Arc welding fixture for aluminum alloy box body for vehicle

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of vehicle aluminum alloy box arc welding fixture, including reference platform, 1 X direction centering clamping mechanism, 2 Y direction centering clamping mechanism, product is evenly distributed in 10 Z direction rotating clamping mechanism around, each Z direction rotating clamping mechanism is distributed with small contact surface pad under, incoming material detection switch composition.Detection switch detects incoming material, and X, Y direction centering mechanism is clamped simultaneously, and then 10 Z direction pressing mechanism is pressed simultaneously, and workpiece is fixed, can be exposed completely welding point of workpiece, can be carried out automatic welding when welding, improve the consistency and production efficiency of workpiece arc welding.The arc welding fixture structure is simple, reasonable, and the degree of automation is high, compatible with artificial taking or robot automatic taking, the consistency and pass rate of product are high, and the production efficiency is high, and the automation production of vehicle aluminum alloy box is well completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of new energy vehicle component processing, and particularly relates to an arc welding fixture for an aluminum alloy box body for a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the development of society and the improvement of living standards, cars have become the main means of transportation for people. The market demand for cars is huge and the number of cars in use is increasing day by day. However, as countries pay more attention to environmental protection, technological progress and energy security, the application of internal combustion engines that consume a lot of fossil energy in road transportation is gradually being replaced by various power systems that use other energy sources. The new energy vehicle industry with electrification as its technical background has ushered in a good opportunity for development. The core of new energy vehicles lies in the battery system, and the aluminum alloy box is the installation platform of the battery system. Figure 1 As shown, the main components of the aluminum alloy housing of existing new energy vehicle battery systems include an aluminum frame and a lower base plate, with the frame and base plate connected using arc welding. When welding these components, traditional manual welding is inefficient due to the numerous weld points. Traditional fixtures have low repeatability and complex clamping mechanisms, making them incompatible with automated welding processes. Furthermore, due to the significant deformation of aluminum alloy during welding, traditional fixtures lack sufficient clamping force, resulting in uneven force on the workpiece and failing to meet the product's dimensional and geometric tolerance requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an arc welding fixture for an aluminum alloy box for a vehicle.

[0004] The complete technical solution of the present invention includes:

[0005] An automotive aluminum alloy box arc welding fixture includes a reference platform, one X-direction centering clamping mechanism, two Y-direction centering clamping mechanisms, ten Z-direction rotary clamping mechanisms, and an incoming material detection switch. The X-direction centering clamping mechanism is located in the center of the reference platform, and the two Y-direction centering clamping mechanisms are located on either side of the X-direction centering clamping mechanism, with their centering and clamping directions perpendicular to the X-direction centering clamping mechanism. The ten Z-direction centering clamping mechanisms are distributed around the reference platform, and each Z-direction rotary clamping mechanism is provided with a small contact surface pad.

[0006] The X-direction centering clamping mechanism and the Y-direction centering clamping mechanism are both composed of a centering clamping block, a centering finger cylinder, a tie rod guide bearing and a tie rod radial guide limit block. The centering finger cylinder provides centering power, and the tie rod connected thereto passes through the tie rod guide bearing. The centering clamping block is installed on the tie rod connected to the centering finger cylinder. The tie rod radial guide limit block is located between the tie rod guide bearing and the centering clamping block. The tie rod guide bearing and the tie rod radial guide limit block ensure the consistency of the movement direction of the centering clamping block during the tightening process. During the centering and positioning process of the box body, the centering clamping block moves to clamp the box body.

[0007] The Z-direction rotary clamping mechanism consists of a rotary clamping cylinder, a cylinder mounting plate and a T-shaped clamping block. The rotary clamping cylinder is connected to the reference platform through the cylinder mounting plate and the high-precision pin positioning hole; the rotary clamping cylinder is connected to the T-shaped clamping block and drives the T-shaped clamping block to clamp the box.

[0008] The reference platform is manufactured by welding square tubes and steel plates and subjected to stress relief treatment, and is then assembled and processed in one step.

[0009] The one X-direction centering clamping mechanism, the two Y-direction centering clamping mechanisms, the ten Z-direction rotation clamping mechanisms and the incoming material detection switch are all connected via positioning pins, screws and a reference platform.

[0010] The X-direction centering clamping mechanism and the Y-direction centering clamping mechanism transmit centering power through the pull rod; the pull rod is axially guided by the pull rod guide bearing, and a step is provided on the pull rod, and radial guidance and limitation are achieved through the cooperation between the step and the pull rod radial guide limit block.

[0011] When the automotive aluminum alloy box arc welding fixture completes the entire production process, each action is controlled electronically.

[0012] An automatic welding and assembly production line for automotive aluminum alloy boxes using the above-mentioned fixture includes a material cart, an automatic coding unit, a stir friction welding unit, a coding NG cart, a manipulator and a floor rail handling unit, a deburring unit, a transfer rack, a fully automatic arc welding unit, a fully automatic machining unit, a chip removal unit, a transfer table, a manual repair welding unit, a manual cleaning unit, a code scanning and data entry unit, a gluing unit, a curing table, automatic visual inspection equipment, an airtightness inspection equipment, an automatic packaging area, a scrap cart, and a wooden spacer cart unit;

[0013] The manipulator and ground rail transport unit realize the transportation and delivery of raw materials on the production line. The manipulator and ground rail transport unit consists of two sections, which are connected by a transfer rack in the middle; the incoming material trolley is located on one side of the manipulator and ground rail transport unit and can enter the feeding area of ​​the production line. The feeding area has a mechanism for positioning and clamping the feeding trolley. The automatic coding unit and stir friction welding unit are located in sequence at the right end of the incoming material trolley. The coding NG trolley is located at one end of the manipulator and ground rail transport unit, close to the automatic coding unit and stir friction welding unit.

