LinX M-Series tubular linear motor

Ballscrew actuation has been around for well over a century, and rack and pinion methods even longer. Both indirect drives have their place, and will be around for many years to come, but there are newer methods of creating linear motion.

Direct drive methods are predicted to continue growing in popularity, for reasons including accuracy, speed, safety and lower maintenance burdens on owners.

Both cylindrical linear motors and flatbed linear motors can have better accuracy and repeatability compared to ballscrew options. A tubular linear motor is also a simpler design, with only two moving parts (the shaft and forcer), and does not have to rely on intermediate components such as a gearbox to change torque.

Ballscrew actuators are also sensitive to jerk and lack the nimbleness of tubular linear motors. The contact between the nut and screw means lubrication is essential and causes wear and performance degradation over time.

Like other tubular linear motors, ANCA Motion’s LinX M-Series is designed to be close in form to ballscrew systems, offering easy substitution for those who want to make the change.

The M-Series has only one millimetre of air gap between the shaft and the forcer, which keeps a relaxed tolerance requirement.

Besides being wear-free due to the one-millimetre air gap, the M-Series offers peak resolution of 10 micrometres, peak velocity of 10 metres per second and a maximum acceleration of 30 Newtons.

It also overcomes the issue of backlash suffered by ballscrew actuators and has a failure rate under 0.03%.

With no backlash, no wear, a high level of dynamism and low level of maintenance, the M-Series represents gains in manufacturing productivity.