Ballscrew care and wipers

[itsme]

Hi there,

I have a set of miniature SKF ballscrews that I am planning on putting onto my Micro Mill. They are 10mm in diameter and have a pitch of 3mm. I have not used any ballscrews before, so I have a few questions on them.

The first 'problem' is that they don't have any wipers and wipers aren't available for this model from SKF either. I have a strong feeling that I will need wipers for the added protection from swarf and other rubbish. Any suggestions on how to make wipers or where to get some?

I'd also like some advice on general care and maintenace. How often do ballscrews need to be lubricated and what lubricant should be used with them? Finally, if anyone is familiar with 'the anatomy' of a Sieg X1, what kind of protection would be advised on the actual machine. At the moment, I can see no simple way to include guards or covers for the ballscrews.

Thanks in advance
Warren

[NC Cams]

Shell Alvania 2 is a good general purpose grease that was used by NSK on some of their ball screws as well as many ball bearing applications. Affordable and easy to come by at any Shell lubricant distributor. Ball screws generally are not that fussy with respect to grease. Any NLGI #2 grease that has reasonable water resistance and anti-corrosion protection should work fine.

Chevron SRI is a grease that offers very good rust inhibition (SRI stands for super rust inhibited) protection. We use it on grinders where ball bearings see a lot of water impingement. It still seems to lube decently even if/when the normally green SRI has turned reddish brown with "rust" - but we try not to let it get that bad.

There are collapseable bellows that are sold by McMaster Carr that can be adapted for ball screw use. I dunno if they come in a size that small. They were fitted to my CNC lathes and worked fine until they got oil soaked and fell appart.

[phantomcow2]

One thing that has been a problem for folks wanting to use ballscrews for their X1 is the lack of space for a ballnut. CHeck the size of yours first.
You might be okay without any covering. Even with the machine in stock form, I never had chips go underneath the table to the leadscrew.

[itsme]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

I'll see if I can find any of the recommended lube.

I haven't actually tried fitting the screws yet, but some rough measurements were taken before I bought them to check if they were in the right size range. It is going to be very tight. I haven't had a problem with swarf on the leadscrews either, but with the ballscrews, I'd like to take extra precautions if possible - sadly they aren't cheap to replace.

Does anyone have any suggestions on wipers? This is still a slight issue, as I feel they are probably a good idea.

Regards
Warren

[bob1371]

We have used these to cover ball screws on several machines with great results.

http://www.buww.com/springs.asp


Bob

[Zumba]

Hey Bob, what's the pricing like on those?

[bob1371]

Originally Posted by Zumba Hey Bob, what's the pricing like on those?

Here is a link to the quote request form. The prices are reasonable. We have bought several for CNC machines with up to 600mm travel.

http://www.buww.com/pdf/Spiral%20Spr...te%20sheet.pdf

Bob

[Zumba]

Quote request form? Forgive me for asking, but do you work for these guys?

[sendkeys]

http://www.mcmaster.com/ "Telescoping Spring Steel Covers"

not that cheap I didn't use anything on mine. Just rubber covers for the back/bottom. Lets hope it was a good idea haha.

[Zumba]

LOL, $60 a foot, costs more than a rolled ballscrew itself.

Pretty much suggests that it's for expensive ground ballscrews only.