Splicing method and inspection process of large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of ceramic splicing, in particular to a splicing method and inspection process of large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail. The splicing process comprises end face splicing, side face splicing and composite splicing process. Through size processing, end face roughening and connection block design, end face bonding is realized by using glue and bolts, the splicing of ceramic connecting pieces in the length direction is realized, then the ceramic connection in the width direction is realized through side face roughening, gluing and bolt fastening, the two are combined, composite splicing is carried out, and then fine grinding is carried out to obtain a large-size, large-stroke multi-hole alumina ceramic guide rail. Through splicing inspection of support, heavy load and size jump, a qualified ceramic splicing product is obtained. The present application is novel in design from the engineering practice. After splicing is completed, the deformation of the ceramic guide rail is extremely small, which fully meets the use requirements of the ceramic guide rail for large three-coordinate measuring machines and photoetching machines, and provides a new idea for the production and use of large-size ceramic guide rails from another angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ceramic guide rail technology, specifically to a splicing method and inspection process for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails. Background Technology

[0002] Ultra-high precision coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) require high accuracy, long stroke, and stability, making them suitable for measuring large workpieces in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and energy. Alumina ceramic guideways are a high-performance industrial guideway material, widely used in precision machinery, CMMs, semiconductor equipment, and medical instruments due to their excellent physical and chemical properties. Currently, large-scale high-precision CMMs typically require lightweight designs for their X-axis, necessitating the use of large-size porous alumina ceramic guideways to reduce weight and minimize thermal deformation. Ordinary small isostatic presses are suitable for manufacturing single-hole ceramic guide rails (length ≤ 1500mm, width ≤ 150mm). However, due to limitations in molding technology and equipment, mass production of double-hole, triple-hole, or multi-hole alumina ceramic guide rails with larger widths and lengths cannot be achieved. For example, the isostatic press required for the integrated molding of large-size triple-hole alumina ceramic guide rails with dimensions greater than 2500×400×150mm has a cylinder diameter exceeding 1000mm and a length exceeding 4000mm. For ultra-large gantry-type coordinate measuring machines, the ceramic width is ≥ 800mm and the length is ≥ 4000mm, which cannot be achieved with existing isostatic pressing technology and equipment.

[0003] Chinese patent application CN117283680A, published on December 26, 2023, discloses a ceramic guide rail, its fabrication process, and its application. This patent is applicable to ultra-long single-hole ceramic guide rails and splicing processes in the field of lithography machines, providing a new approach to the fabrication of multi-hole ceramic guide rails. However, the scope of this patent is limited to the lithography machine field and is suitable for splicing lightweight (main ceramic weight ≤ 30kg) slender single-hole ceramics. It is not suitable for splicing large-size three-hole or multi-hole, wide-section, and heavy ceramic (main ceramic weight ≥ 200kg) end faces in the field of ultra-precision measurement.

[0004] Chinese patent application CN120326753A, published on July 18, 2025, discloses a mold and molding process for forming large-size three-hole ceramic guide rails. This process is also applied in the field of high-precision measurement, but it is limited by isostatic pressing equipment and is suitable for making small-size single-hole or multi-hole ceramic guide rails. It does not involve ultra-long, ultra-wide large-size multi-hole alumina ceramic guide rails. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a splicing method for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails, which solves the technical and equipment problems such as easy cracking of the blank, difficulty in demolding, and small size (equipment limitation) in the three-hole integrated molding process. It successfully produces large-size three-hole spliced ​​guide rails and provides a new idea for the mass production of large-size three-hole guide rails using small isostatic pressing equipment.

[0006] Another objective of this invention is to provide an inspection process for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails. This process employs a three-point bending method to measure and evaluate deformation under different load conditions, ensuring the performance stability of the spliced ​​ceramic guide rails under various working conditions and providing a reliable guarantee for the practical application of the product.

[0007] This invention is achieved using the following technical solution:

[0008] The splicing method for the large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail includes splicing at least two ceramic guide rail blanks to prepare a ceramic guide rail with a total length greater than 2000mm or a total width greater than 250mm after splicing. The splicing method includes at least one of the following processes:

[0009] End face splicing process: used to splice the ceramic guide rail blanks along the length direction. The process includes: fixing a connecting block to the inner wall of the hollow structure of at least one ceramic guide rail blank to be spliced ​​by an adhesive; after the adhesive has cured, mechanically connecting and fixing the ceramic guide rail blank to another ceramic guide rail blank through the connecting structure provided on the connecting block.

[0010] Side splicing process: used to splice the ceramic guide rail blanks along the width direction. This process includes: surface treatment of the sides to be spliced ​​of at least two ceramic guide rail blanks; applying an adhesive between the sides; and mechanically fastening the at least two ceramic guide rail blanks with fasteners.

