Rising labour and material costs are forcing manufacturers around the world to further increase productivity. At the same time, the available installation space in many production facilities is limited, making space-saving machine designs increasingly important. These not only reduce space requirements, but also enable lighter machine designs that allow for lower moments of inertia, lower motor loads and higher travel speeds. This increases productivity while reducing material and transport costs.

Contribution to more environmentally friendly production facilities

In line with the United Nations' SDG (Sustainable Development Goals), energy efficiency is also becoming a greater focus. Machines with a lighter mechanical design reduce energy consumption and thus contribute to more environmentally friendly production facilities. This makes compact machine design a key factor for greater efficiency and sustainability.

The latest compact ball grooved shafts

To meet the growing demand for particularly compact and lightweight components, THK, one of the world's leading suppliers of linear guidance systems based in Tokyo, has developed the LT-X, LF-X and LTR-V ball groove shafts. According to the supplier, these models integrate various current technologies from anti-rotation splined shaft technology and offer high power density with minimal installation space. The most important features of these products and the latest technologies used in them are presented below.

Compact and lightweight

Thanks to the redesigned ball circulation system, these ball grooved shafts have a reduced outer diameter and are up to 20 per cent more compact than standard models. This creates the conditions for machine designs with reduced space requirements. The LTR-V rotary ball screw with the LT-X nut and integrated support bearing is also up to 46 per cent lighter than the previous model. This gives it a lower moment of inertia, enabling fast start-stop movements and high-speed operation with shorter cycle times.

Smooth running at high speed

The ball screw shafts use a newly designed ball circulation system that optimises the circulation of the balls and enables high speeds. The tests were carried out under conditions that allowed them to cover a distance of 10,000 kilometres without any abnormalities. In addition, the new ball screw shafts are designed to offer smoother running with less variation in sliding resistance compared to standard ball screw shafts.

Extensive product range

In addition to the above-mentioned LT-X, LF-X and LTR-V models with rotating nuts, the ball screw series also includes the LFK-X and LFH-X models with additional options. The LFK-X and LFH-X models have lower core heights than the LF-X model for a space-saving design with smaller peripheral components. The square flange of the LFK-X model and the rounded flange of the LFH-X model also make them lighter than the LF-X model with its round flange. This should help to make the overall design lighter.

Significantly extended maintenance intervals

The ball groove shafts are also compatible with the optional QZ lubrication system. These are lubrication units that are attached to both sides of the shaft nut and deliver a defined amount of lubricant from an internal reservoir directly to the shaft's raceways. The lubrication system replaces used lubricant and ensures that there is a continuous lubricating film between the balls and the raceway. This significantly extends maintenance intervals and contributes to clean, environmentally friendly lubrication, as it only dispenses the amount of lubricant that is actually needed.

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