Guide mechanism and method for manufacturing same
AssigneeSMC Corporation
InventorsYasunori Yoshida, Rikiya Ishikawa, Youichi Kawamura, Yoshihiro Toshimori, Motohiro Sato, Nariaki Suzuki, Toshio Sato
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A guide mechanism includes: a guide member having a first groove; a slide member having a second groove; and rolling bodies arranged in a guide groove comprising the first groove and the second groove. A stopper for preventing the rolling bodies from moving out of the guide groove is affixed to the second groove by welding. A method for manufacturing the guide mechanism includes a welding step in which the second groove and the stopper are welded by resistance welding while the stopper is pressed against the second groove.
Claims4
A guide mechanism comprising:
- a guide member having a linear first groove therein;
- a slide member configured to slide linearly with respect to the guide member, and having a linear second groove therein disposed so as to be face-to-face with the first groove;
- and
- a plurality of rolling bodies disposed in a guide groove that is constituted by the first groove and the second groove;
- wherein a stopper configured to prevent disengagement of the rolling bodies from the guide groove is fixed by welding in the first groove or the second groove, wherein:
- the slide member is a plate-shaped member,
- the stopper is disposed in the second groove,
- the slide member includes a flat plate-shaped base section, and side sections that project in a thickness direction of the base section from both ends of the base section in a widthwise direction thereof,
- the second groove is provided on each of inner walls of the side sections,
- the second groove is recessed with respect to each of inner walls of the side sections and a thickness of the side sections at the second groove is thinner than other portions of the side sections,
- the stopper has a first side that touches a bottom of the second groove and a second side that is opposite to the first side and is flat.
A method of manufacturing a guide mechanism, wherein the guide mechanism comprises:
- a guide member having a linear first groove therein;
- a slide member configured to slide linearly with respect to the guide member, and having a linear second groove therein disposed so as to be face-to-face with the first groove;
- and
- a plurality of rolling bodies disposed in a guide groove that is constituted by the first groove and the second groove;
- wherein the method comprises a welding step of joining a stopper and the first groove or the second groove together by resistance welding, in a state in which the stopper is pressed in abutment against the first groove or the second groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.