JP2003314545A - Linear guide sliding bearing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a maintenance-free linear guide sliding bearing unit which maintains smooth lubrication for a long period of time under repeated large load conditions. <P>SOLUTION: Surfaces for projected portions 3a and 3b, and a sliding member 6 which are contact surfaces between a slider 1 and guide rail 2 are formed to have surface contact with the guide rail 2, and a DLC film is formed on those surfaces. Thus, surface pressure on the constitution is low even though large loads are given to a vertical direction, and wear of sliding surfaces caused by operations is controlled in a minimal range in conjunction with lubricating effects of the DLC film. The sliding member 6 is mounted via a spring 7 as a preload adjusting means for adjusting pressing force to a side face 2a of the guide rail of the slider 1, and consequently, a relative sliding movement of the slider 1 is smoothly maintained for a long time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a linear guide sliding bearing device, and more particularly to a small linear guide sliding bearing device that does not require a lubricant and has a high load capacity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many linear motion guide bearing devices are used in machine tools such as machining centers, various molding machines, and sliding parts such as conveyors. The linear motion guide bearing device includes a linear motion guide rolling bearing device that utilizes rolling of a rolling element interposed between a guide rail and a slider, a sliding groove of the guide rail, and a sliding member provided on the slider. There is a linear motion guide sliding bearing device utilizing relative sliding of the above.

6 and 7 are perspective views showing the structures of these two types of linear motion guide bearing devices. FIG. 6 shows a linear motion rolling bearing device using balls, and FIG. 7 shows a linear motion guide sliding bearing device using sliding members.

As shown in FIG. 6, one linear motion guide rolling bearing device has guide grooves (raceways) on opposite side surfaces.
A guide rail 102 on which 102a and 102a are formed,
The slider 101 is mounted on the guide groove 102a so as to be relatively movable via a plurality of balls 103. Inside the slider 101, a raceway groove 101a that holds the ball 103 and faces the guide groove 102a of the rail 102, and a ball 103 that communicates with the raceway groove 101a and moves to one end of the slider 101. To
A return hole 101b for returning to the other end is provided. With this structure, these balls 103 have a substantially elliptical shape formed by the return hole 101b and the space formed between the guide groove 102a and the raceway groove 101a by the relative movement of the slider 101 and the guide rail 102. It has a structure that circulates while rolling on orbit.

Further, the other linear motion guide slide bearing device, as shown in FIG. 7, has sliding grooves 112 on the opposite side surfaces.
a and a guide rail 112 formed with 112a, and a slider 111 that is assembled so as to be relatively movable via a sliding member 113 that makes sliding contact with these sliding grooves 112a,
Consists of. Since such a linear motion guide slide bearing has no rolling element, it has a simple structure and a small size, and has a large load capacity as compared with a point contact linear motion type rolling bearing. On the other hand, since the sliding member is in surface contact or line contact with the sliding groove of the guide rail, the sliding resistance during the relative sliding movement is large, and the operability is generally higher than that of the linear guide rolling bearing. It also has the drawback of being inferior.

Therefore, it is necessary to regularly supply grease or lubricating oil to the sliding parts of the linear guide sliding bearing device, and in machine tools and the like, the sliding surface is coated with fluororesin or the like. In some cases, grease may be replenished. Further, as a lubrication means that does not use a lubricant, JP-A-9-273550 and JP-A-11-
Proposal of disposing a sliding member made of a porous material such as ceramics in the sliding portion, such as Japanese Patent No. 13758, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
As in Japanese Patent No. 001-3934, there are known proposals for forming a resin film containing a solid lubricant in a sliding portion, or disposing a resin plate or the like.

[0007]

However, in the linear guide sliding bearing device as described above, there is a problem that smooth lubrication of the sliding surface cannot be maintained when a large load is repeatedly applied to the slider. It was

The load capacity of a linear motion rolling bearing device using rolling elements is determined by the diameter and number of rolling elements. To increase the load capacity, the bearing size must be increased by increasing the diameter or number of rolling elements. Will be accompanied by an increase in. On the other hand, in the case of a linear guide sliding bearing device that does not use rolling elements, it is possible to increase the load capacity by widening the contact surface (sliding surface), but the larger the contact area, the more the lubricating means for the contact surface. Becomes a problem. In the case of linear motion guide bearings, including linear motion rolling bearings, which employs a lubricating means that uses a lubricant, maintenance such as replenishment of lubricant on a regular basis is essential. It cannot be used in a special environment such as high temperature, which is lost in a vacuum, in a vacuum, or in various solutions.