[0014] The deburring unit is located on the other side of the manipulator and the ground rail transport unit, opposite to the incoming material vehicle.

[0015] The transfer rack is located on the other side of the manipulator and the ground rail handling unit, and is adjacent to the deburring unit;

[0016] The fully automatic arc welding unit is located on one side of the manipulator and the ground rail transport unit, and is adjacent to the incoming material vehicle;

[0017] The fully automatic machining unit and chip removal unit are respectively located on both sides of the manipulator and the ground rail transport unit, and are respectively arranged adjacent to the fully automatic arc welding unit and the transfer rack;

[0018] The manual repair welding unit, manual cleaning unit, code scanning and input unit and wooden spacer trolley are located on one side of the manipulator and the ground rail handling unit in sequence;

[0019] The gluing unit, curing table, airtightness detection equipment, and automatic visual inspection equipment are sequentially located on the other side of the manipulator and the ground rail transport unit;

[0020] The scrap car is located on one side of the manipulator and the ground rail handling unit and is arranged opposite to the automatic visual inspection equipment;

[0021] The automatic packaging area is located at the other end of the manipulator and ground rail handling unit.

[0022] The production line is provided with two transfer racks and a transfer table, which serve as a buffer for the production process and ensure the continuity of production.

[0023] The glue application unit uses a robot to drive a glue gun equipped with a glue pump to complete the sealant application process. At the same time, a curing station is set up to ensure that the curing of the glue does not affect the production rhythm.

[0024] The automatic packaging area and the wooden partition trolley realize the automatic packaging process of product production.

[0025] The fully automatic arc welding unit uses a robot to drive the welding gun and is equipped with an axis positioner, an automatic wire feeder and a workpiece positioning fixture to achieve full automation of the arc welding process.

[0026] The method for automatically welding and assembling a vehicle aluminum alloy box using the production line comprises the following steps:

[0027] The operator first pushes the feeding trolley filled with product raw materials to the feeding area. If the feeding area detects the incoming materials, it will position and clamp the feeding trolley. The robot and the ground rail transport unit will then send the raw materials to the automatic coding unit for coding. After coding, it will automatically detect whether the coding is successful. If successful, it will proceed to the next step. If not, it will be sent to the coding NG car for manual repair and then repeat the step.

[0028] After successful automatic coding, the workpiece is sent to the friction stir welding unit by the robot and the ground rail transport unit to complete the workpiece stir welding. After friction welding, there will be burrs at the weld, so the robot sends the workpiece to the deburring unit to remove the burrs on the workpiece; then, the robot arm sends the workpiece to the fully automatic arc welding unit for CMT welding of the workpiece; after welding is completed, it is sent to the fully automatic machining unit for precise machining of the workpiece; after processing, the chip removal unit cleans the waste chips of the workpiece;

[0029] After the workpiece is cleaned of waste, the robot moves the workpiece to the manual repair welding unit, where the welding of the workpiece is manually self-checked and repair welding is performed on the parts that need repair welding. After repair welding, the workpiece is sent to the glue coating unit for applying weld sealant, and then sent to the curing station for curing of the sealant.

[0030] After the glue is cured, the workpiece is sent to the manual cleaning unit for glue filling and surface cleaning;

[0031] After the above processes are completed, the robot will perform an airtightness test on the workpiece using airtightness testing equipment and a visual inspection of the machined holes and braces using automatic visual inspection equipment to check whether they are qualified. If they fail, they will be sent to the scrap truck; if they pass, they will be sent to the automatic packaging area for product packaging.

[0032] In another preferred embodiment, the present invention also provides a three-in-one mechanical gripper for automotive aluminum alloy boxes used in a production line:

[0033] It includes a gripper reference frame, a box grabbing unit, a fixture grabbing unit and a bottom plate grabbing unit; the reference frame includes two parallel horizontal beams and a longitudinal beam perpendicular to the horizontal beams;

[0034] The box grabbing unit includes a rotary clamping cylinder, a support block, an X-axis limit block, and a Y-axis limit block. There are four sets of box grabbing units, which are symmetrically installed at the two ends of the longitudinal beams on both sides of the three-in-one mechanical gripper reference frame. The rotary clamping cylinder is provided with an adjustable tooling support block, and the X-axis limit block and the Y-axis limit block are arranged on the longitudinal beam of the reference frame and are perpendicular to each other. During the grabbing process, the X-axis limit block is used to determine the accuracy in the X direction, and the Y-axis limit block ensures the accuracy in the Y direction. The rotary clamping cylinder presses the aluminum alloy box after grabbing it to ensure that the aluminum alloy box is firmly clamped.

[0035] The fixture tooling grabbing unit is located inside the box grabbing unit and includes four sets of clamping mechanisms, a stroke cylinder that drives the clamping mechanism to move, a stroke guide slide block group, and two tightening cylinders; the front end of the clamping mechanism is provided with a gripper and a polyurethane pad for grabbing, and is installed on the crossbeam through the stroke cylinder and the stroke guide slide block group. A tightening cylinder that can push along the Z-axis direction is provided between each two sets of stroke cylinders;

[0036] The lower base plate grabbing unit is a vacuum adsorption mechanism, which includes 6 adsorption panels located on the crossbeam. The positions of the 6 adsorption panels are set according to the center of gravity of the lower base plate.

[0037] The rotary pressing cylinder, the X-axis limit block and the Y-axis limit block are connected to the reference frame through a support plate and high-precision pin positioning holes; the rotary pressing cylinder is connected to a T-shaped pressing block.

[0038] The three-in-one mechanical gripper for automotive aluminum alloy boxes can grasp the aluminum alloy box, tooling fixtures and lower base plate.

[0039] The three-in-one mechanical gripper for the automotive aluminum alloy box also includes a robot connected to a reference frame.

