Redesigned nut maximizes stroke length

Michelle Stufft, Contributing Editor -- Design News, May 21, 2001

Since the days of the original Archimedes screw, engineers have aspired to design a smaller, more economical, more precise lead screw. Design engineers at Ball Screws and Actuators (BSA) Inc. are no exception.

Last August, BSA introduced its patented XC-Series plastic nut with ActiveCAM anti-backlash. The original anti-backlash nut was accepted well by the market, but its package size limited stroke length in some retrofit applications. In response, BSA has redesigned the entire mechanism into a smaller package, introducing two new Short Body XC-Series Plastic Nuts at the National Design Engineering Show in Chicago in March. The XC-3700SH, in 3/8-inch diameter screw sizes, and the XC-5000SH, in 1/2-inch diameter screw sizes, are available in threaded and flange mount versions.

The fact that the mechanism's smaller torsional spring has fewer turns results in a slight trade-off in load-carrying capacity. But Engineering Manager Robert Lipsett assures engineers, "The new XC-Series nuts have low torque, high stiffness, good accuracy, and good repeatability."

BSA has no plans to replace the original XC-Series nut, which Lipsett says addresses customer's requirements for load size and compactness. They are, however, targeting new applications including syringe pumps and acoustic microscopy inspection equipment.

Additional Details…Robert Lipsett, Ball Screws & Actuators, 3616 Snell Ave., San Jose, CA 95136; Tel: (800) 822-8857; www.ballscrews.com

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