The ball nut is the core component of the ball screw mechanism. The ball screw mechanism cannot withstand radial or torque loads during operation, and can only accept loads along the axial direction of the screw. It is important to ensure that the axial load acting on the ball screw pair passes through the axis of the screw. When designing, radial and torque loads should not be directly applied to the nut, otherwise it will greatly shorten the life of the ball screw mechanism or cause poor operation. Radial or torque loads will cause the screw to bend, and some of the balls in the nut will be overloaded, resulting in unstable transmission, decreased accuracy, and rapidly shortened life.
The radial load borne by the screw is mainly due to its own weight.
Ball screw mechanisms are usually used in conjunction with guiding components such as linear guides and linear bearings.
The ball screw mechanism only provides the axial force required for the load worktable to move linearly in the guiding direction through the ball nut, while the worktable as the load and the various radial and torque loads it bears are borne by the highly rigid guiding components.