[0040] The gripper reference frame is made by welding square tubes and steel plates and undergoing stress relief treatment, and is obtained by one-time assembly and processing.

[0041] In another preferred embodiment, the present invention also provides a cooling base plate gluing assembly integrated machine used in the gluing unit:

[0042] Including glue splicing platform, robot glue coating mechanism and compatible robot loading mechanism,

[0043] The gluing and splicing platform includes an equipment main frame, a bottom plate moving and positioning gluing mechanism, a cold plate moving and positioning gluing mechanism, and a bottom plate fixed gluing mechanism. The bottom plate fixed gluing mechanism is fixed to the equipment main frame. The bottom plate moving and positioning gluing mechanism and the cold plate moving and positioning gluing mechanism are arranged on the equipment main frame and can move along the splicing direction of the battery box cooling bottom plate;

[0044] The robot gluing mechanism includes a gluing robot, a glue pump and a glue gun;

[0045] The compatible robot loading mechanism comprises a loading robot and a compatible loading tooling.

[0046] The glue-spreading and splicing platform also includes a power transmission rack.

[0047] The gluing robot and the loading robot are 6-axis robots.

[0048] The compatible loading tooling includes a vacuum suction cup for grabbing materials, and the vacuum suction cup is controlled by multiple vacuum channels.

[0049] There are four bottom plate moving positioning and gluing mechanisms, four cold plate moving positioning and gluing mechanisms, and one bottom plate fixing and gluing mechanism.

[0050] The bottom plate moving positioning and gluing mechanism and the cold plate moving positioning and gluing mechanism are structured as follows: including a Y-direction positioning mechanism, an X-direction blocking mechanism, an X-direction correcting mechanism, a Z-direction positioning and rotating clamping mechanism, a tooling horizontal pad, a mobile installation platform, and a gear transmission mechanism driven by a servo motor;

[0051] The X direction refers to the splicing direction of the battery box cooling bottom plate, the Y direction refers to the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction, and the Y direction refers to the direction perpendicular to both the X direction and the Y direction.

[0052] The bottom plate moving positioning and gluing mechanism and the cold plate moving positioning and gluing mechanism are both connected to the main frame of the equipment through slide rails and sliders, and are driven by gears driven by a servo system for power output.

[0053] In another preferred embodiment, the present invention further provides a continuous curing device for coating and curing aluminum alloy casings for vehicles used in a curing platform:

[0054] Including active end, conveyor line, driven end, baking shed, loading manipulator and unloading manipulator,

[0055] The conveyor line is used to convey the curing box, with the driven end and the driving end respectively located at both ends of the conveyor line, the loading robot is located on the driven end side, and the unloading robot is located on the driving end side. A baking shed is provided on the conveyor line, and the baking shed includes a connecting part with the conveyor line and a shed body. A baking space for the curing box to pass through is provided between the shed body and the conveyor line;

[0056] The conveying line body is spliced ​​with short square tubes, and the length of the conveying line body can be adjusted by adding or reducing short square tubes;

[0057] The continuous glue coating and curing device for the aluminum alloy box for automobiles further comprises a chain, which connects the driving end, the driven end and the conveying line into one, and a chain plate is connected to the chain so that the entire conveying surface is covered by the flat chain plate;

[0058] The height of the shed body can be adjusted freely.

[0059] In another preferred embodiment, the present invention further provides another battery box two-component structural adhesive coating and curing device used in a curing platform, comprising a conveying and curing line, a curing fixture, an automatic gluing unit, and a bottom plate rack;

[0060] The conveying and curing line is a continuous closed-loop circulating conveying mechanism, which is equipped with a material incoming station, a transmission station, a gluing station, a first lifting station, an assembly station, multiple curing stations and a second lifting station in sequence;

[0061] The automatic gluing unit is located on the gluing station, and the lower base plate rack is located on the assembly station.

[0062] The curing fixture includes a frame placement platform, a fixture frame and a self-locking manual pressing tool, wherein the fixture frame is located on the frame placement platform and the self-locking manual pressing tool is distributed on the fixture frame;

[0063] The material incoming station, the transfer station, and the curing station are two-way transfer stations with lifting functions, and the first lifting station and the second lifting station have a workpiece lifting function.

[0064] The transfer station includes a first transfer station and a second transfer station.

[0065] There is only one workpiece stored in the gluing station and the first lifting station at the same time. After the operation of the first lifting station is completed, the next workpiece will enter the gluing station from the second transfer station for gluing.

[0066] There are 9 curing stations in total.

[0067] There are 14 curing fixtures on the conveying and curing line, which operate in a cycle.

[0068] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0069] 1. The positioning and tightening cylinders in the X and Y directions are centered by finger cylinders, which can improve the insufficient repeat positioning accuracy of the fixture caused by the size error of the incoming material. In addition, the centered positioning can reduce the relative displacement of the product on the pad and reduce the damage to the product surface.

[0070] 2. The clamping mechanism in the Z direction adopts 10 clamping cylinders driven by 1 solenoid valve, which can make 10 cylinders clamp at the same time, with a high degree of automation and improved production efficiency. At the same time, the clamping cylinders distributed around are small in size and simple in structure, which can better release the space required for automatic arc welding of robots, realizing the automation of arc welding process of aluminum alloy box. It has the advantages of large clamping force, small size and simple structure, and can fully expose the welding points of workpieces. During welding, the robot can be used to drive the welding gun for automatic welding, which improves the consistency of arc welding of workpieces and production efficiency.

[0071] 3. Since all action mechanisms can be automatically controlled, the work efficiency and production capacity are high.

[0072] 4. Due to the 10 clamping cylinders, which are evenly distributed and can provide greater clamping force, the deformation of the product is better controlled during the aluminum alloy arc welding process.

