JP2011052700A - Lubricating oil supply device and motion guide device using this - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lubricating oil supply device configured in such a manner that the lubricating oil supply device can be, even if used for a long period of time, in contact with a track shaft without losing stability of the contact therewith, can stably apply a lubricating oil to a rolling-body rolling surfaces of the track shaft for a long period of time, and can be easily manufactured using a material most suitable for use environment of a motion guide device. <P>SOLUTION: The lubricating oil supply device is mounted to a slide member engaged with the track shaft via rolling bodies and applies the lubricating oil to the track shaft as the slide member and the track shaft move relative to each other. The lubricating oil supply device includes application bodies which absorb and retain the lubricating oil and apply the lubricating oil to the rolling-body rolling surfaces formed on the track shaft. The application bodies are each provided with a base material which consists of textile fabric or nonwoven fabric and also with a binder component dispersed within the base material and partially joining together fibers which form the textile fabric or the nonwoven fabric, and the application bodies have a large number of cavities therein. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a linear motion guide device, a feed screw device, a spline device, and the like in a motion guide device in which a track shaft and a slide member are relatively movably engaged via rolling elements such as balls or rollers. The present invention relates to a lubricant supply device that applies lubricant to the surface of a shaft, and further to a motion guide device using the lubricant supply device.

  Conventionally, as this type of motion guide device, a linear guide device that is used in a linear guide portion of a machine tool, a transport device, or the like, and guides a movable body such as a table on a fixed portion such as a bed or a saddle, or the linear guide device. 2. Description of the Related Art A feed screw device or the like that is used together with a device and gives a stroke of a linear motion corresponding to the amount of rotation of a motor to the movable body is known.

  The former linear guide device is disposed on the fixed portion and has a track rail formed with a ball rolling surface along the longitudinal direction, and is opposed to the rolling surface of the track rail via a number of balls. And a moving block provided with an infinite circulation path for the balls rolling on the loaded rolling surface, and the moving block supporting the movable body is tracked along with the infinite circulation of the balls. It is configured to continuously linearly move along the rail. On the contrary, the track rail may move with respect to the fixed moving block.

  On the other hand, the latter feed screw device includes a screw shaft in which a spiral rolling surface on which a ball rolls is formed by a predetermined lead, and a load rolling surface that faces the rolling surface through a number of balls. And a nut member provided with an infinite circulation path of the ball rolling on the load rolling surface, and the ball is moved in the endless circulation path with the relative rotational movement of the screw shaft and the nut member. The nut member and the screw shaft are configured to move relatively in the axial direction.

  When using such a motion guide device, the wear of the ball itself, the rolling surface of the track shaft such as the track rail or screw shaft on which it rolls, or the load rolling surface of the slide member such as a moving block or nut member. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately lubricate the ball and the rolling surface according to use conditions from the viewpoint of maintaining high-precision movement of the slide member over a long period of time.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a lubricating oil supply device that supplies lubricating oil to a ball or a rolling surface, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-184683 is known. This lubricating oil supply device is mounted on the slide member, and is configured to supply lubricating oil to the rolling surface of the track shaft as the slide member moves along the track shaft. Specifically, the application body made of a fiber entanglement body such as felt absorbs and holds the lubricating oil, and the application body is brought into contact with the rolling surface of the track shaft, and according to the movement of the slide member. Thus, the lubricating oil impregnated in the application body is gradually applied to the rolling surface.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-184683

  However, in such a conventional lubricating oil supply device, since the coated body is always in sliding contact with the rolling surface of the raceway shaft, the fibers of the fiber entangled body impregnated with the lubricating oil are frayed over time. As a result, the contact state between the coated body and the track shaft tends to become unstable. Further, when the motion guide device is used in a special environment where a high degree of chemical resistance is required, there is a problem with the durability of the coated body.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a stable and stable lubricating oil over a long period of time without being unstable in contact with the track shaft even when used over time. It is intended to provide a lubricating oil supply device that can be applied to a rolling element rolling surface of a track shaft and that can be easily produced from an optimal material according to the usage environment of the motion guide device. .

