Abstract:
A slide system for machine tools is provided, comprising a base member, at least one guide rail held on the base member and extending in a longitudinal direction, and a slide on the guide rail with at least one guide carriage. The guide rail has a guiding area and a base area. One of the base area or the base member has a receiving means extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail and the other of the base area or the base member has an insert member insertable into the receiving means in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. A clamping element is provided for clamping the insert member in the receiving means. The insert member is fixed in a form-locking manner by the receiving means and the clamping element in all directions extending transversely to the longitudinal direction.

Description:
The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in German application No. 102 12 343.8 of Mar. 15, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a slide system for machine tools, comprising a base member, at least one guide rail which is held on the base member and extends in a longitudinal direction, and a slide guided on the guide rail with at least one guide carriage. 
     In the case of the known slide systems, the guide rails themselves are screwed to the base member by means of screws, which pass directly through the guide rail over its entire height. Therefore, the guide rails are connected to the base member only by means of the screws. The fact that the guide rails are screwed to the base member makes it difficult to fix the guide rail exactly relative to the base member such that the longitudinal direction of the guide rail follows the desired direction with a precision in the micrometer range. 
     The object underlying the invention is, therefore, to improve a slide system of the generic type in such a manner that the guide rails can be mounted with as great a precision as possible and as easily as possible. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention, in a slide system of the type described at the outset. The slide system comprises a base member, at least one guide rail which is held on the base member and extends in a longitudinal direction, and a slide guided on the guide rail with at least one guide carriage. The guide rail has a guiding area for guiding the slide and a base area for providing a fixed connection to the base member. One of the base area and the base member has a receiving means extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. The other of the base area and the base member has an insert member insertable into the receiving means. This insert member being inserted into the receiving means in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. A clamping element is provided for clamping the insert member in the receiving means such that the insert member is fixed in a form-locking manner by the receiving means and the clamping element in all directions extending transversely to the longitudinal direction. 
     The advantage of the inventive solution is to be seen in the fact that the alignment of the longitudinal direction of the guide rail can be predetermined in a simple manner as a result of the provision of the receiving means and the insert member. In addition, a stable and precise fixing of the guide rail in all directions extending transversely to the longitudinal direction is possible as a result of the receiving means, the clamping element and the insert member. 
     An additional advantage of the present invention is to be seen in the fact that it is possible to replace the guide rail in a simple manner by employing a clamping element with a releasable design. 
     It is particularly favorable for the precise alignment of the guide rail when the receiving means has at least one aligning surface, on which an associated mounting surface of the insert member abuts. 
     In an example embodiment of the invention, the receiving means may have two aligning surfaces, on each of which an associated mounting surface of the insert member abuts. 
     The aligning surfaces in the receiving means may be arranged relative to one another as required. A particularly favorable solution does, however, provide for the two aligning surfaces to be arranged in the receiving means so as to face one another. 
     In order to achieve a precise alignment of the insert member during its insertion into the receiving means, it is preferably provided for the aligning surface and the associated mounting surface of the insert member to form a pair of surfaces. At least one surface of the pair of surfaces may comprise a flat surface. 
     An additional improvement in the precision of the alignment may be achieved in that each aligning surface and the associated mounting surface of the insert member form a pair of surfaces and that at least one surface of each pair of surfaces comprises a flat surface. 
     A particularly great degree of precision of the alignment, as well as a permanent stability may be achieved when both surfaces of a pair of surfaces comprise flat surfaces and thus abut on one another areally. 
     Alternatively to providing flat surfaces, it is also conceivable to use slightly curved surfaces. Surfaces of this type are more complicated to produce. However, by taking into consideration any deformations occurring due to the effect of any force beforehand by means of the curvature the desired surface shape (e.g., a flat surface) is then present when the force occurs. 
     With respect to the alignment of the surfaces of different pairs of surfaces relative to one another, no further details have so far been given. 
     It would, for example, be conceivable to arrange the surfaces of different pairs of surfaces at an obtuse angle relative to one another. 
     A particularly favorable solution does, however, provide for the surfaces of different pairs of surfaces to extend at an angle of less than 90° relative to one another. 
     In order to achieve a close-fit abutment of the surfaces on one another, it is preferably provided for the angles between the surfaces of different pairs of surfaces to be greater than the critical angle of a self-locking of the surfaces so that, during the insertion of the insert member into the receiving means, the surfaces come to rest on one another without any hindrance due to self-locking. 
     It is particularly favorable when the flat surfaces of the different pairs of surfaces extend at an angle in the range of between 30° and 60° relative to one another. 
     In order for the end position of the guide rail to be reached precisely during the insertion of the insert member into the receiving means, it is preferably provided for the pairs of surfaces to be formed by surfaces sliding relative to one another. 
