Dimensioning & Calculating
Anyone looking to dimension or calculate linear drives quickly faces technical challenges.
Which values are critical? How do I calculate service life? And how should I account for factors like duty cycle or safety margins?
Here you will learn how to properly dimension electromechanical drives.
How to solve these problems – with practical, application-oriented articles
I don’t know which values I even need for the calculation
I don’t know how lateral forces or temperatures factor into the calculation
I want to avoid failures or damage later caused by a calculation error
I’ve never dimensioned a product like this before. I don’t know where to start
The foundation for reliable drive technology
Proper dimensioning is crucial for an electromechanical drive to perform its function reliably and over the long term. Whether it’s a screw jack, electric cylinder, or linear chain, imprecise planning can lead to additional costs or failures.
What really matters
Beyond obvious parameters like load, stroke, and speed, often underestimated factors come into play: ambient temperature, installation orientation, or lateral forces can significantly affect dimensioning. This section helps you understand the calculation methods, avoid common mistakes, and work step by step toward the right solution, in a practical and easy-to-understand way.
Integration & Space Optimization
FAQs
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.
There is no calculation basis for this. The buckling length has been determined through tests. You can find a corresponding diagram for horizontal applications here: General Catalog 2023 (grob-antriebstechnik.de). For vertical applications, please contact us.
- The load must be guided
- The Linear Chain size must be chosen correctly
- It should be driven over a ramp
You have several options for achieving this:
- Modifying the gear ratio
- Modifying the spindle pitch
- Adjusting the motor speed
All of these measures are available in many standard configurations from us
The determining factor for motor size is power, which results from the product of speed and torque. For more information on this topic, please refer to our Learning Center.
There's no calculation basis for this. Tests have shown that for standard chains, 250,000 cycles, and for hardened chains, 1,000,000 cycles represent realistic values.
The duty cycle (ED) indicates how long an electromechanical drive can operate within a given time period without overheating. It is typically expressed as a percentage and refers to a 10-minute cycle.
Service life can be calculated theoretically based on the bearing life formula. It depends on speed, load rating, and axial force.
DN = diameter × rotational speed. This formula helps calculate the maximum speed of the nut.
