High load ball screws

Located near Venice, Automationware was established in 2002 with engineering expertise spanning the core motion and control technologies found in advanced mechatronics applications. The company’s linear axis and electro-cylinder products provide genuine alternatives to hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Proactive and progressive in the marketplace, the business invests heavily in developing new solutions, and recently turned to NSK for assistance with a special project.

Automationware was in the process of developing large electric actuators (cylinders) for the translation of heavy moulds used in injection moulding presses. Destined for machines that stand at over 6m in height, the cylinders produce up to 80kN of force and travel at a velocity of up to 1m/s.

The principal objective was to guarantee that the required force could be applied for 24 hours every working day, for a period of at least two years. Focused on this goal, in March 2018 NSK set about developing two ball screws based on its high-load HTF technology.

HTF stands for ‘High Tough Force’, a name that ably reflects the characteristics of these translational drives, which were developed to offer an electromechanical alternative to hydraulic drives. These advanced ball screws allow fast traverse rates (and thus short cycle times) in combination with high precision and extremely high axial forces. Their patented geometry is designed to distribute the axial forces equally over all of the balls. In tandem with separator technology (ball separation), the geometry prevents premature wear and guarantees high reliability.

The first two NSK HTF ball screws for Automationware, one of which measures more than 1.8m in length, were delivered in January 2019. The company intends to show its new electric cylinders featuring the ball screws at SPS Italia 2019 (28-30 May, Parma), a leading trade show for industrial automation and digitalisation.