What exactly is a rack

A rack is a gear with a linear shape, placed horizontally on a plane or as a rod, which serves to transform a rotary motion into a linear one and vice versa. It consists of a toothed structure with a variable shape, which can be straight or helical teeth, with a perforated structure or not depending on the needs.

These essential elements allow the operation of numerous machineries, such as sliding gates, and apply in all kinds of industrial sectors.

Therefore, relying on a good manufacturer such as Officine Meccaniche Zanatta allows you to obtain a product made to perfection, since even a centesimal error in the construction of the rack could determine the incorrect operation of the entire machinery.

To better understand the operation of this rack, we can indicate it as a coupling of toothed wheels, one of which is based on an infinite radius, flowing one over the other by translating the rotational movement in linear or the opposite.
The teeth usually have the shape of a trapezium and fit perfectly to promote a more fluid work development.

What are design racks

The modern industry offers a wide range of standard racks, equipped with milled or helical teeth, which however sometimes do not respond exactly to the needs of the client. This is why, using special precision machinery, it is possible to create customised racks, that is, designed to meet the needs of the particular gear, making the mechanism suitable for its function.

What are the parameters to consider when creating a design rack?

• The shape: the first aspect to take into account is the structure that the rack will have, to be selected according to its use and the machinery where it will be inserted.
  The teeth can therefore take on the most disparate connotations if you have the right equipment to make them, to be used in every sector of the industry since it can be said that no sector does not need such technology.
• The material: usually hard-wearing and easily malleable tempered steel is used during processing to make the custom-made racks so that they can last for a long time and always maintain their initial shape without changing during use. The material in question can be simpler or made of an alloy, depending on the resistance it must have linked to the type of machinery it will compose. In some cases, it is decided instead to opt for plastic die-casting, especially if the stress that the machinery will have to endure is not such as to require the use of steel.
• The dimensions: being a design rack a detail that finds application in practically every industrial sector, the request is very varied from the point of view of size.  Officine Meccaniche Zanatta handles designing and fine-tuning types of all kinds, both in the single piece and in the wider supply, to meet the specific needs of the customer and create a product that is perfectly functional to its final destination.  Using a standard gear rather than one created to measure could in the long run affect the fluidity of the work and make it decidedly more difficult over time.
• Resistance: depending on the industrial sector where the rack will be inserted, it must be made to withstand more or less continuous stresses. There are in fact machines where their function is simply to move the rotary motion in linear and vice versa, others where this involves a weight lifting or a greater performance of the product from the point of view of resistance. In general, the racks of the Officine Meccaniche Zanatta are all designed to last a long time and comply with their function without losing precision.
• Accuracy: some machines operate exclusively with precision racks, which need to be calibrated to the penny to be really effective. For this reason, relying on experts in the field means obtaining exactly the piece that you have requested, so that the work flows easily and the appliance does not freeze due to an incorrect calculation on the components.
• Quality: the racks are classified according to a parameter that is called quality, which determines the degree of precision. Officine Meccaniche Zanatta only uses a selection that ranges from 10 to 6, giving its customers a finished product to perfection, able to ensure excellent performance over the years.  Whether it is a large order, or instead only one element is necessary, you will get a rack of superior quality compared to competitors in the sector.

How is a design rack made?

To create a rack designed to perfectly meet the needs of the customer, it is necessary to have the most modern instrumentation in circulation, which allows you to obtain a precise result and be responsive to the project.

Officine Meccaniche Zanatta therefore use CNC magnetic table gears, the best currently on the market, which allows you to vary the shape of the tooth repeating it on the entire line identical and perfect in every part.

At the end of this first phase, the CNC straighteners and milling machines come into play CNC, which rectify the position of the tooth and verify that the rack is identical in all points and can slide in a completely linear way on the machinery.

The straightness tolerance is allowed up to a maximum of 0.1 mm/m, thus leaving a much smaller margin of error than many other competitors in the sector.
The brand philosophy is based on maximum precision, to fully satisfy the customer both in the request for a single piece and a larger supply.

The operation is completed with milling and drilling, with a limit of L=5000, so that it is possible to carry out personalised work depending on the type of machinery that will later be composed. Thanks to the appropriate instrumentation, Officine Meccaniche Zanatta also reach a quality 6, the best possible, especially if the rack will be composed of a precision apparatus.

The quality control will finally be carried out by a three-dimensional machine, which revises the rack to design in every facet, verifying that the structure of the tooth repeats itself constantly and has the required shape, practically without possible anomalies even of very small dimensions.

In what scope are design racks used

As anticipated, there are really many industrial sectors that require companies such as Officine Meccaniche Zanatta to create customised racks to design, asking for the development of an ad hoc project for their needs.

It starts for example from the sector related to the processing of wood, plastic, glass or aluminium, which uses different machinery equipped with this technology and which requires silent components, with straight, milled or perforated teeth.
Also useful are the racks for portal machines, where a linear action is required that remains constant and continuous over time.

The version with helical teeth, on the other hand, lends itself more to lifting axes, where a discrete resistance is required and therefore you opt for a tempered steel, simple or composed of an alloy.

Alternatively, a further field of application is that of manipulators, which benefit from the particular shape of the teeth, as well as the latest generation of welding robots.
If you take a close look around you, you will find almost every machine a rack, sometimes selected among the standard solutions but much more often in a customised design.

Based on the quality required, then, automation systems can be treated more or less technologically, especially with low repetitiveness and precision.

How to request a consultation at Officine Meccaniche Zanatta

If you are looking for a serious company that deals with the production of customised design racks for your needs, the suggestion is to go to the studio and request a consultancy without commitment.

After having illustrated your needs and the types of machinery you use, an accurate design will be carried out that will allow you to devise the perfect model of a rack.
Based on the quantity, an accurate quote will then be drawn up, which includes all expenditure items to have a precise idea of what the final costs will be.

All the details will be established here, including the type of teeth, the quality that the product must comply with, the level of precision and the type of material that will be used, depending on the level of resistance to be achieved.

Each parameter is studied in detail by an expert in the field, forged by years of experience in the field and continuously updated through courses and in-depth information about the latest news in the sector regarding the machinery and techniques to be used.

You will be in hand to a team of professionals who will be able to first design and then create perfect custom-made racks, at very competitive prices in the face of an optimal quality that can last a long time.