[0073] 5. The reference platform is made of square tube and steel plate welded and stress-relieved, and then assembled and processed in one step to ensure that the platform has a high flatness and the platform pin hole has a high positioning accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0074] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automatic welding and assembly production line for automotive aluminum alloy boxes using the fixture of the present invention.

[0075] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automotive aluminum alloy box arc welding fixture of the present invention.

[0076] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the Y-direction clamping mechanism of the automotive aluminum alloy box arc welding fixture of the present invention.

[0077] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of the Z-direction clamping mechanism of the automotive aluminum alloy box arc welding fixture of the present invention.

[0078] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the three-in-one mechanical gripper structure.

[0079] Figure 6 a is a schematic diagram of the structure of the existing aluminum alloy battery box cooling base plate.

[0080] Figure 6 b is a schematic diagram of the battery box cooling base plate connection slot.

[0081] Figure 7 This is the overall schematic diagram of the cooling base plate gluing and assembly machine.

[0082] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the gluing and splicing platform of the cooling base plate gluing and assembly machine. (a) is a stereoscopic view, and (b) is a front view.

[0083] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the robot gluing mechanism for the cooling base plate gluing assembly machine.

[0084] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the robot loading mechanism compatible with the cooling base plate gluing and assembly machine. (a) shows one angle, and (b) shows another angle.

[0085] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the gluing mechanism for the base plate of the gluing and splicing platform. (a) is a stereogram, and (b) is a front view.

[0086] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission mechanism of the mobile positioning gluing mechanism.

[0087] Figure 13 This is a plan view of the continuous curing device for gluing aluminum alloy boxes.

[0088] Figure 14 This is a side view of the continuous curing device for gluing aluminum alloy boxes.

[0089] Figure 15 This is a diagram of the composition of the two-component structural adhesive coating and curing device.

[0090] Figure 16 This is a process flow chart of the two-component structural adhesive coating and curing device.

[0091] Figure 17 This is a diagram of the structural adhesive curing fixture. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0092] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of the invention easier to understand, the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0093] like Figure 2-4 As shown, in the production line, the fully automatic arc welding unit uses arc welding to connect the frame and bottom plate of the automotive aluminum alloy box. However, when welding the above components, due to the large number of welding points in the product, the traditional manual welding production efficiency is low, the traditional fixture has low repeatability and positioning accuracy, and the clamping mechanism is complex, which does not meet the conditions for cooperating with the automatic welding process. In addition, due to the large welding deformation of the aluminum alloy, the traditional fixture has insufficient clamping force, and the workpiece is unevenly stressed, which cannot meet the requirements for product dimensional tolerance and form and position tolerance. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an arc welding fixture for automotive aluminum alloy boxes is designed. The designed fixture is used to fix the workpiece and then weld it. The fixture has a structure such as Figure 2-4As shown, the main components are: including a reference platform 101, a small contact surface pad 103 under each Z-direction rotating clamping mechanism, an X-direction centering clamping mechanism 105, two Y-direction centering clamping mechanisms 104, 10 Z-direction rotating clamping mechanisms 102 evenly distributed around the product, and an incoming material detection switch 106. The reference platform is made of square tubes and steel plates welded and stress-relieved, and then assembled and processed in one go to ensure that the platform has a high flatness and the platform pin holes have a high positioning accuracy; the remaining mechanisms are connected to the reference platform through positioning pins, screws, and screws. Figure 3 As shown, the basic principles of the X and Y direction centering clamping mechanisms are the same, and both are composed of finger cylinders, pull rods, linear bearings and centering blocks.

[0094] Specifically, the idea behind the above design is that this type of aluminum alloy box product needs to connect the surrounding frames and bottom panels through arc welding, and the airtightness needs to be strictly controlled to prevent leakage. On the other hand, due to the large number of welding points and the large demand, automated welding is needed to improve production efficiency and product consistency. Since the size of the incoming material may also have certain errors, the traditional single-side correction method in the X and Y directions has poor positioning accuracy, so the following methods are used: Figure 3 The centering positioning shown is used to attenuate the dimensional error of the incoming material.

[0095] Because the product will deform in a free state, and the deformation is difficult to control due to its special material during welding, external downward pressure is required to firmly press the product to control the deformation, such as Figure 4 The Z-direction rotary pressing mechanism shown includes a rotary pressing cylinder 121, a cylinder mounting plate 122, and a T-shaped pressing block 123, which can provide a large downward pressing force; Figure 2 As shown, 10 evenly distributed Figure 5 The mechanism shown can effectively complete the downward pressing of the product around it, firmly control the workpiece, and play a good role in preventing deformation of the product during welding.

[0096] like Figure 3 As shown, the centering positioning in the Y direction includes a centering clamping block 141, a centering finger cylinder 142, a pull rod guide bearing 143, and a pull rod radial guide limit block 144. The centering finger cylinder 142 provides centering power, and the pull rod guide bearing 143 and the pull rod radial guide limit block 144 ensure the consistency of the movement direction of the centering clamping block 141 during the tightening process; during the centering positioning of the workpiece, the two centering clamping blocks 141 move and tighten at the same time.

[0097] During use, the robot or worker places the workpiece Figure 2In the fixture shown, after the detection switch 106 detects incoming material, the centering mechanisms in the X and Y directions are simultaneously clamped, and then the 10 clamping mechanisms in the Z direction simultaneously press down to firmly secure the workpiece. Due to the advantages of the clamping mechanism, such as high clamping force, small size, and simple structure, the welding points of the workpiece can be fully exposed. During welding, a robot can be used to drive the welding gun for automatic welding, which improves the consistency and production efficiency of the arc welding of the workpiece. After the arc welding is completed and the workpiece has cooled, the 10 clamping mechanisms in the Z direction are automatically opened at the same time, followed by the centering positioning in the X and Y directions. The workpiece can then be removed by robot or manually.

