Rolling Guide Bush Centering for Precise Mold Half Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guiding and centering devices for mold halves in forming tools face issues with precision alignment, high wear, and reduced service life due to unbalanced friction and surface pressure, leading to suboptimal molding quality and frequent replacement.
Innovation Solution
A guiding and centering device featuring a circular cylindrical bolt and bush with a rolling element cage, supported by a spring element and axial retainer, providing preloaded rolling guidance for precise alignment and reduced wear, capable of high load capacity and minimal lubricant use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If sliding bush and guide column are used for guiding mold halves, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but friction causes jittering and crawling that reduces alignment precision and service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the sliding friction mechanical system with a rolling friction system by introducing a rolling element cage containing multiple rolling elements between the guide column and bush. This substitution reduces friction significantly, eliminating jittering and crawling phenomena while improving alignment precision and service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the friction parameter from sliding friction to rolling friction by introducing rolling elements. This parameter change reduces the coefficient of friction dramatically, allowing the mold halves to be guided with high precision without the harmful effects of unbalanced friction forces.
2Reliability
If replaceable insert bearing with rolling elements is provided between bearing surfaces, then friction is reduced, but the structure becomes more complex and requires additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The guide column is designed to serve dual functions: it acts as both a guiding element and a bearing support. The rolling element cage is integrated into the bush structure, allowing the same components to provide both guidance and reduced friction functionality, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rolling element cage acts as an intermediary component that mediates between the guide column and bush, reducing direct metal-to-metal contact and friction. This intermediary element significantly improves service life while maintaining a relatively compact and integrated structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If column guides are used for guiding mold halves, then the guiding function is provided, but alignment precision is insufficient and additional centering devices are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the guiding function and centering function into a single integrated system. The rolling element cage not only reduces friction for smooth guiding but also provides precise centering capability, eliminating the need for separate centering devices and improving overall alignment precision while maintaining productivity.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If sliding friction pairs are used in guide devices, then the structure is simple, but unbalanced friction causes harmful effects on workpiece quality and guiding device life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the sliding friction mechanical system with a rolling friction system, eliminating the unbalanced friction forces that cause jittering and crawling. This substitution removes the harmful effects on workpiece quality while maintaining a relatively simple and integrated guiding mechanism structure.
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 solution achieves play-free guidance with high repeatability and precision, reducing wear and increasing service life, allowing for accurate molding without additional fine centering units and adaptable to various molding tools.
Implementation Method 1
a rolling element cage (16) with rolling elements (17) inserted in rows (18), by means of which the two mold halves are guided into and precisely centered in the closed position
Implementation Method 2
In particular, the circular cylindrical bolt (12) runs in the rolling elements (17) of the rolling element cage (16) when the forming tool (2) is closed
Implementation Method 3
supported by a spring element and axial retainer
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a guiding and centering device (10) for a forming tool (2), in particular an injection molding or die-casting tool, comprising a first mold half (1) and a second mold half (5) which are guided by guide means (7) from a closed position in which the respective separating surfaces of both mold halves (1; 5) are pressed against one another into an opened position and vice versa. This guiding and centering device (10) comprises a protruding guiding body (4) formed as a circular cylindrical bolt (12) provided at the first mold half (1), a guiding recess (6) formed as a bush (14) with an circular cylindrical inner surface (20) provided at the second mold half (5) and a rolling element cage (16) with rolling elements (17) inserted in rows (18), by means of which the two mold halves (1; 5) are guided and precisely centered in the closed position. The rolling element cage (16) is supported by the circular cylindrical inner surface (20) of the bush (14) and positioned via positioning means (30) in such a way that when closing the forming tool the circular cylindrical bolt (12) runs practically simultaneously in a first row of rolling elements (18.1) and a second row of rolling elements (18.2) of the rolling element cage (16).