Quality traps and identification methods of ball screw support seats
In the field of mechanical manufacturing, ball screw support seats are indispensable key components, and the quality of their performance is directly related to the operating accuracy and stability of the equipment.
A high-quality ball screw support seat strictly follows the design standards, with high-precision angular contact ball bearings installed at the fixed end and matching deep groove ball bearings at the supporting end.
Such a configuration enables the ball screw to achieve efficient, stable and precise transmission when it cooperates with it, providing a solid guarantee for the good operation of the equipment.
Problem cases caused by low-priced and low-quality support seats
Once, in order to reduce costs, a cooperative customer of our company tried to purchase a batch of ball screw support seats with prices far below the market average. Soon after use, the equipment that was originally running smoothly showed obvious jitter and abnormal noise, and the accuracy of the equipment also dropped significantly. The customer was anxious and hurriedly contacted our technical staff to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the equipment together.
After careful investigation, it was found that the fixed ends of these low-priced support seats did not use angular contact ball bearings, but deep groove ball bearings as a substitute.
Due to the limited ability of deep groove ball bearings to withstand axial forces, they could not meet the dual requirements of axial force and radial force generated by the ball screw during operation, resulting in premature wear of the support seat, which seriously affected the overall performance of the equipment.
The customer regretted it and immediately returned all the problematic support seats to the supplier, demanding a refund and compensation for the economic losses caused by the equipment shutdown and commissioning.
However, even so, this experience caused serious delays to the customer’s production schedule and caused inestimable indirect losses. After learning from the pain, the customer finally chose to continue using the reliable quality ball screw support seat provided by BCNC to ensure the stable operation of the equipment.
Analysis of the reasons for selling inferior products as good ones
So, why do some manufacturers dare to sell inferior products as good ones and produce and sell these low-priced and low-quality ball screw support seats?
The root cause is mainly driven by profit. High-precision angular contact ball bearings are expensive, while deep groove ball bearings are relatively cheap, with the price difference between the two being several times or even dozens of times. In order to reduce production costs and increase profit margins, some bad manufacturers risk using deep groove ball bearings instead of angular contact ball bearings at the fixed end of the support seat. In addition, the bearings are encapsulated inside the support seat and are difficult to detect from the appearance, which gives them an opportunity to take advantage of it.
Disadvantages of using low-quality support seats
In addition to the problems mentioned above, there are many disadvantages of using ball screw support seats that use deep groove ball bearings instead of angular contact ball bearings.
First, the service life will be greatly shortened. Because deep groove ball bearings cannot effectively withstand axial forces, under the long-term action of ball screws, the internal parts of the support seat will wear out more and will soon fail, requiring frequent replacement, which not only increases maintenance costs, but also causes long-term equipment downtime, affecting production efficiency.
Secondly, the reliability of the equipment is reduced. In some production links that require high precision and stability, this low-quality support seat may cause substandard product quality, increase the defective rate, and cause serious economic losses to the company.
How to identify the bearing type
So how can users identify whether the fixed end uses an angular contact ball bearing or a deep groove ball bearing?
Users can observe the bearing identification. Carefully remove the oil seal at the fixed end without damaging the support seat and check the number on the outer ring of the bearing.
If the number starts with “6”, it means that the bearing is a deep groove ball bearing; if it starts with “7”, it is an angular contact ball bearing. When purchasing a ball screw support seat, do not blindly place an order just because the price is cheap.
Only by being more cautious and understanding more can you avoid pitfalls and ensure the stable operation of the equipment and the smooth progress of production.