• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Linear Motion Tips

Covering Linear Motion Systems, Components and Linear Motion Resources

  • New
    • Editor’s blog
    • Industry news
    • Motion Casebook
    • Video
  • Applications
  • Slides + guides
    • Ball + roller guides
    • Track roller (cam + wheel) guides
    • Crossed-roller slides
    • Linear bearings
    • Plastic + composite guides
  • Drives
    • Ball + lead + roller screws
    • Belt + chain drives for linear
    • Rack + pinion sets
  • Actuators
    • Ball + leadscrew driven
    • Belt + chain driven
    • Linear motors
    • Mini + piezo + voice coil
    • Rack + pinion driven
    • Rigid-chain actuators
  • Encoders + sensors (linear) + I/O
  • Stages + gantries
  • Suppliers

Linear actuator designs for vertical lifts: What are pitfalls to avoid during jack-system design?

July 15, 2017 By Lisa Eitel Leave a Comment

A jack system is anything from a single jack to eight to ten jacks working in tandem to move a load. Complete jack systems refer to the mechanical components of the jacks as well as their gearboxes and couplings and accessories and shafting; electrical components including motors, the system drive, and encoders; and the motion controls, programming, and panel build. All components form an engineered system that (when fully specified) form a plug-and-play vertical motion design.

Image courtesy Nook Industries.

There are two common pitfalls when selecting and applying jack systems. First, engineers tend to forget about the additive nature of inefficiencies in multi-jack arrangements. Compounded inefficiencies have significant impact on the sizing of the motor and electrical components.

Second, when applying the system to the machine, engineers tend to neglect alignment of the screws to the linear guides. Sometimes installers also forget to grease the lift shafts. Misalignment and improper lubrication of the jacks can spur premature lift shaft or nut failure.

Some manufacturers employ application and sales engineers trained in sizing and selecting components for complete jack systems. Online sizing tools also aid in jack-system sizing. Templates and application data forms communicate information; look for high-tech distributors that specialize in selling complete linear actuator setups for vertical-lift systems.

In this video, one engineer from Nook Industries based in Cleveland talks with Lisa Eitel of Design World about jacks as complete systems. Also covered are ways to address the inefficiencies associated with multiple-jack arrangements.

You may also like:


  • Linear actuator designs for vertical lifts: How to size a…

  • Wear indicator nuts for jacks: How do they work?
  • linear encoder
    Fighting cancer with precision motion control

  • Positioning stages and gantries — new trends in integration approaches

  • What you missed at Automate 2017: Linear-motion technologies and more

Filed Under: Ball + lead + roller screws, Linear drives (all) Tagged With: nookindustries

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

DESIGN GUIDE LIBRARY

“motion
Subscribe Today

RSS Featured White Papers

  • Evaluating actuators for washdown in food & beverage applications
  • Identifying Best-Value Linear Motion Technologies
  • Introduction to accuracy and repeatability in linear motion systems

RSS Motion Control Tips

  • New gearboxes for electric motors in mobile machines
  • Leading motion-control and actuation options for robotics
  • Basics of wave and cycloidal gearing for robotics and servo designs
  • New micro servo-drive system for extra-low-voltage manufacturing applications
  • Incremental encoders offer 16 quadrature resolutions from 96 to 4,096 PPR

Footer

Linear Motion Tips

Design World Network

Design World Online
The Robot Report
Coupling Tips
Motion Control Tips
Bearing Tips
Fastener Engineering

Linear Motion Tips

Subscribe to our newsletter
Advertise with us
Contact us
About us

Follow us on TwitterAdd us on FacebookAdd us on LinkedInAdd us on YouTubeAdd us on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy