Twin Ballscrew Axes Design Offers a High level of Positional Accuracy and Repeatability in Bridge Mill Machine Tool

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL, November 22, 2022 - 

On most milling or turning machine tools, single ballscrew axes designs are used in conjunction with guide surface for table travel, spindle-head travel and column travel.  

In order to achieve the high repeatability and accuracy desired when positioning the Z-axis spindle a twin ballscrew design is ideal, especially on a double column type machining center.

Why Twin Ballscrews?

In machining applications it's necessary to provide balanced movements. To balance the movement of the Z-axis, a ballscrew is located on the right and left sides of the spindle which eliminates the need for a counter-weight system meaning reduced weight when positioning the vertical Z-axis.  The twin ballscrew design also allows the ability to feed the spindle (Z-axis) more accurately by directly coupling the servo motor to the ballscrews. By eliminating the design of a counter-weight system altogether, the constant source of trouble when using high-speed machining applications and the frequent maintenance of the counterbalance system are all eliminated. 

Twin ball screws are an ideal way to achieve high-speed machining with a bridge mill. For example, Shibaura Machine’s MPF-FS Series, Double Column Type Machining Center provides this capability. The energy-saving machine offers the twin ballscrew on the Z-axis, driving both sides of the ram to help in achieving a high level of accuracy and speed on the Z-axis. 

Designed For High Accuracy and Repeatability

The design of the Z-spindle axis on the MPF-FS Series, Double Column Type Machining Center offers an ideal solution to achieve high-speed, highly accurate and repeatable machining processes for a wide range of industrial applications. 

Contact the Machine Tool team to learn more about our Twin ball screw design and how it plays a key role into the high speed processing capabilities of this machine tool.

MT-Sales@shibaura-machine.com