Bridging electric-mechanical precision

The new energy vehicle (NEV) industry continues to flourish following the mega trend towards green traveling and carbon neutralization. In China, NEV sales exceeded 16 million units in 2025, with a penetration rate first time surpassing 50%. Meanwhile, L2+ level autonomous driving is rapidly gaining traction in passenger vehicles, while L3 and L4 enter commercial pilot phases. The automotive industry is undergoing profound technological transformation.

Screw solutions for X-by-Wire and autonomous driving

As a key technology for achieving vehicle electrification, autonomy, and lightweight design, X-by-Wire technology is reshaping traditional chassis system. Screw solutions, with high performance in precision, efficiency, and reliability, stand out as core components for EHB (electro-hydraulic braking), EMB (electro-mechanical braking), and R-EPS (rack electric power steering) and serve as fundamental mechanical parts for X-by-Wire chassis.

Advanced autonomous driving places higher demands on response speed, control accuracy, and redundancy safety of chassis systems. In L3+ autonomous driving systems, X-by-Wire steering requires a response delay of less than 10 milliseconds to ensure immediate reaction during emergency avoidance or high-speed lane changes. Brake-by-wire systems must achieve pressure buildup within 150 milliseconds, significantly faster than traditional hydraulic systems (approximately 300–500 milliseconds), thereby reducing braking distances. Position control accuracy needs to reach ±0.1 mm or even better to support precise trajectory tracking functions such as lane keeping and automatic parking. To meet functional safety requirements, dual motors, sensors, and independent power supplies are commonly used to ensure basic steering or braking capabilities even if a single point fails.

The delivery of these high performance heavily rely on precision transmission components, especially ball screws and planetary roller screws, which efficiently and accurately convert rotational motion into linear force. The rigidity, backlash (typically ≤5 μm), fatigue life (often ≥1 million cycles), and stability of the screws under extreme conditions directly determine the overall performance of X-by-Wire systems. Screws are becoming more and more important in the wave of electrification and autonomous driving.

Zhejiang XCC Group Co., Ltd. (XCC) is a leading in bearing and component manufacturing. The company strategically entered the screw sector in 2023 and soon become leading supplier in China. XCC focuses on key components for X/Y/Z directions in X-by-Wire chassis, offering ball screws for R-EPS (steering), EHB (hydraulic braking), EMB (mechanical braking), and active suspension systems. XCC is committed to building a high-end R&D and manufacturing platform.

Forward-looking R&D

XCC invests heavily into the development of high-performance screw variants, including integrated ball screws with higher load capacity and planetary roller screws with compact design and higher rigidity. It also achieves breakthrough in process technologies in grinding, super finishing, and controllable heat treatment in addition to alloy innovation so as to meet the challenges of lightweight and high durability.

In terms of simulation and testing capability, XCC builds high-fidelity digital twin simulation platforms to virtually validate structural design, dynamic response, and fatigue life, significantly shortening product development cycles. Additionally, it establishes an industry-leading extreme condition reliability testing system capable of simulating temperature cycles from -40°C to +150°C, high-frequency vibrations, salt spray corrosion, and million-cycle reciprocating impacts, ensuring long-term stable operation in L3+ autonomous driving systems.

Product innovation

R-EPS, i.e. rack electric power steering, is a crucial step in X-by-Wire steering evolution. Ball screws in R-EPS converts motor torque into linear motion of the shaft, requiring not only high transmission efficiency (>90%) but also minimal friction fluctuation so as to provide natural feedback for drivers and meet millisecond-level response demands of autonomous driving systems. The ball screw from XCC show excellent performance in longevity and low noise levels under high loads, owing to its adoption of unique precision cold rolling and grinding combination processes.

EMB presents the ultimate solution for brake-by-wire technology. It imposes extremely stringent requirements on transmission components, including rapid response speed, robust load-bearing capacity, and environmental adaptability. The screw system must convert motor torque into tens-of-thousands of Newtons of clamping force within 90 milliseconds and operate stably under harsh vibration conditions at the wheel end. XCC has achieved several technological breakthroughs in EMB ball screws. The ball screw is designed with built-in return tube for enhanced rigidity and compactness. Vacuum low-pressure carburizing is used to achieve surface hardening while maintaining core toughness. Ball return path is optimized to reduce nut outer diameters. There is also innovation for cost down: ball return channels uses cold forming to lower production costs without compromising technical and quality performance.

Value-added full vertical integration manufacturing

The core competitiveness of XCC lies in its comprehensive vertical integration manufacturing, ranging from materials to forming and precision machining. The company produces high-precision steel tubes in-house with strict control on non-metallic inclusions to significantly improve product fatigue life. Advanced forming forging technologies help to improve material utilization and optimize metal fiber flow, enhancing overall performance. World-class CNC screw grinders are used in super finishing to achieve micrometer-level consistency in trajectory control. This complete manufacturing process secures XCC’s competitive edge and technical leadership global-wise.

Customer excellence

XCC always places customers in the first place. It has established joint product development mechanism with domestic and international leading NEV manufacturers and Tier-1 suppliers of X-by-Wire chassis. This enables XCC to participate early in the definition of product technology road-map and architecture, such to fit the products for application requirements of NEV chassis. XCC also eyes on future via exploring product applications in humanoid robot joint drives, collaborative robotic arms, and industrial automation. XCC embraces growth curves in both NEV and humanoids.

In short

In the era of green and intelligent mobility, high-performance ball screws bridge mechanical transmission with electrification and intelligence and is becoming core element of mobility transformation. XCC, powered with green manufacturing and technology innovation, is committed to continuous advancement in precision transmission for higher efficiency and safer mobility.