WO2014079438A1

WO2014079438A1 - Linear guide arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2014079438A1
Application number: PCT/DE2013/200292
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dietmar Rudy
Original assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
Priority date: 2012-11-20
Filing date: 2013-11-11
Publication date: 2014-05-30
Also published as: DE102012221203A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a linear guide arrangement, comprising a rail component and a carriage guided on the rail component, wherein the carriage (2) consists of a plastics support body (24) which is coated externally with a metal coating (27).

Description

Name of the invention

Linear guide arrangement Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a linear guide arrangement comprising a rail component and a carriage guided on the rail component.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Such linear guide arrangements are used in many fields where positioning tasks have to be carried out. They make it possible to perform defined linear movements in order to bring a coupled to the carriage component in a defined position. Increasingly, applications arise which require only relatively small, limited strokes and in which only relatively small loads are to be moved. Examples are applications in the field of product electronics, there mainly at placement machines, or in the field of medical technology, there for example, analysis equipment, where appropriate to be analyzed samples and the like to move. Often, dynamic movements are required, which means that the slide must be moved and guided very quickly and with high basic acceleration, but with the same high precision.

In addition to the rail component, the slide is usually also a metal component, which is machined to form the relevant geometries, be it in the rolling area or in the area of attachment to moving third-party objects, which is expensive. In addition, especially when using steel, the weight of the carriage is considerable. For weight reduction, therefore, correspondingly additional cutting machining Steps required to work out weight-reducing recesses and the like. This is also disadvantageous because consuming.

Summary of the invention

The invention is therefore based on the problem of providing a linear guide arrangement which, in contrast, is improved.

In order to solve this problem, it is provided according to the invention in a linear guide arrangement of the type mentioned at the outset that the carriage consists of a supporting body made of plastic, which is coated on the outside with a metal coating.

In the linear guide assembly according to the invention, a special, very lightweight carriage is used. It consists of a supporting body made of plastic, thus therefore made of a, compared to metal and especially steel, very light material. In order to give the carriage a sufficient rigidity, the plastic carrier body is on the outside with a metal coating, which is preferably applied on all sides occupied. This metal coating is selected with regard to the materials or the coating thickness such that the plastic support body has the required rigidity, which is comparable to the corresponding metal slide, at least aluminum. The metal layer consequently acts as a shell and gives the carriage a rigidity, nevertheless the carriage is nevertheless much lighter than a metal pouring, in particular as an already relatively light aluminum carriage.

Preferably, the plastic is fiber and / or particle-reinforced, in particular glass ball reinforced. By this fiber or particle reinforcement, the rigidity of the plastic carrier body is already significantly increased, compared with the pure, unreinforced plastic material. By interaction with the shell-like metal coating thus results in a total of the required stiffness readily having slide. As described, the metal coating is preferably applied on all sides, thus completely encapsulating the carriage, so that the given rigidity is given in any reference direction. The thickness of the metal coating should be in the range of 20-200 μm, in particular it should have a maximum of 100 μm. Relatively small layer thicknesses, in particular those of less than 100 .mu.m, are particularly readily usable if the plastic is correspondingly fiber and / or particle-reinforced.

Expediently, the metal coating consists of a first metal layer applied directly to the carrier body and a second metal layer applied thereto. The first metal layer is used to connect the metal coating on the support body, preferably for this purpose a copper layer is applied, for example by sputtering. In particular copper can be applied very well on a plastic surface.

The second metal layer is a metal layer, which may preferably be electrodeposited. It may be a single-metal layer, but also conceivable layers of different elements, such as Zn-Cu, Pb-Zn-Cu, and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and will be described in more detail below. Show it:

FIG. 1 shows a partially cutaway perspective view of a linear guide arrangement according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the essential elements of the linear guide arrangement from FIG. 1, 4 shows a sectional view through a part of the linear guide arrangement in the area of roller bearings with inserted rows of rolling elements, but not yet used track components, FIG. 5 shows a view according to FIG. 4 with inserted track components, and FIG Section view through the carriage according to the invention

Fig. 1

Detailed description of the drawing

FIG. 1 shows a linear guide arrangement 1 according to the invention, comprising a carriage 2, which can be connected to a third object to be positioned or to be moved, for example a tool or sample carrier or the like. The carriage 2 is guided linearly on a rail component 3 via a rolling element bearing to be described below. It can be moved by any desired drive 4, for example an electric, pneumatic or purely mechanical drive such as Bowden cable or the like, and moved linearly relative to the rail component 3. The specific design of the drive 4 is ultimately arbitrary, as long as the drive on the one hand with the carriage 2 can be coupled and on the other hand allows a corresponding linear movement of the same.

