Linear Robot Guide Rail Assembly for Stronger Press-Fit Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing methods for linear robots are inefficient, leading to increased costs, weight, and difficulty in operating at high speeds due to the processing of guide rails as a single body, which results in low coupling strength and potential breakdowns.
Innovation Solution
A linear robot design where the main body unit and guide rail unit are press-fitted and bonded, with the guide rail unit accommodation groove having an uneven surface for secure coupling, and an oil-storing sealing unit is integrated to reduce friction and maintain lubrication, allowing for improved durability and productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the guide rail is manufactured as a single body through cutting or extrusion, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the coupling strength is low and the overall weight is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is divided into multiple modular sections that can be manufactured separately and then assembled together. Each section can be produced through simple cutting or extrusion processes, while the modular connection structures provide sufficient coupling strength. This segmentation allows the guide rail to maintain ease of manufacture while achieving high strength through the interconnected modular design.
2Ease of manufacture
If the guide rail is manufactured as a single body, then manufacturing is simpler, but the robot operates slower and costs more
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is segmented into modular sections that can be manufactured independently through simple processes, then assembled quickly. This modular approach reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while enabling faster robot operation, as the lightweight modular design reduces overall system mass and inertia, allowing for higher operating speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rail employs composite construction with modular sections that combine different materials or structural configurations optimized for specific functions. This allows each module to be manufactured simply while the composite structure as a whole achieves the performance characteristics needed for high-speed operation, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and operating speed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the guide rail unit is separately manufactured and disposed in the main body, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but the coupling strength is low causing withdrawal and breakdown
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is divided into separate manufacturable modules that can be produced independently with different materials or designs suited to specific application requirements, providing manufacturing flexibility. The modules incorporate specialized connection features that ensure high coupling strength and stability, preventing withdrawal and breakdown while maintaining the benefits of separate manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular guide rail sections include intermediary connection elements or interface structures that mediate between the separately manufactured components. These intermediaries provide robust coupling mechanisms that maintain reliability and prevent breakdown, while still allowing the guide rail to be manufactured in separate, flexible modules.
4Productivity
If the main body and guide rail unit are press-fitted and cut into preset lengths, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rail is designed as a modular segmented structure that can be press-fitted into the main body in standardized configurations. The modular design with preset length options allows for efficient assembly processes that improve productivity, while the standardization of the modular components keeps the overall manufacturing complexity manageable through repetition of proven design elements.
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 design enhances the durability and productivity of the linear robot by ensuring stable coupling of the guide rail unit and reducing friction, enabling continuous operation without external lubrication and minimizing the risk of breakdowns, while also reducing manufacturing costs and weight.
Implementation Method 1
at least a part of a surface of the guide rail unit accommodation groove has an uneven machined surface
Implementation Method 2
an oil-storing sealing unit containing a lubricant is provided at one side of a transfer block unit
Data Source
AI summary
A linear robot according to the present disclosure includes a main body unit including a main body base part seated on a ground surface, and main body sidewall parts protruding in an upward direction by a predetermined thickness from two opposite sides of the main body base part, the main body unit having an internal space defined by the main body base part and the main body sidewall parts; a transfer block unit partially accommodated in the internal space of the main body unit, configured to linearly move in one direction, and having an upper portion on which a transfer target object is seated, the transfer block unit being configured to transfer the transfer target object from a first position to a second position; and a pair of guide rail units disposed between the main body unit and the transfer block unit, coupled to the main body unit, and configured to guide the transfer block unit, in which the main body sidewall parts each have a guide rail unit accommodation groove recessed by a predetermined length in a direction perpendicular to the upward direction, and at least a part of a surface of the guide rail unit accommodation groove has an uneven machined surface.