EN
AR
BG
CS
DA
NL
FI
FR
DE
EL
HI
IT
JA
KO
NO
PL
PT
RU
ES
SV
TL
ID
UK
VI
HU
TH
TR
FA
AF
MS
SW
GA
CY
BE
KA
LA
MY
TG
UZ
As automation and precision manufacturing sweep the globe, the demands on motion control technology are becoming increasingly stringent: smaller spaces, higher precision, and faster speeds. In line with this trend, micro ball screws, as key transmission components, have become the indispensable “heart” of many high-tech devices thanks to their superior performance.
What is a micro ball screw?
Simply put, a micro ball screw is the ultimate miniaturization and higher precision evolution of the standard ball screw. It inherits the core operating principle of a ball screw—efficiently and precisely converting the motor’s rotary motion into linear motion through the circulation of balls between the screw and nut. Its most notable feature is its miniature size, with nominal diameters typically ranging from 4mm to 12mm and leads as small as 1mm, enabling precise transmission even in extremely limited spaces.
The Core Advantages of Micro Ball Screws
- Ultra-High Precision: Micro ball screws are precision-ground and rigorously quality-controlled to achieve extremely high precision grades, such as C5 and C7. This means minimal backlash, enabling accurate positioning and repeatability to the micron level or even higher, meeting the rigidity requirements of ultra-high-precision operations.
- Efficient and Smooth: Micro ball screws utilize rolling friction, achieving transmission efficiency exceeding 90%. This not only reduces the load and energy consumption on the drive motor, but also provides smooth, low-noise motion, making it particularly suitable for applications with stringent noise requirements.
- Compact Structure: Its small and lightweight design allows for easy integration into compact modern equipment, providing significant design flexibility and a key factor driving the trend toward miniaturization.
Micro ball screws have a wide range of applications.
Thanks to these advantages, micro ball screws have flourished in cutting-edge technology:
- Semiconductor manufacturing equipment: In key industrial equipment such as lithography machines and chip bonders, micro ball screws are responsible for nanometer-level precision movement of wafer and mask stages, fundamentally ensuring chip manufacturing accuracy.
- Precision measuring instruments: Coordinate measuring machines and optical inspection equipment rely on micro ball screws to drive probes or lenses, achieving precise scanning and focusing, ensuring the reliability of measurement data.
- Medical and life sciences: From the dexterous joints of surgical robots to the sample arms of automated analytical instruments, micro ball screws provide a safe, reliable, and precise power source for modern medical equipment.
- Robotics: In the joints of collaborative robots and small industrial robots, micro ball screws are the core transmission components that enable compact, high-precision motion.
In summary, despite their compact size, micro ball screws are a cornerstone technology supporting the development of modern precision industry. With the continuous upgrading of industries such as semiconductors, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence, the demand for miniature, high-speed, and high-precision transmission solutions will continue to grow, and the importance of miniature ball screws will become increasingly prominent.