[0011] The connecting block and the ceramic guide rail blank are made of the same alumina ceramic material. Before fixing the connecting block, the bonding area between the connecting block and the inner wall is roughened. After bonding, the end face of the spliced ​​ceramic guide rail is ground.

[0012] The ceramic guide rail blank has a three-hole or multi-hole structure with a cross-sectional dimension of 360×110mm and a length of 200-1600mm; the surface roughness Ra of the bonding area of ​​the connecting block after roughening is ≥5μm; the connecting structure is a metal insert embedded in the connecting block, and the mechanical connection is fixed by high-strength bolts, and the torque value of the metal insert after curing is ≥60N·m.

[0013] The ceramic guide rail blank has a single-hole or multi-hole structure, with a single-hole cross-sectional dimension of 110×110mm; the surface treatment is a roughening treatment, and grooves for positioning and accommodating adhesive are machined along the length direction on at least one side to be spliced; the fastener is a high-strength bolt, which is fastened through fixing holes provided on the ceramic guide rail blank.

[0014] The groove has a width of 70-80mm and a depth of 0.15-0.25mm; the surface roughness of the roughened splicing side is 1μm≤Ra≤3μm; the splicing operation is performed on a reference platform with a flatness of ≤0.01mm.

[0015] The splicing method for the large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail also includes a composite splicing process, which combines end-face splicing and side-face splicing processes to produce a large ceramic guide rail with a total width greater than 500mm and a total length greater than 3000mm; wherein, the end-face splicing seams of different splicing units are staggered from each other, with a misalignment size >200mm.

[0016] Before splicing, the ceramic guide rail blank is pre-treated by fine grinding to ensure that its perpendicularity, parallelism and flatness are all controlled within the range of 0.05-0.1mm.

[0017] The inspection process for the large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail prepared by the splicing method described above includes the following steps:

[0018] (1) Place the assembled ceramic guide rail with a length greater than 2000mm on the support structure using a three-point support method;

[0019] (2) Under no-load conditions, measure and record the reference deformation state of the ceramic guide rail;

[0020] (3) Apply a preset load of 20kg to 100kg to the ceramic guide rail, hold it for 5 minutes, unload it, hold it for another 5 minutes, and then measure and record its deformation state.

[0021] (4) Calculate the difference between the deformation state after unloading and the reference deformation state in step (2) to obtain the residual deformation amount;

[0022] (5) Based on the comparison between the residual deformation and the preset qualification standard, determine whether the splicing is qualified.

[0023] The support structure includes two equal-height blocks with a cross-sectional dimension of (100-120) × (100-120) mm. The distance from the center of the equal-height block to the two end faces of the ceramic guide rail is 160-200 mm. The measurement is performed using a torsion spring gauge with an accuracy of 1 μm.

[0024] The qualified standard for the residual deformation is:

[0025] When 2000mm < L ≤ 3000mm, the residual deformation ξ ≤ 5μm;

[0026] When 3000mm < L ≤ 3500mm, the residual deformation ξ ≤ 7μm, where L is the length after splicing of the ceramic guide rails.

[0027] Specifically, the splicing method of the large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail includes an end-face splicing process and / or a side-face splicing process, where:

[0028] The end-face splicing process includes the following steps: performing fine grinding on the three-hole ceramic blank, then roughening the bonding block and the bonding area of the inner wall of the ceramic, fixing the connecting block to the splicing side of the three-hole ceramic blank with a high-strength adhesive, performing end-face grinding processing after the adhesive is cured, then setting a connecting structure on the connecting block, splicing and fixing two three-hole ceramic blanks through the connecting structure, and subsequently performing overall ceramic fine grinding and lapping processing;

[0029] The side-face splicing process includes the following steps: roughening the splicing side of the single-hole ceramic guide rail and setting fixing holes and positioning holes, placing multiple single-hole ceramic guide rails on a reference platform, using the reference platform as the positioning reference, through a groove and positioning process, and using a high-strength adhesive and fixing parts to splice and fix three single-hole ceramic guide rails, and subsequently performing fine grinding and lapping processing to make it meet the requirements of the final drawing dimensions and geometric tolerances.

[0030] The composite splicing process is to skillfully combine the end-face splicing process and the side-face splicing process according to the structural design of the product structure. After end-face splicing of the three-hole or five-hole ceramic guide rail, use the side-face splicing process to splice the single-hole and three-hole or five-hole ceramic guide rails, and then manufacture a large ceramic guide rail with a total width > 500mm and a length > 3000mm.

