Rack and pinion drives are commonly used in large gantry robots and material handling systems for their ability to achieve high-speed movements over long travel lengths. The most common rack and pinion systems for industrial automation consist of a linear rack (also referred to as a “linear gear”), a pinion (also referred to as a “circular […]
FAQs + basics
What are linear ultrasonic piezo motors?
Ultrasonic piezo motors create useful rotary or linear motion by exciting a piezo element to produce high-frequency oscillations. In linear ultrasonic piezo motors, the piezo element is a piezoelectric plate. Applying voltage excites the plate at its resonance frequency and creates eigenmode oscillations – meaning all parts of the plate move sinusoidally at the same […]
Is oil suitable for ball screw lubrication?
The short answer is yes: ball screws can be lubricated with either grease or oil. Grease is more commonly used for ball screw lubrication because it doesn’t entail complicated delivery methods, and it requires less frequent re-lubrication intervals. But despite the simplicity of using grease, in many applications, oil lubrication is the better choice for […]
What causes plain bearing wear?
For rolling element bearings, the L10 life calculation is an easy way to determine the bearing’s expected travel life. But for plain bearings, determining life expectancy is not so straightforward. Plain bearing life is based on the amount of wear the bearing experiences, which depends on factors that are unique to each application, such as […]
Can plain bearings be used for cantilevered loads?
There are few linear motion applications in which the load is perfectly centered over the supporting bearing. On the contrary – the majority of applications involve loads that are cantilevered, meaning they are offset from the bearing and induce a moment load. In this context, the term “bearing” can mean a single bearing or a […]
What is a hollow core linear voice coil motor?
A linear voice coil motor (also referred to as a “voice coil actuator” or “linear DC motor”) is a simple yet very precise type of electric motor, consisting of just two primary parts – a coil and a magnet. When current is applied to the coil, a force is generated. The magnitude of the force […]
What are planetary roller screws?
Screw drives are some of the most common methods of mechanical linear actuation. And planetary roller screws are one of several screw types, including lead screws and ball screws. Planetary roller screws use threaded rollers that are toothed to mesh with geared rings at each end of a nut. The rollers spin on their axes […]
How to calculate encoder resolution
Resolution is one of the most important indicators of an encoder’s performance. For incremental encoders, resolution is typically specified in pulses per revolution (PPR), or, in the case of linear encoders, pulses per inch (PPI) or pulses per millimeter (PPM). These square-wave pulses are very precisely spaced, and the encoder determines its position by counting […]
What is cogging in linear motors?
Linear motors are generally classified by the construction of the motor’s primary part: ironless or iron core. In an ironless linear motor, the windings of the primary are embedded in an epoxy resin, whereas the windings of an iron core linear motor are mounted in an iron lamination stack. The lamination contains teeth, or protrusions, […]
What is microstepping?
Microstepping is a method of controlling stepper motors, typically used to achieve higher resolution or smoother motion at low speeds. Stepper motors move in discrete steps, or fractions of a revolution. For example, a stepper motor with a 1.8 degree step angle will make 200 steps for every full revolution of the motor (360 ÷ […]