Linear Guide Cage Stiffening for Precision Without Added Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing linear guides with stiffening structures to improve precision increase weight, impairing responsiveness.
Innovation Solution
A linear guide with a cage featuring an uneven stiffening structure that includes recesses and convex sections, allowing for increased stiffness without excessive weight gain, achieved through a design with alternating convex and concave sections or projections and depressions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the cage is designed with a stiffening structure to increase precision, then the bending stiffness and area moment of inertia are improved, but the weight of the cage increases which impairs responsiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The cage is designed with an uneven stiffening structure where specific regions have different thicknesses. The holding section contains convex sections with increased thickness to provide local stiffening for precision, while other sections maintain minimal thickness to reduce overall weight. This localized variation in material distribution resolves the contradiction between precision and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening structure introduces dimensional variation in the thickness direction (perpendicular to the cage surface). By creating convex sections that protrude outward and recesses that indent inward, the design increases the area moment of inertia in critical areas without uniformly increasing weight across the entire cage structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If the cage is designed with uniform thickness to maintain simplicity, then the manufacturing is easier, but the bending stiffness and precision are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniform thickness, the cage employs local quality variation with convex sections in the holding area providing enhanced stiffness where precision is critical, while other areas maintain simpler geometry. This allows the structure to achieve high precision without requiring complex manufacturing throughout the entire cage.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage is segmented into regions with different functional requirements. The holding section is divided into convex sections with increased thickness for precision, while other sections maintain minimal thickness. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall manufacturability.
3Speed
If the cage weight is reduced to improve responsiveness, then the response time increases, but the bending stiffness and precision are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cage concentrates material where it is most needed for precision (convex sections in the holding area) rather than distributing it uniformly. This allows significant weight reduction in non-critical areas while maintaining high precision in critical areas, achieving fast response time without sacrificing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The uneven stiffening structure creates a composite-like configuration within the single cage component, combining thick convex sections for stiffness with thin or recessed sections for weight reduction. This internal composite structure achieves the precision-weight balance needed for fast response.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3B
Figure 4
AI summary
Linear guide (1) comprising: a first sliding body (2); a second sliding body (3) which is linearly movable relative to the first sliding body (2) along a linear direction (A); at least a first set of rolling elements (4a) which is provided between the first (2) and second sliding bodies (3) and which has at least one rolling element (41), and about which the first (2) and second sliding bodies (3) are relatively movable; and a cage (5) in which the at least one rolling element (41) is arranged in a retaining section (52) which overlaps with the at least one rolling element (41) in the linear direction (A). To increase the precision and improve the response of the linear guide, the cage (5) has at least one uneven stiffening structure (6) which is arranged in the retaining section (52) and includes at least one recess (62).