JP4523870B2 - Linear motion guidance unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a linear guide unit including a long track rail and a slider that relatively moves on the track rail via a rolling element.

  In general, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the linear motion guide unit straddles the long track rail 1 and the track rail 1 having track surfaces 11 (first track surfaces) formed on both side surfaces 42 in the longitudinal direction. It is provided with a raceway surface 12 (second raceway surface) facing the raceway surface 11 and is slidable via a rolling element 5 that rolls on a load raceway 34 between the raceway surface 11 and the raceway surface 12. The slider 2 is mounted. In the illustrated linear motion guide unit, a roller is used as the rolling element 5, but when the rolling element is a ball, the raceway surface indicates a raceway groove. The slider 2 is slidable relative to the track rail 1 and is relatively movable between the casing 3 in which the track surfaces 12 are formed on the sleeves 16 on both sides and the track surfaces 11 and 12 facing each other. The rolling element 5 is composed of a number of rollers that roll to each other, and the end cap 4 is attached to each end face 35 of the casing 3. The track rail 1 is attached to the attachment base 23 with fixing bolts 31 (FIG. 1) through the attachment holes 17. A mounting screw hole 18 is formed in the casing 3 for mounting a bed, equipment, and the like. Further, end seals 15 are attached to the end surfaces of the end caps 4 in order to achieve a longitudinal seal between the track rail 1 and the slider 2. The end cap 4 and the end seal 15 are fixed to the casing 3 with fixing bolts 44. In addition, a grease nipple (not shown) is attached to the end cap 4 in order to supply the lubricant to the rolling elements 5 and the sliding surface between the track rail 1 and the slider 2 through the oil supply port 29. Further, the linear motion guide unit is attached to the casing 3 so that the rolling plate 5 surrounds a large number of rolling elements 5 in order to prevent the rolling elements 5 from falling off the casing 3. In the figure, the rolling surface 39 of the roller rolls on the raceway surfaces 11 and 12, and the end surface 40 of the roller is held by a receiving surface that extends at right angles to the raceway surface 12 of the casing 3 and the holding plate 13.

  The linear motion guide unit has a bottom seal 14 attached to the lower surface of the end cap 4 and the casing 3 in order to seal the gap between the casing 3 and the end cap 4 and the longitudinal side surface 42 of the track rail 1. Yes. The rolling elements 5 in the load region, that is, the load track 34 that travels on the track surface 11 of the track rail 1 are guided to a direction change path (not shown) formed in the end cap 4, and further, the track surface 12 of the casing 3. The rolling elements 5 are configured to endlessly circulate in the endless circulation path. In the drawing, the return path 10 formed in the casing 3 is formed by a pipe 6 made of a porous member or the like having a through hole inserted into an insertion hole 9 formed in the casing 3. In the figure, the two-divided semi-cylindrical bodies are formed by being joined by the dividing surface 41, but various shapes can be used. Further, in the linear motion guide unit as described above, when foreign matter such as dust, dust, dust, and chips enters the clearance between the track rail 1 and the slider 2 and adheres to the raceway surfaces 11 and 12, the rolling element 5 is smooth. Since rolling is hindered, the end seal 15 is typically attached to the end face of the end cap 4 with screws in order to prevent foreign matter from entering through the gaps at both ends of the slider 2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the conventional linear motion guide unit has a structure in which an upper surface cover 21 is provided on the track rail 1. When a linear motion guide unit is incorporated in a machine tool such as a grinding machine, liquid metal waste containing grinding sludge (hereinafter referred to as liquid sludge) is generated by grinding the workpiece in the machine tool. The top cover 21 covers the mounting hole 17 of the track rail 1 and prevents foreign matter, liquid sludge, etc. from entering the mounting hole 17 of the track rail 1. After the fixing bolt 24 (see FIG. 1) is inserted to fix the track rail 1 to the mounting base 23, the upper surface cover 21 is attached to the upper surface of the track rail 1. The reason is that when foreign matter, liquid sludge or the like enters the mounting hole 17 of the track rail 1, foreign matter such as liquid sludge passes through the end seal 15 into the slider 2 that slides relative to the track rail 1. As a result, the slider 2 enters the inside of the slider 2. Further, in the linear motion guide unit, the upper surface cover 21 is generally attached to the track rail 1 and used in a situation where foreign matter, liquid sludge and the like enter the mounting hole 17 of the track rail 1.

