Condition monitoring
Repairs can be planned
Together with ifm, Steinmeyer has developed the Guard Plus concept for permanently monitoring the condition of precision ball screws. Unexpected failures of ball screws quickly cause high costs, especially in series production.
One of the most common failure criteria is the loss of preload between the spindle and nut due to wear on raceways and balls. This wear can now be measured using Guard Plus. Sensors record the preload at the rolling contact zone between the ball and nut. Evaluation electronics transmit the analyzed measurement signal to the machine control system. This informs the machine operator of the condition via a traffic light display and recommends a pending replacement of the ball screw drive. This makes it possible to plan the repair.
The system also allows the recording of machining forces and superimposed or exceptional operating forces, such as those that occur during an overload run or a crash. Recording this data over the service life of the ball screw allows conclusions to be drawn about overloading and therefore when it should be replaced. as









