Cleanliness in Manufacturing

August Steinmeyer offers miniature ball screw drives with spindle sizes from 3 mm to 16 mm for areas where high cleanliness is required. (Copyright: August Steinmeyer GmbH & Co. KG)

The miniature ball screw drives from August Steinmeyer are used in various industries and are customized to meet specific requirements. In the optical industry, for example in fine-tuning lenses, in microscopy, or in vacuum and UHV applications, cleanliness plays a crucial role. The manufacturer therefore offers special cleaning concepts for its products that meet individual demands.

Miniature ball screw drives with spindle sizes from 3 mm to 16 mm are used wherever high precision is required in a small space. "Our systems are precisely adjusted in the micrometer range regarding pre-tension and backlash," reports Jonas Hillenbrand from the development department at August Steinmeyer. "Particles and especially residues from hardened materials can influence the overall system and lead to errors or even premature failures during operation – every speck of dust counts." Additionally, contaminants may contain materials that are not permitted in vacuum or UHV applications. Contamination with particles can also lead to increased wear or temperature rise, thus negatively affecting the lifespan of a miniature ball screw drive.

New cleaning system for intensive cleaning

If the cleanliness requirements are particularly high, August Steinmeyer offers the possibility to adapt the cleaning process of the products accordingly. For example, multiple washing cycles of individual parts or the assembled ball screw drive can be carried out. The company has recently invested in a new washing system and switched to a load carrier concept for the miniature range. "This expands our cleaning capabilities and increases cleanliness in internal logistics," says Hillenbrand.

Application areas that particularly benefit from the specially cleaned miniature ball screw drives from the manufacturer include, for example, medical technology in prosthesis manufacturing, the energy or food sector in valve actuation, aerospace or military applications in actuator implementation, as well as precision mechanics in the production of higher-resolution optics and electronics manufacturing.

Development tailored to customer needs

If standard solutions are not sufficient, August Steinmeyer develops processes and products further to offer customized solutions. Even with small batch sizes, individual adjustments are possible. The company supports its customers from the idea to series production. Through close coordination, the experts can incorporate their entire know-how into the application of their customers – ensuring everything runs smoothly during operation.