As a solution without using a lubricant, there is a method of arranging a sliding member made of a porous material such as ceramics at the above-mentioned sliding portion, but the use under a large load depends on the porous material. There is concern about the aggression of the sliding partner (guide rail). Further, in the method of forming a resin film containing a solid lubricant on the sliding portion, there is a problem in the durability of the resin film when a large load is repeatedly applied, and similarly, the lubrication of the sliding surface cannot be maintained. There is a risk that

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a maintenance-free linear guide sliding bearing device capable of maintaining smooth lubrication for a long period of time even in an environment where a large load is repeatedly applied. Is intended to provide.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a guide rail having opposite side surfaces, and a slider slidably mounted on the guide rail. In the linear guide sliding bearing device, the guide rail and the slider are in contact with each other on both side surfaces and an upper surface of the guide rail, and are in surface contact with each other. A diamond-like carbon coating is formed on at least one side.

According to the present invention, in a linear guide sliding bearing device, a horizontal load is supported by surface contact on both side surfaces of the guide rail, and a large vertical load is supported by surface contact on the upper surface of the guide rail. Diamond-like carbon (hereinafter, referred to as D) on at least one side of these sliding surfaces.
The aim is to achieve the intended purpose by forming a coating (described as LC) and maintaining lubrication during operation.

That is, according to the invention of claim 1,
Since the DLC film is formed on at least one of the sliding surfaces of the guide rail and the slider, the friction caused by the relative sliding movement of the rail and the slider can be achieved without using a lubricant such as grease or lubricating oil. It is possible to keep it small enough. In addition, since it does not require a lubricant and is maintenance-free, it can be used or replenished in a special environment such as high temperature, vacuum, various solutions, etc., which was difficult to apply with conventional linear guide bearing devices. It can be used for difficult parts.

In addition to this, in the linear guide sliding bearing device of the present invention, since the guide rail and the slider are in surface contact with each other on both side surfaces and upper surface of the guide rail, the horizontal load and the vertical direction The bearing has a feature that it can share the load and support it, and if the bearing has the same size, it has a larger load capacity than the conventional linear guide bearing device. Therefore, if the load capacity is the same, the bearing device can be downsized. In particular, under a condition where a large load is applied to the slider in the vertical direction, the guide rail and the slider come into contact with each other on the surface on which the DLC film is formed that is extremely hard, has excellent wear resistance, and has low opponent attack. Therefore, the wear of the sliding surface due to the operation is minimized. Therefore, the linear guide sliding bearing device of the present invention can stably maintain the lubrication of the sliding surface for a long time even under a large load.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a guide rail having opposite side surfaces and a sliding member which comes into surface contact with the side surface of the guide rail are provided and slidably assembled on the guide rail. A linear guide sliding bearing device including a slider, wherein an upper surface of the guide rail and a lower surface of the slider are in surface contact with each other, and at least one side of contact surfaces of the slider and the guide rail and the slide. A diamond-like carbon coating is formed on at least one side of the contact surface between the member and the guide rail.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, also in the linear guide sliding bearing device in which the slider is guided along the rail through the sliding member, the contact surface between the guide rail and the slider and the guide rail and the slide surface are slid. A DLC coating is formed on the contact surface with the moving member, and these guide rails and sliders are
Since the guide rails are in surface contact with both side surfaces and the upper surface, the same effect as that of the first aspect can be obtained. Therefore, the linear guide sliding bearing device can stably maintain the lubrication of the sliding portion for a long period of time even under a large load.

Here, in the linear guide sliding bearing device according to the first or second aspect, it is preferable that the slider is provided with a preload adjusting means for adjusting the force pressing the side surface of the guide rail. Can be adopted (claim 3).

