4 Screw Jacks for precision actuation in the manufacturing of aircraft wings

How GROB moves heavy loads safely and precisely with Screw Jacks

Philipp Schmalzhaf - Sales Manager - GROB Antriebstechnik GmbH

by Philipp Schmalzhaf, Sales Manager

Screw Jacks in aircraft wing manufacturing - GROB Drive Technology GmbH

Screw Jacks: The all-rounders in linear drive technology

Screw Jacks are simpler and more cost-effective drive solutions compared to hydraulic and pneumatic systems. They allow a defined load to be moved to an exact position with a specified speed. In a Screw Jack, rotational motion is converted into axial lifting motion.

Important to know: All Screw Jacks can be cost-effectively integrated into a lifting system using connecting shafts and bevel gears.

In this article, you'll learn:

  1. How Screw Jacks are used to transport a load linearly from point A to point B.
  2. Why our Screw Jacks are repeatedly used in aerospace applications.
  3. What loads our Screw Jacks can handle.

With ton-heavy aircraft, every gram counts

In aircraft construction, lightweight design has been a trend for decades, as every gram of weight leads to higher fuel consumption. Therefore, many parts of the structure and wings are made from carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP). Their strength lies in their enormous stability and durability while being lightweight. For the latest aircraft models, such as the Dreamliner and the A350, CFRP content is at 50 percent or more. The aircraft wings are produced on large forming systems.

Hot drape former and screw jacks - GROB Drive Technology GmbH

Hot Drape Former

Challenging task elegantly solved - with a Screw Jack

When AIC Group received an order to manufacture a large forming system for a major Russian aerospace company, they turned to our representative Drive Lines in the UK for advice on the optimal drive system.

The two companies had previously collaborated on similar projects and therefore have substantial expertise in this laminating technology. Forming systems are popular in the aerospace industry because they're used to produce strong yet lightweight parts for aircraft. In this case, the system will be used to manufacture wing spars.

Since its founding in 1990, AIC has been a leading company in this field. It has integrated many advanced features into its systems, including zoned heating beds, precise bed positioning, tool preheating, sophisticated vacuum control, and double membrane technology.

Drive Lines, established five years before AIC, is one of the leading providers of mechanical power transmission components and systems in the UK. Due to its extensive experience, it brings significant expertise to each new project.

The described system is relatively large at 11 x 2 meters and, like every AIC machine, is a custom design. It can precisely form laminates with a thickness of over 20 mm.

Essentially, it consists of a vacuum bed containing the forming tool. Above it is a "Hot Box" that heats the tool. There's also a lamp bank that heats the composite materials so they conform to the tool. The "Hot Box" and lamp bank are mounted on a lifting frame, which can be raised by a drive mechanism specified by Drive Lines to allow clear access to the vacuum bed.

A massive load of over 20 tons needs to be moved - using a Screw Jack

The lamp bank weighs 12 tons, and the "Hot Box" is only slightly lighter at 8.5 tons. Thus, a total weight of around 20 tons needs to be lifted by 1250mm. This must be done in just 75 seconds, equating to a speed of more than 1 meter per minute.

Matt Jones, who worked on the project for Drive Lines, says: "The load was both large and heavy, and we had to ensure that it was always lifted straight up, as any misalignment could potentially cause significant structural damage to the former."

In collaboration with the AIC design team, it was decided to use a single central motor that drives four Screw Jacks via a bevel gear reduction gearbox. To ensure absolutely even lifting, Matt had to specify drive shafts that exhibit no unpredictable play but transfer the exact same torque over the exact same distance.

Screw Jack - GROB Drive Technology GmbH

Cubic Screw Jack MJ4

The proven MJ series Screw Jacks

The selected GROB MJ4 Screw Jacks were supplied by Drive Lines. Each of the 4 Screw Jacks is equipped with a custom safety nut and a pivot adapter specifically developed for this drive. The gearbox chosen was a PowerGear precision bevel gear unit from Drive Lines, connected to the lifts via high-speed elastomer joint shafts from R+W.

