A slide assembly for use on a forming turret in a machine line that forms articles, such as cans, comprises a fixed rail, a slide block configured to slide in the rail, and an adaptor that is mounted to the rail. The slide assembly is configured to provide at least a 4.0 inch or more stroke that is stable and minimizes shaking or other movement. The slide assembly is designed such that ends of at least one of the adaptor and rail remain rigid during the stroke operation.