A flexible support fastening member for a denture root portion for denture welding processing
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHENZHEN JINYOURAN TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-23
Smart Images

Figure CN121892957B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of dental welding and processing technology, and in particular to a flexible support and fastening component for the root of a dental prosthesis used in dental welding and processing. Background Technology
[0002] In dental prosthetics, welding is a crucial process connecting various metal components such as jaw bars, clasps, and frameworks. Its precision directly impacts the comfort and structural strength of the final prosthesis. Dental root components are typically made of materials such as cobalt-chromium alloys, titanium alloys, or pure titanium. While these materials possess good biocompatibility and mechanical properties, they are highly susceptible to thermal stress concentration and metallurgical changes during high-temperature welding.
[0003] Existing dental welding support devices mostly employ rigid clamping or simple plaster embedding fixation. However, rigid clamping structures lack adaptability to brittle metal materials, and excessive clamping force or thermal expansion can easily lead to microcracks or deformation at the denture root. While traditional plaster embedding can provide basic positioning, it lacks elasticity after curing and cannot provide flexible compensation for the workpiece during the cooling and shrinkage phase after welding. This results in the difficulty in releasing residual welding stress, increasing the risk of denture breakage during later use. Therefore, a flexible support and fastening component for the denture root in dental welding processing is proposed to solve the problems mentioned above. Summary of the Invention
[0004] In order to improve the welding effect of denture jaw bars, this application provides a flexible support and fastening component for denture root welding, which can provide flexible self-adaptive support for denture root while effectively eliminating welding stress, thus solving the problems mentioned above.
[0005] This application provides a flexible support and fastening component for the root of a dental prosthesis used in dental welding, which adopts the following technical solution:
[0006] A flexible support and fastening component for denture root welding is characterized in that: it includes a support platform, an arc-shaped groove for supporting the denture root component is provided on the inner side of the support platform, a support assembly is provided below the support platform, and a flexible support fastener for fixing the denture root component is provided above the support platform.
[0007] The flexible support fastener includes a support base, inside which a slide block is slidably disposed. A positioning shaft with a conical top is detachably mounted on the top side of the slide block. A return spring is fixed on one side of the slide block. A reciprocating assembly for use with the support component slides through the interior of the slide block. The reciprocating assembly includes a slider slidably mounted inside the support base. A reciprocating shaft penetrating the interior of the slide block is fixed on one side of the slider. One end of the reciprocating shaft is provided with an abutment that intermittently abuts against the outside of the slide block. A pumping assembly for reciprocating with the reciprocating shaft is also provided on the outer wall of the slide block. A guide assembly is provided on the side of the slider away from the reciprocating shaft.
[0008] The support assembly includes a guide plate that abuts against the guide assembly, wherein the outer side of the guide plate is provided with a wavy guide groove;
[0009] The support base is bolted to a fixed base at one end away from the guide assembly, and the other side of the return spring is fixed to the outer wall of the fixed base. The guide assembly includes a mounting shaft, one end of which is threaded to a connecting shaft, and the other end of the connecting shaft is rotatably mounted with a ball bearing that abuts against the guide groove.
[0010] Optionally, the support assembly further includes a support plate, with a connecting plate bolted to the bottom side of the support platform above the support plate. An electric telescopic rod fixed to the bottom side of the connecting plate is fixed on the support plate, and the lifting and lowering adjustment of the support platform is realized by extending and retracting the electric telescopic rod.
[0011] Optionally: A connecting frame is bolted to the top side of the support plate, and a guide rod penetrating the interior of the support plate is fixed to the lower surface of the connecting plate; the support platform is raised and lowered by the support assembly, and the reciprocating shaft is moved back and forth by the guidance of the guide assembly.
[0012] Optionally: the mounting shaft is threadedly connected to the slider, the support base has a positioning hole for fixing the slider inside, and the positioning shaft has a cooling chamber for use with the pumping assembly inside.
[0013] Optionally: the abutting member intermittently abuts against the outside of the slide block through the abutting engagement of the guide assembly and the guide groove. The abutting member includes a pad and an abutting piece, both of which are disposed on the outer surface of the end of the reciprocating shaft.