  The present applicant has developed a linear motion rolling guide unit with a sealing device that can be applied without changing the basic specifications and can be easily mounted and removed. The linear motion rolling guide unit includes a seal device fixed to an end surface of a slider that can slide over a track rail. The seal device includes an upper portion located on an upper surface side of the track rail, and an upper portion of the upper portion. A pair of sealing cassettes comprising side portions located on both sides of the track rail on both sides, a seal upper portion housed in the seal cassette and slidably contacting the upper surface of the track rail, and a pair of sides capable of expanding on both sides of the seal upper portion It comprises a seal comprising a seal side portion, and a scraper plate which is accommodated on the end face in the seal cassette and is located on the track rail and has a slight gap between the track rail. In other words, the sealing device has a high dustproof effect and can maintain a long life even when used in an environment where a large amount of foreign matter such as chips is generated. Has a slight gap between it and the track rail to eliminate large foreign matter adhering to the track rail. Further, the seal device is such that the seal side portions can be expanded from each other and the seal can be detached from above the track rail, so that the replacement work of the seal can be easily performed (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  A conventionally known linear guide device with a protector has an outer shape substantially similar to the outer shape of the dust-proof seal, and includes an outer protector and an inner protector fixed to the slider body with the dust-proof seal sandwiched from the front and rear. The outer protector is attached to the outside by forming a gap with the dust-proof seal, and prevents the dust-proof seal from burning out due to hot welding spatter. Further, the inner protector is in close contact with the back surface of the dust-proof seal and backs up the lip portion of the dust-proof seal to prevent foreign matter from being caught (for example, see Patent Document 2).

Also, a guide device having a dust-proof structure is known which has a track shaft and a slide member engaged with the track shaft so as to be able to reciprocate in the length direction via a number of rolling elements. The guide device has a dust-proof structure, so that smooth sliding of the slide member with respect to the track shaft over a long period of time is required even under harsh usage conditions that require the use of coolant and dust, dust, wood chips, and chips. It can maintain exercise. In the dust-proof structure, an elastic member that is in close contact with the track shaft and holds the lubricant is overlapped in the length direction of the track shaft. Alternatively, the dust-proof structure includes a lubricant pocket forming member that is formed of an elastic material and has a concave groove portion that forms a lubricant pocket that is filled with the lubricant in cooperation with the surface of the raceway shaft. The forming member is formed of a plurality of elastic members impregnated with a lubricant to form a lubricant supply portion, and a spacer member interposed between the elastic members and cooperating with the elastic member to form a concave groove portion. (For example, see Patent Document 3).
JP-A-9-42284 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-48612 JP 2000-227115 A

  However, when using a linear motion guide unit, which is a precision component, in a severe working environment where large foreign matter is generated by cutting a workpiece or a large amount of foreign matter is generated in a machine tool or other device. Therefore, it is indispensable to take another dustproof measure for the linear motion guide unit. That is, in recent years, the linear motion guide unit has come to be used in a working environment where liquid sludge is scattered, such as a grinding machine. In particular, in the grinding machine, the rolling element 5 is a roller as shown in FIGS. The thing of came to be used a lot. As shown in FIG. 9, the roller-type linear motion guide unit has raceway surfaces 11 and 12 that are opposed to each other on the side surface 42 of the track rail 1 and the inner side surface of the sleeve portion 16 of the casing 3 in the slider 2. A structure in which two rows of load raceways 34 are formed between the surface 11 and the raceway surface 12 with a roller interposed therebetween. Therefore, of the two rows of load track 34, the lower track 34 which is the lower surface side of the track rail 1 is located near the lower surface seal 14 and foreign matters such as liquid sludge The liquid sludge easily enters the gap between the slider 2 and the track rail 1 when entering the lower surface 22.

