JP2008133938A - Linear guide - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a linear guide with a protector on top of a side seal, offering a means for preventing an increase of seal friction force with the movement of a slider. <P>SOLUTION: The linear guide 1 comprises a rail 2 having a rail raceway groove 5, the slider 6 having a slider raceway groove 8 opposed to the rail raceway groove 4 and a return passage 10 for linearly reciprocating on the rail 2, an end cap 11 arranged at the longitudinal end of the slider in the moving direction, and having a direction changing passage 12, a ball 9 for rolling on a load passage formed by the rail raceway groove 5 and the slider raceway groove 8, the side seal 14 arranged on the end face of the end cap 11 at the opposite side to the slider 6, and having a lip portion 17 slide-contacting a core metal 15 and the rail 2 and a supporting portion 18 supporting the lip portion 17, and the protector 20 arranged on the end face of the side seal 14 at the opposite side to the slider 6. A gap δ is formed between the end of the lip portion 17 of the side seal 14 at the side of the protector 20 and the end face of the protector 20 at the side of the side seal 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a linear guide device that is provided in a guide unit of a machine device such as a machine tool, an industrial machine, or a measuring instrument and guides a linear movement of a moving table such as a table.

A conventional linear guide device includes a return path provided in a slider, a direction changing path provided in an end cap, a load path formed by opposing a rail track groove provided in a rail and a slider track groove provided in a slider, and A plurality of balls are loaded into a circulation path that communicates with each other, and a slider that linearly reciprocates the rail is supported by a ball that rolls along the load path. The end cap of the end cap is in sliding contact with the core metal and the rail. When a side seal made of a seal rubber having a lip portion and a support portion for supporting the lip portion is provided, and the side seal and the end cap are fastened and fixed to the slider with a mounting screw, a fastening margin provided in the lip portion is provided. Thus, the outer surface of the rail is pressed to prevent entry of foreign matter from the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-287245 (mainly page 3, paragraphs 0015-0020, FIG. 2)

Linear guide devices used in machine devices such as machine tools, industrial machines, and measuring instruments operate in an environment where foreign matter such as dust, chips, and welding spatter exists.
The linear guide device used in such an environment has a flat plate protector for protecting the lip portion of the seal rubber from high-temperature, high-hardness foreign matters such as sputtering, and is placed on the end surface opposite to the slider of the side seal. Arrangement is generally performed.

  However, in the above-described conventional technology, the end surface of the seal rubber supporting portion opposite to the slider and the end portion of the dust side lip of the lip portion are formed on the same plane (see FIG. 2B of Patent Document 1). Therefore, when the protector is attached to the side seal, elastic deformation occurs in the lip due to the tightening margin provided on the lip, and the dust lip protrudes toward the protector and interferes with the protector. There is a problem of increasing the sealing frictional force accompanying the movement of.

In addition, when a protector is added to the linear guide device that was originally used without a protector due to changes in usage conditions, or in order to improve seal performance, a side seal was added to double seal specifications. Even in the case of changing to, the same problem as described above occurs for the newly added protector and side seal.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a means for preventing an increase in seal frictional force accompanying movement of a slider when a protector is provided on a side seal. To do.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for immediately responding to the addition of a new protector or side seal.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes a rail having a rail rolling element guide surface, a slider rolling element guide surface facing the rail rolling element guide surface, and a return path. A slider that reciprocates, an end cap that is disposed at the front and rear ends of the slider in the moving direction, and has a direction changing path; a load path formed by the rail rolling element guide surface and the slider rolling element guide surface; A rolling element that circulates a load path through a circulation path that communicates with the direction change path and the return path, a lip portion that is disposed on an end surface of the end cap opposite to the slider, and that is in sliding contact with the metal core and the rail; A linear seal provided with a side seal made of a seal rubber having a support portion for supporting the lip portion, and a protector disposed on an end surface of the side seal opposite to the slider. In the guide device, wherein the said protector end of the lip portion of the side seal to form a gap between the opposing surfaces of the end portion of the protector.

  Also, a slider having a rail rolling element guide surface, a slider rolling element guide surface facing the rail rolling element guide surface, and a return path, and a linearly reciprocating slider, and movement of the slider An end cap disposed at the front and rear ends of the direction and having a direction changing path; a load path formed by the rail rolling element guide surface and the slider rolling element guide surface; and the load path as the direction changing path and the return path. A rolling element that circulates in a circulation path that communicates with the slider, a lip portion that is disposed on an end surface opposite to the slider of the end cap, and that slidably contacts the metal core and the rail, and a support portion that supports the lip portion. In a linear guide device including a side seal made of seal rubber, an end portion of the side seal opposite to the end cap of the lip portion of the side seal is Wherein the serial end cap to be located on the slider side from the end face on the opposite side.

