An apparatus for active contact force control in machining and handling operations: - wherein an upper flange of the said apparatus is configured for mounting a production tool thereto, where the said production tool acts with a predefined contact force on a workpiece surface in a production process; and - wherein the said apparatus is configured to be mounted, using its lower flange positioned on a housing, on a chosen multi-axis machine that performs a spatial motion of the said apparatus and installed production tool; wherein the apparatus for contact force control comprises: - a linear actuator, installed in the housing, with a ball screw which is with at least one ball screw lever connected in the form of a sliding joint to at least one linear guide (7, 7') fixed with its one end in the housing, and where the said linear guide or more such guides (7, 7') limit the ball screw motion only to the axial motion along the linear axis of the said linear actuator, where one or more guides (7, 7') are connected at the end of their sliding sections using a mechanical connection to the upper flange; - where a mechanical connection of the ball screw and the upper flange additionally includes a force sensor which is configured to measure the force by which the linear actuator is acting on the upper flange and thereby to the said production tool; - a spherical joint, or, the spherical joint and an additional spherical joint, and - a mechanical dissipative element, where the said apparatus is characterized in that: - the ball screw and the upper flange mechanical connection comprises a series of connecting elements where the spherical joint is inserted between the force sensor and the mechanical dissipative element situated in the upper flange while the additional spherical joint is optionally inserted between the ball screw and the force sensor, where the spherical joint and optionally the additional spherical joint (1, 1') are configured to eliminate non-axial load to the force sensor; wherein the said mechanical dissipative element comprises an upper elastic dissipative element and a lower elastic dissipative element with a disc plate positioned between them which is mechanically connected to the spherical joint, while both elastic dissipative elements (12, 14) are fixed within the upper flange. - wherein an upper flange of the said apparatus is configured for mounting a production tool thereto, where the said production tool acts with a predefined contact force on a workpiece surface in a production process; and - wherein the said apparatus is configured to be mounted, using its lower flange positioned on a housing, on a chosen multi-axis machine that performs a spatial motion of the said apparatus and installed production tool; - a linear actuator, installed in the housing, with a ball screw which is with at least one ball screw lever connected in the form of a sliding joint to at least one linear guide (7, 7') fixed with its one end in the housing, and where the said linear guide or more such guides (7, 7') limit the ball screw motion only to the axial motion along the linear axis of the said linear actuator, where one or more guides (7, 7') are connected at the end of their sliding sections using a mechanical connection to the upper flange; - where a mechanical connection of the ball screw and the upper flange additionally includes a force sensor which is configured to measure the force by which the linear actuator is acting on the upper flange and thereby to the said production tool; - a spherical joint, or, the spherical joint and an additional spherical joint, and - a mechanical dissipative element, - the ball screw and the upper flange mechanical connection comprises a series of connecting elements where the spherical joint is inserted between the force sensor and the mechanical dissipative element situated in the upper flange while the additional spherical joint is optionally inserted between the ball screw and the force sensor, where the spherical joint and optionally the additional spherical joint (1, 1') are configured to eliminate non-axial load to the force sensor;