System stiffness is an essential measure of an axis drive’s ability to position accurately and repeatably under varying load conditions. As the spring constant increases, the axial deflection, for a given load, decreases.

To determine the maximum axial deflection: Find the stroke length on the horizontal legend and draw a vertical line intersecting the stiffness curve for the model number being considered. From this intersection, a horizontal line projected to the left will intersect the vertical legend at the calculated minimum spring constant.

To calculate (D) maximum axial deflection under load: D = F / K;
where:
D = maximum axial deflection (inches)
F = Load (lbs) and K = Spring Constant (lbs/inch)

For example:
What is the maximum axial deflection of a 12 inch stroke MT506 under 1,500 lb. load?
The minimum spring constant for this example is 2.1 x 10⁶ lb/in
Maximum axial deflection D=F/K; for this example = 1,500 lb / 2.1x10⁶ lb/in = 0.0007inches

Note: maximum axial deflection occurs at full piston extension and stiffness increases as the piston is retracted.