Steinmeyer, Inc. offers an option to its standard line of precision ball screw products - hybrid ball screws using ceramic rolling elements. By using balls manufactured from silicon nitride instead of tool or stainless steel, Steinmeyer is able to eliminate microwelding in the ball nut. In a preloaded nut, micro-welding typically occurswhenever the lubricant film breaks down between the balls and thread, resulting in directmetal-tometal contact. When the nut moves with respect to the screwshaft, tiny bits of the steel balls break off andmix with the lubricant in the nut, thus contaminating it. Over time, the solid metal chips in the oil or grease adversely affect the lubricant’s ability to function effectively and cause adhesive wear. With dissimilar materials in contact, namely high grade tool or stainless steel for the shaft and nut body and silicon nitride for the recirculating balls, micro-welding is prevented.There is an extra cost for these ceramic balls and they are available in limited diameters. Steinmeyer offers hybrid ball screws in diameters ranging from 6 mm to 40 mm with pitches of 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm and 10 mm (not all permutations). Applications for hybrid ball screws include • semiconductor production machines • inspection equipment • medical and dental devices • aerospace robotics • analytical equipment. For more information contact: John Skaltsas Sales and Marketing Steinmeyer, Inc. 56 Middlesex Turnpike, Suite 200 Burlington, MA01803 781-273-6220 www.steinmeyer.com