An automated welding apparatus

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of welding equipment technology and proposes an automated welding device comprising a frame, two rotating support mechanisms symmetrically arranged on the frame for supporting both ends of a single piece of material, a transfer mechanism on the frame for transferring material from the feeder to the rotating support mechanism and for transferring and unloading the welded material, and a welding robot on the frame for welding the material on the rotating support mechanism. The rotating support mechanism includes a base on the frame with a mounting groove, and a rotating frame with a support notch rotatably mounted in the mounting groove. The mounting groove limits and supports the rotating frame. Material is transferred to the support notch via the transfer mechanism. This technical solution solves the problems of poor material support and rotation stability and insufficient welding accuracy in existing technologies.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding equipment technology and proposes an automated welding device. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial welding operations, butt welding and circumferential welding of long strip metal columns such as tubular and shaft-shaped materials are common operation scenarios in industries such as steel structure processing, pipe manufacturing, and engineering machinery component production. Welding operations of such materials have extremely high requirements for the coaxiality, rotational stability, and welding position accuracy of the materials during the welding process. Welding accuracy directly determines the structural strength and safety of the finished product.

[0003] Currently, in industrial mass production in this field, two types of general-purpose conventional welding equipment are mainly used for welding operations of such long strip-shaped sound barrier columns: The first type is single-end chuck rotary welding equipment. This type of equipment drives the material to rotate synchronously through the rotation of the chuck and is widely used in welding scenarios for short materials such as plumbing fittings and small hydraulic oil pipes. The second type is double-end roller type support welding equipment. This type of equipment drives the material to rotate synchronously through the rotation of two sets of symmetrically arranged rollers. It is widely used in welding scenarios of municipal pipelines and long shaft workpieces of engineering machinery.

[0004] The two types of conventional welding equipment commonly used in this field have the following inherent technical defects that cannot be avoided in actual industrial mass production applications: Firstly, single-end chuck rotary welding equipment can only clamp and fix the material at one end. The unclamped free end has no effective support and limiting structure, making it prone to sagging and radial swaying during welding. It cannot guarantee the coaxiality of the two ends of the material, resulting in insufficient welding accuracy and product qualification rate. On the other hand, double-end roller-type support welding equipment only achieves support and rotation by contacting the outer wall of the material with the roller. It lacks a radial and axial rigid limiting structure for the material. During rotation, the material is prone to axial movement and cannot meet the operational requirements of high-precision circumferential continuous welding and multi-angle welding. Secondly, neither of the two types of conventional equipment mentioned above has integrated an automated loading and unloading mechanism adapted to materials such as sound barrier columns. The long strip metal materials have a large self-weight, and loading and unloading require the assistance of cranes and forklifts, and multiple operators are needed to complete the entire process of a single machine. The cycle time of a single workpiece is long, making it impossible to achieve continuous and unmanned batch welding production. Third, the supporting structures of the two types of equipment mentioned above are rigid supporting surfaces. During the material loading and unloading process, the material's own weight will directly cause rigid impact on the supporting structures such as chucks and rollers. After long-term and high-frequency use, it will lead to wear of the supporting structures, increased fit clearance, and structural deformation. This will not only further reduce the welding quality but also increase production and maintenance costs.

[0005] In view of the many shortcomings of the existing technologies, there is currently no complete technical solution in the field that can simultaneously solve the problems of stable support at both ends of the sound barrier column, automated loading and unloading, smooth rotation welding, shock absorption and protection, and precise positioning of the welding position. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an automated welding equipment that can comprehensively solve the above pain points. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention proposes an automated welding device that solves the problems of poor material support rotation stability and insufficient welding precision in existing technologies.

[0007] The technical solution adopted in this invention is:

[0008] An automated welding device, comprising:

[0009] frame;

[0010] Two rotating support mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on the frame to jointly support both ends of a single piece of material.

[0011] A transfer mechanism, mounted on the frame, is used to transfer the material from the feeder to the rotating support mechanism, and to transfer the welded material for unloading.

[0012] A welding robot, mounted on the frame, is used to weld the material on the rotating support mechanism;

[0013] The rotating support mechanism includes:

[0014] A base is mounted on the frame, and the base has a mounting groove.

[0015] The rotating frame, having a support notch, is rotatably mounted in the mounting groove, which limits and supports the rotating frame. The material is transferred to the support notch via the transfer mechanism.

