Slide Rail Description
Equipment slide rails come in two sections. One section of the rail attaches to an equipment chassis, while the other section attaches to the equipment rack. The two sections slide into each other to form a slide rail. One slide rail per chassis side. Slide rails allow an equipment chassis to be extended out the front or rear of a rack.
There are two main styles of chassis slide rails; Side mount which mounts the chassis to the rack, and bottom mount which mounts the chassis to a shelf located beneath the chassis. The bottom mount style of rails do not appear to be that common, of course they require an extra support shelf while the side-mount style does not.
Be sure to specify the correct weight the slide rails can handle.
Slide mount rails are more common that bottom mounted rails. |
 Rack Slide Rails |
Slide Rail Manufacturers
Elma {Bracket-Mount Slide Rails}
General Devices {Ball Bearing Slides, Solid Bearing Slides, Bottom Mount Slides, Roller Bearing Slides}
Section Index; How To Specify an Electronic Equipment Chassis
Bottom mount slide rails are not commonly used. In addition the bottom mount rails imply that the equipment is sitting on a flat shelf which is also blocking all upward air flow. In other words an equipment shelf unnecessarily blocks air flow from reaching any equipment above the shelf and forces the air flow up the sides of the rack. Of course any gear installed in the rack does the same thing, but the equipment is required, the shelf might not be.
