​Why is lead screw a better choice in 3D printers compared to belts?

Many 3D printers on the market today employ belt-driven technology,which has poor performance characteristics compared to precision designed lead screws.Accuracy and repeatability can be an issue when using belt drive technology.

Due to the inaccuracy associated with belt-drive technology,3D printers that use belt drivers for linear motion control output parts of less than ideal quality,less than ideal surface patterns,and lower resolution for certain types of part features such as holes and cavities.Lead screws,on the other hand,provide a higher level of accuracy,repeatability and performance when used in 3D printers.As a result,a 3D printer operated with a lead screw can output more accurate and better quality parts.

In 3D printing applications,lead screws are usually driven by a stepper motor and guided by profile linear rails.on the X and Y axes.The precision design of the ultimate nut is attached to the carriage mechanism.All axles are driven by stepper motor drive lead screws with anti-backlash nuts and move along ball bearing rails.

An important advantage of the lead screw-rail configuration used to control the linear motion of the 3D printer is that it requires only a fraction of the number of components required to drive the 3D printer with a belt and much less assembly time.

The lead screw provides linear motion with a repetition accuracy of ±0.02 mm/m and a layer height of 50 microns compared to linear motion with repeatability of ±1.100 mm/m and layer height of 3 microns in 3D printing applications,making them more precise and accurate in controlling 3D printer performance.

Various lead screws available from ALM company

Precision grade lead screws have increasingly become the preferred choice for low-cost desktop 3D printers,as they provide the precision,repeatability and performance desired by users at an affordable price.With precision designed lead screws,you can produce high resolution parts at reduced cost.

Click to select ALM high quality lead screws for your application:

www.autolinearmotion.com/lead-screws.html