  That is, the present invention is a lubricating oil supply device that is mounted on a slide member that engages with a track shaft via a rolling element, and that applies lubricant to the track shaft as the slide member and the track shaft move relative to each other. And it has the application body which apply | coats lubricating oil with respect to the rolling surface of the rolling element formed in the said track shaft while absorbing and holding lubricating oil. And this application body has a base material consisting of a woven or knitted fabric or a non-woven fabric, and a binder component that is dispersed inside the base material and partially binds the fibers that form the woven or knitted fabric or non-woven fabric. It has many voids.

  The coated body provided in the lubricating oil supply device of the present invention is obtained by dispersing a binder component inside a base material composed of a woven or knitted fabric or a nonwoven fabric, and the fibers constituting the woven or knitted fabric or the nonwoven fabric are partially separated by a binder component. On the other hand, since a large number of voids are left inside the base material, it has moderate flexibility in the compression direction while improving the shape maintaining property. Therefore, such an applied body improves the adhesion to the track shaft, but there is no fear that the fibers will fray and lose shape due to use over time, and the lubricant is stably applied to the rolling surface of the track shaft for a long time. It is possible to apply. Moreover, since both can be made to contact | abut fully, keeping the press-contact force with respect to the track shaft of an application body low, it also becomes possible to ensure the light movement of the slide member with respect to a track shaft.

  Various materials can be selected for the fibers constituting the woven or knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric as the base material of the application body and the binder component dispersed in the base material according to the use of the motion guide device. For example, if the motion guide device is used in an environment in which a strong alkaline coolant falls on the track axis, while forming a woven or knitted fabric or a nonwoven fabric as a base material from a polyester fiber excellent in chemical resistance, As the binder component, hydrogenated nitrile rubber having excellent chemical resistance can be selected. In addition, it is easy to give a high degree of heat resistance to the lubricating oil supply device by selecting the fibers constituting the knitted or non-woven fabric as the base material and the binder component dispersed in the base material.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the exercise | movement guide apparatus which can apply the lubricating oil supply apparatus of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the lubricating oil supply apparatus with which the exercise | movement guide apparatus of FIG. 1 is mounted | worn. It is front sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the lubricating oil supply apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing an internal structure of the lubricating oil supply device shown in FIG. 2. It is an enlarged view which shows typically a mode that the inside of the application body was observed microscopically.

  Hereinafter, a lubricating oil supply device of the present invention and a motion guide device using the same will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a lubricating oil supply device of the present invention and a linear guide device as an example of a motion guide device to which the lubricant oil supply device is attached. The linear guide device engages with the track rail 1 via a track rail (track shaft) 1 having a ball rolling surface 11 formed along the longitudinal direction and a large number of balls 3 as rolling elements. A moving block (sliding member) 2 provided with an infinite circulation path for the ball is mounted on both front and rear end surfaces in the moving direction of the moving block 2, and the track rail 1 is moved along with the movement of the moving block 2. As a sealing member disposed on the outside of the lubricating oil supply member 4 with a pair of lubricating oil supply members 4 serving as a lubricating oil supply device for applying lubricating oil to the surface and a seal lip portion 51 in close contact with the track rail 1 The end block 5 is configured such that the moving block 2 reciprocates on the track rail 1 as the ball 3 circulates. In the end seal 5, a rubber layer is vulcanized and bonded to a thin plate-shaped cored bar 52 to form the seal lip 51.

  The moving block 2 is fixed to a block main body 23 having a mounting surface 21 for a mechanical device such as a table and a ball return hole 22 for circulating the ball 3, and both front and rear end faces of the block main body 23. And a pair of end plates 24. The block body 23 and the end plate 24 are formed in a channel shape with a groove in which the track rail 1 is loosely fitted. In the end plate 24, the ball 3 is scooped up from the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 and sent to the ball return hole 22 of the block body 23, while the ball 3 is transferred from the ball return hole 22 to the rolling surface 11. A direction change path (not shown) for feeding is formed, and the moving block 2 is provided with an infinite circulation path of the ball 3 by fixing the pair of end plates 24 to the block body 23 using the mounting bolts 25. It has become so.

