helix linear Lead screw - blog

Lead screws are the norm for today's linear motion applications but despite the lead screw's advantages over competing technologies (i.e. affordability, precision, the ability to design with freedom, reduced maintenance, etc.), lead screw systems do have a certain amount of “play"

Regardless of the details of any given application, there are some pretty important design considerations that should be addressed each and every time you are considering trapezoidal screws as a means of linear motion. In this post we will explore five critical questions that must be answered to achieve success.

Assembling lead screws into your machine or device can get tricky if you dont have the right tools and a screw design that helps make things easy.

Lead screws and ball screws have been the most trusted and cost effective means of translating rotational energy to linear motion.

Lead screws are an excellent linear motion product that converts rotary motion to linear motion very economically and until recently offered only moderate accuracy and repeatability.

Linear motion applications utilizing a ball screw or an acme screw require high tolerance screw end machining matched with precision bearing mounts. Helix Linear Technologies has designed a family of standard machined ends applicable to a variety of bearing arrangements.

Coatings are made up of resin, additives, and a liquefying agent that’s either “water-based” or “solvent-based”. Water-based coatings and solvent-based coatings have distinct purposes that depend on your needs. One coating may work better under mild weather conditions.

So what's so important about perfecting your acme lead screw backlash design and why do you need a survival guide to help steer you in the right direction? Find out everything you need to know about backlash here.

There are a bevy of factors that dictate the performance of a lead screw, to include how it is mounted, as we covered in our last article. However, we believe that the most important factor is the pairing of the lead screw with the lead screw nut.

In order to ensure that an acme lead screw serves a particular application correctly, there are a variety of factors that need to be considered. In fact, there are four primary things to consider when it comes to lead screw selection: load, speed, length of travel and end fixity.