5. Slide rails

5.1 Definition. Introduction

The slide is loaded (see § 3.10) to remove five degrees of freedom from a slide, the remaining degree of freedom, translation, being removed by the axis control. With the exception of very old machines (planers, vise-feeders, mortisers), and a very few modern machines (broaching machines), this translation is almost never the cutting movement.

The main functions of the slides can then be defined simply:

• position the tool in relation to the workpiece, to set a diameter (lathe), the position of a plane (milling), the distance between two bores (boring);

• generate the tool trajectory; this trajectory can be the reproduction of the guideway;...