[0016] As a further technical solution, the feeding component includes a feeding frame, a conveyor belt, and a limiting block;

[0017] The feeding rack is mounted on the machine frame, the conveyor belt is mounted on the feeding rack, and the material is conveyed by the conveyor belt to the loading end near the rotating support mechanism;

[0018] The limiting block is disposed on the feeding frame and located at the feeding end of the conveyor belt to prevent the material from falling off;

[0019] It also includes a receiving rack, which is mounted on the frame, and the transfer mechanism places the welded material onto the receiving rack.

[0020] As a further technical solution, a lateral moving guide rail is also included;

[0021] The transverse moving guide rail is mounted on the frame, and the base is slidably mounted on the frame via the transverse moving guide rail.

[0022] As a further technical solution, the rotating frame includes a support plate and an arc-shaped rack;

[0023] The supporting notch is located on the supporting plate, the arc-shaped rack is disposed on the side of the supporting plate, and the center of the arc-shaped rack is concentric with the rotation center of the supporting plate;

[0024] The rotating support mechanism also includes a rotating drive component, which is fixed to the base and has a rotating drive gear at its output end. The rotating drive gear meshes with the arc-shaped rack and is used to drive the support plate to rotate around the rotation center.

[0025] As a further technical solution, the rotating support mechanism also includes a limiting wheel and a guide wheel;

[0026] There are at least two limiting wheels, which are rotatably mounted on the base. A limiting space is formed between adjacent limiting wheels. The edge of the support plate is always located within the limiting space, and the edge of the support plate abuts against the wheel surface of the limiting wheel.

[0027] At least two guide wheels are rotatably mounted on the base and abut against the surface of the support plate. They rotate synchronously with the rotation of the support plate to assist in support and rotation guidance.

[0028] As a further technical solution, the inner wall of the mounting groove is provided with a mounting groove, and the rotating support mechanism also includes a mounting block, an abutment wheel and an abutment elastic element;

[0029] The mounting block is slidably disposed in the mounting groove, and the abutting wheel is rotatably disposed on the side of the mounting block facing the support plate, with the wheel surface of the abutting wheel abutting against the edge of the support plate; one end of the abutting elastic member is fixed on the mounting block, and the other end is fixed to the bottom of the mounting groove, for providing elastic force to keep the abutting wheel abutting against the support plate at all times, and to provide guidance and auxiliary reinforcement when the support plate rotates.

[0030] As a further technical solution, the rotating support mechanism also includes two sets of symmetrically arranged clamping and fixing components, each of which includes a mounting plate, a fixing plate, a fixing elastic element, and a fixing drive element.

[0031] There are two mounting plates, which are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the supporting notch, and the mounting plates have movable grooves;

[0032] There are two fixing plates, which are slidably assembled in the moving grooves of the two mounting plates in a one-to-one correspondence;

[0033] The fixed drive component is fixed to the mounting plate, and its drive end is connected to the fixed plate to drive the fixed plate to move along the movable slide to avoid loading and unloading.

[0034] There are two fixed elastic elements, one end of which is respectively disposed on the two fixed plates, and the other end of which is disposed on the support plate, for providing the fixed plates with a force to clamp and fix the material.

[0035] As a further technical solution, a support groove is provided at the bottom of the support notch, and the rotating support mechanism also includes a bottom support plate, a pre-support plate, an installation rod, a sleeve rod, and a support elastic element;

[0036] The bottom support plates are two in number and are adjustablely positioned on opposite sides of the support notch to support the bottom of the material.

[0037] The pre-support plate is slidably assembled in the support groove and can slide up and down along the support groove;

[0038] The mounting rod is vertically fixed to the bottom of the support groove. One end of the sleeve rod is slidably sleeved on the outside of the mounting rod, and the other end is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the pre-support plate. The support elastic element is sleeved on the outside of the mounting rod and the sleeve rod, with one end abutting against the bottom of the support groove and the other end abutting against the bottom surface of the pre-support plate, for providing upward support elastic force to the pre-support plate.

[0039] When the pre-support plate slides to its lowest position under the pressure of the material, the height of its top surface is lower than the height of the supporting surface of the bottom support plate.

[0040] As a further technical solution, the transfer mechanism includes a movable frame, a horizontal moving guide rail, a movable plate, a lifting guide rail, a lifting rack, a support frame, and a lifting drive component;

[0041] The movable frame is fixed on the machine frame, and the horizontal moving guide rail is arranged on the movable frame;

[0042] The movable plate is slidably mounted on the horizontal moving guide rail;

[0043] The lifting guide rail and the lifting rack are both vertically fixed on the moving plate, and the support frame is slidably arranged on the lifting guide rail;

[0044] The lifting driving member is fixed on the supporting bracket, and a lifting gear is provided at the output end thereof. The lifting gear meshes with the lifting rack. When the lifting driving member drives the lifting gear to rotate, the supporting bracket is driven to reciprocate up and down along the lifting guide rail to lift or lower the material.

