Study on a novel thermal error compensation system for high-precision ball screw feed drive (1(st) report: Model, calculation and simulation)

Abstract

In general, in order to compensate the thermal error or the positioning error of a ball screw feed drive system, the actual temperature or positioning data feedback was needed. The traditional thermal error compensation system of ball screw feed drive is highly dependent on the feedback temperature or positioning data. Because of the overdependence to measuring technique, increasing of compensation system cost and decreasing of productivity level will be an inevitable trend in a machine tool. This paper presents a new approach in ball screw thermal error compensation system which can work without any temperature or positioning feedback. As the parts of the thermal error compensation system, component heat generation, compensation method, thermal model, mathematic model and calculation method were studied respectively. In order to verify correctness and generality of the developed thermal model and the thermal error compensation system, a series of simulations was carried out in several kinds of working condition. Through the series of simulations with the thermal model, calculation method and simulation conditions, deformation characteristics and thermal behavior of the prototype ball screw system have been obtained.