System for producing guide rail

A production apparatus for producing a guide rail having a mid-longitudinal plane extending in its longitudinal direction, both side face portions across said mid-longitudinal plane and formed with parallel rail portions, a toothed portion formed with a plurality of teeth and having a pitch plane perpendicularly intersected by said mid-longitudinal plane, and a coupler portion to be coupled with a stationary member, said parallel rail portions having their respective center axes extending in parallel with said mid-longitudinal plane and said pitch plane, comprising:

• supporting means having a plurality of supporting rollers for supporting a machining material to allow said machining material only to move in its longitudinal direction, said supporting rollers being positioned on each of the upper surface, lower surface and both side surfaces of said machining material to be held in contact with said machining material at first and second contact positions spaced apart from each other in said longitudinal direction of said machining material;
• transferring means for transferring said machining material at a predetermined movement speed in said longitudinal direction and stopping said machining material at a predetermined time interval after said machining material is transferred at a predetermined movement pitch;
• a first machining unit having a first tool for machining said teeth of said toothed portion during said predetermined time interval under the state that said machining material is supported only to move in said longitudinal direction by said supporting means and stopped by said transferring means;
• a pair of second machining units respectively having second tools for machining said parallel rail portions of said guide rail in parallel with said mid-longitudinal plane and said pitch plane while said machining material is being transferred by said transferring means under the state that said machining material is supported by said supporting means, each of said second tools of said second machining units being positioned to have said machining material cut at a predetermined depth;
• and
• a third machining unit having a third tool for machining said coupler portion of said guide rail while said machining material is being transferred by said transferring means under the state that said machining material is supported by said supporting means, said third tool of said third machining unit being positioned to have said machining material cut at a predetermined depth.

A production process of producing a guide rail having both side face portions formed with parallel rail portions, and a coupler portion to be coupled with a stationary member, said parallel rail portions having their respective center axes extending in parallel with each other, comprising the steps of:

• supporting a machining material to allow said machining material only to move in its longitudinal direction;
• transferring said machining material at a predetermined movement speed in its longitudinal direction;
• machining said parallel rail portions of said guide rail in parallel with each other by cutting said machining material at a predetermined depth while said machining material is being transferred in said longitudinal direction under the state that said machining material is supported and allowed only to move in said longitudinal direction;
• and
• machining said coupler portion of said guide rail by cutting said machining material at a predetermined depth while said machining material is being transferred in said longitudinal direction under the state that said machining material is supported and allowed only to move in said longitudinal direction.

A production process of producing a guide rail having a mid-longitudinal plane extending in its longitudinal direction, both side face portions across said mid-longitudinal plane and formed with parallel rail portions, a toothed portion formed with a plurality of teeth and having a pitch plane perpendicularly intersected by said mid-longitudinal plane, and a coupler portion to be coupled with a stationary member, said parallel rail portions having their respective center axes extending in parallel with said mid-longitudinal plane and said pitch plane, comprising the steps of:

• supporting a machining material to allow said machining material only to move in its longitudinal direction by guiding said machining material at first and second contact positions on each of the upper surface, lower surface and both side surfaces of said machining material, said first and second contact positions being spaced apart from each other in said longitudinal direction of said machining material;
• transferring said machining material at a predetermined movement speed in said longitudinal direction;
• stopping said machining material at a predetermined time interval after said machining material is transferred at a predetermined movement pitch;
• machining part of said teeth of said toothed portion during said predetermined time interval under the state that said machining material is supported only to move in said longitudinal direction and stopped;
• machining each of said parallel rail portions of said guide rail in parallel with said mid-longitudinal plane and said pitch plane by cutting said machining material at a predetermined depth while said machining material is being transferred in said longitudinal direction under the state that said machining material is supported only to move in said longitudinal direction;
• and
• machining said coupler portion of said guide rail by cutting said machining material at a predetermined depth while said machining material is being transferred in said longitudinal direction under the state that said machining material is supported only to move in said longitudinal direction.