[0031] Specifically, the composite splicing process is to skillfully combine the end-face splicing process and the side-face splicing process according to the structural design of the product structure to prepare an extra-long and extra-wide large-size porous alumina ceramic guide rail.

[0032] Specifically, in the end-face splicing process, the pretreatment of the three-hole ceramic blank includes plane processing. The plane processing is formed by end-face splicing of two three-hole guide rails. The three-hole ceramic blank is first subjected to plane processing. The cross-sectional dimensions of the three holes are 360×110×(200 - 1600)mm, the wall thickness is 10mm, the perpendicularity, parallelism, and flatness of the three-hole ceramic blank are all controlled within the range of 0.05 - 0.1mm, and the dimensional tolerance is controlled within the range of 0.1 - 1mm; the connecting block is a long hexagonal structure, the width of the connecting block ≥ 25mm, and the thickness ≥ 20mm.

[0033] Specifically, in the end-face splicing process, the roughness of the spliced ​​end face of the three-hole ceramic blank after roughening meets 3μm≤Ra≤5μm, and the roughness of the bonding surface of the connecting block after roughening meets Ra≥5μm; the high-strength adhesive is a high-strength insert adhesive, and a fixing pressure of ≥30MPa is applied to the connecting block using a fixing clamp, with the adhesive curing time ≥48h. The roughened side of the connecting block is bonded to the inner surface of the two outer holes of the three holes using high-strength insert adhesive, with the outer surface of the connecting block flush with the bonding plane, and fixed with a fixing clamp; the connecting block and the ceramic guide rail are made of the same alumina ceramic material.

[0034] Specifically, in the end-face splicing process, the connecting structure on the connecting block is a metal insert that is drilled and then embedded. The drill hole diameter is ≥10mm, and the drilling positions are the center in the width direction, 1 / 3 and 2 / 3 of the length direction of the connecting block; the torque value of the metal insert after curing is ≥60N. m, the connection structure achieves splicing and fixing of two three-hole ceramic blanks by means of high-strength bolts.

[0035] Specifically, in the side splicing process, three single-hole guide rails are spliced ​​and fixed together. Fixing holes are drilled on both sides of the roughened side surface. The cross-sectional dimensions of a single hole are 110×110×(200-1600) mm, and the wall thickness of the single-hole ceramic guide rail is 10-12 mm. The pretreatment of the single-hole ceramic guide rail includes planar machining, with the planar machining accuracy consistent with that of the three-hole ceramic blank. The roughness of the spliced ​​side of the single-hole ceramic guide rail meets the requirement of 1μm≤Ra≤3μm. Of the three single-hole ceramic guide rails, one side is single-sided roughened, and the other is double-sided roughened and placed in the middle. On the double-sided roughened ceramic surface, a groove 70-80 mm wide and 0.15-0.25 mm deep is ground at the middle edge of the 110×(200-1800) guide rail plane. Subsequently, after forming a thermosetting vertical joint, the three parts of the guide rail are firmly clamped together and a room-temperature high-performance adhesive is injected.

[0036] Specifically, in the side splicing process, the fixing holes on the single-hole ceramic guide rail have a diameter of Φ10-20mm, and the center distance between the fixing holes and the end face of the single-hole ceramic guide rail is 100-200mm. The positioning holes have a diameter of Φ8-16mm, and the spacing between the positioning holes is 500-700mm, evenly distributed along the center line of the groove. The reference platform is a marble platform with a flatness ≤0.01mm; the high-strength adhesive is a transparent high-strength insert adhesive; and the fasteners are high-strength bolts.

[0037] Specifically, after the end face and side of the ceramic guide rail are spliced, they are first precision ground, and then manually finely ground. The form and position tolerances are controlled to flatness of 1-2μm / 100mm, parallelism of 0.01-0.05mm, and perpendicularity of 0.05-0.3mm. Once these dimensions are met, it is considered qualified.

[0038] Specifically, after the end face splicing of the three-hole ceramic guide rail, the three-hole ceramic guide rail and the single-hole ceramic guide rail are spliced ​​in an orderly manner using the misalignment process and the groove positioning process, and the misalignment dimension of the splicing seam is >200mm.

[0039] Specifically, the inspection process for the large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail prepared by the splicing method of the aforementioned large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail includes the following steps: placing the spliced ​​ceramic guide rail on the support structure, using a three-point bending method, measuring the deformation of the ceramic guide rail under no-load and different load conditions, setting a corresponding deformation qualification standard according to the splicing length of the ceramic guide rail, and determining whether the splicing of the ceramic guide rail is qualified.

