Improvement of feed drive dynamics by means of semi-active damping

The productivity of modern machine tools and manufacturing units is greatly influenced by the dynamical performance of feed drives. When using mechanical transmission elements, the command tracking as well as the disturbance response of the drive system are directly linked to the physical characteristics of the mechanical components. In order to overcome this dynamical limitation and meet the increasing demand for acceleration capability and accuracy, this paper now presents a new technique of semi-active damping. A friction-based actuator is used to selectively suppress oscillations of a ball screw feed drive, allowing for an extensive improvement of the dynamical performance.