  Recently, linear motion guide units have been actively used in various high-speed mechanical devices. The linear motion guide unit is a large-scale device such as a bellows device, especially in a machine tool such as a grinding machine, when it is used in an environment in which foreign matter such as liquid sludge containing grinding sludge generated by grinding of a workpiece is scattered. Dustproof devices are used, but there is a demand for a dustproof device that can satisfy the dustproof function by providing a simple structure dustproof device in the linear motion guide unit without providing such a large dustproof device.

  Further, when the linear motion guide unit is used in an environment where liquid sludge such as a grinding liquid containing ground sludge after grinding is used, such as a grinding machine disclosed in Patent Document 1, the scattered grinding is performed. Although the liquid flows from the lower surface of the sealing device to the lower surface of the slider, and a lower surface seal is provided on the lower surface of the slider, foreign matter such as grinding fluid enters from the lower surface of the slider and is contained in the grinding liquid. This is a factor that promotes wear on the raceway surface between the track rail and the slider.

  In addition, in the case of the linear guide device with the protector, the outer protector and the inner protector prevent the intrusion of foreign matter, particularly the intrusion of foreign matter from hot welding spatter, etc. Obviously, it does not have the function or action of preventing the slider from going around the lower surface.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and is provided with a skirt that is a member that serves as an auxiliary to a conventional dustproof device, and includes a grinding sludge and other foreign matters. Linear motion guide with a simple structure that functions as a shielding plate that prevents foreign substances such as liquid sludge from entering the lower surface of the slider, and that can be easily installed on both sides of the dustproof device with respect to the existing slider Is to provide a unit.

The present invention includes a track rail attached to a mounting base and having a first track surface on both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction, a second track surface straddling the track rail and facing the first track surface, and In a linear motion guide unit comprising a slider slidable via a rolling element that rolls between a first raceway surface and the second raceway surface,
The slider is provided with a dustproof device and a skirt formed of a flat plate member adjacent to the dustproof device,
The skirt is related to a linear motion guide unit that protrudes from the lower surface of the slider toward the mounting base in order to prevent foreign matters such as liquid sludge from entering the lower surface of the slider.

The present invention also includes a track rail attached to the mounting base and having a first track surface on both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction, and a second track surface straddling the track rail and facing the first track surface. And a linear motion guide unit comprising a slider slidable via a rolling element rolling between the first raceway surface and the second raceway surface,
On the slider is arranged a skirt adjacent to the dustproof device dustproof device, said skirt is formed of a synthetic rubber member, wherein the synthetic rubber member is disposed in the core metal is in contact The present invention relates to a linear motion guide unit that protrudes from the lower surface of the slider toward the mounting base in order to prevent foreign matters such as liquid sludge from entering the lower surface of the slider .

In this linear motion guide unit, the skirt extends in a state where its lower end surface is in contact with or close to the mounting base.

The present invention also includes a track rail attached to the mounting base and having a first track surface on both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction, and a second track surface straddling the track rail and facing the first track surface. And a linear motion guide unit comprising a slider slidable via a rolling element rolling between the first raceway surface and the second raceway surface,
The slider is provided with a dustproof device and a skirt adjacent to the dustproof device, and the skirt faces the mounting base in order to prevent foreign matters such as liquid sludge from entering the lower surface of the slider. And a first skirt and a second skirt that protrude from the lower surface of the slider and sandwich a body member of the dustproof device in the front-rear direction .

Further, in the linear motion guide unit, before Symbol slider is made from the second casing having a raceway surface, an end surface arranged end cap of the casing, and the end face side arranged end seals of the end cap The body member of the dustproof device is disposed with a spacer on the slider. Further, the first skirt is disposed in contact with a lubrication plate disposed between the end cap and the end seal, and the second skirt includes the body member of the dustproof device and a scraper of the dustproof device. Between the two.