  Thereby, even if the lip portion is elastically deformed when the protector is overlapped and attached to the side seal, the present invention provides a gap provided between the end portion of the lip portion of the side seal and the opposing surface of the protector. It is possible to prevent the end portion of the lip portion from interfering with the protector, and it is possible to prevent the increase in the sealing frictional force accompanying the movement of the slider.

  In addition, even when a new protector or side seal is added and the lip part of the first installed side seal is elastically deformed, the newly installed protector or side seal and the first installed side seal lip A gap is formed between the end of the part and the end of the lip part can be prevented from interfering with a new protector or side seal, and an increase in the sealing friction force accompanying the movement of the slider can be prevented. In addition, it is possible to immediately respond to the additional mounting of a new protector or side seal.

  Embodiments of a linear guide device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the linear guide device of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the front of the side seal of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing a section along the AA section line of FIG. is there.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a linear guide device.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a rail of the linear guide device 1, which is a long rod-shaped member made of a steel material such as alloy steel, and a mechanical device along the longitudinal direction of the rail 2 on its upper surface (referred to as a rail upper surface 2 a). A plurality of rail mounting holes 3, which are stepped bolt holes for mounting the rails 2 on the base, are provided at a predetermined pitch.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a plug, which is a resin-made disk-like member that fits into the large-diameter portion of the rail mounting hole 3, and after the rail 2 is fixed to the base or the like with bolts, the large-diameter portion of the rail mounting hole 3 Is press-fitted so as to be flush with the rail upper surface 2a.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a rail track groove as a rail rolling element guide surface, which is a groove having an arcuate cross section formed along the longitudinal direction of the side surfaces of the rails 2 on both sides.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a slider, which is a bowl-shaped member having a U-shaped cross-sectional shape made of a steel material such as alloy steel. A screw hole 7 is provided on the upper surface thereof, and the screw hole 7 is used. A moving table or the like of a mechanical device (not shown) is attached with a bolt or the like.
Reference numeral 8 denotes a slider raceway groove as a slider rolling element guide surface, which is a groove having an arcuate cross section provided on the inner side of both sleeve walls 6 a of the slider 6 so as to face the rail raceway groove 5.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a ball as a rolling element, which is a sphere made of a steel material such as alloy steel.
A return path 10 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the ball 9 for circulating the ball 9 formed in the thick part of the sleeve wall 6a of the slider 6, and is referred to as a moving direction of the slider 6 (referred to as a slider moving direction). ) Through-holes penetrating the sleeve wall 6a, corresponding to the respective slider track grooves 8.

  Reference numeral 11 denotes an end cap which is made of a metal material, a resin material, or the like, and is disposed at the front and rear end portions of the slider 6 in the slider moving direction. The direction change path 12 which is a U-shaped curved path connecting the load path formed by and the return path 10 of the slider 6 is provided corresponding to each load path. A greasing nipple 13 for replenishing grease as a lubricant is attached.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 14 denotes a side seal, which is made of a metal core 15 made of a plate material such as alloy steel, and elasticity of natural rubber or synthetic rubber bonded to the metal core 15 by a bonding means such as baking or bonding. A U-shaped member formed by laminating a seal rubber 16 made of a rubber material having a shape along the outer surface of the rail 2 on the rail 2 side of the seal rubber 16 as shown in FIG. Further, a lip portion 17 having an inner shape formed with a predetermined fastening allowance is provided, and a plate-like support portion 18 joined to a metal core 15 that supports the lip portion 17 is provided outside the lip portion 17. Is provided.

Thereby, the lip portion 17 is brought into sliding contact with the outer surface of the rail 2 by a pressing force according to the tightening allowance and functions as a contact seal.
Reference numeral 20 denotes a protector, which is a flat plate member made of a plate material such as a U-shaped alloy steel having an inner shape formed with a predetermined gap margin in a shape along the outer surface of the rail 2. The side seal 14 has a function of protecting the lip portion 17 of the seal rubber 16 from high temperature and high hardness foreign matters such as sputtering. Yes.

  The lip portion 17 of this embodiment projects on the slider 6 side toward the rail 2 toward the slider 6 lip 17a obliquely on the slider 6 side, and on the opposite side toward the rail 2 on the protector 20 side obliquely projects. A double lip type lip portion 17 provided with a dust side lip 17b, and an end portion of the dust side lip 17b on the protector 20 side is a side seal of the protector 20 as a facing surface facing the end portion. It is arranged opposite to the end face on the 14th side via a gap δ.