The GROB MJ4 Screw Jacks are available from Drive Lines in a variety of designs, sizes, and options to suit the specific application. They're typically used to move a load linearly between positions and can be used vertically or horizontally. The maximum stroke force is up to 500kN, and stroke lengths are available up to 4 meters as standard, but can be extended upon request.

Jamie Hardiment, Head of Business Development at AIC, says: "Such forming systems (known as 'Hot Drape Formers' or HDF in English) are indispensable in the aerospace industry. With our continuous research and development, our forming systems elevate carbon forming to a new level, enabling our customers to produce wings and other composite parts for aerospace more efficiently."

Which spindle is typically installed in our Screw Drive?

Basically, two variants are available:

  1. With Trapezoidal screw
  2. With Ball Screw (ball screw drive)

What's the difference between these two variants?

The Trapezoidal Screw is robust, cost-effective, and the right choice for most adjustment tasks. Proper lubrication is important because the spindle and nut are subject to friction.

The Ball Screw is used when the task requires higher positioning and repeatability accuracy. The ball recirculation principle of the screw nut allows for higher duty cycles, more frequent operation, and faster speeds because the efficiency is higher compared to the Trapezoidal Screw. For the customer, this means lower energy consumption and less heat generation.

CAD Configurator for electromechanical drives - GROB Drive Technology GmbH

Excerpt of the Screw Jack in our CAD Configurator

How do designers benefit from working with us?

Designers are usually under time pressure. Deadlines are tight, and much happens under significant time constraints. For designers, it's a huge advantage to quickly and easily access CAD data. This allows them to start designing without delay and saves up to 30% of their time because they can begin immediately. By the way, you can find CAD data for all our products in various formats here.

Another example of the applications of our products in the aerospace industry can be found here.

Additional use cases for Screw Jacks

Where else are Screw Jacks used as actuators?

  1. For adjusting theater stages and other platforms
  2. For adjusting parabolic antennas
  3. For adjusting steel formwork for concrete beams
  4. In scissor lift tables

FAQs about Screw Jacks

A Screw Jack is a combination of a spindle (screw) and a nut (worm gear or traveling nut) that converts rotational motion into linear motion through a worm gear drive.

How screw jacks work and where they are used - GROB GmbH chevron_right

Basic Version: The spindle itself performs the axial movement.

Traveling Nut Version: The spindle remains stationary in space but rotates. The nut then moves up and down on the spindle.

  1. Cubic & Classic: primarily external differences. A matter of personal preference regarding which one is preferred. Performance data is nearly identical.
  2. High-Performance Screw Jack: Standard up to 3000rpm input speed, with oil filling and cooling fins - explicitly higher dynamic load capacity.
  3. High-Speed Screw Jack: explicitly high dynamic capability, but load capacity decreases to a maximum of 90kN.
  1. Standard gearboxes with standard trapezoidal threads achieve efficiencies between 25-35%.
  2. Increasing the pitch makes the thread slip more easily, thus increasing efficiency.
  3. The combination with a ball screw can also achieve an efficiency of up to 50%.
  4. Best combination: bevel gear lifting drives with ball screws, which achieve over 80%.

Yes, the use of stainless steel materials is a common practice for environments with aggressive media.

For continuous monitoring, rotary encoders can be mounted on the motor or the worm shaft.

If only the end positions are relevant, limit switches can be used to query the desired end positions.

In hydraulic cylinders, we also often use potentiometers, which then return a certain resistance value that can be read out by the controller.

The confusion sometimes arises because in both cases, there's an additional element at the back of the spindle.

  1. The spindle travel limiter is merely a ring on the thread that prevents the spindle from falling out.
  2. The anti-rotation feature additionally prevents the spindle from twisting.