On rail component 3, which consists for example of steel, on both sides of a projecting web 5 6 tracks formed, so formed there directly, for example by machining. Rolling bodies 7 roll on these raceways 6 in the assembled state, here balls which are received in a cage 8, which is designed as a linear rail-like cage. Since both sides of the shoulder 5 raceways 6 are provided, are therefore two such Wälzkörperreihen 9 comprising the cage 8 and the rolling elements 7 is provided.

The rolling elements 7 are mounted on the other side of the slide 10 on Laufbahnbautei-, counterposed, these raceway components 10 provide the second raceway for the rows of rolling elements 9. In the example shown, the raceway components 10 are formed by means of elongate needles 1 1, which are fixed in a fixed position on the carriage 2 in corresponding receptacles. The raceway components 10, so here the needles 1 1, for example, also made of steel, they are made of a harder material than the carriage 2 itself, where they are taken. The carriage 2 is, as will be discussed below with reference to FIG. 6, a plastic component, for example an injection-molded component. In particular, in the case of the application described here, it can be made from this material, since the slide itself does not undergo any rolling contact directly, since, as described, the rolling element rows 9 roll on the raceway components 10. Since the carriage 2 is made of a softer material, it is expediently dimensioned such that, after complete assembly, the two rolling element rows 9 are prestressed in a defined manner against the raceways 6 on the rail component 3.

In order to use the row of rolling elements 9 and the raceway components 10 in the small space between the rail member 3 and the carriage 2 in the axial extension of this gap an opening 12 is provided, via which the rows of rolling elements 9 and 10 Laufbahnbauteilte axially inserted and in the appropriate position can be used. After mounting all the elements, the opening 12 is closed by means of a closure element 13, here a type of lid, which here can be clipped, screwed or even glued on the carriage 2, for example.

Finally, as FIG. 1 shows, a damping element 14 is provided on the slide 2 on the one hand, which dampens the stop of the slide 2 on the rail component 3. Further, a fixing portion 15 is provided, on which the already described tool or the like, via the already described tool or the like, which is to move over the carriage 2, can be attached.

While Figure 1 shows the Linearfuhrungsanordnung invention in a perspective view, partially in section, Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the essential, relevant to the rolling bearing components. From this you can also see the assembly order. After the carriage 2 is pushed onto the rail component and positioned, the cages 8 and the rolling bodies 7 are inserted into the area between the rail component 3 and the carriage 2 via the opening 12. Subsequently, the raceway components 10 are inserted, resulting in a defined bias of the rows of rolling elements 9 to the rail member 3 due to the softness of the carriage. In order to prevent the raceway components 10 from wandering out, the opening 12 is then closed by means of the closure element 13, which for example has a latching section 16 which engages on a latching shoulder 17 on the carriage 2, which in addition, via a fastening screw 19 (see FIG. 3) Closing element 13 can be permanently attached. The thus assembled linear guide 1 is shown in Figure 3, where also the mounting portion 15 for a possible tool or a sample holder, etc. can be seen.

Finally, FIGS. 4 and 5 show two sectional views showing different mounting situations.

Figure 4 shows the situation in which the rows of rolling elements 9 comprising the two cages 8 together with the rolling elements 7 inserted therein via the opening 12, on which one looks directly when looking at Figures 4 and 5, in the space between the rail member 3 and the web 5 and the carriage 2 are used. The web 5 has, see in Figure 4, the right half of the figure, a stop 20, which limits the track 6 (see the partially cut zone in the left half of the figure in Figure 4) axially. As can be seen from this semi-sectional NEN view, the rolling elements 7 are still taken loose, they are applied to the track 6 at.

