Going big with ultrasmall ball screw

Engineers at Steinmeyer Inc., Burlington, Mass., recently added a new device to its line of precision balls screws, the Ultraminiature, which the company claims is the “world’s smallest commercially available ball screw.” Its diameter can be as small as 3 mm and have a pitch of 1 or 0.5 mm. This makes the device well suited for medical applications such as dispensing exact amounts of liquids.

The ball screw can be ordered in several sizes ranging up to 16 mm in diameter with a 30-mm pitch. The screws come with one of four types of ball nuts and with or without preload. The actuators are made of precision-ground, hardened tool steel. Stainless steel is an option. The screws can meet ISO tolerances from P0 to P5.

© 2012 Penton Media, Inc.