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A test of the durability of ballscrews was carried out. Two sets of screws and nuts were used. The screws and nuts were made of stainless steel. Electrochemical buffing was performed on the surfaces of all the screws and nuts. One set, (a screw and two nuts) was further coated with TiC and Ag, while the other set was not coated. The stainless steel balls were coated with Ag. Each ballscrew was directly connected to an ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV)-compatible stepping motor. The test was carried out in an UHV environment of 10−10–10−11 Torr. The ballscrew coated with TiC and Ag was moved through more than 200 000 reciprocating cycles; the uncoated ballscrew could only be moved through 1740 cycles before failure.

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