That is, according to the invention of claim 3,
By this preload adjusting means, the force of the sliding portion on the side surface of the slider pushing the side surface of the guide rail can be adjusted, and the pressing of the sliding member or the like can be appropriately maintained. Furthermore, this preload adjusting means also suppresses the generation of vibrations and noises during operation, and exerts the effect of smoothing the operation of the linear guide sliding bearing device. As the preload adjusting means, a mechanism for adjusting the sliding amount of the sliding portion of the slider side surface in the guide rail direction using a screw or an elastic member such as a spring is used according to the required performance or environment. A mechanism for autonomously adjusting the pressing of the sliding portion on the slider side face against the guide rail side face using the body is adopted.

On the other hand, the invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the diamond-like carbon coating contains metal or silicon.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the bond between the DLC film and the object to be coated becomes stronger, the DLC film is less likely to peel off, and the durability and corrosion resistance of the surface to be coated can be improved. When the DLC coating contains a metal, the conductivity of the DLC coating is improved and the DLC coating can be used under the condition that the electrical conductivity is required. When the DLC film contains silicon (silicon), the lubricity can be further improved when used in water or the like.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 (a) is a side view of a linear guide sliding bearing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (b) is a front view seen from the rail longitudinal direction. Further, FIG. 2 shows XX in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line YY, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the linear guide sliding bearing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention has opposing side faces 2b,
It comprises a guide rail 2 having 2b, and a slider 1 mounted on the guide rail 2 so as to be relatively movable in the rail longitudinal direction. The guide rail 2 has a substantially rectangular cross section and is formed so that the side surfaces 2b, 2b are symmetrical.

The body block 3 of the slider 1 has an inverted U-shaped cross section when viewed from the front, as shown in FIG.
Side portions 3t and 3u are formed downward from both ends of the upper horizontal portion 3s, respectively. Further, on the lower surface of the horizontal portion 3s, convex portions 3a, 3a having a DLC film on the surface are formed, and the convex portions 3a are in surface contact with the upper surface 2a of the guide rail 2, respectively. Since the convex portion 3a is continuously formed in the slider longitudinal direction (from the front side to the rear side of the paper surface), the convex portion 3a and the guide rail upper surface 2a come into contact with each other by two substantially rectangular surfaces.

On one side portion 3t of the block 3, a convex portion 3b having a DLC coating on the surface thereof is formed toward the side surface 2b of the guide rail. This convex portion 3b is also the horizontal portion 3
Since the protrusion 3a is formed continuously in the longitudinal direction of the slider like the protrusion 3a formed on s, the contact surface between the protrusion 3b and the guide rail side surface 2b is also a substantially rectangular contact surface.

A groove 3c continuous in the slider longitudinal direction is formed on the other side portion 3u, and a sliding member 6 is fitted in the groove 3c. This sliding member 6
Is processed into a substantially prismatic shape using a base material made of, for example, a metal material (preferably stainless steel), and DL is formed on at least the surface contacting the guide rail side surface 2b.
A C coating is formed. The contact surface between the sliding member 6 and the guide rail side surface 2b is also a substantially rectangular contact surface.

The sliding member 6 is attached to the slider 1 by
The spring 7 is inserted into the groove 3c in advance, and the spring 7 is pushed in and fitted into the groove 3c. As shown in FIG. 3, the positioning of the sliding member 6 in the slider longitudinal direction (left and right in the drawing) is performed by the end surface member 4 fixed to both end surfaces of the block 3 with screws 5.

The slider 1 supported on the above contact surface and assembled to the guide rail 2 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the relative sliding movement in the rail longitudinal direction can be freely performed with the lower surface excluding the contact surfaces (convex portions 3a, 3a) slightly floating above the upper surface 2a of the guide rail 2.

The feature of the linear guide sliding bearing device in the present embodiment is that the DLC film is formed on the surfaces of the convex portions 3a and 3b which are the contact surfaces between the slider 1 and the guide rail 2 and the sliding member 6, and These contacts are substantially rectangular surface contacts, and a sliding member 6 is attached via a spring 7 as a preload adjusting means for adjusting the pressing of the slider 1 against the guide rail side surface 2a.

The diamond-like carbon (DLC) film is an amorphous hard carbon film mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen. Since it has an amorphous structure, it has properties similar to diamond. Have. Compared to other hard films and solid lubricating films, it is extremely hard and has excellent wear resistance, and it exhibits excellent anti-adhesion properties such as low opponent attack in friction. Further, the DLC film has an extremely smooth film surface, and has high durability and high corrosion resistance to various solutions.

