Re: Machining Ball Screws

I just finished a pair of 5/8-in Thomson ballscrews for a machine I am
building and I annealed about 1.5 inches on each end as recommended in
the Thomson literature - heat to dark red and allow to air cool. Then
I centered the screw in the 4-jaw with about 1/2-in exposed, center
drilled, exposed about 2-in, supported with the live center, and
turned to size. I started with carbide tools but ended up using HSS
for a better finish.

The screw is supposedly only case-hardened, but without annealing, it
burned up a cobalt steel center drill immediately. I posted a couple
of pics in the FILES section in a folder called BallScrews.

Larry Nicks

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Steven Ciciora <sciciora@A...>
wrote:

> How do you guys machine ball bearing lead screws? Over the past

several

> years I've read about people turning it on a lathe with carbide

tools,

> grinding off the hardened layer, heating up the end to be machined

to

> soften the hardened layer, and shrink-fitting it on to a piece of

machined

> steel, with sometimes welding it on when done......(snip)
> Thanks for your time,
>
> - Steven Ciciora