A study of backlash on the motion accuracy of CNC lathes

In this paper, an analytical solution is reported to explain the experimentally observed backlash behaviors on the motion accuracy of CNC lathes. It is found that backlash occurs when the feed direction is reversed. Due to the imperfect transient response of the driving mechanism, not only the static backlash error but also the dynamic backlash error is generated on the contouring profile. A simple control strategy is then developed to reduce the static and dynamic backlash errors. Computational simulations and experimental results are presented to illustrate the proposed method.