[0098] The designed arc welding fixture for automotive aluminum alloy cases features a simple and rational structure with a high degree of automation. It is compatible with both manual and robotic loading and unloading. Furthermore, it boasts high product consistency, a high pass rate, and high production efficiency, making it ideal for automated production of automotive aluminum alloy cases.

[0099] At the same time, the present invention also discloses an automatic welding and assembly production line and production process for automotive aluminum alloy boxes using the fixture, which is mainly used in full-automatic arc welding units. Its main structure is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the one end and the two ends refer to the direction of raw material transportation in the parallel production line, that is, the end points along the longer direction of the production line, or the horizontal direction; the one side, the two sides, the left and right sides refer to the direction of raw material transportation in the perpendicular production line, that is, along the narrower direction of the production line, or the longitudinal direction.

[0100] The present invention provides an automatic welding and assembly production line and production process for an automotive aluminum alloy box, which mainly includes an incoming material cart 1, an automatic coding unit 2, a stir friction welding unit 3, a coding NG cart 4, a deburring unit 6, a manipulator and a ground rail handling unit 5, a full-automatic arc welding unit 8, a full-automatic machining unit 9, a chip removal unit 10, a manual repair welding unit 12, a manual cleaning unit 13, a code scanning and input unit 14, a gluing unit 15, a curing table 16, a transfer table 11, a transfer material rack 7, an automatic visual inspection device 18, an airtightness inspection device 17, an automatic packaging area 21, a scrap cart 20, and a wooden spacer cart 19. In addition, two ground rail handling robots are connected in series to complete the full automation of the production of the aluminum alloy box from incoming materials, production to inspection, cleaning, and packaging.

[0101] The manipulator and the ground rail handling unit 5 realize the handling and conveying of raw materials on the production line. The manipulator and the ground rail handling unit 5 are arranged horizontally and include two sections, which are connected by a transfer frame 11 in the middle; the incoming material trolley 1 is located on one side of the manipulator and the ground rail handling unit 5 and can enter the feeding area of ​​the production line. The feeding area has a mechanism for positioning and clamping the feeding trolley 1. The automatic coding unit 2 and the stir friction welding unit 3 are located in sequence at the right end of the incoming material trolley. The coding NG trolley 4 is located at one end of the manipulator and the ground rail handling unit 5, close to the automatic coding unit 2 and the stir friction welding unit 3;

[0102] The deburring unit 6 is located on the other side of the manipulator and the ground rail transport unit 5, and is opposite to the incoming material vehicle 1.

[0103] The transfer rack 7 is located on the other side of the manipulator and the ground rail handling unit 5 and is adjacent to the deburring unit 6;

[0104] The fully automatic arc welding unit 8 is located on one side of the manipulator and ground rail handling unit 5 and is adjacent to the incoming material vehicle 1;

[0105] The fully automatic machining unit 9 and the chip removal unit 10 are respectively located on both sides of the manipulator and the ground rail handling unit 5, and are respectively arranged adjacent to the fully automatic arc welding unit 8 and the transfer rack 7;

[0106] The manual repair welding unit 12, the manual cleaning unit 13, the code scanning and input unit 14 and the wooden spacer trolley 19 are sequentially located on one side of the manipulator and the ground rail transport unit 5;

[0107] The gluing unit 15, curing station 16, airtightness detection equipment 17, and automatic visual inspection equipment 18 are located on the other side of the manipulator and ground rail handling unit 5 in sequence;

[0108] The scrap car 20 is located on one side of the manipulator and ground rail handling unit 5 and is arranged opposite to the automatic visual inspection equipment 18;

[0109] The automatic packaging area 21 is located at the other end of the robot and ground rail handling unit 5 .

[0110] The production line is provided with two transfer racks 7 and a transfer table 11, which serve as a buffer for the production process and ensure the continuity of production.

[0111] The gluing unit 15 uses a robot to drive a glue gun equipped with a glue pump to complete the sealant application process. At the same time, a curing station is set up to ensure that the curing of the glue does not affect the production cycle.

[0112] The automatic packaging area 21 and the wooden partition trolley 21 realize the automatic packaging process of product production.

[0113] The fully automatic arc welding unit 8 uses a robot to drive the welding gun and is equipped with a 2-axis positioner, an automatic wire feeder and a workpiece positioning fixture to achieve full automation of the arc welding process.

[0114] Specifically, the working steps of this production line are as follows:

[0115] The operator first pushes the feeding trolley 1 filled with product raw materials to the feeding area. If the feeding area detects the incoming materials, it will position and clamp the feeding trolley, and then the robot and the ground rail transport unit 5 will send the raw materials to the automatic coding unit 2. After coding, it will automatically detect whether the coding is successful. If it is successful, it will proceed to the next step. If not, it will be sent to the coding NG car 4 for manual repair and then repeat the step;

[0116] After the automatic coding is successful, the workpiece is sent to the friction stir welding unit 3 by the robot and the ground rail transport unit 5 to complete the workpiece stir welding. After friction welding, since there will be burrs at the weld, the robot sends the workpiece to the deburring unit 6 to remove the burrs on the workpiece; then, the robot arm sends the workpiece to the fully automatic arc welding unit 8, which uses a fixture to position and fix the workpiece before CMT welding of the workpiece; after welding is completed, it is sent to the fully automatic machining unit 9 for precise machining of the workpiece; after machining is completed, the chip removal unit 10 cleans the waste chips of the workpiece;

[0117] After the workpiece is cleaned of debris, the robot moves the workpiece to the manual repair welding unit 12, where the welds are manually inspected and repaired where necessary. After repair welding, the workpiece moves to the glue coating unit 15 for application of weld sealant. Since the sealant takes time to cure, a curing station 16 is provided to enable continuous production.

