Ballscrews drive positioning stages for assembling small parts. Ballscrews control the Z axis in robots and the ram in electromechanical assembly presses. With their high stiffness, low settling Arial and fast travel speeds, ballscrews can be seen in many electronics assembly machines, including magazine loaders, paste printers, dispensers, and placement and insertion equipment.
Like Acme screws, ballscrews convert rotary motion into linear motion. But unlike Acme screws, ballscrews have concave helical threads, and ball bearings ride between the screw and nut in a recirculating raceway. This arrangement dramatically minimizes mechanical wear and enables a ballscrew to convert more than 90 percent of the motor’s torque into thrust.