[0014] Optionally: the pad is fixed, while the abutment piece is slidably sleeved, and a buffer spring is fixed between the pad and the abutment piece, with the reciprocating shaft located inside the return spring.
[0015] Optionally: The pumping assembly includes a hollow pump housing, wherein a reciprocating shaft passes through the interior of the pump housing, a piston block fixed to the outer surface of the reciprocating shaft is provided inside the pump housing, two valve pipes are fixed to the outside of the pump housing, and the pumping assembly also includes a connecting pipe fixed inside the slide, wherein the top side of the connecting pipe communicates with the cooling cavity.
[0016] Optionally: a tee pipe is installed at the end of the bottom valve pipe, and a pumping pipe is installed at the end of the top valve pipe. The pumping pipe includes two connecting pipes and a corrugated expansion pipe with a flange installed between the two connecting pipes. The end of the bottom connecting pipe is fixedly connected to the end of the top valve pipe.
[0017] Optionally: A throat is fixed to the end of the connecting tube at the top, and an expansion tube is fixed to the end of the throat toward the positioning axis.
[0018] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:
[0019] 1. This invention utilizes a wave-shaped guide groove to cause the reciprocating shaft to move horizontally and reciprocate, thereby achieving intermittent tension on the end of the jaw rod. This effectively eliminates residual welding stress, prevents post-weld deformation and delayed fracture, and the tension force can effectively eliminate the internal stress generated at the welded part of the jaw rod due to the high temperature of welding, avoid deformation and cracking of the jaw rod due to stress concentration, and improve the structural stability of the jaw rod after welding.
[0020] 2. This invention, by purging the welded area while relieving stress, removes impurities and residues generated during the welding process. The sprayed gas acts directly on the welded area of the jaw bar, rapidly cooling the welded area and further suppressing jaw bar deformation caused by high welding temperature. At the same time, it accelerates the solidification of the weld joint, further ensuring the quality of the jaw bar in the denture root support fastener.
[0021] 3. This invention, through the conical design of the positioning shaft and the installation of the return spring, enables the device to adapt to denture root components of different sizes and shapes, and has wide applicability.
[0022] 4. In this invention, when the slide is in a fixed state, the pulling force generated by the abutment of the abutment member is limited. The limited pulling force allows the jaw rod to gradually adapt to the pulling action, avoiding new damage or cracks inside the jaw rod caused by sudden excessive pulling force.
[0023] 5. In this invention, after the slide block is released from its fixed position, the return spring begins to function. The return spring provides a continuous elastic force based on its own elasticity and the force on the jaw rod. The elastic force and the abutting force of the abutting part work together to generate a greater tensile force, thereby more effectively eliminating the stress at the welded part of the jaw rod.
[0024] 6. This invention allows for the direct connection of the corrugated telescopic pipe in the pumping pipe to the connecting pipe by switching the valve of the three-way pipe and simultaneously removing the throat pipe. At this time, the pumping component no longer delivers gas, but instead pumps liquid coolant into the cooling chamber inside the positioning shaft, thereby achieving liquid cooling of the jaw rod welding area and adapting to jaw rod welding scenarios with different cooling requirements. Attached Figure Description
[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this application;
[0026] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the support platform of this application;
[0027] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the supporting components of this application;
[0028] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the flexible support fastener of this application;
[0029] Figure 5 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the flexible support fastener of this application;
[0030] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the flexible support fastener of this application;
[0031] Figure 7 This application Figure 6 A magnified structural diagram of structure A is shown below;
[0032] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the pumping assembly of this application;
[0033] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the pumping pipe in this application.
