The 3rd European DAAAM International Young Researchers´ and Scientists´ Conference

25-28th November 2009, Vienna, Austria

SPATIAL MECHANISM FOR PRECISE RECTILINEAR DISPLACEMENT

APPLICATION ON A MULTIPURPOSE MACHINE-TOOL

DIMACHE I[onut] ; CRACIUNOIU S[tefan]; NITA R[aluca]; PAUN L[oredana]

Abstract: The article refers to a spatial mechanism for precise The NC multipurpose machine-tool (SC ICTCM SA, 2007) is
rectilinear displacement, formed only from levers articulated by constituted by the bed frame A, composed from vertical longerons
rotation joints, assuring kinematical precision, safe sealing 1, 2 and horizontal superior longeron 3. The cross girders 4, 5 are
conditions and reduced friction forces in hard environmental gliding between longerons 1, 2 and are driven by two motors each,
conditions – abrasive dust, shocks, reduced lubrication and 6 and 7, respectively 8 and 9, one NC and one follower. Although
maintenance. The main advantage for solution exhibited below is there are four motors, two axes are taken into consideration on Z-Z
the fact that this mechanism type requires less demanding direction, one for upper cross girder 4 and one for lower cross
manufacturing conditions then those imposed by translation guides girder 5. Those axes can be controlled independently or
and it allows better sealing, in constructive, efficient and safe simultaneous with realizing and maintaining a preload. Two electro
terms for rotation joints, also exhibiting much smaller moving spindles are positioned on a Z-Z axis crossing middle of girders 4,
masses. The spatial mechanism is integrated on a NC multipurpose 5 each on a girder for tools and/or devices to be mounted on.
machine-tool for performing special multiple machining Two cross girders12 and 13 are fixed in middle of cross girders 4,
applications. 5. Slides 16 and 17 are gliding on them, due to motors 14, 15 and
Key words: precise rectilinear displacement, linear guide, shaft- nut-screw system 18, along to X-X axis. Two more slides are
bearing mechanism, multipurpose machine-tool mounted on 16, 17, with cross-glide possibility, along Y-Y axis.
For an external cylindrical turning, as shown in fig. 1, the work
1. INTRODUCTION piece 21 is fixed between girders 4 and 5, actually between electro
spindles 10 and 11, through the universal chuck 22 and an a priori
The slide-guide assembly (Sandu Gh. 1967) is a machine part known back centre not shown in figure, which has a transmitted
typical for machine-tools, highly important in the assurance of rotation on Z-Z axis.
dimensional and form precision for the surfaces machined on them. On any of slides 19 or 20 a turning tool is fixed on a tool holder.
The great and continuously increasing number of trajectory On the opposing side a rolling-device support B is mounted for
generating machines, comprising the industrial robots and load compensation of cutting force, composed from two rollers and
machine-tools, as a result of multiple cutting methods and roller-holder frame which can be adjusted up-down by a cursor.
connective, lead naturally to a great variety of guide types, After the rollers are locked on work piece, the frame can be bar-
constructive forms and adjusting methods for them, materials used, locked.
computing procedures, manufacturing, lubricating and maintaining
methods.
The attainment of generator curves (Sandu I. Gh., 2008) in surface
generating process on machine-tools is deployed in two ways:
materialization through tool’s cutting edge or by kinematics
approach. In kinematical terms, the generator is realised by tool’s
cutting edge also, but the generator is the tool’s movement
trajectory itself. But these trajectories have a wide range of forms
and their control is one of the most difficult surface generating
issues.
To remove those difficulties, mechanisms used on machine-tools
(Botez, E. 1961) are inferior kinematical joints, translational or
rotational, made from slide-guide and shaft-bearing elements,
respectively.
It is known as fact that the machine-tools retirement, their draw
from manufacturing flow is provoked by precision loss due to
normal or premature slides wear, and the topical industrial robots
have an anthropomorphic structure, using shaft-bearing joints
instead of slide-guide.