Customer side: The customer bears the load, preventing it from twisting. If the spindle is then attached to the load, it also cannot twist.

Gear side (product itself has a prevention rotation): We either use a groove running completely through the spindle with a corresponding key as a counterpart. Alternatively, a square block can be screwed onto the back of the spindle, and the protective tube is designed as a square tube.

The specification '20% duty cycle per hour' is always associated with a certain power consumption at the gear unit. Therefore, if the permissible power value is not exceeded, less heat is generated, and the gear unit requires less time to cool down. This allows achieving more than 20% duty cycle.

Yes, Screw Jacks can be manufactured entirely in stainless steel and equipped with food-grade grease approved according to H1 standards.

The housing is made of aluminum die-casting or gray cast iron, the spindle, protective tube, and worm shaft are made of steel, while the worm wheel or traveling nut are made of a bronze alloy. Additionally, there are many variants.

Yes, with motor adaptors, motors or geared motors can be flexibly attached. You decide whether you want to provide the motor yourself or if GROB takes care of it.

Yes. A Screw Jack can be operated with any rotary drive, whether electric, mechanical, or manual.

When under compression, typically buckling is the limiting factor. Under tension, it's either the availability of raw material (rods commonly available up to 6m) or the critical bending speed (in the case of the traveling nut version). For larger strokes, the spindle can also be made in multiple parts.

In applications with high safety requirements, two independently acting holding mechanisms may be required. This could be dynamic self-locking + motor brake or, alternatively, an independently switchable dual brake on the three-phase motor.

Yes. Common voltage types are 24V DC / 230V AC / 400 VAC. Additional voltages in both direct and alternating current ranges are available upon request.

A three-phase motor rotates depending on the mains frequency. The higher the frequency, the faster the motor rotates. Rated speeds at 50Hz are as follows: for 2-pole motors, 3000rpm; for 4-pole, 1500rpm; for 6-pole, 1000rpm; for 8-pole, 750rpm.

Lubricating grease of NLGI grade 1 or 2, suitable for heavily loaded sliding and rolling bearings. Compatibility with the existing lubricant must be ensured. It's crucial whether the grease is mineral or synthetic-based.

It depends on the operating cycle and conditions. Typically, every 500 double strokes.

The lubricant quantity depends on the size and type of the gear unit. You can find specific data in our general catalog. Here's an example for our Cubic Screw Jacks: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

0 - 6000mm in the standard range. Lengths over 6m are also possible for special applications, but then with a multi-part spindle. Gradations can be made in the millimeter range.

Grease lubrication in the gearbox: up to 1500rpm; >1500rpm to 3000rpm flow grease or oil lubrication.

You can install mechanical, magnetic, or inductive limit switch solutions. Preparation for custom sensors is also possible. Please note that it's not possible to implement end position detection on traveling nut version Screw Jacks.

For detailed information, refer to the beginning of each Screw Jack chapter in our catalog. Here's an example for Cubic Screw Jacks: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

For grease-lubricated Screw Jacks, the mounting position can be freely chosen. For oil-lubricated Screw Jacks, the orientation of the ventilation must be considered.

The manufacturer's rated load capacity shouldn't be exceeded. However, Screw Jacks typically have safety factors ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 times the rated load.

Temporarily possible, however, this results in a significantly reduced lifespan.

Yes, for Screw Jacks with ball or roller screw mechanisms, a lifespan can be calculated. However, for trapezoidal screw mechanisms, lifespan calculation is not possible. More information on the calculations can be found here.

The required power depends on the load and stroke speed. A 30% reserve to the required power is recommended for the drive. The Screw Jack should be operated within the maximum specified parameters, which depend on the version and size. You can find exemplary power limits for Cubic Screw Jacks here: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

The safety margin can be increased or reduced. If reduced, it's important to ensure that block drive is always prevented during operation of the system.