  Furthermore, the end plate 24 is provided with an oil supply port 26 for injecting lubricating oil into the endless circulation path, and the oil supply port 26 is provided with the end seal 5 and the lubricating oil supply member 4 interposed therebetween. A supply nipple 27 is mounted.

  Furthermore, the end seal 5 and the lubricating oil supply member 4 are mounted on the moving block 2 from above the end plates 24 by fixing bolts 28. In order to prevent the end seal 5 and the lubricating oil supply member 4 from being crushed by fastening the fixing bolt 28, bosses 29b and 29c corresponding to the thicknesses of these members 4 and 5 are fitted into the members 4 and 5, respectively. The bolt 28 passes through these bosses and is screwed into the moving block 2.

  In this embodiment, the track rail 1 is formed in a straight line shape, but may be formed in an arc shape having a constant curvature. In this case, the moving block 2 reciprocates along the track rail 1 in an arc shape. The rolling elements interposed between the track rail 1 and the moving block 2 are not limited to balls but may be rollers.

  2 to 4 show the lubricating oil supply member 4. As shown in the figure, the lubricating oil supply member 4 is in contact with the track rail 1 while being accommodated in the casing 40 (see FIG. 1) mounted on the end plate 24 of the moving block 2 and in the casing 40. An application body 41 for applying lubricating oil to the track rail 1 and the application body 41 are accommodated in the casing 40 together with the application body 41 to absorb and hold the lubricating oil while supplying the lubricating oil to the application body 41. It is comprised from the occlusion body 42 and the oil quantity adjustment plate 43 which isolate | separates between these application bodies 41 and the occlusion body 42. FIG.

  The casing 40 includes a casing body 45 having a lubricating oil storage chamber 44 serving as a storage space for the occlusion body 42 and the application body 41, and a lid substrate 46 that seals the lubricating oil storage chamber 44 of the casing body 45. ing.

  The casing main body 45 has a side wall 48 made of rubber, synthetic resin, or the like erected along the outline of the substrate 47 made of, for example, a steel plate, and a recess surrounded by the substrate 47 and the side wall 48 is the application body. 41 and a lubricating oil storage chamber 44 for storing the storage body 42. The lubricating oil storage chamber 44 is provided with a pair of mutually independent spaces corresponding to the left and right side surfaces of the track rail 1, and avoids the through holes 49 and 50 of the fixing bolt 28 and the supply nipple 27. The casing 40 is provided. As a result, the application body 41 and the occlusion body 42 for lubricating the left side surface of the track rail 1 and those for lubricating the right side surface are accommodated independently.

  The application body 41 is preferably made of a material that easily causes the lubricating oil to move due to capillary action, such as a felt having a low porosity, so that the impregnating lubricating oil can be applied to the track rail 1 without stagnation. The occlusion body 42 is preferably a non-woven fabric such as felt having a high porosity so that a large amount of lubricating oil can be absorbed and held. Here, since the application body 41 uses the capillary phenomenon to absorb the lubricating oil held in the storage body 42, the porosity of the application body 41 needs to be lower than that of the storage body 42. is there. The material of the application body 41 will be described later. In addition, although the said application body 41 is absorbing the lubricating oil from the said occlusion body 42 using a capillary phenomenon, both do not necessarily need to be in direct contact and, for example, another which exhibits the function as an oil feeding pipe | tube. The lubricating oil may be delivered via the fiber entangled body.

