Integrated Ice-Breaking Ball Screw Seal With Dual-Hardness Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice breaking seals for ball screws are heavy and difficult to accurately manufacture, and they require separate components that need to be assembled, which complicates the manufacturing process.
Innovation Solution
An annular ice breaking seal with a radially outer mounting portion made from synthetic rubber, combining a hard ice breaking section with a softer sealing section, both formed through additive manufacturing, such as photopolymerization, to create a one-piece component that can deflect radially for effective sealing and ice breaking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metallic ice breaking element with sealing element attached by moulding is used, then ice breaking function is effective, but the seal becomes heavy and difficult to accurately manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the ice breaking element and sealing element into a single integrated seal component manufactured by additive manufacturing. This eliminates the need for separate moulding and attachment processes, reducing manufacturing complexity and improving accuracy while maintaining the ice breaking function through the integrated design of the seal lip and ice breaking geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional subtractive or assembly-based manufacturing (moulding and mechanical attachment) with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution enables complex geometries to be manufactured with high precision in a single process, eliminating the weight and manufacturing difficulties associated with traditional metallic constructions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate ice breaking element and sealing element are used, then functions are specialized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ice breaking element and sealing element into a single integrated component. The additive manufacturing process enables both functions to coexist in one piece with complex internal and external geometries, reducing the number of parts and assembly steps while maintaining specialized functionality through design optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated seal component performs multiple functions simultaneously: sealing (through the seal lip geometry), ice breaking (through the protruding ice breaking elements), and structural support. The additive manufacturing process enables this multi-functionality within a single component design.
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 provides a lightweight, accurately manufactured ice breaking seal that effectively breaks ice and maintains lubrication within the ball screw assembly, eliminating the need for separate parts and simplifying the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
The ice breaking section and the sealing section are formed together in an additive manufacturing process, for example a photopolymerisation process.
Data Source
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AI summary
An ice breaking seal (14) for a ball screw comprises a first, ice breaking section (20) and a second, sealing section (22) formed integrally with the ice breaking section (20). The ice breaking section (20) is formed of a polymeric material and has a first hardness. The sealing section (22) is formed of a polymeric material and has a second hardness, which is lower than the first hardness.