is at the minimum. However,
when the slide adjustment is down, (see Figure
#9) the distance from the wrist pin to the load
application point is at the maximum and the
head of the adjusting screw protrudes from its
housing and has little or no support. This allows
it to deflect under the side load created by the
angle of the connection. The ball screw design
(see Figure #10) is not affected by the position
of the slide adjustment because the screw and
connection remain in a straight line and load
Figure # 8 support is not changed. Finally, when comparing
figures #8 and #9 with figure #10, it becomes
obvious that support for the suspension point is

Copyright © 2002 AIDA-America Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 3

Volume Five
superior with the ball. Support ribs in the slide
are placed directly under the ball type
suspension point while support ribs in the wrist
pin design slide must be positioned to allow
clearance for the adjusting screw thus reducing
the amount of support available.

Figure #10

Conclusion-Both the wrist pin and the ball and

socket slide suspension designs have been used
in mechanical metal forming presses for many
years and both have provided reliable
performance for press users. The point of this
technical paper is not to conclude that one
design is good and the other is bad, but rather to
illustrate the reasons why the ball and socket
design is superior to the wrist pin design for
mechanical presses. Larger load supporting
areas for compression and tension loads,
maintenance of full bearing area in off-center
loading conditions and reduced wear and
maintenance make the ball and socket design
superior.

Copyright © 2002 AIDA-America Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 4