  On the other hand, a concave groove 48a is formed in the side wall 48 of the casing body 45 at a position facing the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1, and the application body 41 accommodated in the lubricating oil accommodating chamber 44 is formed from the concave groove 48a. The application piece 41a which is a part of the protrusion protrudes and comes into contact with the rolling surface 11. That is, the lubricating oil supplied from the occlusion body 42 to the application body 41 is applied to the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 through the application piece 41a. As described above, the lubricating oil storage chamber 44 is provided independently for the left side of the track rail 1 and for the right side. In this embodiment, the left and right sides of the track rail 1 are provided. Since two rolling surfaces 11 are formed on each side surface, two application pieces 41a located on the left side surface of the track rail 1 and adjacent to each other, and two application pieces 41a located on the right side surface and adjacent to each other. Lubricating oil is supplied from the separate lubricating oil storage chambers 44, 44 to the one coating piece 41a.

  Further, a step portion 54 is formed on the side wall 48 along the inner peripheral edge of the lubricating oil storage chamber 44, and the oil amount adjusting plate 43 is fitted to the step portion 54 so that the application body 41 and the occlusion body are provided. 42 is configured to be isolated from 42. The oil amount adjusting plate 43 is made of, for example, a stainless steel thin plate, and is provided with only one supply hole 56 for supplying the lubricating oil impregnated in the occlusion body 42 to the applying body 41, for example. The amount of lubricating oil supplied from the occlusion body 42 to the application body 41 is controlled according to the shape, size, number, opening position, etc. of the supply hole 56.

  Further, in order to smoothly supply the lubricating oil from the occlusion body 43 to the application body 42, an air hole 55 is formed in the side wall 48 of the casing body 45 as shown in FIG. The pressure is always kept at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the movement of the lubricating oil from the occlusion body 42 to the application body 41 mainly depends on the capillary action of the lubricating oil inside the fiber entangled body. However, of the lubricating oil impregnated in the occlusion body 42, the lubricating oil positioned above the supply hole 56 of the oil amount adjusting plate 43 moves to the applying body 41 even by gravity.

  In the lubricating oil supply member 4 configured as described above, the side wall 48 is first joined to the substrate 47 by vulcanization adhesion to produce the casing body 45, and the lubricating oil is supplied to the lubricating oil storage chamber 44 of the casing body 45. After the impregnated occlusion body 42 is accommodated, the oil amount adjusting plate 43 is fitted to the step portion 54 of the side wall 48 of the casing body 45 so as to cover the occlusion body 42. Next, the application body 41 is overlaid on the oil amount adjusting plate 43, and finally the lid substrate 46 is joined to the side wall 48 of the casing body 45 by vulcanization adhesion. Thereby, the lubricating oil supply member 4 in which the application body 41 and the occlusion body 42 are accommodated is completed. Reference numeral 57 denotes a ring member for forming the through hole 50 of the supply nipple 27 and for preventing direct contact between the side wall 48 and the supply nipple 27.

  In the linear guide apparatus of FIG. 1 equipped with such a lubricating oil supply device, when the moving block 2 moves on the track rail 1, the lubricating oil supply member 4 attached to the moving block 2 causes the track rail 1 to move. Lubricating oil is applied to the rolling surface 11, and the balls 3 rolling on the rolling surface 11 are lubricated. Further, since an end seal 5 that is in close contact with the surface of the track rail 1 is attached to the outside of the lubricant supply member 4, the lubricant applied to the track rail 1 from the lubricant supply member 4 is applied to the end seal 5. The ball 3 can be reliably lubricated with only a small amount of lubricating oil applied from the lubricating oil supply member 4 to the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 without leaking to the outside.

  The application body 41 of the lubricating oil supply member 4 includes a base material made of a woven or knitted fabric or a non-woven fabric, and a binder component that binds fibers forming the woven or knitted fabric or the non-woven fabric inside the base material. .

  As an example of the application body 41, the base material is composed of an aramid fiber nonwoven fabric, and the binder component is composed of fluororubber. A specific manufacturing method of the coated body 41 is as follows. First, a base material made of an aramid fiber non-woven fabric is prepared, and then the base material is impregnated with a solution in which a fluorine rubber compound is dispersed in a solvent. And the solvent was volatilized. The used fluororubber is Sumitomo 3M's “Dinion” (registered trademark) compound type, and the solvent is methyl ethyl ketone. The application body 41 thus completed is cut into a predetermined shape according to the shape of the lubricating oil storage chamber 44, and the lubricating water storage chamber is formed with the application piece 41a protruding from the groove 48a to the track rail 1. Is housed in.

