Anyone weld racks together for extended rack and pinion set?

[mechEhere]

I need a long rack several feet long. Possibly 40 feet, maybe longer. What's the longest rack that can be manufactured? Can shorter racks be joined together by welding? Would that throw off the mating of the pinion gear at the weld joints? Any other methods?

 

[tygerdawg]

I've seen "standard length" rack sections bolted down to a sub-plate and mated end-to-end. Welding would compromise the heat treating of the teeth, if any.

TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[Ron]

Agree with TD...we used racks in package sewage treatment plants at one time. Those were 30 to 40 feet long, butted and bolted end to end.