Technical Guide
Turcite B vs Rulon vs Moglice — Slideway Liner Comparison
Rebuilders comparing alternative guideway materials usually weigh three families against one another: skived PTFE-based soft tape in the Turcite B class, filled PTFE bearing tape such as Rulon, and epoxy casting compounds such as Moglice. All three renew the running faces of worn machine tool guideways, yet they differ in friction behaviour, load capacity, installation method and the repair scenario each one suits. This guide compares the three side by side.
Three material families, one repair problem
Machine tool ways wear in characteristic patterns — scoring, galling, uneven bedding and lost geometry. Every repair material in this comparison restores a smooth, accurate running surface, but each family does it differently. The tape families bond a thin, low-friction layer onto a way that has been machined flat; the casting family forms a new epoxy surface in place. Knowing which job each family is built for makes the slideway liner comparison much simpler.
Turcite B and the soft tape family
Turcite B is the best-known brand of skived PTFE-based slideway tape, and the whole class is often called guideway soft tape or slideway liner. The compound is skived into thin strip — typically 0.8 to 3.2 mm — with one side chemically etched so a structural two-part epoxy bonds it to steel or cast iron. Its strengths are a low-friction running face that virtually eliminates stick-slip at low feed rates, straightforward installation on a machined way, and a predictable centre height once the liner is machined to final thickness.
TEBAK manufactures this class of material as Blue, Green, Brown and Brick Red slideway liner, all from one skived PTFE-based compound. Because tape bonding is fast, this family dominates production overhauls in which the way surface can be machined flat first.
Rulon — the filled PTFE tape alternative
Rulon describes a family of filled PTFE bearing materials rather than a single product. Like the Turcite B class it is supplied as tape and bonded with the same sequence — prepare the metal, apply epoxy, clamp, cure, finish machine — so the installation guide applies to both. The practical difference sits in the compound: Rulon grades are formulated with fillers tuned to specific bearing duties, so the correct grade depends on the pressure and speed conditions the slide carries.
For most machine tool rebuilds the two tape families are evaluated in the same way: match the compound to the duty, then specify colour, width and thickness. If the rebuild specification calls for a Turcite-B-class soft tape, the four TEBAK colours above cover the standard way-liner range.
Moglice — epoxy casting for deeper damage
Moglice is the common name for two-part epoxy compounds applied as a paste or pourable mix that cures in place to form a new way surface. Instead of bonding a pre-made strip, the rebuilder trowels or pours the compound onto the prepared surface, lets it cure, then machines or scrapes it to final geometry.
Casting earns its place where a thin liner cannot help: deeply pitted ways, corrosion damage, pockets left by machining, or surfaces so far from flat that a thin tape would simply follow the old geometry. The cured epoxy can be built up thicker than any liner and carries load without the thin-layer limits of tape. The trade-off is a running surface with higher friction than PTFE, so the finished way depends on proper lubrication and machined oil grooves, and full cure takes longer than a taped joint.
| Aspect | Turcite B soft tape | Rulon tape | Moglice epoxy cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material form | Skived PTFE-based strip | Filled PTFE tape | Two-part epoxy compound |
| Installation | Epoxy bond, clamp, machine | Epoxy bond, clamp, machine | Trowel or pour, cure in place, machine or scrape |
| Friction behaviour | Low friction, stick-slip free | Low friction, grade dependent | Higher friction, needs lubrication and oil grooves |
| Thickness or fill | Thin liner 0.8 – 3.2 mm | Thin liner, similar range | Thick build-up, fills pits and pockets |
| Typical repair | Machined ways, fast overhaul | Machined ways, matched to duty | Deep wear and in-place rebuilds |
Choosing by repair scenario
If the way can be machined flat and the original centre height restored by machining, a soft tape is usually the fastest and most economical route: bond, clamp, cure, machine, and the machine returns to service within days. That is why the tape family is the default for most CNC lathe, milling machine and grinder way repairs.
If the damage is too deep for a thin liner, or heavy members are better rebuilt without travelling to a machine tool, an epoxy cast rebuilds the surface in place. The two approaches also combine well: casting the badly damaged member and taping the opposing slide keeps a low-friction PTFE face on at least one running surface — a common arrangement on rebuilt slideway pairs.
Where TEBAK sits in this comparison
TEBAK manufactures the soft tape family — Turcite-B-class slideway liner in Blue, Green, Brown and Brick Red — together with a two-part epoxy adhesive matched to the tape. If the repair follows the machined-way route, start with the Turcite B replacement guide to confirm the material class, then use the liner sizing guide to choose the right width and thickness before requesting a quotation.