Telescopic table frame part, method for producing a sliding guide, and apparatus for carrying out the method
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of telescopic table frames is economically inefficient due to the need for pre-manufactured sliding elements made from slide-promoting plastic, which require storage and individual installation in various thicknesses and tolerances.
Innovation Solution
The use of injection-molded sliding elements made from slide-promoting plastic, where the plastic is injected directly onto the inner or outer surface of the tubes using an injection molding tool, allowing for on-site production of sliding guides with customizable thickness and tolerance compensation, potentially using 3D printing as an alternative method.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If sliding elements are pre-manufactured and fastened separately, then the sliding guide can be assembled, but production costs increase due to storage and individual installation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding elements are integrated directly into the tube structure through injection molding, merging the sliding function with the structural component. This eliminates separate manufacturing, storage, and assembly steps for sliding elements, reducing overall production complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection molding process automatically forms the sliding elements within the tube during the main manufacturing process. The system serves itself by creating the sliding components in-situ without requiring external assembly operations, thereby simplifying the overall manufacturing workflow.
2Manufacturing precision
If sliding elements are pre-manufactured with various thicknesses, then different tolerance requirements can be met, but inventory complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The injection molding process allows for direct control of sliding element thickness as a process parameter. By adjusting molding parameters rather than manufacturing different physical components, the system achieves tolerance compensation without increasing inventory variety.
Solution Approach 2:
The approach discards the concept of maintaining multiple inventory variants for different tolerances. Instead, a single standardized sliding element design is used, with tolerance adjustments achieved through the molding process itself, effectively recovering from the complexity of multi-variant inventory management.
3Productivity
If sliding elements are injected directly onto the tube surface, then production becomes more economical, but the injection molding process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The tube surface is prepared in advance with specific geometric features (protrusions, recesses, or textured patterns) that facilitate the injection molding of sliding elements. This preliminary structuring of the substrate simplifies the injection molding process by providing natural anchors and flow paths for the plastic material.
Solution Approach 2:
The tube surface geometry acts as an intermediary between the injection molding process and the final sliding element. By pre-structuring the tube surface, it mediates the complex interaction between molten plastic and the desired sliding element form, making the injection process more manageable.
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 approach reduces production costs by eliminating the need for pre-manufactured sliding elements and enables efficient on-site production of sliding guides with customizable thickness and tolerance compensation, enhancing the economic viability of telescopic table frames.
Implementation Method 1
The sliding guide comprises at least one injection-molded sliding element made from a slide-promoting plastic
Implementation Method 2
the plastic is fed into the inside of the inner tube through an injection molding tool access opening in same
Data Source
AI summary
A telescopic table frame part, in particular a height-adjustable table leg (26), comprising an outer tube (12) and an inner tube (10) which can be moved relative to the former and which is guided by means of a sliding guide, characterized in that the sliding guide comprises at least one injection-molded sliding element (24) made from a slide-promoting plastic, a method for producing a sliding guide for guiding an inner tube (10) in an outer tube (12) movable relative thereto of a telescopic table frame part, comprising attaching of at least one sliding element (24) made from a slide-promoting plastic onto the inner surface (23) of the outer tube (12) or onto the outer surface (25) of the inner tube (10) by injection molding, wherein said plastic is introduced into the inside of the inner tube through an injection molding tool access opening (16) in same, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.