  As described above, this linear motion guide unit is provided with a plate-shaped skirt with a simple structure in the dustproof device, and the skirt protrudes from the lower surface of the slider and extends to the mounting base. Even when used under conditions where liquid etc. scatters, foreign matter such as liquid sludge including grinding sludge contained in the grinding fluid is prevented from entering the lower surface of the slider. Wear can be reduced, long life can be achieved, and the skirt itself is inexpensive, compact, and can be easily attached to and removed from existing sliders.

  Embodiments of a linear motion guide unit according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Since the linear motion guide unit according to the present invention can be easily incorporated into conventional linear motion guide units as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, for example, it has the same functions as the components and members shown therein. The parts and members having the same reference numerals are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted here.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, this linear motion guide unit is provided with a dustproof device in addition to the conventional dustproof devices 7 and 8 on the end surface of the slider 2 of the linear motion guide unit shown in FIGS. As a countermeasure, there is a skirt 20 that functions as a kind of curtain, and it is suitable for use in a working environment in which foreign matter such as liquid sludge mixed with grinding fluid is generated by grinding waste generated by a grinding machine or the like. . In this linear motion guide unit, for example, when the slider 2 is assembled to a table, a skirt 20 is disposed on at least one end face of the slider 2 located outside. In this embodiment, the track rail 1 is fixed to the mounting base 23, and the track rail 2 is mounted with an upper surface cover 21 covering the upper surface thereof.

  This linear motion guide unit is mounted on the mounting base 23 and has a track surface 1 having track surfaces 11 (first track surfaces) on both side surfaces 42 in the longitudinal direction, and straddles the track rail 1 and faces the track surface 11. The slider 2 includes a raceway surface 12 (second raceway surface) that is slidable via a rolling element 5 that is a roller that rolls between the raceway surface 11 and the raceway surface 12. In particular, the linear motion guide unit functions as a kind of dust-proof device in order to prevent foreign matters such as liquid sludge from passing between the mounting base 23 and the lower surface 22 of the slider 2 and into the lower surface 22 of the slider 2. The slider 2 is provided with a skirt 20 having a simple structure. As will be described later, the skirt 20 is formed as a plate member that protrudes from the lower surface 22 of the slider 2 toward the mounting base 23.

  In this linear motion guide unit, a plurality of mounting holes 17 are formed in the track rail 1 so as to be spaced apart. The track rail 1 is fixed to the mounting base 23 through fixing bolts 24 in the mounting holes 17. Further, the track rail 1 is provided with an upper surface cover 21 for covering the upper surface and closing the mounting hole 17 and the like. The slider 2 includes a casing 3 having a raceway surface 3, an end cap 4 disposed on both end surfaces 35 of the casing 3, and an end seal 15 disposed on the end surface side of the end cap 4. One end cap 4 attached to the end face 35 of the casing 3 is provided with a grease nipple 43, and the other end cap 4 is provided with a stopper plug 38 for closing the grease nipple attachment portion. .

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the linear motion guide unit is specifically configured such that the dustproof means includes the conventional end seal 15 as follows. In this embodiment, the dust-proof means includes a dust-proof device 7 as a main body member 7A, a dust-proof device 8 as a scraper 8A, and a pair of skirts 20. The skirt 20 is composed of two sheets of a first skirt 20A and a second skirt 20B arranged so as to sandwich the main body member 7A of the dustproof device 7 in the front-rear direction. A main body member 7A of the dustproof device 7 is disposed on the slider 2 with a spacer 25 interposed therebetween. Further, the first skirt 20 </ b> A is disposed in contact with the lubricating plate 19 disposed between the end cap 4 and the end seal 15. The second skirt 20 </ b> B is disposed between the main body member 7 </ b> A of the dustproof device 7 and the scraper 8 </ b> A of the dustproof device 8.

