This study presents a rolling tribometer designed to quantitatively assess ball-raceway friction in ball-guided bearings, which is critical for applications such as smartphone camera actuators, where friction impacts power consumption. Following ASTM G133 standards, the tribometer was validated using LCP and PC materials under both short-cycle (10K cycles) and long-cycle (1M cycles) tests. Under short-cycle conditions, LCP exhibited an average coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.011, while PC demonstrated a COF of 0.009, both showing low variability at 2.7% and 4.4%, respectively. In long-cycle testing, LCP maintained stable friction coefficients, whereas PC experienced a significant COF increase around 200K cycles due to wear. Confocal microscopy revealed that the wear volume of PC was approximately 10 times greater than that of LCP after 1M cycles. Displacement-friction force analysis indicated increased energy dissipation in PC, attributed to wear-induced surface asperities. This rolling tribometer provides a reliable method for evaluating friction coefficients and long-term durability, yielding valuable data for optimizing actuator design and enhancing efficiency and lifespan in ball-guided mechanisms. The quantitative friction data generated can significantly improve the performance of ball-guided systems.

With the development of 3D printing technology, its applications are expanding. However, 3D printed parts present a challenge in achieving high-quality surface roughness because of stair stepping problems. With the recent application of 3D printing in electronics and the visibility of flow in microfluidic systems, high-quality surface roughness is needed. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), one of semiconductor fabrication processes, has the longest planarization length in terms of productivity among existing planarization methods. In this study, we investigate friction characteristics of polishing of ABSLike resin material printed by the Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA). At the polishing of ABS-Like resin, the friction force has a high value at the beginning of polishing, but it stabilizes as processing progresses because of the effect of waviness on the printed material. The surface roughness (Sa and Sz) reduction and the glossiness of ABS-Like resins after polishing appear to be related to the reduction of the Shore D hardness resulting from the rise in the polishing process temperature caused by friction during polishing.