The guide rail of a CNC machine tool is an important part of the machine tool. Its main function is to support and guide the machine tool sliding parts for positioning and movement. According to the materials and structures of the guide rails, the guide rails of CNC machine tools can be divided into three types: plane guide rails, ball screw guide rails, and linear motor guide rails. These three types of guide rails will be introduced below.

1.Plane guide rail

Planar guide rails are the most basic type of guide rails. They have a simple structure and are relatively cheap. It usually consists of a base, lead screw and guide rail. The guide rail is fixed on the machine tool through the base and can realize positioning and movement functions. Lead screws produce motion by rotation and can therefore be used as shafts for both linear and rotary motion. Planar guide rails have long service life and high reliability. However, because it uses a sliding pair for guidance, it cannot meet the requirements for high-precision motion.

2. Ball screw guide rail

Ball screw guide rails are composed of ball screws, guide rails, bearings and transmission devices. Ball screws achieve linear and rotational motion through ball transmission. The guide rail is composed of a sliding pair and a rolling pair, which can provide high-precision and high-speed motion. Ball screw guides are complex in structure and expensive, but they can provide high-quality, high-precision and high-speed CNC machine tool motion.

3.Linear motor guide rail

Linear motor guide rail is a guide rail system based on the principle of electromagnetic field. Its structure is simple and easy to operate, and it can realize high-speed and high-precision machine tool movement. Compared with traditional guide rails, it does not require a transmission structure, so it can provide more direct driving force and more precise linear motion. Since the driver of the linear motor guide rail is directly connected to the guide rail, the vibration and noise of the machine tool can be greatly reduced, thereby improving the stability and accuracy of the entire system.

To sum up, different types of guide rails have their own characteristics and applications. Machine tool designers should select the appropriate guide rail type based on the working requirements and specifications of the machine tool.