Linear Guide Rail Parallelism via Reference Projection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In linear guide devices, ensuring parallelism between rolling contact surfaces after fixing rail members to a rail housing is challenging, leading to difficulties in achieving high production efficiency and reducing production costs, while also limiting material selection and requiring post-fixing grinding, which complicates field assembly.
Innovation Solution
A track rail composed of rail members with formed rolling contact surfaces and a rail housing with specifically designed rail mounting grooves, where one groove has a reference projection for precise alignment and adhesive fixation, ensuring parallelism without the need for post-fixing grinding, allowing for flexible material selection and assembly on-site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If rail members are fixed to rail housing using press-fitting, adhesion, or brazing, then heat treatment and corrective operations are eliminated, but parallelism between rolling contact surfaces cannot be ensured with accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by forming precise reference surfaces on the rail housing before fixing the rail members. These reference surfaces are used to position and align the rail members during assembly, ensuring parallelism between rolling contact surfaces is achieved through precise initial positioning rather than post-assembly correction or heat treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the traditional mechanical system of heat treatment and corrective operations with a positioning system based on reference surfaces and locators. Instead of using thermal processes to achieve parallelism, the patent uses precisely formed reference surfaces on the rail housing to mechanically position the rail members in the correct orientation during assembly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple rail members are fixed individually to rail housing, then each rolling contact surface can be formed, but parallelism between surfaces cannot be ensured and post-fixing grinding is required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the rail housing multi-functional by giving it both structural support functions and precision reference surface functions. The rail housing serves as both the mounting structure for rail members and as the source of reference surfaces that define the parallelism requirements, eliminating the need for separate reference standards and post-assembly grinding operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail housing performs self-service by providing its own reference surfaces that directly define the positioning and alignment of the rail members. Instead of requiring external reference standards or post-assembly grinding operations, the rail housing itself serves as the reference, enabling direct assembly without additional complexity.
3Reliability
If traditional fixing methods are used, then rail members can be secured, but production efficiency declines and production cost rises due to corrective operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by forming precise reference surfaces and positioning features on the rail housing before assembly. This preliminary preparation ensures that rail members can be quickly and accurately positioned and fixed without requiring subsequent corrective operations, thereby maintaining reliable fixation while significantly improving production efficiency.
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
This method simplifies the production process, reduces costs, and ensures accurate parallelism between rolling contact surfaces, enabling the use of diverse materials like concrete or wood for the rail housing, and facilitates assembly in the field without the need for grinding, thereby enhancing production efficiency and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the rail members is fixed within a corresponding one of the rail mounting grooves via an adhesive layer
Data Source
AI summary
A track rail is composed of a pair of rail members in which rolling contact surfaces for rolling bodies are formed, respectively, and a rail housing equipped with a pair of rail mounting grooves in which those rail members are fitted, respectively. Each of the rail members is fixed within a corresponding one of the rail mounting grooves via an adhesive layer. A reference projection, formed on a bottom of one of the pair of the rail mounting grooves, is in contact with a corresponding one of the rail members without the intermediary of the adhesive layer. The rail member fitted in the one of the rail mounting grooves is adhesively fixed in a state of being abutted against the reference projection. The rail member fitted in the other rail mounting groove is adhesively fixed at a predetermined distance from the reference projection.