[0045] As a further technical solution, it further includes a welding positioning and clamping mechanism, and the welding positioning and clamping mechanism includes a clamping frame, a clamping plate and a clamping driving member.

[0046] The clamping frame is fixed on the machine frame and is located at the end of one of the rotary supporting mechanisms, corresponding to the welding station.

[0047] The clamping plate is slidably assembled on the clamping frame; the clamping driving member is fixed on the clamping frame, and its driving end is fixedly connected to the clamping plate for driving the clamping plate to move to clamp the welding position of the material.

[0048] The beneficial effects of adopting the above technical solutions are as follows:

[0049] In the present invention, the two symmetrically arranged rotary supporting mechanisms jointly support both ends of the long strip material.配合嵌装在安装滑槽内的旋转架结构,既能保证物料焊接过程的同轴度,又能通过滑槽的限位支撑避免转动时的晃动、窜动,大幅提升焊接精度,设备集成一体化转运机构,可同步实现物料自动化上下料,无需人工辅助,显著提升生产效率、降低人工成本,适配连续化焊接生产需求。旋转架采用弧形齿条与驱动齿轮啮合传动,传动平稳、转动角度精准可控,适配环向、多角度焊接作业,配合限位轮、导向轮、抵接轮的多重限位支撑,可有效消除转动间隙,保证旋转稳定性,同时,弹性夹紧结构既能避让上下料空间避免干涉,又能均匀夹紧适配多规格物料,防止刚性夹紧损伤工件;预支撑板缓冲结构可减少物料下放的刚性冲击、延长设备寿命,且不影响承托定位精度;焊接工位配套的定位夹紧机构,可固定待焊位置,避免焊接形变窜动,进一步提升焊接质量。 Description of the Drawings

[0050] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the rotary supporting mechanism and the transfer mechanism in the present invention.

[0052] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the rotary supporting mechanism of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the internal angle of the rotating support mechanism of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the interior of the rotating support mechanism of the present invention from another angle.

[0055] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the internal structure of the rotating support mechanism of the present invention.

[0056] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom part of the seat in this invention.

[0057] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the transfer mechanism of the present invention.

[0058] Figure 9 This is an exploded view of the transfer mechanism of the present invention.

[0059] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the welding positioning and clamping mechanism of the present invention.

[0060] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding component of the present invention.

[0061] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the material receiving rack of the present invention.

[0062] The components include: 1. Frame, 2. Welding robot, 3. Base, 4. Mounting chute, 5. Support notch, 6. Feeding rack, 7. Conveyor belt, 8. Limiting block, 9. Receiving rack, 10. Support plate, 11. Arc-shaped rack, 12. Rotary drive component, 13. Rotary drive gear, 14. Limiting wheel, 15. Guide wheel, 16. Mounting groove, 17. Mounting block, 18. Abutting wheel, 19. Abutting elastic component, 20. Mounting plate, 21. Fixing plate. 22. Fixed elastic element; 24. Moving slide; 25. Support groove; 26. Bottom support plate; 27. Pre-support plate; 28. Mounting rod; 29. ​​Sleeve rod; 30. Support elastic element; 31. Moving frame; 32. Horizontal moving guide rail; 33. Moving plate; 34. Lifting guide rail; 35. Lifting rack; 36. Support frame; 37. Lifting drive component; 38. Lifting gear; 39. Clamping frame; 40. Clamping plate; 41. Clamping drive component. Detailed Implementation

[0063] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0064] Furthermore, in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0065] Reference Figures 1-12 The first embodiment of the present invention proposes an automated welding device, which includes a frame 1. The frame 1 is a rigid frame structure integrally welded and serves as the installation base for the entire device, providing stable installation support and operating benchmarks for the other mechanisms.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, two rotating support mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on the frame 1. The support positions of the two rotating support mechanisms are coaxially arranged to jointly support both ends of a single material, providing double-end support for the material, ensuring the coaxiality of the material during the welding process, and avoiding swaying and sagging problems caused by single-end support.

[0067] like Figure 8 As shown, the frame 1 is also equipped with a transfer mechanism. The working range of the transfer mechanism covers the material loading station, the welding station of the rotating support mechanism, and the unloading station of the finished material. It is used to transfer the material to be welded from the feeder to the two rotating support mechanisms, and at the same time, it can transfer the finished material after welding from the rotating support mechanism to unload, realizing the integrated automated operation of loading and unloading.