The recesses 3a and 3b of the slider 1 and the sliding member 6
The DLC film coated on the surface of, for example, physical vapor deposition (PV
D) method, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, plasma CVD method, ion beam forming method, ion chemical vapor deposition method or the like is used to form on the surface of the base material. In forming this coating, it is preferable to previously form a chromium film as a base film. Further, it is also possible to preferably adopt a configuration in which the DLC coating contains a metal such as tungsten or a configuration in which silicon is contained.

In the linear guide sliding bearing device according to the present embodiment, the DLC film is formed on the contact surface between the slider 1 and the guide rail 2, so that a lubricant such as grease or lubricating oil can be used. Without using it, the friction caused by the relative sliding movement of the slider 1 and the guide rail 2 can be kept small. Further, the vertical contact between the slider 1 and the guide rail 2 is a substantially rectangular two-sided contact, and even when the slider 1 receives a large vertical load, the area per area is larger than that of the conventional linear guide bearing device. The load of can be kept low. Therefore, the size of the bearing device when supporting the same load can be made smaller than that of the conventional device. In addition, in this linear guide sliding bearing device, the contact surface is covered with a DLC film having excellent wear resistance and low opponent attack, and wear of the sliding surface due to operation is suppressed to a minimum. .

On the other hand, since the sliding member 6 is mounted as the preload adjusting means through the spring 7, the linear guide sliding bearing device according to the present embodiment has the guide rail side surface 2
The pressing of the sliding member 6 against a can be appropriately maintained. Further, the preload adjusting means by the spring 7 suppresses the generation of vibration, noise, etc. during operation, and exerts the effect of smoothly maintaining the operation of the linear guide sliding bearing device.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the linear guide sliding bearing device according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view seen from the rail longitudinal direction. The linear motion guide plain bearing device of the present embodiment has the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment, but is different in the method of assembling the slider to the guide rail.

As shown in FIG. 4, this linear motion guide plain bearing device is mounted on a guide rail 12 having opposite side surfaces 12b, 12b and a relative movement relative to the guide rail 12 in the rail longitudinal direction. And a slider 11. The guide rail 12 has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the side portion 12 extends upward from both ends of the horizontal portion 12s.
t and 12t are formed.

The body block 13 of the slider 11 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the cross section is substantially rectangular when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the rail, and its lower surface 13a is in surface contact with the upper surface 12a of the guide rail 12. This slider lower surface 13a
Similar to the first embodiment, a DLC film is formed on the substrate to form a substantially rectangular large contact surface.

Further, both side surfaces 13b, 13 of the block 13 are
In b, the same preload adjusting means as in the first embodiment is provided. This preload adjusting means is configured by inserting the sliding member 16 by pushing the spring 17 in a state where the spring 17 is inserted in the grooves 13c, 13c continuous in the slider longitudinal direction. This sliding member 16
Is processed into a substantially prismatic shape using a base material made of, for example, a metal material (preferably stainless steel), and then a DLC film is formed on the surface thereof. And this sliding member 1
The contact surface between 6 and the guide rail side surface 12b is also a substantially rectangular contact surface. The sliding member 16 is fixed in the longitudinal direction of the slider by the end surface members 14 fixed to both end surfaces of the block 13 with screws 15, as shown in FIG.

With the above structure, the linear guide sliding bearing device according to the present embodiment can also achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment. That is, since the DLC film is formed on the contact surface between the slider 11 and the guide rail 12, it is possible to keep the friction due to the relative sliding motion therebetween small. In addition, since the vertical contact surface is a large surface contact with a substantially rectangular shape, the surface pressure is low even when a large vertical load is applied, and in addition to the effect of the DLC film, wear of the sliding surface due to operation is It can be kept to a minimum.

In addition to this, since the sliding member 16 is provided with the preload adjusting means by the spring 17, the pressing of the sliding member 16 against the guide rail side surface 12a can be appropriately maintained. Therefore, the linear guide sliding bearing device in the present embodiment can maintain the relative sliding motion of the slider 11 smoothly for a long period of time.