     It is particularly favorable when the pairs of surfaces are each formed by ground surfaces. 
     With respect to the design of the base area itself, no further details have been given in conjunction with the preceding explanations concerning the individual embodiments. One solution, which is advantageous for as stable a fixing as possible of the guide rail, provides for the base area to be designed so as to be symmetric to a longitudinal central plane of the guide rail. 
     Preferably, the guiding area is likewise designed to be symmetric to the longitudinal central plane of the guide rail. 
     Such a guide rail may be produced particularly favorably when the base area and the guiding area of the guide rail are part of an integral profiled rail extending in the longitudinal direction. 
     The profiled rail may have varying cross-sectional shapes. 
     A particularly favorable production is possible when the profiled rail has an essentially constant cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction. 
     A particularly advantageous embodiment of the inventive solution provides for the clamping element to act constantly on the insert member with a clamping force so that the insert member is, altogether, constantly clamped by means of clamping forces. 
     In principle, it would be conceivable to clamp the insert member of the guide rail at several individual locations. The inventive solution is, however, particularly advantageous when at least one clamping element acts on the insert member with the clamping force at multiple locations over the length of the guide rail. 
     In this respect, it is preferably provided for the multiple action of the clamping force to lead to the areas extending in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail, in which the clamping force acts, so that the areas in which the clamping force acts have in total a greater extension than the areas in which no clamping force acts. 
     It is particularly favorable, in order to obtain a precise alignment of the guide rail, when the clamping forces acting on the insert member with the clamping element are adjustable. 
     As a result, it is possible to adjust and also readjust the clamping force from outside the guide rail. Furthermore, the clamping force can be adjusted and readjusted in the same way when the guide rail is replaced. 
     In this respect, the clamping elements themselves are preferably designed to be adjustable in their effect. For example, the clamping elements may be adjustable relative to the base member in order to act on the insert member with an adjustable clamping force. 
     It is, in fact, even more favorable when the clamping force can be adjusted locally. 
     In principle, it would also be conceivable for the clamping element or elements to penetrate the guide rails or parts of the guide rails. 
     It is, however, particularly favorable, especially with a view to an economical manufacture of the guide rails, when the clamping element or the clamping elements are arranged without penetrating the guide rail. 
     A particularly expedient arrangement of clamping element and insert member provides for the clamping element to act on the insert member from a side located opposite the receiving means. 
     With respect to the design of the clamping element, no further details have so far been given. The clamping element could, for example, be operative between the base member and the guide rail, acting only indirectly on the insert member or the receiving means. 
     A particularly favorable solution does, however, provide for the clamping element to act directly on the insert member and, therefore, bring about as precise a fixing as possible of the insert member. 
     In order to be able to introduce the clamping force via the clamping element as uniformly as possible, it is preferably provided for the clamping element to abut areally on the insert member. 
     Furthermore, a plurality of clamping elements may, as discussed above, be operative when viewed over the length of the guide rail. A particularly favorable solution provides for the clamping element to be designed as a clamping bar which extends essentially over the length of the guide rail. With this solution, as uniform an introduction of force as possible can be realized by means of the clamping element. 
     The inventive clamping element expediently acts on the part to be acted upon (e.g., the insert member) by means of at least one pressure surface. Several pressure surfaces which are operative at the same time may be provided on the clamping element. It is, however, particularly favorable when one pressure surface extends over the extension of the clamping element in its longitudinal direction. 
     One particularly favorable embodiment of a clamping element for the inventive solution provides for the clamping element to be provided with pressure surfaces on oppositely located longitudinal sides for acting on respective insert members. 
     In this respect, it is particularly favorable when the pressure surfaces of a single clamping element act upon insert members of different, adjacent guide rails so that two guide rails can be fixed in the corresponding receiving means by a single clamping element. 
     With respect to the design of the insert member and the receiving means on the base member and the guide rail, no further details have so far been given. 
     One possibility is to provide the base member with an insert member which engages in a receiving means provided in the base area of the guide rail. 
     One particularly advantageous solution provides for the base area of the guide rail to be designed as an insert member and for the base member to have the receiving means. As a result, a suitable connection between the base member and the guide rail can be realized in a particularly simple manner. 
     A particularly expedient design of a base area of a guide rail representing an insert member provides for the base area to have at least three mounting surfaces which extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail. Each of the mounting surfaces extends in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and parallel to a different, respective side of a triangle located in a plane extending transversely to the longitudinal direction. 
     The inventive solution may be realized in a particularly favorable manner with mounting surfaces of this type which are arranged along the sides of a triangle. 
     In this respect, the mounting surfaces are preferably arranged such that one of the mounting surfaces extends on a side of the base area located opposite the guiding area. 
     Furthermore, the other two of the three mounting surfaces are arranged on the base area such that they extend on different sides of the mounting surface that is located opposite the guiding area. 