  When the coated body 41 manufactured in this way is observed microscopically, as shown in FIG. 5, the fibers 40a forming the nonwoven fabric are partially bonded by the binder component 40b, and the solvent is removed. As a result of the removal, a large number of voids that can hold the lubricating oil exist inside the application body 41.

  For this reason, even if the application piece 41a of the application body 41 is brought into close contact with the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 and brought into sliding contact with the track rail 1, the nonwoven fabric fibers constituting the base material are loosened. Therefore, even when used over time, it is possible to prevent the application piece 41a of the application body 41 from being out of shape and to maintain good adhesion with the track rail over a long period of time.

  As the substrate, either woven or knitted fabric or non-woven fabric may be used. When a nonwoven fabric is used, it becomes possible to manufacture the application body 41 with more flexibility. Moreover, when using a woven or knitted fabric, the flexibility of the application body 41 can be arbitrarily adjusted by selecting a weaving method or a knitting method.

  In the above-described production example, the weight ratio of the fluororubber and the solvent in the solution impregnated in the base material was 2: 8. However, this weight ratio can be appropriately changed according to the flexibility required for the application body 41. For example, if the weight ratio of the fluororubber to the solvent is 1: 9, the binder component dispersed in the base material is reduced as compared with the above case, and the flexibility of the nonwoven fabric constituting the base material remains. As a result, the application body 41 can be made softer. As a result, the adhesion between the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 and the application piece 41a of the application body 41 can be improved.

  In such an applied body 41, various performances can be achieved with respect to the applied body 41 by appropriately selecting a woven or knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric fiber serving as the base material and a binder component dispersed in the base material. It becomes possible to give. For example, assuming that the motion guide device is used in an environment where strong alkaline coolant is applied, the application piece 41a of the application body 41 is directly exposed to the coolant liquid adhering to the track rail 1 and deteriorates at an early stage. There is a concern that it will. However, if a base material is comprised from an aramid fiber or a polyester fiber, and hydrogenated nitrile rubber is selected as a binder component, it will be possible to give a high degree of chemical resistance to the coated body 41. Even in use, the contact state between the application piece 41a and the rolling surface 11 of the track rail 1 can be maintained in a good state for a long time.

  Further, by selecting aramid fiber as the base material and fluororubber as the binder component, it is possible to give the coated body 41 heat resistance that can be used even in an environment of 200 ° C.

  Therefore, when considering heat resistance or chemical resistance, the base material is preferably composed of aramid fiber, glass fiber, carbon fiber, polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO) fiber and polyester fiber, The base material may be constituted by mixing several kinds of these fibers.

  In view of heat resistance or chemical resistance, the binder component is preferably composed of fluorine rubber, EPM, EPDM, hydrogenated nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, acrylic rubber, butyl rubber, and these Some of them may be mixed to constitute a binder component.

  In any case, by appropriately selecting the fibers constituting the base material and the binder component dispersed therein, it is suitable for various uses of the motion guide device in which it is attached to the application body 41 of the lubricating oil supply member 4. Performance can be easily provided.

  The application body 41 is completed by cutting out a sheet-like base material treated with the binder component so as to match the shape of the lubricating oil storage chamber 44. Therefore, the application body 41 having a different shape can be easily manufactured. It becomes possible.

  The porosity inside the coated body 41 is influenced by the porosity of the woven or knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric forming the substrate, and also varies depending on the amount of the binder component dispersed in the substrate. When the porosity inside the application body 41 is larger, more lubricating oil can be held inside the application body 41. However, if the porosity of the base material is too large, the applied body 41 is likely to lose its shape, and it is necessary to disperse more binder components in the base material in order to prevent this.