A block drive describes the execution of the lift against a fixed stop. In this process, the lifting element is 'blocked' by the fixed counterpart.

The driving element, usually a three-phase motor, doesn't stop automatically but needs a signal for shutdown. This signal can be generated through limit switches, encoders, potentiometers, or other displacement-monitoring components.

Mechanical drives are very sensitive to movement against fixed stops. Depending on the force of the motor, a block drive typically results in damage to the spindle-nut system.

Ball screw spindles make sense when:

  1. The power consumption is too high in combination with trapezoidal screw spindles
  2. A higher stroke speed is desired
  3. A higher precision is desired

The axial play of a trapezoidal screw spindle typically ranges from 0.1 to 0.3mm. When the axial play reaches 1/4 of the trapezoidal profile, replacement of the trapezoidal screw nut is recommended.

Although lateral forces significantly reduce the lifespan of Screw Jacks, there are certain limits within which lateral forces can be absorbed. You can find relevant information here: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

Screw Drives: Trapezoidal Screw vs. Ball Screw - GROB GmbH chevron_right

The standing spindle creates relative motion through the rotating worm wheel, while the rotating spindle generates relative motion for the traveling nut. The advantages and disadvantages depend on the space constraints of your lifting system.

Yes, each size (regardless of the Screw Jack type) offers 2x reduction stages (-> Normal and Slow). The exception is the High-Speed Screw Jack. Here, gear ratios of 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 are possible.

Spindle extension defines a dimension that provides a certain extra length compared to the standard when in the retracted state. For example: You only need an effective stroke of 100mm, but there's a distance of 400mm to cover between the start of the stroke and the gearbox. Then we extend the spindle by 400mm, so when fully extended, you reach a total of 500mm.

Yes, appropriate protection can be achieved through painting or the use of stainless materials.

Yes, the functions of 'lifting' and 'moving' can be performed by any mechanical lifting element.

This version uses an additional tube to protect the spindle, which sits on the traveling nut. The piston tube version thus describes a lifting cylinder that has been modified based on a Screw Jack.

The following points necessitate an oil version:

  1. Use in explosive atmospheres with gas. A mandatory ATEX questionnaire is required.
  2. Input speed at the worm shaft ranging from 1500rpm to 3000rpm.

In standard operation, the SFM runs load-free with the main nut. If the main nut fails, the SFM takes over the load. A stroke can then be performed to shut down the system. Additionally, the SFM is also used as a reference nut for wear measurement.

The spindle can be protected by folding bellows or spiral protective sleeves.

It prevents the rotation of the spindle. If a translational spindle were to rotate, linear motion would no longer be possible.

  1. Electronic bridge: If each lifting element of the system is driven by a motor, electronic synchronization can be achieved through encoders.
  2. Mechanical linkage: More cost-effective and fail-safe are cardan shafts and bevel gearboxes, which can connect all lifting elements of a system together.

A travel limiter (AS) prevents the spindle from accidentally falling out in the basic version. It's not intended as a mechanical end stop.

Yes, Screw Jacks and MINI Cylinders can be used within certain limits for ATEX zones as well.

For the spindle end, the standard range offers options including threaded end, articulated head, ball joint head, flange plate, bearing flange plate, and pin. You can find corresponding dimensions in the General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de)

In the case of the traveling nut version, only the nut connection dimensions change. In the basic version with the Ball Screw spindle, it may occur that the bearing cover is raised to accommodate the Ball Screw nut in the gearbox.

Yes, threaded spindles can also be equipped in stainless steel.

Question not included?

You can find more application examples and drive solutions here

Cubic Screw Jack - GROB Drive Technology GmbH

What is a Screw Jack?

Here we explain how Screw Jacks work and the fundamental aspects that define them. Dive in and discover why Screw Jacks are an essential component for various applications.

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Philipp Schmalzhaf - Sales Manager - GROB Antriebstechnik GmbH

Philipp Schmalzhaf, Sales Manager