[0118] After the glue is cured, the workpiece is sent to the manual cleaning unit 13 for glue filling and surface cleaning;

[0119] After the above steps are completed, the robot performs an airtightness test on the workpiece using the airtightness test equipment 17 and a visual inspection of the machined holes and the braces using the automatic visual inspection equipment 18 to check whether they are qualified. If the workpiece fails, it is sent to the scrap car 20; if it passes, it is sent to the automatic packaging area 21 for product packaging.

[0120] Two transfer racks 7 and a transfer table 11 are distributed in the above-mentioned production line, which play a role in buffering the production process and ensuring the continuity of production.

[0121] In the production line disclosed in the present invention, the manipulator and the ground rail handling unit need to grasp the aluminum frame and the lower base plate of the aluminum alloy box, as well as various components. The traditional production process requires the use of a manipulator to grasp the fixture tooling, the aluminum alloy box, and the upper cover of the box in steps. The traditional robot gripper can only operate with a single function and can only clamp a single workpiece. One robot arm is equipped with one gripper. The traditional robot gripper requires more robots, wastes resources, and delays the entire production process.

[0122] Therefore, in response to the needs and processing methods of the entire production line, the present invention can use a three-in-one robot gripper consisting of a designed box, fixture tooling, and lower base plate in the manipulator and ground rail handling unit, as well as other required occasions. The basic structure is as follows Figure 5 As shown, it includes a reference frame 202, a box grabbing unit, a fixture grabbing unit and a bottom plate grabbing unit; the reference frame includes two parallel beams and a longitudinal beam perpendicular to the beams.

[0123] The box grabbing unit mainly consists of a mechanism consisting of four groups of rotary clamping cylinders 201, support blocks 209, X-axis limit blocks 211, and Y-axis limit blocks 210. The four groups of mechanisms are respectively installed at the two ends of the longitudinal beams on both sides of the three-in-one mechanical gripper reference frame and are symmetrically distributed in the X and Y directions. The rotary clamping cylinder is provided with a support block 209, and the X-axis limit blocks 211 and Y-axis limit blocks 210 are provided on the longitudinal beams of the three-in-one mechanical gripper and are perpendicular to each other. During the handling process, the positioning accuracy of the box must be strictly controlled. The X-axis limit block 211 is used to determine the accuracy in the X direction, and the Y-axis limit block 210 is used to ensure the accuracy in the Y direction. The rotary clamping cylinder 1 presses the aluminum alloy box after grabbing it to ensure that the aluminum alloy box is firmly fixed to the gripper.

[0124] The fixture gripping unit is located inside the box gripping unit and includes four sets of clamping mechanisms 203, a stroke cylinder 204 that drives the clamping mechanism, a stroke guide slide block 208 structure, and two tightening cylinders 205. The front end of the clamping mechanism includes an L-shaped gripper and a polyurethane pad 207 for gripping. It is installed on the crossbeam through the stroke cylinder 204 and the stroke guide slide block group 208. A tightening cylinder is located between every two sets of stroke cylinders 204. During the fixture gripping process, the gripper of the clamping mechanism 203 is opened by the stroke cylinder 204. The stroke slide block group 208 ensures the accuracy of the displacement of the clamping mechanism 203. The polyurethane pad 207 buffers the clamping force to prevent deformation and wear of the workpiece. After the fixture frame is clamped, the tightening cylinder 205 pushes the frame along the Z-axis to firmly position the fixture frame and limit the degree of freedom in the Z-axis direction. This achieves stable and precise clamping.

[0125] The fixture gripping unit is located on the crossbeam and includes a vacuum adsorption mechanism 206 for gripping the lower base plate. The lower base plate is attracted by the vacuum adsorption device 205. Six adsorption panels, based on the center of gravity of the lower base plate, also serve as a positioning and fixing function. The lower base plate is firmly fixed to the adsorption device, achieving the purpose of adsorption and handling.

[0126] The above design is highly adaptable and can be used for both automated robotic placement and placement of aluminum alloy cases, lower base plates, and handling fixtures. Furthermore, it boasts high product consistency and pass rates, high production efficiency, space savings, and reduced robotic investment costs, effectively enabling the automated production of automotive aluminum alloy cases.

[0127] In addition, since the battery will emit a lot of heat during use, a cooling water system for the box is essential, which is usually also called a cooling base in this field, such as Figure 6 The battery box cooling bottom plate in the prior art is composed of 9 small plates, including 5 A-type bottom plates and 4 B-type cold plates adjacent to each other. Figure 6 The gluing method shown in b requires gluing at eight locations for each cooling base plate. Each gluing step requires splicing before the initial setting of the glue. Relative displacement between the two panels at the gluing locations is not permitted after splicing. This process is complex and tedious, and is prone to splicing and gluing deviations. Therefore, automated processes are essential for efficient production.

[0128] In a preferred embodiment, the gluing unit of the present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems by designing a fully automatic loading, gluing and splicing unit, thereby realizing the integration of many processes such as the positioning of incoming materials, gluing, translational splicing of the base plate, etc., with a high degree of automation and high production efficiency, which greatly reduces labor costs. The basic structure of the gluing unit is described as follows: Figure 7-12 As shown, the gluing unit mainly consists of three parts: a gluing and splicing platform 301, a robot gluing mechanism 302, and a compatible robot loading mechanism 303.

[0129] Specifically, the gluing and splicing platform includes a main frame 344, which is equipped with four bottom plate moving and positioning gluing mechanisms 341, four cold plate moving and positioning gluing mechanisms 342, one bottom plate fixed gluing mechanism 343, and a power transmission rack 345. The bottom plate fixed gluing mechanism 343 is fixed to the main frame 344 by a fixed L-shaped bracket.