[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:
[0035] 1. Support platform; 11. Arc-shaped groove; 2. Support assembly; 21. Support plate; 22. Electric telescopic rod; 23. Connecting plate; 24. Connecting frame; 25. Guide rod; 26. Guide plate; 27. Guide groove; 3. Flexible support fastener; 31. Support base; 32. Slide; 33. Positioning shaft; 331. Cooling chamber; 34. Reciprocating assembly; 341. Slider; 342. Reciprocating shaft; 343. Pumping assembly; 3431. Pump housing; 3432. Piston Block; 3433, Valve pipe; 3434, Pumping pipe; 34341, Connecting pipe; 34342, Corrugated expansion pipe; 34343, Throat pipe; 34344, Expansion pipe; 3435, Connecting pipe; 344, Abutting part; 3441, Pad block; 3442, Abutting piece; 3443, Buffer spring; 35, Fixing seat; 36, Return spring; 37, T-pipe; 38, Guide assembly; 381, Mounting shaft; 382, Connecting shaft; 383, Ball bearing. Detailed Implementation
[0036] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1-9 This application will be described in further detail.
[0037] Example 1, such as Figures 1-3 As shown, this is the first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment provides a flexible support and fastening component for the root of a denture for welding processing. It includes a support platform 1, with an arc-shaped groove 11 on the inner side of the support platform 1 to support the root component of the denture. The bottom of the arc-shaped groove 11 may be filled with plaster for fixing the jaw bar in the root component of the denture. In use, the jaw bar is first placed in the arc-shaped groove 11, and then the mixed plaster is evenly placed in the arc-shaped groove 11 to ensure that the jaw bar is completely fixed. Then, welding mortar is evenly applied to the welding position of the jaw bar, and welding is performed using welding equipment.
[0038] In this embodiment, a support component 2 is provided below the support platform 1, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the support assembly 2 includes a support plate 21. A connecting plate 23, bolted to the bottom of the support platform 1, is located above the support plate 21. An electric telescopic rod 22, also bolted to the bottom of the connecting plate 23, is fixed to the support plate 21. The extension and retraction of the electric telescopic rod 22 allows for the raising and lowering adjustment of the support platform 1. Specifically, a connecting frame 24 is bolted to the top of the support plate 21, and a guide rod 25, penetrating the interior of the support plate 21, is fixed to the lower surface of the connecting plate 23. During use, the guide rod 25 slides along the interior of the support plate 21, working in conjunction with the limiting effect of the connecting frame 24 to ensure smooth and stable raising and lowering of the support platform 1, preventing displacement of the denture root. It should be noted that a guide plate 26 is fixed to one side of the connecting frame 24. The outer side of the guide plate 26 has a wave-shaped guide groove 27. The guide plate 26 is bolted and can be replaced with guide plates 26 of different wave peaks and strokes to adjust the amplitude and frequency of subsequent pulling actions.
[0039] Example 2: To achieve stress relief in the jaw lever, as follows... Figure 1 , Figures 4-7 As shown, a flexible support fastener 3 for fixing the denture root component is provided above the support platform 1, and there are two flexible support fasteners 3. In this embodiment, the flexible support fastener 3 includes a support base 31, and a slide 32 is slidably arranged inside the support base 31. A positioning shaft 33 with a conical top is detachably installed on the top side of the slide 32. A return spring 36 is fixed on one side of the slide 32. Through the conical surface design of the positioning shaft 33 and the installation of the return spring 36, the device can adapt to denture root components of different sizes and shapes, and has wide applicability.
[0040] like Figures 4-7 As shown, a reciprocating assembly 34 for use with the support assembly 2 slides through the interior of the slide block 32. The reciprocating assembly 34 includes a slider 341 that is slidably installed inside the support base 31. A reciprocating shaft 342 that passes through the interior of the slide block 32 is fixed to one side of the slider 341. One end of the reciprocating shaft 342 is provided with an abutment 344 that intermittently abuts against the outside of the slide block 32. A fixing seat 35 is bolted to one end of the support base 31 away from the guide assembly 38. The other side of the return spring 36 is fixed to the outer wall of the fixing seat 35.
[0041] To relieve stress in the jaw lever, a guide assembly 38 is provided on the side of the slider 341 away from the reciprocating shaft 342. The support platform 1 is raised and lowered via the support assembly 2, and the reciprocating shaft 342 is moved back and forth by the guide assembly 38. Figure 6 As shown, the guide assembly 38 includes a mounting shaft 381, one end of which is threadedly connected to a connecting shaft 382, and the other end of the connecting shaft 382 is rotatably mounted with a ball bearing 383 that abuts against the guide groove 27.