  In this linear motion guide unit, in particular, the skirt 20 is formed as a flat plate member as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the lower end surface 36 of the skirt 20 is in contact with or close to the mounting base 23. The skirt 20 is an elastic member so that the attachment base 23 which is a counterpart member is not damaged even if the skirt 20 comes into contact with or comes into contact with the attachment base 23 or a foreign matter is involved. Made of synthetic rubber material. Specifically, the skirt 20 is formed of a synthetic rubber member, and the metal cores 26 and 32 are disposed in contact with the synthetic rubber member. Although not shown in the drawings, the skirt 20 has a collar made of a rigid material inserted so as not to be elastically deformed by fastening the screw, and is formed in a mounting hole 45 or a recess 46 larger than the screw diameter. Yes. The skirt 20 is formed with an inverted U-shaped concave portion corresponding to the slider 2, except for the lower surface of the end cap 4, that is, the lower portion protruding from the lower surface 22 of the slider 2 toward the mounting base 23. It is formed in the same size.

  In this linear motion guide unit, the dustproof device 7 has a dustproof member 28 housed in a cover 30. A main body member 7A of the dustproof device 7 is disposed on the slider 2 with a spacer 25 interposed therebetween. Further, the first skirt 20 </ b> A is disposed in contact with the lubricating plate 19 disposed between the end cap 4 and the end seal 15. The second skirt 20 </ b> B is disposed between the main body member 7 </ b> A of the dustproof device 7 and the scraper 8 </ b> A of the dustproof device 8. The lower surface, which is the lower part of the skirt 20, is configured in contact with or close to the mounting base 23. In this embodiment, it is a close type, and the lower end surface 36 is formed in a straight and flat surface. Further, when the skirt 20 is in contact with the mounting base 23, the lower end surface 36 of the skirt 20 can be formed in a jagged wave shape, and the sliding resistance against the mounting base 23 can be reduced.

  In this linear motion guide unit, the dust-proof means attached to the end surface of the slider 2 is specifically a core metal 26 that backs up the first skirt 20A from the end surface side of the end cap 4, and a first adjacent to the metal core 26. 1 skirt 20 A, lubricating plate 19 impregnated with lubricating oil adjacent to the first skirt 20 A, end seal 15 adjacent to the lubricating plate 19, spacer 25 adjacent to the end seal 15, cored bar 27 adjacent to the spacer 25 The main body member 7A constituting the dustproof device 7 adjacent to the core metal 27, the core metal 32 adjacent to the main body member 7A, the second skirt 20B adjacent to the core metal 32, and the dustproof device 8 adjacent to the second skirt 20B are provided. The scrapers 8A to be configured are sequentially arranged. The main body member 7 </ b> A constituting the dustproof device 7 includes a dustproof member 28 and a cover 30 that houses the dustproof member 28. In this linear motion guide unit, the first skirt 20 A, the lubricating plate 19, the end seal 15, the spacer 25, the core metal 27, and the dustproof device 7, which are backed up by the core metal 26 through the end cap 4, are fixed by the fixing bolt 31. The casing 3 is fixed by screwing. Further, the second skirt 20 </ b> B backed up by the cored bar 32 and the scraper 8 </ b> A constituting the dustproof device 8 are fixed to the cover 30 by fixing bolts 33 screwed into the screw holes 37 of the cover 30.

  In this linear motion guide unit, the lubricating plate 19 is provided to lubricate the lip portion of the end seal 15 and the track surface 11 of the track rail 1. The dustproof member 28 inserted into the cover 30 is formed of a member such as a felt or synthetic resin fiber body, a synthetic resin sintered body, a synthetic resin or synthetic rubber foam so as to shield liquid sludge. . In this embodiment, the dustproof member 28 is formed of felt. The scraper 8 </ b> A is formed of a metal plate or the like having a slight gap between the track rail 1 and has a function of removing large foreign matters attached to the track rail 1.