[0130] Each of the eight mobile positioning and gluing mechanisms, four for the base plate 341 and four for the cold plate 342, consists of a Y-positioning mechanism 371, an X-blocking mechanism 373, an X-aligning mechanism 375, a Z-positioning and rotating clamping mechanism 377, a tooling leveling block 374, a mobile mounting platform 372, and a gear transmission mechanism 376 driven by a servo motor. Each of the eight mobile positioning and gluing mechanisms is connected to the main frame 344 of the machine via slide rails and sliders, with power output provided by gears driven by the servo system. During operation, workpieces driven by the eight mobile mounting platforms gradually move toward the fixed platform along the X direction after gluing.

[0131] Specific transmission methods such as Figure 12 All mobile positioning and gluing mechanism platforms 391 are connected to slide rails fixed to the gluing and splicing platform via high-precision guide sliders 393, guiding the workpiece in the X-direction. A servo motor drives a high-precision rack and pinion 392 in the transmission system to achieve X-direction translation of each base plate. The cold plate mobile positioning and gluing mechanism 342 and the base plate fixed gluing mechanism 343 utilize the same mechanism for precise product positioning. The only difference is that the base plate fixed gluing mechanism does not require workpiece positioning and is therefore mounted directly on the gluing and splicing platform frame, eliminating the need for a servo drive mechanism.

[0132] The robotic gluing mechanism consists of a 6-axis robot 351, a glue gun 352, and a glue pump 503. After the robotic loading mechanism completes all incoming material loading processes, all base plates on the gluing and splicing platform are in an open state. The 6-axis robot of gluing mechanism 2 drives the glue gun to apply glue to the fixed base plate and the cold plate closest to the fixed base plate. These two plates are then spliced ​​together under the drive of the mobile mounting platform. Neither plate moves until all processes are completed. At the same time, the gluing robot applies glue between the second cold plate and the third base plate, and then the third base plate moves closer to the first two plates for splicing. After completion, the first three plates will not move until all processes are completed. The same process is repeated.

[0133] The compatible robot loading mechanism is composed of a 6-axis robot 361 and a compatible loading tooling 362. The compatible loading tooling is provided with a suction cup frame 364 and a vacuum suction cup 363. Since a complete cooling base plate needs to be composed of 9 plates, manual loading is very cumbersome, and the shape of each plate is slightly different. Therefore, a compatible loading tooling is designed with a compatible gripper, which grasps the base plate through a vacuum suction cup and is controlled by two or more independent vacuum systems. When the base plate loading is completed, the first vacuum system is turned on and the second vacuum system is turned off; when the cooling plate loading is completed, the second vacuum system is turned on and the first is turned off; in this way, a set of grippers is realized that is compatible with the grasping of base plates of various shapes.

[0134] During use, the loading of all base plates and cold plates is completed by the compatible robot loading mechanism. At this time, all the mobile positioning gluing mechanisms of the gluing and splicing platform are in the open position. Each time loading is completed, each mobile positioning gluing mechanism positions and clamps the workpiece in the X, Y, and Z directions. After the positioning of all incoming materials is completed, the work described for the robot gluing mechanism is started. After the above process is completed, the initial setting of the glue is carried out. After the initial setting time is up, the positioning and clamping mechanisms in the X, Y, and Z directions of all platforms are opened, and a complete cooling plate gluing and splicing process is completed.

[0135] In the production line of the present invention, a curing station 16 is provided to ensure that the curing of the glue does not affect the production rhythm. Since the existing box body, whether it is structural adhesive or sealant, requires a certain curing time, different glues have different curing times, and some glues even require an initial setting time of 90 minutes. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the curing station can also adopt a continuous glue curing structure device, which mainly consists of the following: Figure 13-14 As shown, it includes a driving end 404, a conveying line body 402, a driven end 401, a baking shed 403, a loading robot 406 and a unloading robot 405.

[0136] The conveyor line body 402 is used to convey the box body being cured. The driven end 401 and the driving end 404 are respectively located at the two ends of the conveyor line body 402. The loading robot 406 is located on the side of the driven end 401, and the unloading robot 405 is located on the side of the driving end 44. A baking shed 403 is provided on the conveyor line body 402. The baking shed includes a connecting part 421 with the conveyor line body 402, and a shed body 422. There is a baking space 423 between the shed body and the conveyor line body 402 for the curing box body to pass through.

[0137] During the curing process, the loading robot 406 takes the glued box to be cured and places it on the curing workpiece station on the driven end 401 side of the conveyor 402. The drive motor at the active end 404 then drives the shaft of the active end 404 to rotate, driving the shaft of the driven end 401, and thus driving the chain plate from the driven end 401 to the active end 404, so that the workpiece enters the next station and enters the baking shed 403 for curing. When the station for the workpiece to be cured is vacant, the loading robot 406 loads another box to be cured, and so on. After the workpiece reaches the curing completion area, it is removed by the unloading robot 405.

[0138] At present, the production cycle of the aluminum alloy production line is 6-8 minutes. Calculated as 6 minutes, one box to be solidified is put in every 6 minutes. Figure 1The line shown can accommodate 13 components simultaneously, but the time it takes for each box to cure on the line is 12 * 6 = 72 minutes. In continuous production, this line ensures a 72-minute curing time while meeting a 6-minute production cycle. This achieves continuous, automated production of box glue curing.

[0139] This design can meet all current aluminum alloy cabinet gluing and curing processes. During use, the baking temperature and whether to enable the baking function can be freely set according to the different glue curing processes. The line length can be freely designed based on the initial setting time of different glues, the gluing process, and the cabinet structure. For workpieces with excessive initial setting time, workpieces can be stacked in piles to increase the line's workpiece capacity. Simply raising the baking shed 422 appropriately can achieve the effect of extending the curing time without increasing the production cycle.

