Linear encoders in Closed Loop operation on machine tools ensure that thermal errors and other influences of feed mechanisms are fully compensated. This results in especially accurate dimensions and contours starting from a batch size of one.
With the aid of animations and an example machining operation, the film “Accuracy on Modern Machine Tools” uses a demonstration unit to illustrate how quickly a recirculating ball screw warms up and what effect even a relatively small temperature increase can have without Closed Loop control. Or would you have thought that only ten traversing movements at 60 m/min could increase temperature of a recirculating ball screw by more than 2 °C and, without Closed Loop, result in a table position error of 6 µm !