[0040] Specifically, the support structure includes a marble platform and contour blocks. The contour blocks are square with a cross-sectional dimension of (100-120) × (100-120) mm. The center of the contour blocks is 160-200 mm away from the end face of the ceramic guide rail. The deformation of the ceramic guide rail is measured using a torsion spring gauge with an accuracy of 1 μm.

[0041] Specifically, the different load conditions include loads of 20kg, 40kg, 60kg, 80kg, and 100kg. During measurement, data is recorded after maintaining the load for 5 minutes and after unloading for 5 minutes. The absolute value of the difference between the unloaded data and the no-load data is used as the deformation value. The qualified standard for deformation is as follows: when the length L after splicing the ceramic guide rail is ≤2000mm, the deformation ξ is ≤3μm; when 2000mm<L≤3000mm, the deformation ξ is ≤5μm; and when 3000mm<L≤3500mm, the deformation ξ is ≤7μm.

[0042] Specifically, the two splicing methods and inspection processes described above are not limited to the field of large-size, complex, and lightweight coordinate measuring machine guide rails, but are also applicable to related fields such as semiconductors and lithography machines. Their size is adjustable, and the structural design can be adjusted according to customer needs.

[0043] The splicing method described in this invention is mainly applied to the manufacturing of ceramic guide rails for high-precision measuring equipment (such as coordinate measuring machines and lithography machines). These types of equipment typically operate in a constant temperature and humidity environment (e.g., 20±1℃). Therefore, the thermal expansion mismatch caused by temperature differences can be disregarded in the splicing process design and product use.

[0044] Furthermore, the connecting block and the ceramic guide rail are made of the same material and from the same batch of alumina ceramic (96% alumina ceramic), and their coefficients of thermal expansion are basically the same (difference ≤ 1×10). -6 / ℃), further ensuring the dimensional stability of the spliced ​​structure under constant temperature conditions.

[0045] To further verify the reliability of the end-face splicing, a torque test was conducted on the bonded three-hole ceramic guide rail. The test results showed that when the applied torque exceeded 70 N·m (the torque wrench limit), the three-hole ceramic guide rail body broke, while the bonding interface between the connecting block and the ceramic guide rail remained intact, without peeling or damage. This indicates that the strength of the bonding structure is higher than the strength of the ceramic body, effectively avoiding ceramic cracking caused by stress concentration.

[0046] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0047] (1) This invention avoids and overcomes technical problems such as cracking in the three-hole integrated molding of ultra-large ceramic guide rails, and successfully prepares large-size three-hole spliced ​​guide rails, reducing cracking and other problems caused by ultra-large size during production, and providing a new idea for the mass production of three-hole guide rails.

[0048] (2) This invention breaks through the equipment bottleneck limitation in the isostatic pressing of large-size three-hole ceramic guide rails, realizes the precedent of preparing large-size multi-hole ceramic guide rails with small and medium-sized isostatic pressing equipment, and lays the foundation for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the precision measurement industry of ceramic guide rails.

[0049] (3) Through the splicing process of the present invention, it is possible to realize the splicing and manufacturing of complex large-size ceramic guide rails with single holes, double holes, three holes, four holes, five holes or multiple holes. It is also possible to use a composite splicing method to manufacture, providing customers with more choices.

[0050] (4) During end-face splicing of this invention, the processing precision of the three-hole ceramic blank is strictly controlled. The design and installation of the connecting block ensure the stability of the splicing. The roughening treatment and the use of high-strength bolts enhance the connection strength. The side splicing ensures the accuracy and safety of the splicing through pretreatment of the single-hole guide rail, groove treatment, benchmark positioning of the marble platform, and bolt fixing. Fine grinding and polishing treatment makes the spliced ​​products meet the dimensions and geometric tolerances of the drawings, thus improving the overall splicing precision and quality.

[0051] (5) The inspection process of this invention adopts a three-point bending method to measure and evaluate the deformation under different load conditions, so as to ensure the performance stability of the spliced ​​ceramic guide rail under different working conditions. This provides a process path for the inspection and testing of this type of product, and also provides a reliable guarantee for the practical application of ceramic spliced ​​guide rail.