[0068] A welding robot 2 is also fixedly installed on the frame 1. The welding robot 2 is a multi-degree-of-freedom welding robot 2. Its welding end faces the welding station of the rotating support mechanism. The welding position and welding angle can be flexibly adjusted according to the welding requirements. It is used to perform welding operations on the materials fixed on the rotating support mechanism.

[0069] like Figures 3-6 As shown, each rotating support mechanism includes a base 3 and a rotating frame. The base 3 is mounted on the frame 1, and the base 3 has an inwardly recessed mounting groove 4. The mounting groove 4 is a through groove structure, providing a base for the installation, limiting, and rotation of the rotating frame. The rotating frame has an upwardly opening support notch 5, which is used to accommodate and support the end of the material. The body of the rotating frame is embedded in the mounting groove 4 and is rotatably assembled in the mounting groove 4. The upper and lower groove walls and the left and right inner side walls of the mounting groove 4 together form radial and axial limiting and support for the rotating frame, avoiding radial movement and axial swaying during the rotation of the rotating frame, and ensuring the stability of the rotation process. The material transferred by the transfer mechanism can fall accurately into the support notch 5 to complete the loading and positioning.

[0070] like Figure 11 and Figure 12As shown, to achieve continuous feeding of the material to be welded, the feeding components include a feeding frame 6, a conveyor belt 7, and a limiting block 8. The feeding frame 6 is fixedly installed on the loading side of the frame 1. The conveyor belt 7 is mounted on the feeding frame 6 through a transmission roller. The conveying direction of the conveyor belt 7 is towards the rotating support mechanism. The material to be welded can be continuously conveyed through the conveyor belt 7. The conveying end of the conveyor belt 7 is the loading end near the rotating support mechanism. After the material is conveyed to the loading end by the conveyor belt 7, it waits for transfer loading. The limiting block 8 is fixed at the loading end of the feeding frame 6 and located on both sides of the end of the conveyor belt 7. It is used to limit the end of the material conveyed to the loading end to prevent the material from falling from the end of the conveyor belt 7, and at the same time ensure that the position of the material is consistent each time it is loaded, thereby improving the loading positioning accuracy.

[0071] A receiving rack 9 is also fixedly installed on the frame 1. The receiving rack 9 is located on the unloading side of the frame 1 and is used to receive the finished materials after welding. After the transfer mechanism transfers the welded materials on the rotating support mechanism, it puts them into the receiving rack 9 to complete the unloading and storage, thus realizing the centralized storage of finished materials.

[0072] To accommodate materials of different lengths and improve the versatility of the equipment, a transverse moving guide rail is fixedly installed on the frame 1. The extension direction of the transverse moving guide rail is parallel to the symmetrical central axis of the two rotating support mechanisms. The seats 3 of the two rotating support mechanisms are slidably mounted on the transverse moving guide rail by sliders. The distance between the two seats 3 on the transverse moving guide rail can be adjusted to meet the double-end support requirements of materials of different lengths. After adjustment, the seats 3 can be fixed on the transverse moving guide rail by locking components to ensure the stability of the support process.

[0073] To achieve precise rotation of materials driven by the rotating frame, the rotating frame includes a support plate 10 and an arc-shaped rack 11. A support notch 5 is formed on the upper part of the support plate 10. The arc-shaped rack 11 is fixedly installed on the arc-shaped side of the support plate 10, and the center of the arc-shaped rack 11 is concentric with the rotation center of the support plate 10, ensuring that the rotation center remains constant during transmission and avoiding transmission deviation. The rotating support mechanism also includes a rotating drive component 12, which is a servo motor and is fixedly installed on the outside of the base 3. The output end of the rotating drive component 12 passes through the base 3 and is fixed with a rotating drive gear 13. The rotating drive gear 13 meshes with the arc-shaped rack 11. When the rotating drive component 12 is started, the support plate 10 is driven to rotate stably around its rotation center through the meshing transmission of the rotating drive gear 13 and the arc-shaped rack 11, thereby driving the materials supported at both ends to rotate synchronously. The rotation angle and rotation speed can be precisely controlled, adapting to the operational requirements of circumferential welding and multi-angle welding of materials.