  On the other hand, as another example of the binder component, low melting point fibers may be mixed at an arbitrary ratio with respect to a woven or knitted fabric such as an aramid fiber or a nonwoven fabric as a base material. If a low melting point fiber is mixed with a woven or knitted fabric or non-woven fabric made of heat resistant fibers to form a base material, the low melting point fiber is melted by heating the base material and melted at room temperature. Solidifies and functions as the binder component described above. The application body 41 which does not easily lose its shape can be obtained by such a method.

  In addition, since the application body 41 in which such a low-melting fiber is mixed with a base material can be easily prevented from being deformed by subsequent heating, for example, a base material containing a low-melting fiber is used as a lubricating oil supply member. 4 is cut out into the shape of the lubricating oil storage chamber 44 and stored in the lubricating oil storage chamber 44, and then the melting point is reduced by using heating when the lid substrate 46 is vulcanized and bonded to the side wall 48 of the casing body 45. It is possible to melt the fibers and thereby change them into a coated body 41 in which the fibers of the substrate are bound by the binder component.

  The occlusion body 42 is also composed of a base material made of a woven or knitted fabric or a non-woven fabric, and a binder component that binds fibers forming the knitted or knitted fabric or the non-woven fabric dispersed inside the base material, like the coated body 41. In this case, the material of the base material and the binder component may be arbitrarily selected according to the performance required for the occlusion body 42.

  Further, in the embodiment described above, the example in which the lubricating oil supply device of the present invention is applied to the linear guide device and the curved guide device constituted by the track rail and the moving block is shown. The lubricating oil supply device of the present invention can also be applied to a spline device composed of a nut member that moves in a moving manner and a feed screw device composed of a screw shaft and a nut member screwed into the screw shaft.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Track rail, 2 ... Moving block, 3 ... Ball, 4 ... Lubricating oil supply member, 41 ... Application body, 42 ... Occlusion body

Claims (5)

A lubricating oil supply device that is mounted on a slide member that engages with a track shaft via a rolling element, and that applies lubricant to the track shaft in accordance with the relative movement of the slide member and the track shaft,
It has an application body that absorbs and holds the lubricating oil and applies the lubricating oil to the rolling surface of the rolling element formed on the raceway shaft. The application body includes a base material made of woven or knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric. A lubricating oil supply apparatus comprising: a binder component that is dispersed inside the base material and partially binds fibers forming the woven or knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric, and has a plurality of voids inside.   The base material includes one or more fibers selected from the group consisting of aramid fibers, glass fibers, carbon fibers, polyparaphenylenebenzobisoxazole (PBO) fibers, and polyester fibers. The lubricating oil supply device according to claim 1.   The said binder component contains 1 type, or 2 or more types of rubbers selected from the group comprised by fluorine rubber, EPM, EPDM, hydrogenated nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, acrylic rubber, and butyl rubber. Or the lubricating oil supply apparatus of 2. An occlusion body is provided that absorbs and holds the lubricating oil and supplies the lubricating oil to the coated body,
This occlusion body also has a base material composed of a woven or knitted fabric or a non-woven fabric, and a binder component that is dispersed inside the base material and partially bonds the fibers forming the woven or knitted fabric or the non-woven fabric. The lubricating oil supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a gap. A raceway shaft on which a rolling surface of the rolling element is formed, a slide member that engages with the raceway axis through the rolling body and moves relative to the raceway axis, and is mounted on the slide member. In the motion guide apparatus comprising a lubricating oil supply member that applies lubricating oil to the rolling surface of the track shaft with relative movement,
The lubricating oil supply member has an application body that applies lubricating oil to a rolling surface of a rolling element formed on the raceway shaft, and the application body includes a base material made of a woven or knitted fabric or a nonwoven fabric, A motion guide device comprising: a binder component that is dispersed inside a substrate and partially binds fibers forming the woven or knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric, and has a plurality of voids inside.

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