Elevator Guide Rail Head Cold-Forming Without Machining
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of elevator guide rails is time-intensive and costly due to the need for extensive machining, particularly for B-type and BE-type rails, which requires large machinery and space, leading to production bottlenecks.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for manufacturing elevator guide rails where only the head portion is cold-formed, eliminating the need for machining and reducing the production time and space requirements, while maintaining the necessary mechanical properties and surface finish.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If machining is used to manufacture B-type and BE-type guide rails, then the required dimensional precision and surface quality are achieved, but production time increases and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameter from cold-drawing to hot-rolling, which allows the guide rail to be formed with the required dimensional precision and surface quality without subsequent machining operations. The hot-rolling process parameters (temperature, rolling speed, die geometry) are optimized to directly produce the final dimensions, eliminating the time-consuming machining step while maintaining manufacturing precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If machining is used to manufacture guide rails, then the required dimensional precision is achieved, but large machinery and production space are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the machining operation from the manufacturing process, replacing it with a hot-rolling process that directly produces the required dimensional precision. This removes the need for large machining centers and associated production space, while the hot-rolling equipment requires significantly less space and complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If cold-forming is applied to the entire guide rail, then the tread surface quality is improved, but power consumption increases and production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the guide rail into two distinct zones: the head portion (tread area) that requires cold-forming for surface quality, and the body portion that maintains the hot-rolled structure. By applying cold-forming only to the head portion where surface quality is critical for elevator car guidance, the process achieves the required surface quality while minimizing power consumption and production time compared to full-length cold-forming.
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 method allows for faster production with reduced material and energy consumption, achieving the required mechanical properties and surface finish in a single step, applicable to various rail sizes and steel grades, and avoiding material loss.
Implementation Method 1
cold-forming the provided guide rail through a die, wherein said cold-forming is applied only to the head portion and not to the foot portion
Implementation Method 2
The cold-forming provides such properties to the guide rail due to the compression of the material
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method and corresponding apparatus for manufacturing an elevator guide rail (100), comprising: providing (310) a hot-formed guide rail having, in a cross-section, a head portion (110) and a foot portion (120), and cold-forming (320) the provided guide rail through a die (220). The cold-forming is applied only to the head portion (110) and not to the foot portion (120), wherein the cold-formed head portion forms a tread (112) of the guide rail (100).