[0052] (6) The present invention has a wide range of applications, not limited to the field of large-size, complex and lightweight coordinate measuring machine guide rails, but also applicable to semiconductor, lithography machine and other related fields. Moreover, the cross-sectional size and guide rail length are adjustable, and the structural design can be designed and customized according to customer needs, which improves the versatility and adaptability of the product. Attached Figure Description

[0053] Figure 1 Here is a schematic diagram of the splicing of the end face of a large-size three-hole guide rail (I);

[0054] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the splicing of the end face of a large-size three-hole guide rail (II);

[0055] Figure 3 Here is a schematic diagram of the side splicing of a large-size three-hole guide rail (I);

[0056] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the side splicing of a large-size three-hole guide rail (II);

[0057] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a large-size three-hole guide rail end face splicing connection block;

[0058] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the large gantry-type three-coordinate guide rail composite splicing obtained in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0059] In the diagram: 1. 360×110×1300mm three-hole ceramic guide rail; 2. 360×110×500mm three-hole ceramic guide rail; 3. End face splicing gap; 4. End face splicing connecting block; 5. Connecting block fixing metal parts; 6. 110×110×1800mm single-hole ceramic guide rail; 7. Side splicing gap; 8. Side splicing fixing connecting metal parts; 9. Three-hole guide rail; 10. Single-hole guide rail; 11. End face splicing seam of composite splicing; 12. Side splicing seam of composite splicing. Detailed Implementation

[0060] To make the objectives and technical solutions of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below.

[0061] like Figure 1-5 As shown, the large-size three-hole ceramic guide rail splicing described in this embodiment includes: end-face splicing and side splicing. The end-face splicing consists of two types of large-section three-hole ceramic guide rails with different lengths, end-face splicing connecting blocks 4, insert adhesive, and connecting block fixing metal parts 5 (preferably high-strength bolts). The connection point of the end-face splicing is the end-face splicing gap 3, where the end-face splicing gap 3 is provided with end-face splicing connecting blocks 4 and connecting block fixing metal parts 5 to reinforce the splicing strength of the three-hole ceramic guide rails.

[0062] The side splicing consists of three 110×110×1800mm single-hole ceramic guide rails 6 and four connecting metal parts 8 (preferably fixing bolts) for side splicing fixing. Two of them are single-sided roughened and one is double-sided roughened, and they are placed in the middle. The side splicing part of the 110×110×1800mm single-hole ceramic guide rails 6 is the side splicing gap 7.

[0063] In each embodiment, the connecting block and the ceramic guide rail are made of the same alumina ceramic material.

[0064] Example 1

[0065] The splicing method for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails, the end-face splicing process is as follows:

[0066] (1) The surfaces and end faces of the two three-hole ceramic guide rails (360×110×1300mm three-hole ceramic guide rail 1 and 360×110×500mm three-hole ceramic guide rail 2) are ground to control the wall thickness of the guide rail to 10mm. The perpendicularity, parallelism and flatness of the three-hole ceramic blank are controlled within the range of 0.05-0.1mm, and the dimensional tolerance is controlled within the range of 0.1-1mm. The connecting block is a long hexagonal structure with a width ≥25mm and a thickness ≥20mm.

[0067] (2) Roughen the end faces of the two three-hole ceramic guide rails and the bonding block. The roughness value of the end face is controlled within 1μm≤Ra≤2μm. The roughness of the bonding surface of the connecting block after roughening meets Ra≥5μm. The size of the bonding block is controlled within 80mm in length, 30mm in width, and 25mm in thickness. High-strength insert adhesive is used to bond the bonding block to the inner wall of the three-hole ceramic guide rail. The outer surface of the connecting block is flush with the bonding plane. A fixing pressure of ≥10MPa is applied to the connecting block using a fixing clamp. After curing for 48h, it is ready for use.

[0068] (3) After the connecting block is completely cured, drilling is performed on the surface of the end block. The hole diameter is Ф13mm, and the drilling positions are the center in the width direction, 1 / 3 and 2 / 3 of the length direction of the connecting block; the torque value of the metal insert after curing is ≥60N. m, the connection structure achieves splicing and fixing of two three-hole ceramic blanks through a combination of high-strength bolts and adhesive.

[0069] (4) Use transparent adhesive to splice the two prepared ceramic guide rails and fix them with high-strength bolts. Clean the adhesive seam and cure for 48 hours. Then, perform fine grinding and polishing to meet the size and form tolerance requirements of the drawing. Finally, a complete end face spliced ​​three-hole ceramic guide rail is obtained.

[0070] (5) Using the same process, two three-hole ceramic guide rails of different sizes (360×110×1500mm and 360×110×1000mm, 360×110×1600mm and 360×110×1600mm) are spliced ​​together at the end face, and then compared and inspected after splicing.

[0071] (5) Place the spliced ​​three-hole ceramic guide rail on a marble platform and use a 120×120×500mm equal height block for three-point support. The center line of the equal height block is 200mm away from the end face of the ceramic guide rail. Using the narrow cross section of the three-hole ceramic guide rail as the bottom surface, use a torsion spring gauge to test the deformation. Test the unloaded, 20kg, 40kg, 60kg, 80kg and 100kg loads respectively. Use the absolute value of the difference between the load value after 5 minutes and the unloaded value after 5 minutes to characterize the deformation.