Although the slider and the guide rail form an almost rectangular surface contact between the flat surfaces in the above embodiments, the surface shape and cross-sectional shape of these contact surfaces are particularly The shape is not limited and may be discontinuous in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. However, in order to further increase the load capacity of the linear guide sliding bearing device, it is particularly preferable to make the contact area between the slider lower surface and the guide rail upper surface as wide as possible.

Further, although the case where the DLC film is formed only on the contact surface (sliding part) on the slider side is shown, the same effect can be obtained by forming it on the sliding part on the guide rail side. Is. The DLC coating may be formed on both sides of these sliding portions. Further, a plurality of sliding members having the DLC coating formed thereon as the sliding portions may be provided on the contact surface between the slider lower surface and the guide rail upper surface, Alternatively, the same effect can be obtained by disposing the slider on the contact surface between the slider side surface and the guide rail side surface. In order to improve the wear resistance of sliding parts, it is preferable to provide a DLC film on only one surface, but considering the corrosion resistance and durability in use in a special environment such as a solution, both sliding surfaces are considered. In some cases, it may be preferable to form the DLC film on the part.

Furthermore, when a guide rail having a plurality of sliding grooves formed on its side surface is used, the sliding member of the slider may be shaped to engage with these sliding grooves.

[0042]

As described in detail above, according to the linear guide sliding bearing device of the present invention, since the DLC film is formed on the sliding surfaces of the guide rail and the slider, grease, lubricating oil, etc. are prevented. The friction associated with the relative sliding movement of the rail and the slider can be kept small without using a lubricant. In addition, since it does not require a lubricant and is maintenance-free, it can be used in a special environment such as high temperature, vacuum, or various solutions.

Further, since the guide rail and the slider are in surface contact with both side surfaces and upper surface of the guide rail, the load capacity is larger than that of the conventional linear guide bearing device. In particular, even under the condition that a large load is applied to the slider in the vertical direction, the abrasion of the sliding surface due to the operation is minimized, and the lubrication of the sliding surface can be stably maintained for a long period of time.

In addition to this, in the linear guide sliding bearing device of the present invention, since the slider is provided with the preload adjusting means, it is possible to properly maintain the pressing force on the side surface of the guide rail. Therefore, the relative sliding movement of the slider is maintained smoothly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a linear guide sliding bearing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a side view and (b) is a front view.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a linear motion guide sliding bearing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a guide rail and a slider according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional linear motion rolling bearing device.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional linear guide sliding bearing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,11 slider 2 guide rails 2a upper surface 2b side 12 guide rails 12a upper surface 12b side 12s horizontal part 12t side part 3 blocks 3a, 3b convex part 3c groove 3s horizontal part 3t, 3u side part 13 blocks 13a lower surface 13b side 13c groove 4,14 End face member 5,15 screw 6,16 Sliding member 7,17 spring 101 slider 101a Track groove 101b Return hole 102 guide rail 102a Guide groove (raceway) 103 balls 111 slider 112 Guide rail 112a sliding groove 113 Sliding member

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kazunori Hayashida             3-5-8 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka               Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3J011 AA06 BA13 CA05 KA07 LA04                       MA02 QA04                 3J104 AA44 AA67 AA69 AA74 BA53                       BA55 BA67 CA03 CA20 DA06                       EA01

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A linear guide sliding bearing device comprising guide rails having opposite side surfaces and a slider slidably mounted on the guide rail, wherein the guide rail and the slider are provided. Is in contact with both side surfaces and an upper surface of the guide rail and is in surface contact with each other, and a diamond-like carbon film is formed on at least one side of these contact surfaces. Dynamic guide slide bearing device. 2. A linear guide slide comprising: a guide rail having opposite side surfaces; and a slider provided with a sliding member that makes surface contact with the side surface of the guide rail and slidably mounted on the guide rail. In the bearing device, an upper surface of the guide rail and a lower surface of the slider are in surface contact with each other, and at least one side of contact surfaces of the slider and the guide rail and at least a contact surface of the sliding member and the guide rail. A linear guide sliding bearing device characterized in that a diamond-like carbon coating is formed on one side. 3. The linear guide sliding bearing device according to claim 1, wherein the slider comprises a preload adjusting means for adjusting a force pressing the side surface of the guide rail. 4. The linear guide sliding bearing device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the diamond-like carbon coating contains metal or silicon.