For this reason, the end portion on the protector 20 side of the lip portion 17 of this embodiment, that is, the end portion on the protector 20 side of the dust side lip 17b corresponds to the gap δ from the end surface on the protector 20 side of the support portion 18 of the seal rubber 15. It is formed to be positioned on the slider 5 side by the length.
The gap δ is desirably formed to be 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. When the gap δ is less than 0.1 mm, when the lip portion 17 presses the outer surface of the rail 2 by tightening allowance, the end portion of the dust side lip 17b contacts the end surface on the side seal 14 side of the protector 20 due to its elastic deformation. This is because if the gap δ is larger than 0.5 mm, the strength required for the dust side lip 17b may not be obtained, or the sealing performance may be deteriorated.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the end bar 6 b of the slider 6 in the slider moving direction is attached to the metal core 15 and the protector 20 of the side seal 14 in order to attach the end cap 11, the side seal 14, and the protector 20 to the slider 6. An insertion hole 24 and an insertion hole 25 for inserting an attachment screw 23 to be screwed into an attachment screw hole 22 provided on the slider 6 are provided, and the slider of the slider 6 is provided by the attachment screw 23 inserted into the insertion holes 24 and 25. The end cap 11, the side seal 14, and the protector 20 are fastened to both ends in the moving direction and attached integrally.

  Both ends of the load path are connected to each other by a direction change path 12 of the end cap 11 and a return path 10 of the slider 6 to form a circulation path. The circulation path has a plurality of balls 9 and a predetermined amount of grease. The rail raceway groove 5 and the slider raceway groove 8 are fitted via the ball 9, and the ball 9 circulates in the circulation path as the slider 6 moves and rolls on the load path. The ball 9 supports the load applied to the slider 6 so as to be able to reciprocate, and the slider 6 is supported so as to be capable of linear reciprocation along the longitudinal direction of the rail 2.

  When the slider 6 is reciprocated, the protector 20 removes the high-temperature and high-hardness foreign matter adhering to the rail upper surface 2a and the like and the relatively large foreign matter first to protect the lip portion 17 of the side seal 14. The lip portion 17 of the side seal 14 is in sliding contact with the outer surface of the rail 2 to prevent the leakage of the lubricant from the inside of the slider and to prevent the entry of fine foreign matter that has penetrated the protector 20 from the outside.

  In this case, a gap δ is formed between the end portion of the lip portion 17 of the side seal 14 of the present embodiment and the end surface on the side seal 14 side of the protector 20 facing the end portion. When the protector 20 is mounted on the side seal 14, the dust side lip 17b of the lip 17 does not interfere with the protector 20 due to the elastic deformation of the lip 17, and the seal friction force when the lip 17 slides. Will not increase.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the end portion on the protector side of the lip portion of the side seal is positioned closer to the slider side than the end surface on the protector side of the support portion, and there is a gap between the end surface on the side seal side of the protector. By forming δ, even if the lip part is elastically deformed when the protector is mounted on the side seal, the gap between the end part of the lip part of the side seal and the end face of the protector on the side seal side The gap δ provided in the lip portion can prevent the dust side lip of the lip portion from interfering with the protector, and an increase in the sealing frictional force due to the sliding contact of the lip portion accompanying the movement of the slider can be prevented.

  In the above embodiment, the gap δ is described as being formed such that the end of the dust side lip 17b of the lip 17 of the side seal 14 is positioned closer to the slider 6 than the end surface of the support 18 on the protector 20 side. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the end of the dust side lip 17b of the lip 17 of the side seal 14 is formed in the same plane as the end surface of the support 18 on the protector 20 side, and the end of the protector 20 on the side seal 14 side is formed. A step surface 31 as an opposing surface may be provided on the end face to form the gap δ, or these may be used in combination to form the gap δ. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the above can be acquired.

  In the above embodiment, the side seal having the double lip type lip portion provided with the dust side lip and the slider side lip has been described as an example. However, the lip portion is not limited to the above, and the dust side lip and the slider are not limited thereto. It may be a side seal having a triple lip type lip portion provided with a central lip between the side lip and a side seal having a single lip type lip portion provided only with a dust side lip. .