Now the raceway elements 10 are inserted over the opening 12. On the carriage corresponding receiving portions 21 are formed for this purpose, which are in their shape of the shape of the raceway components 10, here the circular in cross-section needles 1 1, executed accordingly, so that there is a positive reception. The receiving portions 21 are formed via corresponding longitudinal bores and undercut with shoulders 22 on both sides, so that a secure position-fixed fixation of the needles 1 1 takes place.

Now, if the needles 1 1 inserted into the receiving portions 21, so here the rolling elements 7 are pressed against the respective track 6, so that there comes to the rolling contact. The opposite Wälzkontakt is, see Figure 5, realized on the two needles 1 1. Since the carriage 2 consists of a relative to the needles 1 1 softer material, such as plastic or metal casting, thus a certain slide-side elasticity is given, which allows the rolling elements 7 are pressed under bias against the raceways 6, so that consequently both sides give preloaded Wälzkörpersysteme.

Finally, Figures 4 and 5 still show the threaded bore 23 into which the fastening screw 19 is screwed for fixing the closure element 13.

Although in the figures two career members 10 are shown in the form of needles 1 1 for forming the respective raceway, it is of course also conceivable to perform in their place only a one-piece, designed as a wider rail component having a corresponding groove on the flanks of the Rolling rolling element, has. This, too, could readily be accommodated positively in the receiving space in the carriage 2 or pushed in via the opening 12. Furthermore, it is conceivable, unlike in the figures, a runway directly on the carriage 2, which is then made of metal such as steel or the like, execute, and determine the or the raceway components on the rail component, which would then consist of the softer material, As it is also conceivable to position corresponding bearing components 10 on both the carriage 2 and the rail component 3, in which case the rail component as well as the carriage would be made of softer material.

FIG. 6 shows a sectional view through the carriage 2.

The carriage 2 shown here as a basic illustration consists of a plastic support body 24 in which fibers 25 (for example glass fibers or metal fibers) and glass spheres 26 for reinforcement are introduced in the example shown. It is not necessary to introduce both types of particles, in principle it is also possible to introduce only fibers 25 or only glass beads 26 or, instead of the glass beads, particles of other materials, e.g. To introduce ceramic particles.

On the outside, the support body 24, preferably on all sides, is covered with a metal coating 27. This consists of a first, directly applied to the plastic support body 24 metal layer 28, preferably applied by sputtering copper layer. An outer second metal layer 29, which is preferably an electrodeposited metal layer, e.g. a layer of galvanic nickel. The metal layer 27 thus encapsulates the support body 2 completely and on all sides, about which it, in particular in connection with the fiber and particle reinforcement, is given the required rigidity.

Although clearly exaggerated in FIG. 6, the layer thickness of the metal coating 27 is relatively small. It is in the range of 20-200 μιτι, preferably it is maximum 100 μιτι. The plastic support body 24 in turn consists of any engineering plastic, which is preferably processed in a spraying process for contouring. To name just here by way of example polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate or polytetrafluoroethylene nen, this list is not exhaustive.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 linear guide arrangement

2 sleds

3 rail component

4 drive

5 footbridge

6 raceways

7 rolling elements

8 cage

9 rows of rolling elements

10 career components

1 1 needles

12 opening

13 closure element

14 damping element

15 attachment section

16 latching section

17 latching shoulder

19 fixing screw

20 stop

21 recording sections

22 shoulders

23 tapped hole

24 supporting bodies

25 fibers

26 glass balls

27 metal coating

28 metal layer

Claims

Claims 1. Linear guide arrangement, comprising a rail component and a carriage guided on the rail component, characterized in that the carriage

(2) consists of a support body (24) made of plastic, which is covered on the outside with a metal coating (27), the metal coating (27) being applied on all sides 2. Linear guide arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the plastic is fiber- and/or particle-reinforced, in particular glass ball-reinforced.

3. Linear guide arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the metal coating (27) has a thickness of 20 - 200 μm, in particular a maximum of 100 μm,

4. Linear guide arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the metal coating (27) consists of a first metal layer (28) applied directly to the support body (24) and a second metal layer (29) applied thereto.

5. Linear guide arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the first metal layer (28) is a copper layer

6. Linear guide arrangement according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the first metal layer (28) is applied by sputtering.

7. Linear guide arrangement according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the second metal layer (28) is a nickel layer.

8. Linear guide arrangement according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the second metal layer (29) is applied galvanically.