     In this respect, one particularly favorable solution provides for the triangle defining the position of the mounting surfaces transversely to the longitudinal direction to be an isosceles triangle. 
     Additional features and advantages of the inventive solution are the subject description as well as the drawings illustrating one embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective illustration of a first embodiment of an inventive slide system with two slides; 
         FIG. 2  shows an enlarged illustration of the area A in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  shows an enlarged illustration of the area B in FIG.  1  and 
         FIG. 4  shows an illustration similar to  FIG. 2  of a second embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment of an inventive slide system illustrated in  FIG. 1  comprises a base member  10 , on which two guide rails  12   a  and  12   b  are, for example, provided for a first slide  14 . The first slide  14  is provided with guide carriages  16   a ,  16   b  and  16   d  which are guided on the guide rails  12   a  and  12   b  in a direction of guidance  18  while the guide carriages  16   a ,  16   b  and  16   d  are securely connected to the slide  14 . 
     In the same way, guide rails  22   a  and  22   b  are provided on the base member  10  for a second slide which is designated as a whole as  24 . The second slide  24  is provided with guide carriages  26   a ,  26   b  and  26   c  which are likewise guided on the guide rails  22   a  and  22   b  in the direction of guidance  28 . Guide carriages  26   a ,  26   b  and  26   c  and are securely connected to the second slide  24 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2  with the example of the guide rail  12   a , each of the guide rails has a guiding area  30  with guiding surfaces  32 ,  34  and  36  as well as a base area  40  which has mounting surfaces  42 ,  44  and  46 . The base area  40  represents an insert member  48  in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, mounting surfaces  42 ,  44 ,  46  extend in longitudinal direction  50  of the respective guide rail, for example, the guide rail  12   a . The mounting surfaces  42 ,  44 , and  46  also extend transversely to the longitudinal direction  50  parallel to the sides  52 ,  54  and  56  of an isosceles triangle. The triangle is located in a cross-sectional plane extending at right angles to the longitudinal direction  50  and coinciding with the plane of drawing in  FIG. 2 and , in addition, is arranged so as to be symmetric to a longitudinal central plane  58  extending through the longitudinal direction  50 . 
     The sides of the triangle  52 ,  54  and  56  may, in principle, extend as required and merely represent mathematical auxiliary lines which define the alignment of the mounting surfaces  42 ,  44  and  46 . 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the guide rail  12   a  is supported with the mounting surface  42  located on the other side from the guiding area  30  on a countersurface on the base member  10  acting as an aligning surface  62 . 
     At least one of the additional mounting surfaces  44  and  46  of the base area  40 , for example, the mounting surface  46  faces an additional countersurface  66  which is arranged on the base member  10  and, in this case, acts as an aligning surface. The aligning surface  66  extends in this embodiment at an acute angle α in relation to the aligning surface  62 . 
     As a result, the two aligning surfaces  62 ,  66  form a receiving means  68  for the base area  40  of the guide rail  12   a  designed as an insert member  48 . 
     The mounting surfaces  42 ,  44  and  46  of the guide rail  12   a  preferably extend essentially over the entire length of the guide rail  12   a.    
     The guide rail  12   a  can be aligned exactly relative to the base member  10  since the mounting surface  42  abuts on the aligning surface  62  and the mounting surface  46  abuts on the aligning surface  66 . Therefore, the course of the guide rail  12   a  relative to the base member  10  can be predetermined by the provision of the aligning surfaces  62 ,  66 , for example, by means of a precise metal cutting. 
     In order to obtain a stable and defined alignment of the guide rail  12   a  relative to the base member  10 , the additional mounting surface  44 , which does not abut either on the aligning surface  62  or on the aligning surface  66 , is acted upon by a pressure surface  64  of a clamping element designated as a whole as  70 . The pressure surface  64  of the clamping element  70  is preferably aligned parallel to the mounting surface  44  and acts on the mounting surface  44  with a clamping force F 1 . Clamping force F 1  acts at right angles to the mounting surface  44  and may be separated into a force component FP and a force component FS. The force component FP extends parallel to the aligning surface  62  and displaces and acts on the guide rail  12   a  in the direction of the aligning surface  66 . The force component FS extends at right angles to the aligning surface  62  and, therefore, presses the mounting surface  42  against the aligning surface  62 . 
     In order to be able to act with the clamping force F 1 , the clamping element  70  is preferably supported on its rear side  69  located opposite the pressure surface  64  by a supporting element  71  projecting from the base member  10 . 
