Avoid ball screw failures

The service life of a ball screw can be calculated precisely until material fatigue occurs. However, various factors such as contamination, corrosion or inadequate lubrication can lead to premature wear and failure. To prevent this, August Steinmeyer offers ball screw drives with the appropriate wipers depending on the application.

"The main cause of failure in ball screws is abrasive wear due to contamination," explains Sascha Abokat from August Steinmeyer GmbH & Co. KG. "Our various wiper types help to keep chips, dust, tool particles or grinding oil - but also food residues or icing - away from the nut." Other causes of failure are adhesive wear due to a lack of lubrication or corrosion. It is therefore important not to destroy the lubricating film of ball screws with aggressive cleaning media, but to maintain or evenly distribute it.

Segment wipers for coarse contamination

Segment wipers are among the standard wipers at August Steinmeyer. These are injection-moulded parts with an O-ring made of Hytrel, some of which are also laser-sintered and effectively wipe off coarse dirt such as turning and milling chips in machine tools. Segment wipers are easy to install and, compared to other types of wipers, have hardly any effect on significant heating or a higher torque of the ball screw drive. They are resistant to chemicals and largely keep out liquids.

Felt wipers for dusts and fine particles

Fine particles such as grinding dust pose a particular challenge for ball screws. If these get into the nut, abrasive wear occurs. Felt wipers act like a cleaning cloth and absorb the smallest particles without causing damage. They are made of synthetic foam and a laser-sintered polyamide retaining ring. They can also be used for lubricant retention and distribute the lubricant evenly on the spindle, which is an advantage for long-term greasing. However, they only offer limited resistance to water and chemicals.

Double wipers for fine and coarse dirt

August Steinmeyer's double wipers combine the advantages of segment and felt wipers and offer protection against problematic contamination even in difficult environments, even if water or water-based cooling lubricants come into contact with the nut. A segment wiper with a retaining ring behind it is laser-sintered and the same synthetic foam is used as for the felt wipers.

Special wipers for special applications

August Steinmeyer offers various special wipers that can be customised for special operating conditions. They are used, for example, in woodworking machines where a lot of chips need to be removed, in the aerospace industry when frozen condensation needs to be removed from the ball screw drive, as PE wipers for applications in nuclear power plants or as special wipers for grease retention. The company advises its customers in advance in order to find the optimum solution for the respective application.

For extreme applications, August Steinmeyer also offers a sealing air solution in which the nut is pressurised with compressed air. Safety nuts for fall protection can also be combined with wipers on request.