[0042] It should be noted that the mounting shaft 381 is threadedly connected to the slider 341 for easy disassembly and maintenance. The support base 31 has a positioning hole for fixing the slide 32. During welding, a locking pin is inserted into the positioning hole of the slide 32 to lock it in its initial position. At this time, the return spring 36 is compressed. After welding, the electric telescopic rod 22 drives the support platform 1 to move downwards, and the guide assembly 38 drives the reciprocating shaft 342 to begin reciprocating motion. In the first stage, the slide 32 is still locked. The abutment piece 3442 of the abutment member 344 intermittently abuts against the outside of the slide 32. However, since the slide 32 is fixed, the thrust of the abutment member 344 cannot be transmitted to the slide 32. Only the energy is absorbed by the compression of the buffer spring 3443, generating a limited impact force. This stage can be used for initial stress release or to detect the deformation of the jaw rod.
[0043] As the support platform 1 continues to move down to the preset position, the locking pin, which can be connected to an electric drive, is pulled out of the positioning hole, and the slide 32 is unlocked. At this time, the return spring 36 releases its compressive potential energy, pushing the slide 32 towards the jaw rod, so that the outer side of the slide 32 maintains close contact with the abutment 344. In subsequent reciprocating motion, the thrust of the abutment 344 and the restoring force of the return spring 36 work together to apply a larger and more controllable pulling force to the jaw rod, achieving deep stress release.
[0044] In this embodiment, the abutting member 344 abuts against the outside of the slide block 32 through the abutting engagement of the guide assembly 38 and the guide groove 27; such as Figure 7 As shown, the abutment member 344 includes a pad 3441 and an abutment piece 3442, both of which are disposed on the outer surface of the end of the reciprocating shaft 342. It should be noted that the pad 3441 is fixedly disposed, while the abutment piece 3442 is slidably sleeved, and a buffer spring 3443 is fixed between the pad 3441 and the abutment piece 3442. The reciprocating shaft 342 is located inside the return spring 36. It is important to note that the jaw bar at the root of the denture is relatively brittle and has poor impact resistance. If the reciprocating shaft 342 directly or through a hard component impacts the slide 32, the sudden impact force will be transmitted to the jaw bar at the root of the denture through the positioning shaft 33, which can easily cause micro-cracks or even chipping of the jaw bar. Therefore, through the buffer spring 3443, when the abutment piece 3442 contacts the slide 32, the impact force is first absorbed by the spring, and the force gradually increases, achieving soft contact. This ensures that the final clamping force of the positioning shaft 33 on the denture is gentle and controllable, greatly reducing the risk of damaging the workpiece and protecting it.
[0045] Example 3: To further improve the stress relief effect, such as... Figure 5 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, a pumping assembly 343 is also provided on the outer wall of the slide 32 to reciprocate with the reciprocating shaft 342, and a cooling chamber 331 is provided inside the positioning shaft 33 to cooperate with the pumping assembly 343.
[0046] like Figure 8 As shown, the pumping assembly 343 includes a hollow pump housing 3431, through which a reciprocating shaft 342 penetrates. A piston block 3432, fixed to the outer surface of the reciprocating shaft 342, is disposed inside the pump housing 3431. When the reciprocating shaft 342 reciprocates, it drives the piston block 3432 to move back and forth within the pump housing 3431, thus achieving the pumping function. Specifically, two valve pipes 3433 are fixed to the outer side of the pump housing 3431. It should be noted that the valve pipes 3433 can be pipes or check valves. The pumping assembly 343 also includes a connecting pipe 3435 fixed inside the slide block 32, wherein the top side of the connecting pipe 3435 communicates with the cooling chamber 331.
