Customized FlexTrieb® 67% less lead error
How can the positioning accuracy of a lead screw drive be improved when friction, installation misalignment and the highest precision requirements must all be taken into account?
For a high-resolution scanning system we customized FlexTrieb® Precision Lead Screw Drive. By carefully matching the lead screw, nut, materials and manufacturing processes, the lead error per revolution was reduced from 1.5 µm to 0.5 µm.
The result: 67% less lead error, repeatable positioning and a solution ready for series production.
The initial situation: Precision in a compact space
In high-resolution scanning systems, precise and repeatable linear movements are essential for reliable measurement results.
Feinmess Suhl was commissioned to design a lead screw drive during the early development phase. The requirements were clear: a lead deviation of less than 1 µm per revolution and the ability to compensate for axial installation misalignment.
The thread accuracy alone does not determine the motion behavior of a lead screw drive. Friction, material pairing, surface quality and manufacturing processes also influence repeatability and long-term stability.
Our engineering solution: screw and nut as a matched system
Based on the FlexTrieb® precision lead screw drive, our engineering team developed a combination of lead screw and nut tailored to the application.
The optimization was achieved through several coordinated measures:
- Optimization of the thread grinding process
- Adjustment of the hardening process
- Targeted matching of materials and surfaces
- Optimization of friction and motion behavior
- Verification in the original system using a measurement method agreed upon with the customer
Over several development loops, the results were verified and the design was improved step by step. What mattered was not the optimization of a single screw, but the matching of the entire lead screw drive to the real motion behavior in the customer's system.
The challenge: friction affects positioning accuracy
The thread accuracy alone does not determine the motion behavior of a lead screw drive. Friction, material pairing, surface quality and manufacturing processes also influence repeatability and long-term stability.
In this project, the following requirements in particular had to be met:
- Uniform and low friction behavior
- High repeatability of the linear motion
- Compensation of axial installation deviations
- Long-term stable motion behavior
- Reproducible quality for series production
Our engineering solution: screw and nut as a matched system
Based on the FlexTrieb® precision lead screw drive, our engineering team developed a combination of lead screw and nut tailored to the application.
The optimization was achieved through several coordinated measures:
- Optimization of the thread grinding process
- Adjustment of the hardening process
- Targeted matching of materials and surfaces
- Optimization of friction and motion behavior
- Verification in the original system using a measurement method agreed upon with the customer
Over several development loops, the results were verified and the design was improved step by step. What mattered was not the optimization of a single screw, but the matching of the entire lead screw drive to the real motion behavior in the customer's system.
The result: 67 % less lead error
Through targeted optimization, the lead error per revolution was reduced from originally 1.5 µm to 0.5 µm.
- 67 % reduction in lead error
- ± 3 µm positioning accuracy
- Reduced friction and reproducible motion
- Compensation of installation deviations
- Successful transfer to series production
The lead screw drive developed enables highly precise, reproducible linear motion for long-term use in the scanner system. The jointly developed solution is now manufactured in series at Feinmess Suhl.
Technical key figures
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Screw diameter | 6.35 mm |
| Overall length | 88.9 mm |
| Lead | 1 mm |
| Stroke | 11 mm |
| Accuracy grade | better than P0 |
| Lead error per revolution | 1.5 µm to 0.5 µm |
| Positioning accuracy | ± 3 µm |
| Material screw / nut | 1.4125 / CuSn8P |
| Lubrication | Klübersynth GLY32 |
From initial design to series production
This project shows how much influence the targeted matching of thread geometry, materials, manufacturing processes and installation conditions can have on the precision of a lead screw drive. Our Engineering-Team supports customer-specific developments from technical design through joint optimization and testing to series production.
Whether optical systems, medical technology, laboratory automation or industrial positioning tasks: our engineering experts support you in developing a suitable lead screw drive.
Discuss your requirements with us or have your technical drawing reviewed.
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