subject: Ball Screw Assembly Recirculation Systems [print this page] A ball screw assembly {has a range of parts, such as the screw, ball screw nut and ball bearings. Other components are sometimes added, such as cages and wipers. However possibly the most important component of any ball screw assembly is the recirculation system.
This is a critical piece of the entire ball screw assembly, as it is responsible for taking the ball bearings from the bottom of the ball screw nut and moving them back to the top once more. This is therefore the component that keeps the ball bearings in constant circulation, allowing the ball screw nut to move in a linear direction along the screw shaft.
There is a range of different recirculation systems employed in ball screw assemblies. Another cap of the same size and design is also attached to the upper part of the ball screw nut. When a ball bearing reaches the bottom of the nut, the end cap collects it and it is directed towards a hole that has been pierced at an angle across the ball screw nut. It then falls into the other cap, and the ball bearing is then steered back onto the threadway again.
A similar design is the external ball nut, which features an additional tube that recirculates the ball bearing to the upper end of the ball screw repair nut. A pick up finger is included so as to force the ball bearings into the tube, and the balls are recirculated to the upper end of the ball screw nut by moving along the tube, where they start to roll along the interior threads again.
Another method of recirculating that is commonly employed in ball screw assemblies has the title of the internal button ball nut. This type of recirculation system uses a machined button which features its own threadway that moves the ball bearings from the base of the ball screw nut to the top.
