Worm Gear For Ball Screw Jacks

Worm Gear Used In Ball Screw Jacks

 

If you need to convert the rotary motion of an electric motor into linear lifting or pushing motion, you’ll typically use a screw jack. There are two common types of screw jacks: standard screw jacks and ball screw jacks. Both can lift heavy objects, but their working principles differ slightly.

Standard screw jacks use a simple threaded screw and nut. The metal parts slide against each other, generating significant friction. This friction consumes energy, so these jacks are only about 25% to 35% efficient. They are slower, but can hold the load in position without additional brakes.

Ball screw jacks are much more efficient, reaching up to 90%. Instead of sliding, tiny ball bearings roll between the screw and nut. This reduces friction, so the jack runs faster, has a longer lifespan, and can position the load more precisely. The disadvantage is that ball screw jacks sometimes cannot hold the load in position independently; they may require brakes. Due to their high efficiency and precision, ball screw jacks are widely used in various fields: CNC machine tools, aircraft assembly lines, automobile factories, solar tracking systems, and heavy-duty lifting platforms.

So how do worm gear jacks work? Worm gear jacks have a simple structure, consisting of two parts: a threaded rod (worm) and a gear (worm wheel). A motor drives the worm to rotate, which in turn drives the worm wheel. The worm wheel is connected to the ball screw nut. When the worm wheel rotates, the nut also rotates, thus driving the ball screw to move up and down.

Worm gear jacks have two advantages. First, they can reduce motor speed while significantly increasing lifting force—like a low gear on a bicycle. Second, worm gear jacks typically have a self-locking function: the load cannot reverse the worm, so even if the motor stops, the jack remains in its original position. This compensates for the lack of a self-locking function in ball screws.

The combination of ball screws and worm gears enables smooth and efficient motion, while the worm gears also provide strong torque and built-in holding force. Therefore, worm gear-driven ball screw jacks are very popular in applications with high speed and safety requirements, such as synchronous multi-point lifting systems and automated factory equipment.

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