[0047] Specifically, a tee pipe 37 is installed at the end of the bottom valve pipe 3433, and a pumping pipe 3434 is installed at the end of the top valve pipe 3433, such as... Figure 9 As shown, the pumping pipe 3434 includes two connecting pipes 34341 and a corrugated expansion pipe 34342 with a flange installed between the two connecting pipes 34341. The corrugated expansion pipe 34342 can be a metal corrugated pipe, which has a folding function and can adjust the spraying position. The end of the bottom connecting pipe 34341 is fixedly connected to the end of the top valve pipe 3433. In this embodiment, the end of the top connecting pipe 34341 is fixed with a throat pipe 34343, and the end of the throat pipe 34343 is fixed with an expansion pipe 34344 facing the positioning shaft 33. In the initial state, the pumping assembly 343 can deliver gas through the valve pipe 3433 and the pumping pipe 3434. The expansion pipe 34344 can blow the gas towards the jaw rod welding part at a certain diffusion angle and speed, which plays a role in initial cooling and removing impurities and fumes generated during the welding process, which helps to improve the welding environment and create good conditions for subsequent stress relief.
[0048] It should be noted that different jaw rod welding scenarios may have different requirements for cooling methods. For example, for jaw rods made of materials that are sensitive to temperature changes or have high stress after welding, liquid cooling can better meet their cooling needs and avoid problems such as deformation and cracking of the jaw rod due to insufficient or uneven cooling. Therefore, by switching the valve of the three-way pipe 37 and removing the throat pipe 34343, the corrugated expansion pipe 34342 in the pumping pipe 3434 can be directly connected to the connecting pipe 3435. At this time, the pumping component 343 no longer delivers gas, but instead pumps liquid coolant to the cooling chamber 331 inside the positioning shaft 33, thereby achieving liquid cooling of the jaw rod welding part and adapting to jaw rod welding scenarios with different cooling requirements. Through the switchable settings, gas cooling or liquid cooling can be flexibly selected on the same set of equipment according to the actual situation, which greatly improves the versatility and applicability of the equipment and reduces production and operating costs.
[0049] Combined with appendix Figures 1-9 The working principle of the above embodiments is as follows:
[0050] During the denture welding process, the jaw rod of the denture root component is first placed in the arc-shaped groove 11 of the support platform 1, and the end of the jaw rod is precisely positioned by the positioning shaft 33. The conical surface of the positioning shaft 33, together with the installation of the return spring 36, can be used to fix the jaw rod according to the size and processing requirements of the denture root component. After the jaw rod is fixed, the slide 32 is also fixed accordingly. Then, the mixed plaster is placed in the arc-shaped groove 11 to fix the jaw rod. Then, the welding mortar is evenly placed at the welding position for welding.
[0051] After welding is completed, the support platform 1 is lowered by extending and retracting the electric telescopic rod 22. At this time, the guide component 38 in the flexible support fastener 3 contacts the guide plate 26. The ball bearing 383 abuts against the wave-shaped guide groove 27 to realize the reciprocating adjustment of the reciprocating shaft 342. During the reciprocating process of the reciprocating shaft 342, the abutting piece 3442 in the abutting part 344 intermittently abuts against the outside of the slide 32. At this time, the slide 32 is pushed to pull the jaw rod, thereby eliminating the stress on the welded part of the jaw rod. At the same time, during the reciprocating process of the reciprocating shaft 342, the piston block 3432 in the pumping component 343 moves back and forth. With the opening and closing of the two valve pipes 3433, the pressurized gas in the pump housing 3431 is delivered by the pumping pipe 3434. Finally, after being pressurized and accelerated by the throat pipe 34343, it is sprayed out by the expansion pipe 34344 to cool and clean the welded position, and at the same time, it plays a role in auxiliary gas protection.
[0052] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.