[0074] To further improve the stability of the rotation of the support plate 10, the rotating support mechanism also includes two limiting wheels 14 and guide wheels 15. Two limiting wheels 14 are rotatably mounted on the base 3 via a rotating shaft. The two limiting wheels 14 are spaced vertically apart, forming a limiting space between adjacent limiting wheels 14. The upper edge of the support plate 10 is always located within this limiting space, and the upper and lower edges of the support plate 10 respectively abut against the wheel surfaces of the corresponding limiting wheels 14. The limiting wheels 14 are used to restrict radial movement of the support plate 10 during rotation, ensuring rotational stability. The center position is accurate and can rotate synchronously with the support plate 10 without affecting normal rotation operation. There are two guide wheels 15, both of which are rotatably mounted on the base 3 via a rotating shaft. The two guide wheels 15 are spaced apart front and back, and the wheel surface of the guide wheel 15 abuts against the plate surface of the support plate 10. When the support plate 10 rotates, the guide wheels 15 rotate synchronously with the support plate 10 to form axial limit and auxiliary support for the support plate 10, avoid the support plate 10 from axially swaying back and forth, and further improve the stability of the rotation process.

[0075] To eliminate the rotational clearance of the support plate 10 and prevent vibration during welding, an installation groove 16 is provided on the inner wall of the mounting slide 4. The opening of the installation groove 16 faces the edge of the support plate 10. The rotating support mechanism also includes a mounting block 17, an abutment wheel 18, and an abutment elastic element 19. The mounting block 17 is slidably fitted in the installation groove 16 and can slide back and forth along the depth direction of the installation groove 16. The abutment wheel 18 is rotatably mounted on the side of the mounting block 17 facing the support plate 10 via a rotating shaft, and the wheel surface of the abutment wheel 18 abuts against the lower edge of the support plate 10. The abutment elastic element 19 is a compression spring. One end of the abutment wheel 18 is fixed to the side of the mounting block 17 away from the abutment wheel 18, and the other end is fixed to the bottom of the mounting groove 16. The abutment elastic element 19 is always in a compressed state, which can provide continuous elastic force to push the mounting block 17 toward the support plate 10, so that the abutment wheel 18 is always in contact with the edge of the support plate 10. During the rotation of the support plate 10, the abutment wheel 18 can not only provide auxiliary rotation guidance, but also further reinforce the support plate 10 radially through elastic contact, eliminate rotational fit gap, avoid vibration of the support plate 10, and ensure the positional accuracy of the welding process.

[0076] To achieve stable clamping and fixing of the material within the support notch 5, the rotating support mechanism also includes two sets of symmetrically arranged clamping and fixing components. These two sets of components are located on opposite sides of the support notch 5, and are used to clamp and fix the material ends within the support notch 5 in both directions. Each set of clamping and fixing components includes a mounting plate 20, a fixing plate 21, a fixing elastic element 22, and a fixing drive element. There are two mounting plates 20, vertically fixed on opposite sides of the support notch 5. Each mounting plate 20 has a horizontal sliding groove 24 extending towards the center of the support notch 5. There are two fixing plates 21, each corresponding to the two mounting plates 20, slidably mounted within the sliding grooves 24 via sliders, allowing for horizontal reciprocating sliding along the sliding grooves 24. The fixing drive element uses a miniature cylinder, fixedly installed on the outside of the mounting plate 20, with the drive end of the fixing drive element passing through the mounting plate 20. Plate 20 is fixedly connected to fixed plate 21 and is used to drive fixed plate 21 to move along sliding groove 24 away from the center of support notch 5 to avoid material loading and unloading, and to avoid structural interference during loading and unloading. Fixed elastic element 22 is a tension spring, and there are two of them. One end of each fixed elastic element 22 is fixed to the corresponding fixed plate 21, and the other end is fixed to support plate 10. When the fixed driving member drives fixed plate 21 to move outward, fixed elastic element 22 is stretched. When the fixed driving member removes the driving force on fixed plate 21, the rebound force of fixed elastic element 22 can push fixed plate 21 along sliding groove 24 towards the center of support notch 5, thereby clamping the material in support notch 5 in both directions. Through elastic clamping, the stability of clamping force can be guaranteed, and it can be adapted to materials with different outer diameter specifications. At the same time, it avoids scratches, indentations and other damage to the material surface caused by rigid clamping.

