One primary difference between a ball screw vs lead screw is that ball screws rely on ball bearings to reduce friction between the nut and screw, whereas lead screws do not. On a ball screw, the nut and screw have matching helical grooves that permit ball bearings to re-circulate in the races, and they often have a semi-circular shape to accommodate the spherical ball bearing.
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Lead screws rely on deeper helical threads and a mating nut that is typically constructed of bronze or a polymer composite. Unlike lead screws, ball screws exhibit a rolling nature that eliminates sliding friction.
It is critical to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each actuator before determining the ideal solution for an application. Consider your specific requirements and compare the characteristics to find the best fit.
In addition, these two products differ significantly in their efficiency &#; in fact, this is one of the key elements to consider here. Ball screws run with consistent efficiency, which is usually at 90% or better; on the flip side, ACME lead screws will average about 44% efficiency, and may drop as low as 20% due to less consistency. This is because ACME lead screw efficiency depends in large part on its helix angle, which can vary significantly.
In a recent conversation with a customer one of our technical engineers was asked which would be best suited to a specific application; a ball screw or a lead screw.
We recognised that this is a question we&#;ve been asked a number of times in the past &#; and will no doubt be asked again in future &#; so we thought it would be helpful if we explored some of the pros and cons of ball screws vs lead screws, with some examples of where each are well suited.
This may help you to decide between the available options for your own application, and narrow your search for a spindle which best meets your needs.
You&#;ll see from our product pages that we offer a range of screw jacks, linear actuators and the spindle ranges from Grob and ADE&#; which cover a huge range of potential linear motion control on a wide scale, and for a wealth of different environments.
This means that you have a lot of options for making the best choice for your application &#; but it also means that, if you&#;re unsure which direction to focus your search, the range of options can be a little overwhelming.
One way to help understand some features and differences; lead and pitch are a good example of related, but different, specifications. Lead refers to the linear distance travelled for each complete turn of the screw, while pitch is the distance between screw threads. These terms are often used interchangeably, and for single-start screws (see below for definition), lead and pitch are equivalent.
However, lead and pitch are not equal for screws with multiple starts;
Let&#;s explore the difference between a lead screw and a ball screw:
What is a ball screw?
You&#;re probably familiar with ball bearings &#; and the smooth motion that they provide in rotation; a ball screw utilises these ball bearings within the screw mechanism, recirculating balls within circuits, meaning that the screw shaft which passes through the ball nut rotates smoothly using ball point contact &#; which offers very low friction and close contact between ball and screw.
This gives you great control over the linear motion, with high efficiency and positional accuracy. Low friction means that you need less rotary input power to create the linear motion &#; allowing for a smaller powered motor; this not only means that cheaper options for motors are suited, it also allows for a smaller footprint.
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A key benefit in the ballscrew design is lead options: very fast lead can offer very fast linear motion for high speed positioning, with low friction for high duty usage. Close ball contact offers low backlash when changing direction, and can be preloaded with zero play using larger ball sizes. Precision and error can be controlled with different precision grades of manufacture from rolled to ground forms.
So in summary: ball screws are better suited to applications where speed, positional accuracy and high usage/duty is required; however, you will also need to factor a braking system into the design, as ball screws are not self-locking.
What is a lead screw?
A leadscrew (trapezoidal or acme thread ) differs from a ball screw; there are no ball bearings &#; meaning that the screw threads are in direct contact with the moving component &#; i.e. the bronze nut acts as a plain bearing, with much higher surface area of contact.
Higher forces are possible, but this contact creates more friction &#; and thus requires more power from the motor. The cut or whirled threads offer a more shock-resistant, self-locking system (depending and thread angle) meaning that you need no additional braking system for them to maintain their position.
Single and multi-start options are available for some faster leads but not as fast as a ballscrew. These are well suited to low cost, low speed and lower duty environments where occasional, significant linear motion is necessary.
What are the pros and cons of ball screws?
Pros:
Cons:
What are the pros and cons of lead screws?
Pros:
Cons:
So which should I choose &#; a ball screw or a lead screw?
Hopefully the information here has given you a better steer on which option would be best suited to your application. If you&#;re still unsure whether a ball screw or a lead screw spindle would best suit your design, speak to the Drive Lines team today for advice on the range, and which would meet your specific needs.
Call to speak to one of our technical engineers, fill in our contact form or and someone will get back to you ASAP.
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