Lead screws

[Kevin Sevcik]

We used a lead screw in a telescoping arm in 2011. The easiest way to attach a KoP motor to a leadscrew is to buy a leadscrew the same diameter as the output shaft of your gearbox and use a rigid clamp-style coupler to attach the two together.

Next easiest is to use a lathe to turn the leadscrew down to the same diameter as your gearbox shaft and then use a clamping coupler.

Least easy is if you can't afford to have the length of the gearbox+motor sticking out the end of your leadscrew and you want a sprocket or pulley on there instead. Then you need to do a true end-prep on the end of the leadscrew, which involves turning and end down so you have (working from the end of the screw inwards): an output shaft sized for your sprocket/pulley, a thread for your lock nut, and a bearing seat for one or two bearings. And then you need a bearing block to house those bearings. Probably you're not actually interested in this option, so go with one of the first two.