  The linear motion guide unit according to the present invention is used by being incorporated in sliding parts of various devices such as a machine tool such as a grinding machine, a precision machine, a semiconductor manufacturing device, a measurement / inspection device, a medical device, and a micromachine.

It is a front view which shows one Example of the linear motion guide unit by this invention. It is a side view which shows the linear motion guide unit of FIG. It is a top view which shows the linear motion guide unit of FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing a skirt and a dustproof device attached to an end face of a slider in the linear motion guide unit of FIG. 1. It is a front view which shows the skirt provided in the slider of the linear guide unit of FIG. It is a side view which shows the skirt of FIG. It is a side view which shows the assembly state of the skirt with respect to the casing seen with the arrow AA in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the linear motion guide unit of a prior art example. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the linear motion guide unit taken along the plane B of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the upper surface cover used for the conventional linear motion guide unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Track rail 2 Slider 3 Casing 4 End cap 5 Rolling element 7,8 Dust-proof device 7A Main body member 8A Scraper 11 Track surface (1st track surface)
12 Track surface (second track surface)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 End seal 19 Lubrication plate 20 Skirt 20A 1st skirt 20B 2nd skirt 22 Lower surface of slider 23 Mounting base 25 Spacer 26, 32 Core metal 28 Dust-proof member 35 End surface 36 Lower end surface of skirt 42 Side surface of track rail

Claims (6)

A track rail that is attached to a mounting base and has a first track surface on both sides in the longitudinal direction, and a second track surface that straddles the track rail and faces the first track surface, and the first track surface And a linear guide unit comprising a slider slidable via a rolling element rolling between the second raceway surface and the second raceway surface,
The slider is provided with a dustproof device and a skirt formed of a flat plate member adjacent to the dustproof device,
The linear motion guide unit, wherein the skirt protrudes from the lower surface of the slider toward the mounting base in order to prevent foreign matters such as liquid sludge from entering the lower surface of the slider. A track rail that is attached to a mounting base and has a first track surface on both sides in the longitudinal direction, and a second track surface that straddles the track rail and faces the first track surface, and the first track surface And a linear guide unit comprising a slider slidable via a rolling element rolling between the second raceway surface and the second raceway surface,
On the slider is arranged a skirt adjacent to the dustproof device dustproof device, said skirt is formed of a synthetic rubber member, wherein the synthetic rubber member is disposed in the core metal is in contact the linear guide unit mounted towards the base you characterized in that protrudes from the lower surface of the slider in order to prevent foreign matter such as liquid sludge from flowing to the lower surface of the slider. 3. The linear motion guide unit according to claim 1, wherein a lower end surface of the skirt extends in a state in contact with or close to the mounting base. 4. A track rail that is attached to a mounting base and has a first track surface on both sides in the longitudinal direction, and a second track surface that straddles the track rail and faces the first track surface, and the first track surface And a linear guide unit comprising a slider slidable via a rolling element rolling between the second raceway surface and the second raceway surface,
The slider is provided with a dustproof device and a skirt adjacent to the dustproof device, and the skirt faces the mounting base in order to prevent foreign matters such as liquid sludge from entering the lower surface of the slider. protrudes from the lower surface of the slider Te, first skirt and the linear motion guide unit you characterized by being composed of a second skirt the body member of the dust-proof device is disposed so as to sandwich the front and rear. The slider has a casing provided with said second raceway surface, arranged on the end face of the casing end-caps, and consists placed end seals on the end face of said end cap, said body member of said dust-proof device, The linear motion guide unit according to claim 4 , wherein the slider is disposed with a spacer interposed therebetween. The first skirt is disposed in contact with a lubrication plate disposed between the end cap and the end seal, and the second skirt is disposed between the main body member of the dustproof device and the scraper of the dustproof device. The linear motion guide unit according to claim 5 , wherein the linear motion guide unit is disposed on the linear motion guide unit.

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