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Ballscrews: Their Enduring Popularity

ballscrews

One of the most popular types of screw used across many different industries is the ballscrew, which is ideal for applications requiring precision motion control. As one of the most efficient screw designs, ballscrew manufacturers produce many variations to suit a wide variety of purposes. Using ballscrews is probably the most efficient way of converting torque or rotary motion into precise linear motion.

Heavy loads are not a problem for ballscrews either as the ballscrew manufacturing process makes them sturdy enough to maintain excellent accuracy while moving heavy loads even at a fast pace. It is exactly this kind of reliability under stress that keeps ballscrews suppliers in business due to the huge demand for the product. An added bonus is that ballscrews tend to be significantly more cost-effective than alternative options such as hydraulic actuators.

How Ballscrews Work

Ballscrews basically consist of a nut around a thread shaft with either the nut or the shaft acting as the traversing component. The ball of the ballscrew is a metal ball, usually made of steel, which travels along in a similar way to how linear ball bearings move.

There are different types of ballscrews for different applications and there are a variety of factors which should be taken into consideration when choosing the right kind of ballscrew and its corresponding nut. Factors for consideration are the type of load the ballscrew is expected to handled, the speed at which it will operate, its length and its life expectancy.

Ballscrew Manufacture Considerations

When choosing ballscrews from a ballscrews distributor, the load is probably the main consideration. The weight of the load is not the only factor though, but also how that load will be moved. If it is a static load that doesn’t move, then the load capacity of the ballscrew and nut should be clear enough and the ballscrew manufacturer should make the maximum capacity clear for each ballscrew product. Moving loads are a different matter, as the dynamic action produces thrusts and impacts which the ballscrew must handle in addition to the initial weight of the load. Again, the manufacturers or the ballscrews suppliers should be able to advise the buyer with regard to the correct ballscrew and nut in accordance with its intended application.

The life expectancy of a ballscrew should be able to be calculated by the ballscrew manufacturer thanks to the product’s design usually involving steel on steel components. However, it is worth being advised that the life expectancy is calculated on the assumption that the ballscrew always operates in ideal conditions. Any circumstances that involve detrimental effects will shorten the lifespan, and these include contamination of dirt and dust, a lack of proper lubrication, and even using the wrong kind of mount for the ballscrew.

Ballscrew Load Types

Ballscrews should be able to handle a variety of load types such as tensile loads or compression loads. Tensile loads stretch a screw, while compression pressure will obviously squeeze or crush it. Normal screws will bow or crack under these pressures, but the correct type of ballscrew should be able to handle them with ease.

If you require any ballscrew or ball-bearing products,  then contact YB Components who are the UK’s leading ballscrews distributors and who can ship these parts all over the world.