Claims
1. A flexible support and fastening component for the root of a denture used in denture welding, characterized in that: Includes a support platform (1), with an arc-shaped groove (11) on the inner side of the support platform (1) for supporting the root component of the denture, a support assembly (2) below the support platform (1), and a flexible support fastener (3) for fixing the root component of the denture above the support platform (1). The flexible support fastener (3) includes a support base (31), a slide block (32) is slidably disposed inside the support base (31), and a positioning shaft (33) with a cone-shaped top is detachably installed on the top side of the slide block (32). A return spring (36) is fixed on one side of the slide block (32). A reciprocating assembly (34) for use with the support assembly (2) is slidably passed through the inside of the slide block (32). The reciprocating assembly (34) includes a slider (341) slidably installed inside the support base (31). A reciprocating shaft (342) passing through the inside of the slide block (32) is fixed on one side of the slider (341). An abutment (344) is provided at one end of the reciprocating shaft (342) that intermittently abuts against the outside of the slide block (32). A pumping assembly (343) for reciprocating use with the reciprocating shaft (342) is also provided on the outer wall of the slide block (32). A guide assembly (38) is provided on the side of the slider (341) away from the reciprocating shaft (342). The support component (2) includes a guide plate (26) that abuts against the guide component (38), wherein the outer side of the guide plate (26) is provided with a guide groove (27) in the shape of a wave. The support base (31) is bolted to a fixed base (35) at one end away from the guide assembly (38), and the other side of the return spring (36) is fixed to the outer wall of the fixed base (35). The guide assembly (38) includes a mounting shaft (381), one end of which is threaded to a connecting shaft (382), and the other end of the connecting shaft (382) is rotatably mounted with a ball (383) that abuts against the guide groove (27).
2. The flexible support and fastening component for denture root welding processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support assembly (2) also includes a support plate (21). A connecting plate (23) is provided above the support plate (21) and is bolted to the bottom side of the support platform (1). An electric telescopic rod (22) is fixed on the support plate (21) and is fixed to the bottom side of the connecting plate (23). The lifting and lowering adjustment of the support platform (1) is realized by the extension and retraction of the electric telescopic rod (22).
3. The flexible support and fastening component for denture root welding processing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The top side of the support plate (21) is bolted with a connecting frame (24), and the lower surface of the connecting plate (23) is fixed with a guide rod (25) that passes through the inside of the support plate (21); the support platform (1) is raised and lowered by the support assembly (2), and the reciprocating shaft (342) is moved back and forth by the guide assembly (38).
4. The flexible support and fastening component for denture root welding processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting shaft (381) is threadedly connected to the slider (341), the support base (31) has a positioning hole for fixing the slider (32) inside, and the positioning shaft (33) has a cooling chamber (331) inside for use with the pumping assembly (343).
5. The flexible support and fastening component for denture root welding processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The abutting member (344) abuts against the outside of the slide (32) through the abutting engagement of the guide assembly (38) and the guide groove (27). The abutting member (344) includes a pad (3441) and an abutting piece (3442), both of which are disposed on the outer surface of the end of the reciprocating shaft (342).
6. The flexible support and fastening component for denture root in denture welding processing according to claim 5, characterized in that: The pad (3441) is fixed, while the abutment piece (3442) is slidably sleeved, and a buffer spring (3443) is fixed between the pad (3441) and the abutment piece (3442). The reciprocating shaft (342) is located inside the reset spring (36).
7. The flexible support and fastening component for denture root welding processing according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pumping assembly (343) includes a hollow pump housing (3431), wherein a reciprocating shaft (342) penetrates the interior of the pump housing (3431), and a piston block (3432) fixed to the outer surface of the reciprocating shaft (342) is provided inside the pump housing (3431). Two valve pipes (3433) are fixed to the outside of the pump housing (3431). The pumping assembly (343) also includes a connecting pipe (3435) fixed inside the slide (32), wherein the top side of the connecting pipe (3435) is connected to the cooling chamber (331).
8. A flexible support and fastening component for the root of a denture used in denture welding processing according to claim 7, characterized in that: A tee pipe (37) is installed at the end of the bottom valve pipe (3433), and a pumping pipe (3434) is installed at the end of the top valve pipe (3433). The pumping pipe (3434) includes two connecting pipes (34341) and a corrugated expansion pipe (34342) with a flange installed between the two connecting pipes (34341). The end of the bottom connecting pipe (34341) is fixedly connected to the end of the top valve pipe (3433).
9. A flexible support and fastening component for the root of a denture used in denture welding processing according to claim 8, characterized in that: The end of the connecting tube (34341) at the top is fixed with a throat tube (34343), and the end of the throat tube (34343) is fixed with an expansion tube (34344) facing the positioning shaft (33).