Rack-and-Pinion or Ball Screw/Lead Screw?

The debate over Rack-and-Pinion vs. a Screw Driven System in a CNC Router has been a contentious
issue for decades.
Before comparing the two systems, its important to understand that there are two types of screw
driven systems; a ball screw system and a lead screw system. The differences between the two are
explained on the second page.
Precision: Over longer axes, a screw-driven system is susceptible to screw whip, which is an off-axis
motion (vibration) that worsens the faster a screw rotates. Because of the critical speed of rotation
needed over longer axes, the use of a screw driven system on axes over 4 in length is not ideal.
A rack-and-pinion drive system is required for longer axes in order to get the maximum precision. The
rack-and-pinion drive system can be used to create axes of arbitrary length without any off-axis motion
(vibration) and is limited only by the length of the linear rail guiding the system.
Backlash: In a screw driven system, the majority of your backlash comes from using a lead screw and
the associated nut. Because of the nature of these screws, if the nut is made tight enough to eliminate
the backlash, it introduces too much friction and the screw becomes impossibly hard to turn. If the nut
is not adjusted properly, or when all the adjustment is used up on a heavily used machine, you get lots
of backlash. It is not unusual to see backlash of 0.005" on a good quality machine with lead screws, and
that figure can easily deteriorate to 0.025" or worse on an older machine.
The most commonly used method of reducing backlash in a screw driven system is using a ball screw as
opposed to a lead screw. Ball screws are typically intended for CNC work, and so are made to minimize
backlash. Because they turn with a lot less friction than a lead screw, they can be built to much tighter
tolerances. Keep in mind that both lead screw and ball screw driven systems are susceptible to screw
whip (vibration) on longer axes.
A rack-and-pinion drive system will achieve zero backlash by incorporating a self adjusting spring
loaded gear system that keeps optimum tension between the pinion and the rack. This gear system is
capable of producing positional accuracy of up to .002" throughout the entire travel distance of the
rack without any backlash.
Speed: The rack-and-pinion drive system provides an appreciable difference in speed between the two
systems due to gearing. A rack-and-pinion system is geared more aggressively to better utilize the
torque of the motors, and is also more mechanically efficient than a screw system. Because of this, a
rack-and-pinion system is capable of much higher top speeds than even a multi-start screw system.
Z axis travel: For the Z axis travel that has shorter travel, higher speeds are rarely realized, as there is
insufficient room to accelerate to these speeds, so in this case, a ball screw driven system is ideal.
Wear: Both systems will wear and if used enough, require replacement. A rack-and-pinion drive system
is much more cost effective to replace than a screw driven system.

Ball Screw vs. Lead Screw

There are two types of the Screw Driven System, a lead screw and a ball screw. Typically a lead screw is
used as a less expensive substitute for a ball screw.
The basic difference between a lead screw and a ball screw is that a ball screw uses ball bearings to
eliminate the friction between the nut and screw and lead screws do not. A typical ball screw may be
90 percent efficient, versus 50 percent efficiency of a lead screw of equal size.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of lead screws?

Lead screws cost less

Lead screws are self-locking and do not require a braking system

Lead screws are generally less efficient, requiring greater torque and a larger motor and drive

Lead screws have higher friction and run a hotter temperature

Most lead screws are not well suited to high throughput, high speed applications or those with
continuous or long cycle times

Lead screws need to be replaced more frequently

What are the advantages/disadvantages of ball screws?

Ball screws require braking systems

Ball screws require grease or oil lubrication to achieve design life

Ball screws are more efficient, requiring less torque

Ball screws have lower friction and run at cooler temperatures

Ball screws need to be replaced less frequently

Ball screws are more expensive than lead screws

Perhaps the best way to impress on you the Rack-and-Pinion vs. Screw Driven System question is to
look at CNC Routers costing $100,000 to $300,000. You'll notice that almost all of these machines use
both the Rack-and-Pinion and the Ball Screw System on the same machine based on which is best
suited for a particular axis or application.