[0077] To prevent rigid impact on the supporting structure when materials are lowered, a vertical support groove 25 is provided at the bottom of the supporting notch 5. The rotating supporting mechanism also includes a bottom support plate 26, a pre-support plate 27, a mounting rod 28, a sleeve rod 29, and a supporting elastic element 30. There are two bottom support plates 26, which are adjustablely positioned on opposite sides of the supporting notch 5 by bolts. The top surface of the bottom support plate 26 is a horizontal supporting surface, used to support the bottom of the material and provide stable rigid support. The distance between the two bottom support plates 26 can be adjusted to accommodate materials with different outer diameters. The pre-support plate 27 is slidably assembled in the support groove 25 and can slide up and down along the support groove 25. The top surface of the pre-support plate 27 is the supporting surface. In the initial state, the top surface of the pre-support plate 27 is higher than the supporting surface of the bottom support plate 26. The mounting rod 28 is vertically fixed to the center of the bottom of the support groove 25. One end of the sleeve rod 29 is slidably sleeved on the outside of the mounting rod 28, and the other end is fixedly connected to the center of the bottom surface of the pre-support plate 27. Through the sliding cooperation between the mounting rod 28 and the sleeve rod 29, precise guidance is provided for the up and down sliding of the pre-support plate 27, avoiding deviation or jamming during the sliding process. The support elastic element 30 is a compression spring, sleeved on the outside of the mounting rod 28 and the sleeve rod 29. One end of the support elastic element 30 abuts against the bottom of the support groove 25, and the other end abuts against the bottom surface of the pre-support plate 27, which is used to provide continuous upward support elastic force for the pre-support plate 27.

[0078] When the material is lowered into the support gap 5 by the transfer mechanism, the material first contacts the top surface of the pre-support plate 27. The weight of the material presses down on the pre-support plate 27, and the supporting elastic element 30 is compressed. The compression and rebound of the elastic element achieves buffering and force relief, avoiding direct impact of the material on the bottom support plate 26, which would cause wear and deformation of the equipment and extend the service life of the equipment. When the pre-support plate 27 slides to the lowest position under the pressure of the material, the height of the top surface of the pre-support plate 27 is lower than the height of the support surface of the bottom support plate 26. At this time, the material falls completely onto the support surface of the bottom support plate 26, and the bottom support plate 26 provides stable rigid support for the material, ensuring the positional accuracy of the material during the welding process and preventing the buffer structure from affecting the stability of the support positioning.

[0079] To achieve stable material transfer, the transfer mechanism includes a movable frame 31, a horizontal moving guide rail 32, a movable plate 33, a lifting guide rail 34, a lifting rack 35, a support frame 36, and a lifting drive component 37. The movable frame 31 is a gantry frame, fixed on the machine frame 1, spanning the loading station, welding station, and unloading station. The horizontal moving guide rail 32 is fixedly mounted on the crossbeam of the movable frame 31. The extension direction of the horizontal moving guide rail 32 covers the loading end of the feeding component, the support station of the rotating support mechanism, and the unloading station of the receiving rack 9. The movable plate 33 is slidably mounted on the horizontal moving guide rail 32 via a slider and can be driven to reciprocate along the horizontal moving guide rail 32 by the horizontal drive component to achieve switching between the loading, welding, and unloading stations. The horizontal drive component can use a servo motor in conjunction with a gear and rack transmission to ensure the accuracy of the movement position. The lifting guide rail 34 and the lifting rack 35 are both vertically fixed to the side of the moving plate 33. The support frame 36 is slidably mounted on the lifting guide rail 34 via a slider. The support frame 36 has a long and narrow frame structure, which can stably support the entire material and prevent the material from falling or tilting during the lifting process. The lifting drive component 37 uses a servo motor and is fixed on the support frame 36. The output end of the lifting drive component 37 is fixed with a lifting gear 38, which meshes with the lifting rack 35. When the lifting drive component 37 is started, it drives the lifting gear 38 to rotate. Through the meshing transmission between the lifting gear 38 and the lifting rack 35, the support frame 36 is driven to move up and down along the lifting guide rail 34, thereby realizing the lifting and lowering of the material. Combined with the horizontal movement of the moving plate 33, the automated feeding and unloading of materials is completed.

[0080] like Figure 10 As shown, to further improve welding accuracy and prevent deformation or movement of the welding position during welding, this automated welding equipment also includes a welding positioning and clamping mechanism. This mechanism includes a clamping frame 39, a clamping plate 40, and a clamping drive component 41. The clamping frame 39 is fixed to the frame 1 and located at the end of one of the rotating support mechanisms, corresponding to the welding station of the welding robot 2. The clamping plate 40 is slidably mounted on the clamping frame 39 via a slider. The clamping drive component 41, using a cylinder, is fixedly mounted on the clamping frame 39. The driving end of the clamping drive component 41 is fixedly connected to the clamping plate 40, driving the clamping plate 40 to move towards the material to be welded. This, in turn, cooperates with the positioning surface of the clamping frame 39 to clamp the material at the welding position, effectively preventing movement or deformation of the material at the welding position during welding, further improving welding accuracy and quality.

