Helix Linear Technologies Blog | Lead Screws

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.

Lead screws have increasingly become the linear motion control solution of choice for mechanical design. The use of lead screws for providing actuation in machine designs and other types of mechanical design is growing because of advances in lead screw design, screw and nut materials, and manufacturing technologies.

Selecting the right motion control system can often mean the difference between success and failure. To optimize performance, reliability, maintenance requirements, and service life, design engineers should conduct a thorough evaluation of their options in conjunction with configuring the most suitable lead screw as a means to drive the specific application.

Helix has recently introduced its precision miniature lead screw designs for light load medical device design and applications that deliver fast speed and close tolerance positioning. Designed for compact applications that require the dual ability to be fast and precise - ideal for accurate positioning requiring a rapid approach and retraction.