Linear Guide Carriage Assembly With One-Piece Rolling Body Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Linear motion guides face challenges in maintaining high accuracy and smooth operation, especially in dirty environments, due to contamination and alignment issues of rolling bodies, which lead to increased wear and assembly complexity.
Innovation Solution
The use of single-piece plastic components to form inner and outer boundary surfaces of rolling body housings in the carriage, reducing component transfers and alignment difficulties, and incorporating snap couplings for easy assembly and secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are used to form the rolling body housing, then assembly flexibility is improved, but assembly complexity and alignment accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (return channel, deflection channels, and housing) into a single integrated rolling body housing component. This eliminates the need for multiple component transfers and alignments during assembly, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining manufacturing flexibility through modular design of the integrated component.
2Ease of repair
If multiple separate components are used to form the rolling body housing, then ease of repair is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the return channel, deflection channels, and housing into one piece, the patent eliminates alignment errors between separate components. The single-component design ensures precise geometric relationships between all channels and surfaces, achieving high manufacturing precision while the entire housing can still be replaced as a modular unit for repair purposes.
3Ease of operation
If component transfers are performed during assembly, then assembly flexibility is improved, but wear and rough running increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of all channels into a single component eliminates intermediate transfers and joining operations during assembly. This ensures continuous, smooth surfaces throughout the rolling body housing, preventing rough running and excessive wear that would result from multiple component interfaces and potential misalignments.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the linear motion guide is used in dirty environments, then adaptability is improved, but contamination of rolling bodies increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single-piece construction creates a more compact and integrated rolling body housing with fewer gaps and interfaces between components. This reduces potential entry points for contaminants while maintaining the adaptability to operate in various environmental conditions. The integrated design allows for better sealing and protection of the rolling bodies from external contamination.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a carriage of a linear motion guide for arranging on a rail of the linear motion guide, said carriage having an at least substantially U-shaped cross-section and having at least one substantially U-shaped base body (15) which is supplemented with plastic components, wherein the carriage, in both legs of the U-shape, is in each case connected to at least one self-contained rolling body housing (7) which is kept open towards the rail in order to guide as precisely as possible on the rail and nevertheless being easy to assemble. According to the invention, at least parts of inner and outer boundary surfaces of a return channel (10) and both deflection channels (11) of one of the rolling body housings in the respective leg are formed by means of a one-piece plastic component in both legs of the carriage.