Ball Retainer Chain Spherical Spacer Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball retainer chains in linear guide apparatuses face issues such as laborious die drawing, unrestricted ball movement, and the generation of ragged edges, which lead to uneven motion and reduced lubricant storage capacity, causing friction and obstruction in recirculating passages.
Innovation Solution
A ball retainer chain comprising a flat belt with axially arranged holes and spacers, where the spacers form smooth spherical surfaces that interlace with the holes, allowing for proper ball retention and lubricant storage, and the belt ends are designed with cylindrical forms and indentations to facilitate smooth passage through guiding grooves, reducing friction and obstruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If balls are directly inserted into a resin mold for shaping an indentation to receive the ball, then the ball retainer chain can be manufactured, but the ball cannot freely rotate within the hole and resistance is generated causing uneven motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by incorporating lubricant into the resin material before molding. This changes the physical parameters of the resin, allowing it to reduce friction and enable free ball rotation within the molded holes, while still maintaining precise ball retention through the molded indentation shape.
2Reliability
If spacers and balls are densely combined to prevent collision, then ball separation is achieved, but oil storage capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of ball separation and lubricant storage by incorporating lubricant directly into the resin material that forms the spacers and hole structures. This combining approach eliminates the need for separate oil reservoirs, maintaining compact ball separation geometry while ensuring lubricant is available at the ball contact points.
3Manufacturing precision
If straightforward restricting surfaces are interlacedly disposed to restrict ball rotation, then ball positioning is achieved, but sectional differences and ragged edges are generated causing unsmooth movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by using molded spherical or curved surface restrictions instead of interlaced flat surfaces. The curved surfaces smoothly guide and restrict ball rotation without creating sharp edges or sectional differences, enabling precise ball positioning while maintaining smooth motion through the recirculating passage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution eliminates the need for complex die drawing, ensures smooth ball movement by preventing ragged edges, and enhances lubricant storage, resulting in reduced friction and improved motion within the recirculating passage of the linear guide apparatus.
Implementation Method 1
an oil storage would be reserved between spacers and balls for increasing an oil-storage capability, so that a lubricant effect would be extended
Data Source
AI summary
A ball retainer chain includes a flat belt with axially arranged holes defined thereon. A separating portion is disposed between every two holes; upper/lower spacers combine with the separating portion. The surface between the separating portion and the adjacent hole is formed by a smooth surface. Partial spacer is formed by a spherical surface that smoothly connected to the hole surface. The spherical surfaces interlacedly arranged at a right side a left side include an opening with a vertical direction and a lateral directions corresponding to the flat belt, so that a mold pair reliant on a slantwise opening and closing manner would complete an injection molding. A smooth cylindrical form at two ends of the flat belt connects to an indentation at an inner or a mold surface of the flat belt. Thereby, while applying the belt to a linear guide apparatus, the cylindrical form could adjustably bend inward or outward for achieving a fluent traveling.