Helix Linear Technologies Blog | Lead Screws

The only thing constant is change, especially for medical device manufacturers, which face ongoing pressures to introduce new products or highly modified versions of existing devices at a faster pace than any other industry.

Globally, rail car systems build-out is projected for strong growth well into the foreseeable future. The design of rail car components has seen similar steady movement.

The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dramatically increased demand for automated security systems in practically all facets of society. From military and governmental security technologies to commercial and residential surveillance systems, automated security represents one of the fastest growing markets in today’s global economy.

Once thought of as little more than a cheap substitute for ball screws and only suitable for limited use in less demanding applications, lead screws (sometimes called lead screws, power screws, acme screws or translation screws) have evolved and now offer many significant advantages over alternative technologies

While industrial robots have been used to manipulate parts, tools, material, and specialized devices for half a century, industrial robot manufacturers face a range of new challenges associated with increased demand for greater levels of adaptability, agility, and flexibility

The screw thread of a lead screw or Acme screw—the helical, shape used to convert rotational motion to linear motion or force—is an important factor in engineering and configuring a mechanical actuator that will perform optimally for a specific linear motion application.

With a 3D printer, product developers can quickly and cost effectively create actual physical parts of product designs directly from product design data. Just as a desktop printer produces type on a 2D page, a 3D printer builds a physical object in 3D space, layer by layer.

The use of syringe pumps for medical treatment and chemical/biomedical research has substantially increased in recent years. The most common application for these small infusion pumps is to gradually administer intravenous medications to patients, including pain-killing analgesics, nausea-suppressing anti-emetics, and other drugs.

While lead screws provide cost, performance, and dependability advantages for many of today’s linear actuation requirements, some motion control applications present challenges that require the use of plastic acme nuts, which are engineered to provide internal lubrication, to make lead screws operate more smoothly, quietly, and reliably.

Lead and acme screws are used for a variety of linear motion control applications, ranging from syringe pumps to pan-and-tilt systems for security cameras. However, one of the more interesting applications of these screws involves their use for driving the fin actuation that guides a missile to its target.