In machine tools, the importance of the rail system is almost unmatched by other components, because the rail system is the interface between the moving parts of the machine and the stationary components. In many machine tools, moving parts are mounted on the rail system using rolling elements. In other words, the rail system uses a metal-to-metal contact. However, the latter metals are not in direct contact with the hydrostatic guides. In the hydrostatic rail system, the guide rail uses a layer of oil film with pressure, which is evenly distributed on the metal contact surface to allow the moving parts to slide on the oil film. Since there is no direct contact between the metal surfaces, the rails will not wear when operated. Moreover, since the moving parts are suspended on the oil film, the influence of the vibration on the machine tool is reduced. However, the isolated rail system does not play any role. The design of each machine involves a complete system. Mr. Chris Stine said: “It would be misleading to talk about the advantages of the rail system alone, because the design of the machine must balance any potential advantages that the rail system can provide.†Mr. Stine is the vice president of United Grinding. The company can provide grinding machines with various rail systems. When talking about the design of the machine tool that needs to balance the advantages of the hydrostatic guide, he said: "These advantages should include several aspects." Accelerated performance and load bearing capacity When the moving part slides over the oil film, there is no need to increase the energy to overcome the contact friction between the metal and the metal in the system. This results in good productivity gains in wide grinding wheel, high power and large margin grinding applications. For example, when grinding the blades of a turbine generator impeller, a grinding machine equipped with a hydrostatic guide rail and a 200 mm (8 in) wide grinding wheel are used to achieve greater motion quality than a grinding machine of the same type using a common guide rail. At the same time, grinding machines with hydrostatic guides can accelerate a given mass at a higher speed. In general, turbine blades require repetitive motion, which reduces the grinding of the blades by 30%. United Grinding's Magerle grinding machines use hydrostatic guides that are used for the grinding of these parts. The company relayed some comments from users about the machine. Eric Reutimann, owner of Spectra-Tech in the Hanover Park Industrial Park in Illinois, said: “The workbench seems to be 'floating' on the 'water' movement. Unlike some machines, it doesn't have any viscous slippage.†long lasting Another advantage of this hydrostatic guide is that it has a long service life. This is not to say that the hydrostatic rail machine has a lower maintenance effort because the machine requires a different maintenance. For example, a series of maintenance work such as changing liquids and filters is required. However, due to the absence of direct metal-to-metal contact between such rails. Therefore, there is theoretically no problem of rail wear. Gary Treichler, vice president of Grind Corporation in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., said: "I have been observing my hydrostatic guide grinders in 'continuing the production of huge workpieces, even if our machines have been in use for more than 30 years." Improved vibration resistance The hydrostatic guide is designed to "around" the moving parts of the machine tool and does not come into contact with the surface of the fixed element, thus making the moving part vibration-proof in all directions. This cushioning device improves the vibration resistance of the machine. The practical importance of such anti-vibration devices varies greatly depending on the scope of application. Linear guides with rolling elements are used in many precision machining applications where vibration does not have a large effect on machining. In some cases, the anti-vibration function plays a vital role in obtaining the necessary appearance, surface quality and straightness of the machined part. In a recent processing example, a production plant needed to grind a 33-inch long optical flat glass with a flatness requirement of better than 100 μin. The use of a grinder with a hydrostatic guide not only allows the straightness of the machine to achieve the required accuracy range, but also does not require constant temperature control in the shop. Due to its excellent anti-vibration performance, the glass is used during the grinding process. No brittle cracking will occur. Next page Guangdong Jishengke Industrial Co., Ltd. , https://www.suronart.com
Sliding on the oil film allows the grinder to perform its more powerful functions along smoother guides.