[0081] The complete workflow of the automated welding equipment in this embodiment is as follows:

[0082] Material preparation: The material to be welded is continuously conveyed to the feeding end by the conveyor belt 7, and the end is limited by the limit block 8, waiting for transfer; according to the length specifications of the material to be welded, the distance between the seats 3 of the two rotating support mechanisms on the transverse moving guide rail is adjusted so that the distance between the two support notches 5 is adapted to the length of the material, and after adjustment, it is locked and fixed; the fixed drive component drives the fixed plate 21 to move away from the center of the support notch 5 to make way for the feeding space.

[0083] Automated feeding: The moving plate 33 of the transfer mechanism moves along the horizontal moving guide rail 32 to the top of the feeding end, and the lifting drive 37 drives the support frame 36 to descend, lifting the material to be welded at the feeding end and then rising; then the moving plate 33 moves along the horizontal moving guide rail 32 to the top of the rotating support mechanism, and the lifting drive 37 drives the support frame 36 to descend, placing the material into the support notches 5 of the two rotating support mechanisms.

[0084] Material positioning and fixing: During the material lowering process, it first contacts the top surface of the pre-support plate 27. After the compression of the support elastic element 30 achieves buffering and force relief, it falls onto the support surface of the bottom support plate 26 to complete the support and positioning. The fixing drive removes the driving force on the fixing plate 21, and the rebound force of the fixing elastic element 22 pushes the fixing plate 21 to move towards the center of the support notch 5, clamping and fixing both ends of the material in both directions. The clamping drive 41 of the welding positioning clamping mechanism drives the clamping plate 40 to move, clamping the material at the position to be welded, completing the final positioning before welding.

[0085] Automated welding: Welding robot 2 starts and performs welding operations on the material to be welded; during the welding process, the rotary drive component 12 can drive the support plate 10 to rotate synchronously with the material through the meshing transmission of the rotary drive gear 13 and the arc rack 11, and cooperate with the welding robot 2 to complete circumferential welding and multi-angle welding operations; during the rotation, the limit wheel 14, guide wheel 15 and abutment wheel 18 together form multiple limits and supports for the support plate 10 to ensure that the rotation process is stable and without shaking.

[0086] Automated material unloading: After welding is completed, the welding robot 2 resets, the fixed drive unit drives the fixed plate 21 to move outward to make way for the unloading space, the clamping drive unit 41 of the welding positioning clamping mechanism drives the clamping plate 40 to reset and release the material; the support frame 36 of the transfer mechanism descends to lift the finished welding material, the moving plate 33 moves along the horizontal moving guide rail 32 to the top of the receiving rack 9 and puts the material into the receiving rack 9 to complete the unloading; then all mechanisms of the equipment reset and enter the next welding cycle to realize continuous automated welding production.

[0087] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated welding device, characterized in that, It includes: Rack (1); Two rotating support mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on the frame (1) to jointly support both ends of a single piece of material; A transfer mechanism is provided on the frame (1) for transferring the material from the feeder to the rotating support mechanism, and for transferring the welded material for unloading. A welding robot (2) is mounted on the frame (1) and is used to weld the material on the rotating support mechanism; The rotating support mechanism includes: A base (3) is mounted on the frame (1), and the base (3) has a mounting groove (4). The rotating frame has a support notch (5) and is rotatably mounted in the mounting groove (4). The mounting groove (4) limits the rotation frame, and the material is transferred to the support notch (5) by the transfer mechanism.

2. The automated welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding components include a feeding rack (6), a conveyor belt (7), and a limiting block (8). The feeding rack (6) is mounted on the frame (1), and the conveyor belt (7) is mounted on the feeding rack (6). The material is conveyed to the loading end near the rotating support mechanism via the conveyor belt (7). The limiting block (8) is set on the feeding rack (6) and located at the feeding end of the conveyor belt (7) to prevent the material from falling; It also includes a receiving rack (9), which is set on the frame (1), and the transfer mechanism puts the welded material into the receiving rack (9).

3. The automated welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a lateral movement guide rail; The transverse moving guide rail is mounted on the frame (1), and the seat (3) is slidably mounted on the frame (1) via the transverse moving guide rail.

4. An automated welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating frame includes a support plate (10) and an arc-shaped rack (11). The support notch (5) is located on the support plate (10), the arc-shaped rack (11) is disposed on the side of the support plate (10), and the center of the arc-shaped rack (11) is concentric with the rotation center of the support plate (10); The rotating support mechanism also includes a rotating drive component (12), which is fixed to the base (3) and has a rotating drive gear (13) at its output end. The rotating drive gear (13) meshes with the arc-shaped rack (11) to drive the support plate (10) to rotate around the rotation center.

