Laser-Structured Machine Tool Guide Surfaces for Lower Friction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Machine tools, particularly grinding machines, face challenges in reducing cycle times and minimizing loads on guide devices while maintaining high accuracy and thermal stability, as increased performance leads to higher inertia and increased frictional losses during linear movements.
Innovation Solution
A guide device with linearly extending sliding surfaces, where at least one surface is laser-structured with microstructures forming channel-shaped depressions aligned in different directions to optimize friction, reducing frictional resistance and improving dynamics by creating a tribologically effective surface that acts as a lubricant reservoir.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the machine tool is designed to carry out traversing movements with high accelerations and high speeds, then productivity is improved, but the load on the guide devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies laser structuring to create microstructures on the sliding surfaces, fundamentally changing the surface parameters at the micro-scale. This creates channel-shaped depressions that optimize friction characteristics, allowing the guide device to handle higher loads during high-speed traversing movements while maintaining reduced friction and improved dynamics
2Productivity
If more powerful drive devices are used to apply higher acceleration forces, then productivity is improved, but weight and inertia increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing drive power, the patent changes the friction parameters of the sliding surfaces through laser structuring. The microstructured surfaces with channel-shaped depressions reduce frictional resistance, enabling higher accelerations to be achieved with the same drive power, thereby avoiding the need for heavier, more powerful drives
3Loss of energy
If the sliding surfaces are laser-structured with microstructures, then frictional losses are reduced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical surface treatment methods with laser structuring technology. This substitution enables the creation of complex microstructures with channel-shaped depressions that optimize friction characteristics, achieving reduced frictional losses while the laser process efficiently handles the manufacturing complexity
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 microstructured surfaces reduce frictional losses, enhance the dynamics of the machine tool, maintain consistent guidance properties over its lifespan, and increase service life by minimizing wear and reducing the dependency of friction coefficients on usage, allowing for faster and more efficient linear movements.
Implementation Method 1
at least the first sliding surface or the second sliding surface being provided at least in sections with a laser-structured surface that has a microstructure for optimizing friction
Implementation Method 2
the microstructure as a pattern with a large number of channel-shaped depressions is formed, with at least some of the channel-shaped depressions in a first preferred direction and at least some of the channel-shaped depressions in a second preferred direction along the surface are aligned
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2d
Figure 3~4a
AI summary
The invention relates to a guide device for a machine tool (10), in particular a grinding machine, to a machine tool (10), in particular a grinding machine, having at least one guide device (26, 28, 36, 60), and to a method for producing a guide device for a machine tool. The guide device (26, 28, 36, 60) has at least one first sliding surface (66) that extends in a substantially linear manner, said first sliding surface (66) being couplable to at least one second sliding surface (68) that extends in a substantially linear manner, in order to allow a relative movement, in particular a linear relative movement, between the first sliding surface (66) and the second sliding surface (68), wherein at least the first sliding surface (66) or the second sliding surface (68) is provided at least sectionally with a structured, in particular a laser-structured surface which has microstructuring (100) for frictional optimization.