Ball screw cleaning and friction

[mawad]

Hi there,
I was using a ball screw a test rig four years ago, then we store it for one year and half. When we tried to use it again, we realized that it has more friction and heavy movement compare to before. Do you have an idea how to get it back to the same performance and reduce the friction. Are there any suggestions? Thanks in advance

 

[desertfox]

Trying cleaning and lubricating the mating parts that are in contact with each other and have relative movement.

 

[mawad]

What are the proper way to clean the ball screw?

 

[chicopee]

Surface corrosion? Was the ball lubricated before storage?

 

[mawad]

Yes, it was lubricated before storage

 

[MintJulep]

What are the proper way to clean the ball screw?

The proper way is to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

 

[chicopee]

I would say exercise the device until you believe that you are within the specification.

 

[tygerdawg]

In my dealings with ballscrews, I was always told by various manufacturer Tech Support people or other "experts":
[ul]
[li]If necessary, clean excess or old goo off the races. We have used anything from simply dry-wiping to swabbing with kerosene to cleaning with various industrial solvents.[/li]
[li]Always wipe with lint-free cloth.[/li]
[li]Always re-grease "lightly" with (colloquially-known) "white lithium" grease. We did, whether or not that was the best. But it always seems to be OK.[/li]
[li]Never over-apply grease. How much is too much? Good question.[/li]
[li]After re-greasing, run the nut up and down the ballscrew a few times to distribute the grease. Wipe excess off again, and repeat.[/li]
[li]For storage, always hose it down with metal preservative spray.[/li]
[/ul]
...or so I was told.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com