2. MULTIPURPOSE MACHINE-TOOL

Various precise rectilinear displacement accomplishment ways for

a mobile element are known, the simplest are linear translation
guides, found especially on machine-tools. The spatial mechanism
proposed in this paper assures the precise rectilinear displacement
because it’s made only by levers with rotation joints. The
mechanism assures the kinematical precision, sealing conditions
and reduced friction forces in hard environmental conditions –
abrasive dust, shocks, reduced lubrication and maintenance –
unlike the translation guides classical solutions, which cannot give
the precise displacement and low, constant maintaining of friction
forces on the entire displacement domain. The spatial mechanism Fig. 1: Multipurpose machine-tool set for external cylindrical
for precise rectilinear displacement is integrated on a NC turning
multipurpose machine-tool for performing special multiple
machining applications.
3. ORIGINAL SOLUTION FOR SUBSTITUTING THE
SLIDE-GUIDE WITH SHAFT–BEARING JOINT
From the presentation of the multipurpose machine tools results
that for actuating the Z-Z axes two engines 6, 7 are necessary for
drop-sledge and two engines 8, 9 for actuating the inferior slide.
This solution presents several disadvantages:
– either slide has two actuating engines, one of them is with
numerical command and the other is for following.
– the cross rail 4 for the superior slide and the 5 for the inferior
slide filled large space in the x axes lengthwise from the
machine jig, which is unjustified because the axes 10 and 11
are always staying on X axes.
– the structure is over measure and it has an unjustified
supplementary weight for its utilization, for example the
utilization of an only slide on the Z axes, which could need a
supplementary space as in the superior side so as in the
underside of the machine.
To throw-away these shortcomings a solution (SC ICTCM SA,
2002) in which joint-slide guide is replaced by many shaft-bearing
joints is proposed. Fig. 2 shows for comparison the spindle-bearing
joint constructive solution for the superior and inferior slides, with
the objective of keeping the same vertical dimension. In addition to
removing the above-mentioned disadvantages, the proposed
solution has the advantage that aside of Z axis, along the X axis,
more space will be cleared due to shortening of the cross rails 4
and 5, space in which there can be set up handling systems for
parts and tools.
Fig. 2: Shaft-bearing original solution (rear view)
Another possibility to get an exact or approximate rectilinear
motion is achieved by guiding mechanism consisting of levers and
rotation joints. For these mechanisms the rectilinear trajectory of
the led element is not carried out by special rectilinear guides, but
by choosing the appropriate structure of the mechanism and the
length of its elements.
The main advantage of these mechanisms is that the manufacturing
requirements, less demanding than those imposed by the translation
guides, allow to realize simpler, better sealing, in constructive,
efficient and safe terms for the rotation joints, also exhibiting much
smaller moving masses than those of the mechanisms with
rectilinear translation guides.
Shaft–bearing solution description: For the proposed solution, the
girders will be diminished to a dimension which correspond to a
1/3 of the initial dimension and will form a frame with square
section, on which shackles will be executed. On the upper girder
shackles symmetrical to the column will be also mounted.
The link between upper cross girder and column is made by two
levers articulated with three bolts for each pair of shackles. This
way a translation movement along the Z axis will be realized with
a driving screw-nut mechanism on each joint.
When applying this solution some advantages are obtained as
follows:
•ensuring the driven element displacement on a
rigorous rectilinear path defined by the intersection
line of the mobility planes of the jointed arms,
• ensuring optimal sealing and lubrication by usage of rotation
joints only,
• achieving a high stiffness due to the use of a spatial structure,
• the possibility of full eliminating of clearances by the right
choose of constructive solution for rotation joints of the articulated
levers,
• the possibility of getting a complete mechanism equilibration for
the mobile element’s horizontal displacement.
4. CONCLUSIONS
The original solution presented in this article is a mechanism for
the precise rectilinear displacement formed only by levers,
articulated by rotation joints, mechanism that ensures the
kinematical precision, and also the precision conditions for safe
sealing and reduced friction forces in hard working conditions
(abrasive dust, beats, reduce lubrication and maintenance ), on the
entire moving range.
The device for the precise rectilinear displacement is a particular
case of Stewart table, formed by two pairs of articulated arms with
mobility in concurrent planes, the pairs being cinematically
coupled through rotation joints to a fixed element and a mobile
element. The last one has a precise rectilinear displacement along
the intersection line between the two concurrent planes in which
the pairs of articulated arms are moving.
References
Botez, E. – „Cinematica maşinilor-unelte”/ Ed. tehnică, Bucureşti,
1961
Sandu Gh., Moraru V., Minciu C. – „Ghidajele maşinilor-
unelte”/Ed. Tehnică, Bucureşti, 1967
Sandu I. Gh. – „Generarea suprafeţelor: tratat”/Ed. Acad. Române,
Bucureşti, 2008
SC ICTCM SA – „Mecanism pentru deplasare rectilinie
precisă”/Cerere pentru brevet de invenţie A/00894/2002, Bucureşti,
2002
SC ICTCM SA – „Maşină multifuncţională CNC pentru prelucrări
prin strunjire, frezare, găurire, alezare, mortezare, danturare şi
rectificare plană, cilindrică exterioară şi interioară şi
helicoidală”/Contract: INOVARE 45/2007, Bucureşti, 2007