There are various reasons a piece of machinery may benefit from a custom ball screw. Before an engineer reaches this decision, there are several things they must remember to ensure accuracy and life expectancy. Here, we explain the best practices when customizing a ball screw assembly.

Criteria for Designing

Before designing custom ball screws, it’s essential to keep pertinent criteria in mind to achieve a successful assembly. Each mechanism, whether pre-assembled or custom, must adhere to a specific load capacity, life expectancy, backlash requirements, and speed. By understanding these details, you will have an increased ability to design an accurate custom assembly that achieves performance standards.

Customizing the Design

Standard ball screws or pre-assembled mechanisms do not hold the capacity to suit every application. Customizing the design of a ball screw assembly can ensure accuracy and performance while taking other variables into consideration. The following features can help in the customization process:

• Pinning and mounting the flange. A flange should be permanently fastened to a nut. Because of the assembly process, it is recommended to receive the pinning flange either pre-assembled or factory assembled.
• Flange orientation. Unless stated otherwise, flanges will fasten according to the allotted number of assembly holes, and this determines orientation.
• Ball nut orientation. Any time the ball nut is positioned any way other than vertical, it’s vital to mirror the return tubes. This will help optimize the ball nut’s performance.
• Lubrication demands. Adequate and routine lubrication efforts apply to every mechanism and assembly. This can help prolong its life while maintaining smooth operations.

Understanding the Profiles

There are a few different assembly profiles to use when thinking about a custom ball screw, round, or gothic. Each one has its own set of advantages, so consider the application when determining suitable profiling.

• Round profiles offer minimal wear and reduced friction. These are optimal for life capacity and firmness.
• Gothic profiles also have minimal friction and wear but also possess an incrementally small amount of axial play.

Wedin International is an industry-leading ball screw assembly manufacturer with over 40 years of experience. Together, we can design a custom assembly fit for various applications. Contact us today to learn more about our engineering process and design qualifications.