Imagine two columns—one short and wide and the other long and narrow. As you begin to put weight on them, the long, narrow column gradually begins to bend, to the point that it becomes permanently deformed and eventually breaks, while the short, wide column handles the weight with ease. In the same way the long, […]
Ball + lead + roller screws
New line of metric ballscrews alternative to expensive ground-thread devices
Cleveland-based Nook Industries now sells a complete line of precision metric ballscrew (PMBS) products. They’re an alternative to expensive ground-thread devices manufactured overseas. The ballscrews can move significant loads and masses with great precision, making them useful for aerospace to tool-making applications. Options include linear lead-accuracy classes of T10, T7, T5 and T3 that comply with ISO 3408-3 ballscrew standards. Preloaded and […]
How to determine if a screw will back drive
Screw assemblies are generally preferred over belts or linear motors in vertical applications. This is because a screw will prevent the load from catastrophically crashing if there’s a loss of power to the motor. But a vertical load can still cause a screw to back drive, allowing the load to drop, albeit at a slightly […]
What happens when you combine a planetary gear with a ball screw?
Answer: You get a planetary roller screw. Replacing the recirculating balls of a ball screw with grooved rollers results in a precision drive mechanism with extremely high load capacity, acceleration, and speed capabilities, all in a small footprint. Planetary roller screws fit well in applications at the upper end of ball screw capabilities, but that require […]
Three factors critical to servo motor sizing for linear motion systems
Selecting the right servo motor for a linear motion system is a complex task, beginning with initial assumptions and component selections, which must be checked through a series of calculations and, in most cases, repeated over several iterations until a suitable combination of motor and mechanics is found. Most motor manufacturers offer online sizing tools that make […]
What is preload?
Have you ever wondered, “what is preload”? We’re here to help! Applications that use linear bearings or ball screws often require precise positioning, which means that the motion components must be rigid. And while recirculating ball guides and screws are able to carry large loads, they inherently have clearance, or backlash, due to the size […]
Can Lead Screws Outperform Ball Screws?
Lead screws are often regarded as the less expensive alternative to ball screws – suitable only for light-duty applications with low precision requirements. While it’s true that ball screws often have the advantage over lead screws when it comes to load capacity and rigidity, lead screws’ reliance on sliding, rather than rolling, motion makes them the better choice for […]
Micro Series lead screws now available from Haydon Kerk Express web store
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions has added Kerk® Micro Series lead screws to the Haydon Kerk Express web store with three different leads available for 24-hour shipment. Standard and prototype-style nuts also are available. Haydon Kerk has applied its extensive knowledge and experience in precision thread rolling to a new range of micro-sized lead screws. Its […]
Twelve Days of Automation
In honor of the upcoming holiday, here’s an Automation spin to the classic song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” On the first day of Christmas An Engineer gave to me A design layout in 3D On the second day of Christmas An Engineer gave to me Two feedback loops […]
Linear Motor vs. Ball Screw
While ironless linear motors have been used in semiconductor and electronic applications for more than a decade, they are still viewed by many designers and OEMs as “niche” products. But the perception of linear motors as a costly solution for unique applications is slowly changing, as more industries are adopting them as replacements for ball screws […]