5. An automated welding equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rotating support mechanism also includes a limiting wheel (14) and a guide wheel (15). There are at least two limiting wheels (14), which are rotatably mounted on the seat (3). A limiting space is formed between adjacent limiting wheels (14). The edge of the support plate (10) is always located within the limiting space, and the edge of the support plate (10) abuts against the wheel surface of the limiting wheel (14). The guide wheels (15) are at least two in number and are rotatably mounted on the seat (3), abutting against the surface of the support plate (10). They rotate synchronously with the rotation of the support plate (10) to assist in support and rotation guidance.

6. An automated welding equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The inner wall of the mounting slide (4) is provided with a mounting groove (16), and the rotating support mechanism also includes a mounting block (17), an abutment wheel (18), and an abutment elastic element (19). The mounting block (17) is slidably disposed in the mounting groove (16), and the abutting wheel (18) is rotatably disposed on the side of the mounting block (17) facing the support plate (10), and the wheel surface of the abutting wheel (18) abuts against the edge of the support plate (10); one end of the abutting elastic member (19) is fixed on the mounting block (17), and the other end is fixed to the bottom of the groove of the mounting groove (16), which is used to provide elastic force so that the abutting wheel (18) abuts against the support plate (10) at all times, and to achieve guidance and auxiliary reinforcement when the support plate (10) rotates.

7. An automated welding equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The rotating support mechanism also includes two sets of symmetrically arranged clamping and fixing components, the clamping and fixing components including a mounting plate (20), a fixing plate (21), a fixing elastic element (22), and a fixing drive element; There are two mounting plates (20), which are respectively located on opposite sides of the supporting notch (5). The mounting plates (20) have movable grooves (24). There are two fixed plates (21), which are slidably assembled in the sliding grooves (24) of the two mounting plates (20) respectively; The fixed drive component is fixed on the mounting plate (20), and its drive end is connected to the fixed plate (21) to drive the fixed plate (21) to move along the moving slide (24) to avoid loading and unloading. There are two fixed elastic elements (22), one end of which is respectively set on the two fixed plates (21), and the other end is set on the support plate (10), which are used to provide the force for the fixed plates (21) to clamp and fix the material.

8. An automated welding equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The bottom of the support notch (5) is provided with a support groove (25), and the rotating support mechanism also includes a bottom support plate (26), a pre-support plate (27), an installation rod (28), a sleeve rod (29), and a support elastic element (30). The bottom support plate (26) consists of two plates, which are adjustablely positioned on opposite sides of the support notch (5) to support the bottom of the material; The pre-support plate (27) is slidably assembled in the support groove (25) and can slide up and down along the support groove (25); The mounting rod (28) is vertically fixed to the bottom of the support groove (25). One end of the sleeve rod (29) is slidably sleeved on the outside of the mounting rod (28), and the other end is fixedly connected to the bottom surface of the pre-support plate (27). The support elastic element (30) is sleeved on the outside of the mounting rod (28) and the sleeve rod (29). One end of the element abuts against the bottom of the support groove (25), and the other end abuts against the bottom surface of the pre-support plate (27), and is used to provide an upward support elastic force for the pre-support plate (27). When the pre-support plate (27) is pressed down by the material and slides to the lowest position, the height of its top surface is lower than the height of the supporting surface of the bottom support plate (26).

9. An automated welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer mechanism includes a movable frame (31), a horizontal moving guide rail (32), a movable plate (33), a lifting guide rail (34), a lifting rack (35), a support frame (36), and a lifting drive component (37). The movable frame (31) is fixed on the frame (1), and the horizontal moving guide rail (32) is arranged on the movable frame (31); The movable plate (33) is slidably mounted on the horizontal moving guide rail (32); The lifting guide rail (34) and the lifting rack (35) are both vertically fixed on the moving plate (33), and the support frame (36) is slidably arranged on the lifting guide rail (34); The lifting drive (37) is fixed on the support frame (36), and its output end is provided with a lifting gear (38). The lifting gear (38) meshes with the lifting rack (35). When the lifting drive (37) drives the lifting gear (38) to rotate, it drives the support frame (36) to move up and down along the lifting guide rail (34) to lift or lower the material.

10. An automated welding equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a welding positioning and clamping mechanism, which includes a clamping frame (39), a clamping plate (40), and a clamping drive (41). The clamping frame (39) is fixed on the frame (1) and located at the end of one of the rotating support mechanisms, corresponding to the welding station; The clamping plate (40) is slidably mounted on the clamping frame (39); the clamping drive (41) is fixed on the clamping frame (39), and its drive end is fixedly connected to the clamping plate (40) to drive the clamping plate (40) to move so as to clamp the material to be welded.

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