WBSO CASE · PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Machine with new positioning accuracy

A machine builder has to position within ±0.05 mm at doubled speed. This case shows where the technical uncertainty lay, which solution directions were investigated and where the R&D precisely began and ended.

Industriële machine met nieuwe positioneringsnauwkeurigheid

SUBSTANTIVELY ASSESSED BY PETER KLAREN · LAST CHECKED SEPTEMBER 2026 · BASED ON WBSO GUIDE 2026

Representative case: this file has been compiled on the basis of common WBSO situations and anonymised; it is not a literal representation of one client file.

Case in eleven phases

The company and starting situationAn industrial machine builder supplies positioning systems to the semi-finished products industry. A series customer requests a doubled travel speed at unchanged accuracy.

The technical goalPositioning within ±0.05 mm at twice the speed, within the same machine footprint and energy budget.

The technical bottleneckAt higher accelerations, bearing backlash, elastic deformation of the carrier and vibration excitation lead to positioning deviations outside tolerance. The problem is amplified at resonance frequencies that fall within the new speed range.

Why known technology fell shortStandard linear guide systems with upgraded controllers, stiffer frames and commercial compensation tables have been tried. The combination of thermal drift and modes shifting into the operating range meant these measures were insufficient: the problem is structural, not parametric.

Investigated solution directions(a) Active vibration damping integrated into an in-house mechatronic support structure. (b) A sandwich carrier with fibre-reinforced panels for higher stiffness at lower weight. (c) Model-based feedforward compensation that corrects deformation predictively.

ExperimentsFEM models of the carrier, construction of two experimental prototype setups, laser flatness measurements and acceleration measurements across the full speed range, and iterative improvement of the damper and control filter designs.

Technical resultThe second prototype achieved ±0.038 mm at twice the speed. The new construction and drive principle was thereby technically demonstrated.

What qualified as R&DThe technical development and testing of the new damping and drive principles, including the models, designs, prototype construction and measurements directly needed to develop and demonstrate that new operating principle.

What did not qualifyCustomer engineering of the series version, series preparation, procurement, regular assembly, production documentation and service.

Where the WBSO project endedAs soon as the prototype demonstrated that the new damping and drive principle could technically achieve the required accuracy, the development process ended. After that, work on the customer machine reverted to regular engineering. The experimental prototypes served solely to prove the operating principle; had a prototype been able to serve as a customer machine or business asset, the WBSO delineation would have shifted from the moment it was put to use.

Which project records belonged to itCAD versions, construction calculations, FEM reports, vibration and flatness measurements, test reports per prototype iteration and photos of the setups.

How this translates to a WBSO application

Element	Content
Technical goal	±0.05 mm at 2× speed in the same footprint
Technical bottleneck	backlash, elastic deformation and resonances at higher acceleration
Solution approach	active damping + fibre-reinforced sandwich carrier + model-based compensation
Technical uncertainty	unknown whether the principle achieves the tolerance at higher speed

Further reading: WBSO product development · WBSO project records · prototype costs and the user value limit

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SOURCES AND CONTENT REVIEW

RVO — WBSO Guide 2026

Reviewed by Peter Klaren, WBSO specialist since 2004. Last substantively updated: 21 September 2026. This case has been compiled and anonymised.