[0072] The test results are shown in the table below (unit: μm):

[0073]

[0074] The results show that the test results meet the requirements of the inspection process.

[0075] Example 2

[0076] The side splicing process mainly consists of three single-hole ceramic pieces and four fixing bolts, and its main implementation process is as follows:

[0077] (1) Three single-hole cross-sections with dimensions of 110×110×1800mm and a wall thickness of 10mm were spliced ​​together. The sides were roughened, with two single-sided roughening on both sides and one double-sided roughening on the other. The roughness was 1μm≤Ra≤3μm. The perpendicularity, parallelism, and flatness of the ceramics were controlled within the range of 0.05-0.1mm, and the dimensional tolerance was controlled within the range of 0.1-1mm.

[0078] Of the three single-hole ceramic guide rails, two are single-sided roughened and one is double-sided roughened, placed in the middle. The double-sided roughened ceramic surface has grooves 70-80mm wide and 0.15-0.25mm deep ground into the middle edge of the 110×1800 guide rail plane. Subsequently, after forming a thermosetting vertical joint, the three parts of the guide rail are securely clamped together and a room-temperature high-performance adhesive is injected.

[0079] (2) Drill holes on both sides of the roughened side surface, with a hole diameter of Φ15mm and a hole center distance of 120mm from the end face, and then perform insert processing.

[0080] (3) Place the prepared single-hole guide rail on the marble platform. The flatness of the marble platform is ≤3μm. Using the surface of the marble platform as a reference, apply 3M series DP420 adhesive to the roughened surface. Then use high-strength bolts to fix the three single-hole ceramic guide rails and wait for curing.

[0081] (4) After curing, the whole product is finely ground and polished to meet the size and geometric tolerance requirements of the drawings.

[0082] (5) Using the same process, two three-hole ceramic guide rails of different sizes (110×110×1800mm, 110×110×2500mm, 110×110×3200mm) are spliced ​​together at the end face, and a comparative inspection is carried out after the splicing is completed.

[0083] (6) Place the treated guide rail on a marble platform and use a 120×120×500mm equal height block for three-point support. The center line of the equal height block is 200mm away from the end face of the ceramic guide rail. Using the narrow cross section of the three-hole ceramic guide rail as the bottom surface, use a torsion spring gauge to test the deformation. Test the unloaded, 20kg, 40kg, 60kg, 80kg and 100kg loads respectively. Use the absolute value of the difference between the load value after 5 minutes and the unloaded value after 5 minutes to characterize the deformation.

[0084] The test results are shown in the table below (unit: μm):

[0085]

[0086] Example 3

[0087] like Figure 6 As shown, a ceramic guide rail suitable for large gantry-type coordinate measuring machines is manufactured using end-face splicing and side-face splicing processes. The ceramic guide rail measures 6500mm × 1000mm × 200mm and employs an eight-hole splicing structure. The structural component is composed of 26 ceramic guide rails (14 three-hole ceramic guide rails (three-hole guide rails 9) and 12 single-hole ceramic guide rails (single-hole guide rails 10)). The long-side connections between three-hole guide rails 9 and 9 or single-hole guide rails 10 are composite splicing side seams 12, while the short-side connections are composite splicing end-face splicing seams 11. The middle section is constructed from the end-face and side-face splicing of 14 three-hole ceramic guide rails, while the upper and lower sections are constructed from the side-face splicing of 6 single-hole ceramic guide rails (6 each). The main implementation process is as follows:

[0088] (1) Pre-process 14 three-hole guide rails 9, roughen the upper and lower sides and end faces, first splice the end faces, and then perform precision machining after splicing. Then splice the sides to form a six-hole ceramic guide rail. When splicing the sides, the splicing surface of the three-hole guide rail 9 is reserved with a depth of 80mm×0.15mm, and positioning pins are drilled at 600mm intervals at the center line of the groove. This module is the middle part. After the adhesive has been completely cured, the surface is finely ground and left for later use.

[0089] (2) Classify the 12 single-hole guide rails 10, roughen the end face and one side side in sequence, and then splice the end face to obtain two single-hole ceramic guide rails with a length of 6500mm. These are the upper and lower support modules. After they are completely cured, they are finely ground and kept for later use after meeting the size requirements.

[0090] (3) Place a single-hole guide rail 10 module that has been spliced ​​and pre-treated on a marble platform. Use a crane and manual labor to splice the side and fix it. Use the weight of the ceramic to compact it. After the ceramic has completely cured, proceed to the next bonding process.