[0140] In addition, in the production process of this production line, some boxes require two components of glue. Therefore, in another preferred embodiment, the curing station can also adopt a two-component structural glue coating and curing mechanism, such as Figure 15-17 As shown, it includes a conveying and curing line 521, a curing fixture 522, an automatic gluing unit 523, and a lower bottom plate rack 524.

[0141] Specifically, a two-component structural adhesive is applied to the workpiece frame, and then the lower base plate is buckled onto the frame. The two are bonded and cured with the structural adhesive. During the curing process, the workpieces must not undergo relative displacement, and neither can undergo significant deformation. The initial setting time is about 1 hour.

[0142] As mentioned above, the conveyor curing line features a continuous closed-loop conveyor mechanism, with four corners equipped with bidirectional transfer stations with lifts. A specially designed curing fixture comprises a fixture frame 541, a frame placement platform 543, and eight self-locking manual clamping tools 542. The frame is conveyed onto the frame placement platform, and after the glue-coated frame is assembled with the lower base frame, it is clamped by the self-locking manual clamping tools 542. This effectively completes the workpiece curing and clamping process.

[0143] The idle curing fixture receives the frame material at the incoming material station 501. The incoming material station 501 has a two-way transmission function. It passes through the first transmission station 502 and the second transmission station 503 to the gluing station 504. The gluing station 504 automatically applies structural glue by a robot. After gluing, it goes to the first lifting station 505. The lifting station 505 is equipped with a workpiece lifting device. After the workpiece is lifted, it can be rotated freely by hand and sent to the assembly station 506. The operator assembles the lower base plate and the glued frame at the assembly station 506 and clamps them with a fixture. After that, the workpiece enters the curing time and passes through the assembly station 506, namely the first curing station, the second curing station 507, the third curing station 508, the fourth curing station 509, the fifth curing station 510, the sixth curing station 511, the seventh curing station 512, the eighth curing station 513, and the ninth curing station 514 in sequence. Since the cycle of a single component is 8 minutes, the curing time is 9*8=72 minutes. When the workpiece is transferred to the second lifting station 515, the workpiece is lifted up and the clamping mechanism of the fixture is manually released. Finally, it reaches the incoming material station 501 through the third transfer station 516, and the cured workpiece is taken away, leaving an empty curing fixture.

[0144] The incoming material station 501, the second transfer station 503, the fourth curing station 509 and the sixth curing station 511 on the conveyor line are two-way transfer stations with lifting functions, and the first jacking station 505 and the second jacking station 515 have the function of lifting the workpiece; the gluing station 504 and the first jacking station 505 can only store one workpiece at a time. After the operation of the first jacking station 505 is completed, the next workpiece can enter the gluing station 504 from the second transfer station 503 for gluing; the conveyor line has a total of 14 curing fixtures, which circulate in a cycle.

[0145] This design has a reasonable layout, convenient production, meets the production requirements of the process, has a high degree of automation, and has the characteristics of high consistency and qualified rate of manufactured products, high production efficiency, etc. It can well complete the colloid curing process of automotive aluminum alloy boxes.

[0146] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention in any way. Any simple modification, change and equivalent structural change made to the above embodiment based on the technical essence of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An arc welding fixture for aluminum alloy box for automobile, characterized in that: It includes a reference platform, one X-direction centering clamping mechanism, two Y-direction centering clamping mechanisms, ten Z-direction rotating clamping mechanisms, and an incoming material detection switch. The X-direction centering clamping mechanism is located in the center of the reference platform, and the two Y-direction centering clamping mechanisms are located on both sides of the X-direction centering clamping mechanism, with their centering clamping directions perpendicular to the X-direction centering clamping mechanism. The ten Z-direction rotating clamping mechanisms are distributed around the reference platform, and each Z-direction rotating clamping mechanism is provided with a small contact surface pad. The X-direction centering clamping mechanism and the Y-direction centering clamping mechanism are both composed of a centering clamping block, a centering finger cylinder, a tie rod guide bearing and a tie rod radial guide limit block. The centering finger cylinder provides centering power, and the tie rod connected thereto passes through the tie rod guide bearing. The centering clamping block is installed on the tie rod connected to the centering finger cylinder. The tie rod radial guide limit block is located between the tie rod guide bearing and the centering clamping block. The tie rod guide bearing and the tie rod radial guide limit block ensure the consistency of the movement direction of the centering clamping block during the tightening process. During the centering and positioning process of the box body, the centering clamping block moves to clamp the box body. The Z-direction rotary clamping mechanism consists of a rotary clamping cylinder, a cylinder mounting plate, and a T-shaped clamping block. The rotary clamping cylinder is connected to the reference platform through the cylinder mounting plate and the high-precision pin positioning hole; the rotary clamping cylinder is connected to the T-shaped clamping block and drives the T-shaped clamping block to clamp the box body; The one X-direction centering clamping mechanism, the two Y-direction centering clamping mechanisms, the ten Z-direction rotation clamping mechanisms and the incoming material detection switch are all connected to the reference platform through positioning pins, screws and the reference platform; The X-direction centering clamping mechanism and the Y-direction centering clamping mechanism transmit centering power through the pull rod; the pull rod is axially guided by the pull rod guide bearing, and a step is provided on the pull rod, and radial guidance and limitation are achieved through the cooperation between the step and the pull rod radial guide limit block.

2. The arc welding fixture for automotive aluminum alloy box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reference platform is manufactured by welding square tubes and steel plates and subjected to stress relief treatment, and is then assembled and processed in one step.

3. The arc welding fixture for automotive aluminum alloy box according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the automotive aluminum alloy box arc welding fixture completes the entire production process, each action is controlled electronically.

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