Does one need an anti backlash nut with a ball screw?

[JimmyL]

Hi all,
Ive scoured through the forums and ive been hearing that ball screws reduce backlash better than most other types of screws. There were a couple of builds on where a person used an antibacklash nut on in conjunction with their ball screws. is this necessary? should all systems use anti backlash nuts regardless of type of screw/nut?



Thanks all!

[LeeWay]

Blanket statements generally don't hold water very well. There are NEARLY ALWAYS exceptions.

It all depends on the screw, the machine and what you are trying to do. You don't need an anti backlash nut on a vise. You don't need to take out the backlash in a drill press table elevation rack either.

Many ballscrews already come with low backlash from single nuts or anti backlash methods built in. Usually much higher cost for these. Some ball screws come with double ball nuts and sometimes a second can be added along with a spring loading mechanism.

Some guys use all thread and spring load two nuts. Some use Acme rod and use split Delrin nuts. It really all depends on the design and cost as well as desired accuracy taking into account the main function of said machine.

[mackeym]

yep. Two ball nuts are also not required to have zero backlash...one popular approach is oversized balls. Zero backlash is usually desired on cnc lathe and milling machine axes. Although backlash can be somewhat compensated for with software, its better to have zero backlash in the first place.

[svenakela]

Isel nuts have a "squeezer adjustment". By turning a screw it gets tighter.