[0091] (4) Place the assembled ceramic guide rail in step (3) on the marble platform, use the side splicing process to splice the remaining single-hole splicing ceramic guide rail on the side and fix it. After it is completely cured, the spliced ​​whole blank is obtained.

[0092] (5) According to the overall drawing requirements, the excess material of the spliced ​​whole is removed and fine grinding is carried out. After it meets the requirements, the size and form and position tolerance are inspected. After it is completely qualified, the finished large-size spliced ​​eight-hole ceramic guide rail is obtained.

[0093] Comparative Example 1:

[0094] End face splicing is performed using low-precision preprocessing.

[0095] This comparative example is basically the same as Example 1, the main difference being that the pretreatment precision of the ceramic blank is reduced.

[0096] (1) Low-precision pretreatment: Prepare two three-hole ceramic guide rail blanks of the same size as in Example 1. Roughly grind the blanks to make their wall thickness 10mm, but the form and position tolerances such as perpendicularity, parallelism, and flatness are controlled within the range of 0.3mm.

[0097] (2) Splicing and curing: The subsequent steps (installation of connecting blocks, processing of connecting structures, splicing and curing) are exactly the same as in Example 1. During splicing, due to the poor flatness of the blank end faces, there are irregular gaps visible to the naked eye after the two blanks are joined, with the largest gap being about 0.4 mm. To fill this gap, more adhesive was used than in Example 1, forming a thicker adhesive layer.

[0098] (3) Finishing and Inspection: After curing, finishing and load deformation tests were performed. The test results are as follows:

[0099]

[0100] As shown above, even with a load of only 60kg, the residual deformation reached 4μm, exceeding the acceptable standard of ξ≤3μm for L≤2000mm. Under a load of 100kg, the residual deformation was even higher, reaching 9μm. This indicates that the low-precision pretreatment resulted in an excessively thick and uneven splicing adhesive layer, which became a weak point in the structure, causing significant elastic and plastic deformation under load. This severely reduced the stiffness and dimensional stability of the splicing guide rail, leading to product defects. This comparative example demonstrates, inversely, the crucial role of high-precision pretreatment (geometric tolerance ≤0.05mm) in Example 1.

[0101] Comparative Example 2:

[0102] End face splicing using only mechanical connection (no end face adhesive).

[0103] This comparative example is basically the same as Example 1, the main difference being that no end-face adhesive is used during splicing.

[0104] (1) Pre-treatment and connection block installation: The steps are exactly the same as in Example 1. The blank undergoes high-precision pre-treatment.

[0105] (2) Adhesive-free splicing: Without using transparent adhesive, the two prepared ceramic blanks are directly mechanically fastened together using high-strength bolts and connecting blocks. During the application of the fastening torque, due to the brittleness of the ceramic material and the microscopic unevenness of the contact surface, slight chipping occurred at the edge (ridge) of the splicing end face.

[0106] (3) Finishing and Inspection: The spliced ​​body was inspected after finishing. During the air flotation test, a slight height and angle difference was found between the planes on both sides of the splice joint, which caused the air flotation guide rail to experience unstable air film pressure and slight vibration when passing through the joint. During the load deformation test, after applying a 20kg load and then unloading, the residual deformation reached more than 8μm, and the residual deformation after each load-unload cycle was different, indicating that the connection was unstable.

[0107] Without the adhesive's role in filling microscopic gaps and forming an integrated rigid structure, purely mechanical connections cannot guarantee complete contact and uniform force transmission, leading to stress concentration (edge ​​chipping) and insufficient connection rigidity. The product fails in precision applications (such as air-bearing guides) and in terms of load-bearing stability. This comparative example demonstrates, in turn, that end-face adhesives are crucial for achieving high-rigidity, high-stability connections.

[0108] Comparative Example 3:

[0109] The side splices lack mechanical fastening and positioning.

[0110] Compared with Example 2, this comparative example omits mechanical fastening and some positioning structures.

[0111] (1) Pretreatment: Prepare three single-hole ceramic guide rail blanks identical to those in Example 2 and perform the same roughening treatment. However, do not drill holes in the blanks for mounting bolts, nor grind positioning grooves on the intermediate blanks.

[0112] (2) Assembly and curing: Place the prepared single-hole guide rail on the marble platform and apply adhesive (3MDP420) to the roughened surface. Then, put the three blanks together and press them together using only the external 30kg weight, and wait for them to cure naturally.

[0113] (3) Result Inspection: After the adhesive has cured, the weight was removed. Inspection revealed that due to the lack of effective clamping force and positioning, there was obvious misalignment among the three single-hole guide rails, with a maximum misalignment of 0.6 mm, and the entire structure was slightly warped. The blank in this state could not be corrected by subsequent precision grinding. Even if grinding was forced, it would result in severe unevenness in the product wall thickness, and the dimensions would completely exceed the tolerance range.

