Technical Insight: NSK Motorized Ball Screw Actuator (Mbsa Series)
Technical Insight: NSK Motorized Ball Screw Actuator (Mbsa Series)
Technical Insight: NSK Motorized Ball Screw Actuator (Mbsa Series)
During the 21st century, our society has been at the forefront of discovering new solutions through advanced technology for
medical device and clinical laboratory applications. These innovative solutions have utilized linear motion to develop state-
of-the-art medical imaging, diagnostic and surgical equipment. Linear motion is a common need for all types of advanced
equipment and machines; but precise, smooth, reliable, and repeatable linear motion is fundamentally important for several
applications within the medical industry. Precision ground ball screws have become the preferred choice for precise linear
motion because they deliver smooth and accurate movement ensuring reliable and repeatable results.
The demand to reduce the size of linear screw actuators, but maintain precision,
is evident in several medical diagnostic and imaging applications. A diagnostic
device, such as a desktop blood analyzer, can process multiple samples at a faster
speed and higher accuracy in comparison to its predecessor that was the size of an
automobile. Health care practitioners rely on small ball screw actuators on syringe
pumps to accurately dispense precise levels of medication. In imaging applications,
such as CT scanners, small actuators position aperture plates to control the X-ray
beam. In each of these applications, a lead screw or ball screw is combined with a
small electric motor to translate the motor’s rotary motion into linear motion.
Illustrated: MBSA used in a Blood Analyzer
In order to achieve linear motion for medical applications, the lead screw. The ball screw has a U-shaped groove, or Gothic arch,
traditional solution combines a lead screw with an electric to house the precision ball bearings. The nut thread profile acts
stepping motor. Lead screws use a V-shaped helical thread on as the outer raceway and the groove along ball screw shaft acts
the shaft with a matching thread inside the nut, similar to a nut as the inner raceway for ball bearing travel.
and bolt you can get at a hardware store. Lead screws (and ACME
screws) rely on sliding contact between the surfaces of the nut
Nut
thread and the shaft thread to produce linear motion.
Ball
The benefit of a lead screw is the small nut relative to the axial
load it can support due to the large flat contact surface areas of
the mating threads. However, the flat surfaces sliding across
each other generate heat caused by friction. A large motor is Shaft
required to overcome friction. As a result, this solution does
Illustrated: Precision Ground Ball Screw Gothic Arch Raceway
not provide smooth consistent motion and will require more
maintenance due to considerable wear. “Backlash” is inherent The ball bearings provide a rolling contact point between the nut
with the typical lead screw design caused by clearance between and the shaft that lowers the coefficient of friction. The result
the nut thread and the shaft thread. The backlash affects the is a highly efficient (90% to 95%) mechanism that requires less
linear positioning accuracy of the screw. NSK understands the torque to convert rotational motion into linear motion making
importance of minimizing or eliminating backlash and now offers ball screws a better fit for the challenges inherent to medical
an alternative solution. applications. By using
100 03 a precision ground ball
0.0
µ=
(Backlash) thread clearance 90 05 µ=0.0
1 screw, the application
Thread 0.0
µ=
contact 80 results in lower operating
Ball screw
70 temperatures, smoother
Efficiency h1 (%)