Guide categories

Replacement Ball Screw and Repair Guides

Check the old-part dimensions, installation details, and purchasing information needed for a replacement order.

Why overall length is not enough for a replacement

Overall length is the first number most buyers send, and the one that creates false confidence. A replacement that measures the same end to end can still fail to go in. Journal positions, thread section length, bearing shoulders, locknut seats, and coupling ends all have to line up. If any one of them is different, the part will not seat.

Set the overall length aside and work in order: diameter, lead, thread length, working travel, then every step at both ends, diameter and length recorded separately. Those measurements decide whether this is a standard part that can be ordered directly or a near-standard part that has to be machined to a drawing.

What to measure, what to photograph, when a drawing is required

Photos make the dimensional relationships readable. They do not replace measurement. Shoot the whole screw, then each end, then the critical dimensions with a ruler or caliper in frame so the scale is visible. Add separate shots of the nut body, the flange bolt pattern, and the mounting hole spacing. Keep the light even and the camera square to the surface.

If the original drawing still exists, replace against the drawing. That is the shortest route. A drawing is the only reference that covers all the dimensional relationships at once; photos and bench measurements confirm it. When the drawing is missing, the old part is worn, or either end has been modified, have a replacement drawing produced from the measured dimensions and confirm it before anything moves forward. If the old-part information is incomplete, start with the fixed features you can read without dismantling the machine: nut style, flange hole spacing, mounting hole positions. Mark what you measured and what you estimated, then describe the machine, the space around the screw, and how much change is acceptable. That is enough for a supplier to say whether a near-standard option works or the part has to be made to a drawing.

Record diameter, lead, overall length, travel, and end steps before sending old-part photos or samples.
Replacement

How to Measure a Replacement Ball Screw: 6 Dimensions

Record diameter, lead, overall length, travel, and end steps before sending old-part photos or samples.

Send replacement dimensions
Old-part photos can start the RFQ, but they must be paired with key dimensions and installation details so quotation is not guesswork.
Replacement

How to Prepare a Ball Screw RFQ When You Only Have Old Part Photos

Old-part photos can start the RFQ, but they must be paired with key dimensions and installation details so quotation is not guesswork.

Send old-part photo RFQ
A UK buyer's guide to measuring, quoting, and receiving replacement CNC ball screws.
Replacement

Replacing a CNC Ball Screw in the UK: Ordering Guide

A UK buyer's guide to measuring, quoting, and receiving replacement CNC ball screws.

Send old part details
Record hole distance, hole direction, center height, and nut housing space alongside nut and flange photos.
Replacement

How to Photograph Ball Screw Nut Flange and Mounting Holes

Record hole distance, hole direction, center height, and nut housing space alongside nut and flange photos.

Send nut flange photos
Use a dial gauge to locate backlash at the nut, bearing preload, support unit, coupling, guide, or installation.
Replacement

How to Reduce or Eliminate Backlash in a Ball Screw Assembly

Use a dial gauge to locate backlash at the nut, bearing preload, support unit, coupling, guide, or installation.

Send backlash issue details
CNC repair replacement should not be ordered by model number alone because axis, travel, end machining, and old part photos affect installation fit.
Replacement

What to Confirm Before Replacing a Ball Screw in CNC Repair

CNC repair replacement should not be ordered by model number alone because axis, travel, end machining, and old part photos affect installation fit.

Send CNC repair replacement details
Shows why old-part photos need dimensions and application context, not only a model number.
Replacement

Replacement: Old-Part Photos and Dimensions Cut Mistakes

Shows why old-part photos need dimensions and application context, not only a model number.

Send old-part dimensions

Guide categories

Need help with a different question?

Send the model, length, quantity, application, or old-part photos. We will review the specification against the actual machine and use case.

Send replacement dimensions

Prepare these before requesting a replacement quote

The more complete the file, the fewer rounds it takes. Incomplete information can still be sent; just mark what is measured and what is estimated.

  • Diameter, lead, overall length, thread length, and working travel.
  • Every journal and shoulder at both ends, with diameter and length.
  • Nut style, flange bolt pattern, mounting hole spacing, and where the nut sits in travel.
  • A full-length photo, one photo of each end, and photos of key dimensions with a ruler in frame.
  • Original drawing or machine nameplate details; replace against the drawing when you have it.
  • Whether the old part is worn, shows impact marks, or has a modified end.
  • Machine application, space limits, quantity, and packing requirements.

FAQ

Replacement questions buyers ask first

These three decide whether a replacement inquiry goes through in one pass.

The old part and the new part measure the same overall length. Why will it not fit?

Because assembly is set by several dimensions at once. If the position or length of an end step, the start of the thread section, a bearing shoulder, or the coupling end differs, the nut or the support unit will not seat. Overall length describes the outline, not the fit.

Which photos are actually useful?

Full length, then each end, then the key dimensions with a ruler or caliper in frame. Add separate shots of the nut body, the flange bolt pattern, and the mounting hole spacing. Readable dimensional relationships matter more than the number of photos.

What comes first when the old-part information is incomplete?

Record the fixed features you can read without dismantling the machine: nut style, flange hole spacing, and mounting hole positions. Measure what is reachable, mark each number clearly, and describe the application plus how much change is acceptable, so the supplier can say what is still missing.