     The aligning surface  66  extends, in the same way as the pressure surface  64 , at the angle α in relation to the aligning surface  62  and the pressure surface  64  is arranged so as to face the aligning surface  66 . Therefore, the same force components FP and FS as those at the pressure surface  64  result as reaction forces at the aligning surface  66  and act on the mounting surface  46  in the same way as the force components FP and FS act on mounting surface  44 . Accordingly, the base area  40  of the guide rail  12   a  is acted upon with the clamping force FS in the direction of the aligning surface  62 . The base area  40  is also held clamped between the pressure surface  64  and the aligning surface  66  against any movement in the direction of the aligning surface  62  on account of the force component FP occurring at each of these surfaces. 
     In order to ensure that the same force components FP and FS as those at the pressure surface  64  occur at the aligning surface  66 , the mounting surface  42  is designed as a polished surface and rests slidingly on the aligning surface  62 . The aligning surface  62  is likewise designed as a polished surface. Similarly, the mounting surface  46  is also designed as a polished surface and rests slidingly on the aligning surface  66 , which is likewise of a polished design. 
     Preferably, the mounting surface  44  and the pressure surface  64  are also designed as ground surfaces. 
     As a result, the guide rail  12   a  can, when the mounting surface  44  is acted upon by means of the clamping element  70 , be moved transversely to the longitudinal direction  50  in such a manner that the same forces occur in the area of the aligning surface  66  as in the area of the pressure surface  64 . 
     In order to cause the pressure surface  64  to act with pressure on the mounting surface  44 , the clamping element  70  is movable in the direction of a base surface  72 . The base surface  72  preferably extends parallel to the aligning surface  62  and, in the most favorable case, is located in a plane with the aligning surface  62 . 
     In the simplest case, the clamping element  70  is movable in the direction of the base surface  72  by a screw  74 . The screw  74  rests with its head  76  on a side  78  of the clamping element  70  facing away from the base surface  72  and passes through the clamping element  70 . The screw  74  can be screwed with a threaded section  80  into a threaded bore  82  which extends into the base member  10  proceeding from the base surface  72 . 
     As a result, the entire clamping element  70  may be acted upon with force in the direction of the base surface  72  and therefore acts with the pressure surface  64  against the mounting surface  44 . 
     It is, for example, conceivable to provide a plurality of consecutive clamping elements  70  in longitudinal direction  50  of the guide rail  12   a . It is, however, particularly favorable when the clamping element  70  is designed as a continuous bar which can be tensioned in the direction of the base member  10  by screws  74  which are arranged at suitable, in the simplest case, regular intervals in the longitudinal direction  75  of the continuous bar parallel to the longitudinal direction  50  of the guide rail  12   a . With such an arrangement, it is possible to generate with the pressure surface  64  a force F 1  which can have variations at different screw locations. In one variation of the solution, the forces F 1  at the different screw locations varies at the most by 20% when seen in the direction of the longitudinal direction  50  of the guide rail  12   a . Preferably the force F 1  has approximately the same magnitude essentially over the length of the guide rail  12   a.    
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the guide rails  12   a  and  12   b  may be located in a first plane of guidance  90  and the guide rails  22   a  and  22   b  may be located in a second plane of guidance  92  such that the planes of guidance  90  and  92  extend transversely to one another. As illustrated on an enlarged scale in  FIG. 3 , such an arrangement may be used particularly advantageously and particularly favorably in the case of the guide rails  12   b  and  22   a  located closest to a line of intersection  94  of the planes of guidance  90  and  92  such that the receiving means  68  may be arranged on the base member  10  with the aligning surfaces  66  on sides facing respectively away from the line of intersection  94 . The aligning surfaces  62  may extend approximately parallel to the respective planes of guidance  90 ,  92 . The mounting surfaces  44 , which are intended to each be acted upon by a pressure surface  64 , may be located so as to face the line of intersection  94 . 
     As a result, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the pressure surface  64  for the guide rail  12   b  and the pressure surface  64  for the guide rail  22   a  may be arranged on a common clamping element  70 ′. 
     In this respect, the pressure surfaces  64  are preferably located on either side of an underside  96  of the clamping element  70 ′ which faces a base surface  72 ′ on the base member  10  provided for the clamping element  70 ′. The pressure surfaces  64  are acted upon in the direction of the base surface  72 ′ by screws  74  following one another in a longitudinal direction  98  of the clamping element  70 ′. 
     In a second embodiment of an inventive slide system, illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the aligning surface  66  is originally designed as a spherical surface. This spherical surface is deformed into an approximately flat surface due to the effect of the clamping force F 1 . In the ideal case, the aligning surface  66  abuts on the mounting surface  46  essentially over its entire surface under the full effect of the clamping force F 1 . 
     As a result, it is possible to take deformations of the material into consideration by shaping the aligning surfaces or also the mounting surfaces in such a manner that they then abut on one another essentially over their entire surfaces due to the effect of the clamping force. 
     In the same way, it is also possible, for example, to design the aligning surface  62  so as to be slightly curved, i.e., spherical.