There is perfect dynamism in perfect motion when around 4000 ballscrews provide a stereo view of the gamma universe. Find out how rolled ball screws solve extremely demanding positioning tasks so that countless achievements can find their way into our lives. Adaptability is the key to perfect movement.
Numerous technical applications contain valuable findings and research results from the Astrophysics and Radiation Research departments. From A for the analysis of luggage at airports, C for CCD chips in digital cameras or cell phones, P for PET scanners for the early detection of cancer, S for solar collectors, T for tumor therapy or W for WLAN networks, to Z for cell healing or archaeological cell and tissue samples.
Top performance, no matter how specific the requirements are
Design engineers are regularly faced with the task of determining the appropriate drive technology for the realization of linear movements. High infeed accuracies and oscillating movements of high frequency with the smallest strokes or high dynamics in continuous operation often have to be mastered. The focus is on safety and reliability. Small installation space with high loads is often a challenge. Maintenance and service life and, last but not least, costs also play an important role. The demands placed on mechanical drive elements and the requirements in the respective fields of application are increasing in equal measure. Ball screw drives are among the most frequently used drive systems in many industries. The advantages of these drive systems lie in their high efficiency and energy efficiency.
Eichenberger's spindle technology, thread rolling (cold forming of the lateral surface of round parts), combines maximum load capacity and force density with enormous dynamics and precision at maximum running performance.
On La Palma, two impressive Cherenkov telescopes called "MAGIC" transform the Earth's atmosphere into a gigantic particle detector. Within a few seconds, almost a thousand mirrors focus on the most distant activities in the firmament. Each individual mirror plate is aligned with a pre-adjusted laser point. The mosaic-like mirror elements are driven by two enormously fast, extremely reliable and robust ball screw drives from Eichenberger Gewinde AG. The experts at Eichenberger inspire the realization of ideas for new products or for completely new types of drives and screw drive solutions. They challenge the limits of what is technically feasible and make the impossible possible. The masterminds behind the Cherenkov telescope project recognized the potential of Eichenberger's drive and its cold-rolled ball screws and placed their trust in the Swiss company - with success.
(english Major Atmospheric Gamma-Ray Imaging Cherenkov Telescopes)
left-hand ball screws open the eye into the universe.
Ball screws make astronomical research possible
On average, twice a day a gamma-ray burst flares up somewhere in the vastness of space, sometimes only for a fraction of a second, often for several minutes. The blue lights reach us from galaxies several billion light years away. Since they reach us despite the enormous distance, they must be related to extreme events, detonations that outshine the affected galaxy for a moment, releasing more energy than the sun has during its entire ten billion year life. What exactly is behind these events is still largely a mystery. To find out more, the energies of the gamma-ray bursts must be systematically measured. The higher-energy "gammas", as the researchers call them, cannot be measured by satellites. The two mirrors on the Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma can do this much better.
With the two Magic telescopes, which were set up 85 meters apart, it is even possible to get a stereo view of the bluish Cherenkov glow. A human eye could never see the Cherenkov radiation. That is why the mirrors are so huge. With a diameter of 17 meters each, they are the largest telescope mirrors in the world and yet they are also the most agile. Each of the two 70-ton instruments can be rotated into any position in just a few seconds so that the cameras in each MAGIC telescope can detect the lightning reflected by the mirrors.
The fact that the telescopes can align themselves so quickly to the source of the gamma flash is thanks to their powerful drives and relatively low weight. 947 aluminum mirror segments mounted on carrier plates provide 247 m² of mirror surface. Each of the almost one thousand 50 x 50 cm mirror plates is driven laterally by an amazingly fast and durable Carry 12 x 2 mm ball screw drive. These effective, cold-rolled screw drives align the individual mirrors to a pre-adjusted laser point with enormous precision and astonishing speed. Thanks to innovative details and special manufacturing processes, Eichenberger's lead screws create the conditions for this perfect movement with maximum dynamics. They guarantee exceptional quality, which is crucial for the service life of the ball screws in the telescopes in the harsh weather conditions on La Palma.
Why is astronomy important?
When the particles (gamma photons) reach Earth, sometimes after a journey through the cosmos lasting billions of years, scientists can draw conclusions about their place of origin and the circumstances of their creation. The gamma worlds harbor uncanny objects and phenomena that astrophysicists have often only just begun to understand. On the one hand, it is important to understand the universe. Astrophysics deals with the physical principles of researching celestial phenomena and is a branch of astronomy. At the same time, however, it also paves the way for technological developments and humanitarian achievements, such as the PET scanner. These devices for the early detection of cancer have already saved many lives and were developed by gamma astronomers. Radioisotopes are also used specifically in tumor therapy with radiopharmaceuticals, for example. They are used in the treatment of inflamed joint mucous membranes, hyperthyroidism or special forms of cancer. The Radiation Research department is also responsible for countless technical applications such as CCD chips. These are light-sensitive electronic components based on the internal photoelectric effect and are used in digital cameras, cell phones and scanners. CCD chips are indispensable in sensor technology. In solar collectors, we now use materials that have been developed for the construction of large telescopes. A technique for improving the image quality of radio astronomical images is used worldwide in WLAN networks. In industry, we use programming languages such as Forth or IDL, which were developed for astronomical applications, etc., etc.
they are still a mystery to science.
There are still plenty of big questions that astronomy will be able to answer in the future. Some questions have the potential to completely overturn our view of the world. For example, cosmologists have long puzzled over the nature of dark energy - the mysterious force that causes the universe to expand ever faster. A substance called quintessence is said to be behind the dark energy. Japanese researchers believe they have actually discovered the fingerprint of quintessence, a kind of anti-gravity that counteracts gravity. Quintessence demands that the so-called equivalence principle (that heavy mass and inertial mass are virtually equivalent) is violated. Some of what is currently regarded as the foundation of physics would then begin to falter.
Core competence thread rolling and hardening
At the Thread rolls unlike grinding, milling or turning, the longitudinal fibers of the material are not cut but deflected. The result is a compressed, smoothly rolled, extremely resilient surface, which is essential for a long service life of the spindle. The roughness values of around Rz 1.0 on the thread flanks and in the base radius as well as significantly reduced notch sensitivity also provide a major advantage. The rolling friction coefficient for steel balls is 0.003 to 0.001 compared to sliding friction steel on steel (lubricated) 0.1 to 0.05. The excellent sliding properties of the cold-rolled ball screw ensure minimal abrasion and offer little surface area for contamination. This enables the balls to roll quietly.
This cold forming leads to an extraordinary increase in strength
Thanks to years of experience in the Induction hardening Eichenberger has developed a great deal of expertise in-house. While a hardening store is dedicated exclusively to hardening steel, the thread specialist strives to achieve the best possible combination of hardness and precision. This is crucial for the high pitch accuracy of the ball screw with its impressive range of diameters. It is particularly important to master this challenge with small dimensions, because the smaller the diameter, the more expertise and intuition are required for hardening
The ideal partner from one-off production to series production
The wheel of mechanics cannot be reinvented. And yet it is Eichenberger's ambition to constantly push the boundaries of the cold-rolled ball screw. Competence goes beyond knowledge, or to put it another way, competence is problem-solving knowledge. Every newly developed screw drive is included in the thread roller range. Over the decades, this has resulted in a huge selection of ball and lead screw drives.
The developers always try to start with a standard nut and spindle and adapt these components to the application-specific requirements. This results in a decisive price advantage. The challenge for designers in Switzerland, a high-price country, is to develop very high technical value in a competitive product that meets market requirements. Technological knowledge, research and development are just as necessary as the willingness to change and the mastery of efficient manufacturing processes.
