New Unimec solution for the machine tool industry

Written on 29 June 2017.

Thanks to the close cooperation with a machine tool manufacturer, we have engineered two special screw-jacks for a vertical mill: here’s how!

The demand for high-technology customized products is in constant growth; Unimec wants to be recognized not only as a supplier but also, and most importantly, as a partner and a trusted advisor.

Thanks to the close co-engineering that we have developed with multiple customers throughout the years, Unimec became the world leading manufacturer of extremely sophisticated custom and “tailor-made” solutions for a variety of applications.

Our most recent experience was the design and manufacturing of two special screw-jacks for a vertical mill.

This special project began with the choice of a trapezoidal screw (dia 80 mm, lead 10 mm with a 1/30 reduction ratio) but then progressively migrated to a Unimec-designed high precision ball recirculation screw (dia 100 mm, lead 20 mm) with a much higher speed; in order to maintain the inherent self-locking feature, typical of trapezoidal screws, we resorted to a special 1/60 reduction ratio for the ball screw.

The result is a totally innovative solution, perfected by the use of accessory products from high-profile partner brands such as Korta, R+W, Siemens and Ortlinghaus.

More specifically, these special screw jacks are based on a TPR platform (fixed rotating screw, translating nut) with peculiar technical specs:

4+ meter long ball screw;
Completely custom, Unimec-designed ball screw from Korta;
Completely custom ball recirculation nut, with safety stop feature;
Completely custom lubrication system integrated within the ball recirculation nut;
Siemens motor and custom bell adaptor and special R+W coupling;
Special Kevlar PE Elastic bellow protection (cut resistant material);
Integrated Ortlinghaus brake;
Integrated 1-million impulse encoder.

The seamless integration of all of these components was definitely a challenging task but the final result exceeded our customer’s expectations and set a new benchmark for the industry.

Our technical department is always available to examine any special needs or applications, even those that may seem impossible: please do not hesitate to contact us with your ideas.