The ball screw includes cage or recirculating ball elements to achieve linear motion. They operate at a minimum efficiency of 90%, have a predictable life, and generate a small amount of heat even during long periods of use. They are ideal for 100% duty cycle applications and high speed applications.

率的权衡是滚珠丝杠致动器不是自锁的。如果用于垂直应用，则需要制动。循环球也会产生大量的可听噪音。可以预加载滚珠丝杠执行器，以提供应用所需的响应性。

The trade-off of high efficiency is that the ball screw actuator is not self-locking. If used for vertical applications, braking is required. The recycle ball also produces a lot of audible noise. Ball screw actuators can be preloaded to provide the responsiveness required for the application.

滚珠丝杠可以用润滑脂或油润滑。润滑脂更常用于滚珠丝杠润滑，因为它不需要复杂的输送方法，并且需要较少的重新润滑间隔。但是，尽管使用润滑脂非常简单，但在许多应用中，油润滑是滚珠丝杠组件的选择。

The ball screw can be lubricated with grease or oil. Grease is more commonly used for ball screw lubrication because it does not require complex delivery methods and requires less relubrication intervals. However, although grease is very simple to use, oil lubrication is the best choice for ball screw assemblies in many applications.

，油提供冷却并使滚珠丝杠组件内的热量积聚小化。热量导致螺杆轴的热膨胀，这改变了螺纹的尺寸并对定位精度产生负面影响，因此在需要高速和/或高精度的应用中减少热量是关重要的。

First, the oil provides cooling and minimizes the heat build-up in the ball screw assembly. Heat causes thermal expansion of the screw shaft, which changes the size of the thread and has a negative impact on positioning accuracy, so it is critical to reduce heat in applications requiring high speed and / or high accuracy.

如果油通过外部润滑系统循环，则油的冷却效果可能很大。循环系统还允许从油中过滤碎屑，这延长了润滑的寿命并减少了螺杆组件的磨损。缺点是外部循环系统增加了组装的复杂性和成本。

If the oil is circulated through an external lubrication system, the cooling effect of the oil may be great. The circulation system also allows debris to be filtered from the oil, which extends the life of the lubrication and reduces wear of the screw assembly. The disadvantage is that the external circulation system increases the complexity and cost of assembly.

当使用油进行滚珠丝杠润滑时，使用适量的正确粘度油非常重要。如果油粘度太高，或者油太多，可能会产生过多的热量。另一方面，如果油粘度太低，或者如果没有足够的油润滑，螺杆将经历额外的摩擦并且将加速磨损。

When using oil for ball screw lubrication, it is very important to use the right amount of oil with the correct viscosity. If the oil viscosity is too high, or if there is too much oil, too much heat may be generated. On the other hand, if the oil viscosity is too low, or if there is not enough oil lubrication, the screw will experience additional friction and will accelerate wear.

适当的油粘度取决于螺杆的平均速度，直径和工作温度。如果施加的负载很高 - 通常大于动态负载能力的15%到20% - 制造商通常建议使用带有极压(EP)添加剂的油，以提供额外的防磨损保护。

The proper oil viscosity depends on the average speed, diameter and operating temperature of the screw. If the applied load is high - usually greater than 15% to 20% of the dynamic load capacity - the manufacturer usually recommends the use of oils with extreme pressure (EP) additives to provide additional wear protection.