[0114] Relying solely on external weights for clamping and bonding cannot provide sufficient and uniform clamping force to resist the internal stress caused by the curing shrinkage of the adhesive layer, nor can it guarantee the precise positioning of the three long guide rails along their entire length. This ultimately leads to severe dimensional and positional deviations in the assembled structure, rendering the product unusable. This comparative example demonstrates, in reverse, the decisive role of groove positioning and bolt fastening employed in Example 2 in ensuring the accuracy and structural integrity of the side splicing.

Claims

1. A method for splicing large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails, characterized in that, The method involves splicing at least two ceramic guide rail blanks to produce a ceramic guide rail with a total length greater than 2000 mm or a total width greater than 250 mm after splicing. The splicing method includes the following processes: End face splicing process: used to splice the ceramic guide rail blanks along the length direction. The process includes: fixing a connecting block to the inner wall of the hollow structure of at least one ceramic guide rail blank to be spliced ​​by an adhesive; after the adhesive has cured, mechanically connecting and fixing the ceramic guide rail blank to another ceramic guide rail blank through the connecting structure provided on the connecting block. Side splicing process: used to splice the ceramic guide rail blanks along the width direction, the process includes: surface treatment of the sides to be spliced ​​of at least two ceramic guide rail blanks; applying an adhesive between the sides; and mechanically fastening the at least two ceramic guide rail blanks with fasteners. The connecting block and the ceramic guide rail blank are made of the same alumina ceramic material. Before fixing the connecting block, the bonding area between the connecting block and the inner wall is roughened. After bonding, the end face of the spliced ​​ceramic guide rail is ground. The surface roughness Ra of the bonding area of ​​the connecting block after roughening is ≥5μm; the connecting structure is a metal insert embedded in the connecting block, and the mechanical connection is fixed by high-strength bolts. The torque value of the metal insert after curing is ≥60N·m.

2. The splicing method for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ceramic guide rail blank has a three-hole or multi-hole structure, with a cross-sectional dimension of 360×110mm and a length of 200-1600mm.

3. The splicing method for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ceramic guide rail blank has a single-hole or multi-hole structure, with a single-hole cross-sectional dimension of 110×110mm; the surface treatment is a roughening treatment, and grooves for positioning and accommodating adhesive are machined along the length direction on at least one side to be spliced; the fastener is a high-strength bolt, which is fastened through fixing holes provided on the ceramic guide rail blank.

4. The splicing method for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails according to claim 3, characterized in that, The groove has a width of 70-80mm and a depth of 0.15-0.25mm; the surface roughness of the roughened splicing side is 1μm≤Ra≤3μm; the splicing operation is performed on a reference platform with a flatness ≤0.01mm.

5. The splicing method for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a composite splicing process, which combines end-face splicing and side-face splicing processes to produce large ceramic guide rails with a total width greater than 500mm and a total length greater than 3000mm; wherein, the end-face splicing seams of different splicing units are staggered from each other, with a misalignment size of >200mm.

6. The splicing method for large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rails according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before splicing, the ceramic guide rail blank is pre-treated by fine grinding to ensure that its perpendicularity, parallelism and flatness are all controlled within the range of 0.05-0.1mm.

7. The inspection process for the large-size three-hole alumina ceramic guide rail prepared by the splicing method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Place the assembled ceramic guide rail with a length greater than 2000mm on the support structure using a three-point support method; (2) Under no-load conditions, measure and record the reference deformation state of the ceramic guide rail; (3) Apply a preset load of 20kg to 100kg to the ceramic guide rail, hold it for 5 minutes, unload it, hold it for another 5 minutes, and then measure and record its deformation state. (4) Calculate the difference between the deformed state after unloading and the reference deformed state in step (2) to obtain the residual deformation amount. (5) Compare the residual deformation amount with a preset qualified standard to determine whether the splicing is qualified.

8. The inspection process according to claim 7, characterized in that, The support structure includes two equal-height blocks with a cross-sectional size of (100 - 120) × (100 - 120) mm, and the distance from the center of the equal-height block to both end faces of the ceramic guide rail is 160 - 200 mm; the measurement is carried out using a torsion spring gauge with an accuracy of 1 μm.

9. The inspection process according to claim 7, characterized in that, The qualified standard for the residual deformation amount is as follows: When 2000 mm < L ≤ 3000 mm, the residual deformation amount ξ ≤ 5 μm; When 3000 mm < L ≤ 3500 mm, the residual deformation amount ξ ≤ 7 μm, where L is the length of the spliced ceramic guide rail.

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