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case of grease lubrication has been described as an example, but the lubrication method is not limited to the above, and oil lubrication or the like may be used.
Furthermore, in the said Example, although demonstrated as an example the linear guide apparatus which used the ball | bowl as a rolling element, it is the same also in the linear guide apparatus using a roller as a rolling element. In this case, the rail rolling element guide surface and the slider rolling element guide surface forming the load path are constituted by a rail raceway surface on which the roller rolls and a slider raceway surface.

In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a linear guide device using rolling elements has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to a linear guide device using sliding bearings without using rolling elements. Good.
In this case, a rail sliding guide surface having the same shape as the rail raceway surface is provided on the rail having the same shape as the rail of the linear guide device using the roller, and the slider sliding for sliding the rail sliding guide surface on the slider is provided. A sliding surface is provided with a guide surface, and the slider sliding guide surface is fitted to the rail sliding guide surface, so that the slider can be reciprocated with respect to the rail. It is good to arrange a protector.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied when the protector is attached to the side seal in an overlapping manner. However, for example, the side seal seal rubber supporting portion described with reference to FIG. A linear guide device in which only a side seal having a configuration in which the end face of the outer side is projected by a gap δ from the outer end of the lip portion is also included in the present invention.

  If the linear guide device has such a configuration, even if it becomes necessary to add a protector or a new side seal later due to changes in usage conditions, etc., a new protector or side seal is added and attached. Even if the lip portion of the side seal that was first installed is elastically deformed, a gap δ is formed between the newly installed protector or side seal and the end of the lip portion of the side seal that was first installed. The outer end of the lip portion can be prevented from interfering with the inner end of the lip portion of a new protector or side seal, and an increase in the sealing frictional force accompanying the movement of the slider can be prevented. At the same time, new protectors and side seals can be added immediately.

The perspective view which shows the linear guide apparatus of an Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the front of the side seal of an Example The elements on larger scale which show the cross section along the AA cross section line of FIG. The elements on larger scale which show the cross section of the other form of the side seal and protector of an Example

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Linear guide apparatus 2 Rail 2a Rail upper surface 3 Rail mounting hole 4 Plug 5 Rail track groove 6 Slider 6a Sleeve wall 6b End surface 7 Screw hole 8 Slider track groove 9 Ball 10 Return path 11 End cap 12 Direction change path 13 Grease nipple 14 Side seal 15 Core 16 Seal rubber 17 Lip part 17a Slider side lip 17b Dust side lip 18 Support part 20 Protector 22 Mounting screw hole 23 Mounting screw 24, 25 Insertion hole 31 Step surface

Claims (6)

A rail having a rail rolling element guide surface, a slider rolling element guide surface facing the rail rolling element guide surface, and a return path; and a slider that linearly reciprocates along the rail; and a moving direction of the slider End caps disposed at the front and rear ends and having a direction changing path, a load path formed by the rail rolling element guide surface and the slider rolling element guide surface, and the load path by the direction changing path and the return path A rolling element that circulates in a circulating circuit, a seal rubber that is disposed on an end surface of the end cap opposite to the slider and that has a lip portion that is in sliding contact with the metal core and the rail, and a support portion that supports the lip portion; A linear guide device comprising a side seal and a protector disposed on an end surface of the side seal opposite to the slider,
A linear guide device, wherein a gap is formed between an end of the lip portion of the side seal on the protector side and a surface facing the end of the protector. In claim 1,
The linear guide device characterized in that an end of the side seal lip on the protector side is positioned closer to the slider than an end surface of the support on the protector side. In claim 1 or claim 2,
The linear guide device characterized in that the opposing surface of the protector is a stepped surface formed on an end surface of the protector on the side seal side. In any one of Claims 1 to 3,
A linear guide device, wherein a gap between an end portion of the lip portion of the side seal and an opposing surface of the protector is 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. A rail having a rail rolling element guide surface, a slider rolling element guide surface facing the rail rolling element guide surface, and a return path; and a slider that linearly reciprocates along the rail; and a moving direction of the slider End caps disposed at the front and rear ends and having a direction changing path, a load path formed by the rail rolling element guide surface and the slider rolling element guide surface, and the load path by the direction changing path and the return path A rolling rubber that circulates in a circulating circuit, a seal rubber that is disposed on an end surface of the end cap opposite to the slider and that has a lip portion that is in sliding contact with the metal core and the rail, and a support portion that supports the lip portion; In a linear guide device provided with a side seal
The linear guide device, wherein an end portion of the side seal lip portion opposite to the end cap is positioned closer to the slider than an end surface of the support portion opposite to the end cap. In claim 5,
The end of the side seal lip on the side opposite to the end cap is within the range of 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less from the end surface of the support on the side opposite to the end cap. A linear guide device which is located on a slider side.