Friction control based on ultrasonic oscillation for rolling element linear motion guide

Abstract

A friction control method for rolling element linear motion guides has been reported for precision positioning. Two ultrasonic actuators excited both the rail and the carriage of the guide to give relative displacements to bearing surfaces. The experiments using a force sensor showed that the static and dynamic friction forces were reduced by approximately 25 % at any place on the 600–mm long rail. Moreover, excitation only at very low velocity decreased the static friction from 21 N to 13 N.