A composite material automatic laying non-stop cutting device

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the field of automatic composite material laying, and specifically relates to a tape cutting device for automatic composite material laying without stopping. The tape cutting device includes a tape cutting frame, a cylinder, a cutter, a cutter frame, an anvil frame, a first slider connector, a second slider connector, a first linear guide rail, a second linear guide rail, a first spring, a second spring, a first laying head side plate, a second laying head side plate, a first fixed support member, and a second fixed support member; compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: in the automatic composite material laying process, when the prepreg tape is cut, the laying process does not need to be stopped, and the tape cutting process does not affect the laying process, which greatly improves the consistency, uniformity and stability of the laying quality, and the tape cutting operation does not need to specially match the prepreg tape movement speed, and does not need to monitor and feedback the prepreg tape movement speed, and the overall structure is simple.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of automatic laying of composite materials, and in particular relates to a tape cutting device for automatic laying of composite materials without stopping. Background Art

[0002] Existing automatic composite material placement equipment is usually composed of subsystems such as placement motion control, tension control, pressure control, tape cutting, yarn feeding, heating, and mold preheating. Each subsystem works together to achieve the laying of the prepreg tape on the mold. At present, in order to ensure smooth tape cutting and avoid phenomena such as wire drawing and jamming, the common automatic placement equipment on the market needs to pause when cutting the tape, and continue laying after the prepreg tape is cut off. This results in uneven movement speed during the prepreg tape laying process, and the heating temperature also fluctuates greatly in the pause area, which is prone to regional dense defects, causing fluctuations in the performance of the samples in the pause area, affecting the consistency of product performance. Summary of the invention

[0003] The inventors of this application have found that when a pause occurs, the laying speed changes, causing temperature fluctuations in the laying area, which is generally reflected in the instantaneous fluctuation of the prepreg temperature, resulting in a temperature control deviation of more than 20%, and a high risk of high-temperature decomposition of materials in the pause area. In addition, the pause involves deceleration and acceleration processes, and the laying speed has a great influence on the performance of automatic laying and molding of composite materials, especially in the case of in-situ molding of thermoplastic composite materials, where speed fluctuations may cause qualitative changes in performance.

[0004] In order to improve the deficiencies of the above-mentioned prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a new type of non-stop tape cutting device for automatic laying of composite materials, which can achieve non-stop tape cutting during automatic laying of composite materials, eliminate the influence of the tape cutting operation logic on the automatic laying movement speed, and improve product stability and performance consistency.

[0005] The object of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A tape cutting device for automatic laying of composite materials without stopping, the tape cutting device comprising a tape cutting frame, a cylinder, a cutter, a cutter frame, an anvil frame, a first slider connecting member, a second slider connecting member, a first linear guide rail, a second linear guide rail, a first spring, a second spring, a first laying head side plate, a second laying head side plate, a first fixed support member, and a second fixed support member;

[0007] The cylinder is fixed on the strip cutting frame, the piston rod extending from the cylinder is connected to the cutter frame, and the cutter is fixed on the cutter frame;

[0008] A first laying head side plate and a second laying head side plate are respectively arranged on both sides of the tape cutting frame.

[0009] Wherein, a first linear guide and a first fixed support are fixedly arranged on the first placement head side plate; the first fixed support is arranged below the first linear guide, the first slider connector is slidably connected to the first linear guide, and the sliding direction of the first linear guide is parallel to the movement direction of the prepreg tape; a first spring is arranged between the first slider connector and the first fixed support;

[0010] A second linear guide and a second fixed support are fixedly arranged on the second placement head side plate; the second fixed support is arranged below the second linear guide, the second slider connector is slidably connected to the second linear guide, and the sliding direction of the second linear guide is parallel to the movement direction of the prepreg tape; a second spring is arranged between the second slider connector and the second fixed support;

[0011] The anvil rack includes a first slot hole and a second slot hole, and the first slot hole and the second slot hole have an intersection, wherein the first slot hole is parallel to the cutting direction, and the cutting knife can be accommodated in the anvil rack; the second slot hole is parallel to the movement direction of the prepreg tape, and the anvil rack is used to cut the prepreg tape when the cutting knife moves.

[0012] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the patent of the present invention has the following advantages: during the automatic placement of composite materials, when the prepreg tape is cut, the placement process does not need to be stopped, and the tape cutting process does not affect the placement process, which greatly improves the consistency, uniformity and stability of the placement quality. Moreover, the tape cutting operation does not require special matching of the prepreg tape movement speed, and there is no need to monitor and feedback the prepreg tape movement speed, and the overall structure is simple. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 The present invention is a schematic structural diagram of a tape cutting device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 The present invention is a schematic structural diagram of a tape cutting device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a cutting board rack according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Description of the drawings: 1 cylinder, 2 tape cutting rack, 3 blade rack, 4 cutter, 5-1 first slider connector, 6-1 first spring, 7-1 first linear guide rail, 8 laying head side plate, 8-1 first laying head side plate, 9-1 first fixed support, 10 anvil rack, 11 prepreg tape, 12 anvil, 13 plunger nail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] As mentioned above, the present invention provides a tape cutting device for automatic laying of composite materials without stopping, the tape cutting device includes a tape cutting frame 2, a cylinder 1, a cutter 4, a cutter frame 3, an anvil frame 10, a first slider connector 5-1, a second slider connector 5-2, a first linear guide rail 7-1, a second linear guide rail 7-2, a first spring 6-1, a second spring 6-2, a first laying head side plate 8-1, a second laying head side plate 8-2, a first fixed support 9-1, and a second fixed support 9-2;

[0019] The cylinder 1 is fixed on the tape cutting frame 2, the piston rod extending from the cylinder 1 is connected to the cutter frame 3, and the cutter 4 is fixed on the cutter frame 3;

[0020] A first laying head side plate 8-1 and a second laying head side plate 8-2 are respectively arranged on both sides of the tape cutting frame 2.

[0021] Among them, the first linear guide rail 7-1 and the first fixed support member 9-1 are fixedly arranged on the first placement head side plate 8-1; the first fixed support member 9-1 is arranged below the first linear guide rail 7-1, the first slider connector 5-1 is slidably connected to the first linear guide rail 7-1, and the sliding direction of the first linear guide rail 7-1 is parallel to the moving direction of the prepreg tape 11; the first spring 6-1 is arranged between the first slider connector 5-1 and the first fixed support member 9-1;

[0022] A second linear guide rail 7-2 and a second fixed support member 9-2 are fixedly arranged on the second placement head side plate 8-2; the second fixed support member 9-2 is arranged below the second linear guide rail 7-2, the second slider connector 5-2 is slidably connected to the second linear guide rail 7-2, and the sliding direction of the second linear guide rail 7-2 is parallel to the moving direction of the prepreg tape 11; a second spring 6-2 is arranged between the second slider connector 5-2 and the second fixed support member 9-2;

[0023] The anvil rack 10 includes a first slot hole and a second slot hole, and the first slot hole and the second slot hole have an intersection, wherein the first slot hole is parallel to the direction of the cutter 4, and the cutter 4 can be accommodated in the anvil rack 10; the second slot hole is parallel to the movement direction of the prepreg tape 11, and the anvil rack 10 is used to cut the prepreg tape when the cutter moves.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the anvil rack 10 includes an anvil 12 and a plunger pin 13; wherein, the anvil 12 is fixed in the first slot, and the plane of the anvil 12 is parallel to the movement direction of the cutter 4; the plunger pin 13 is fixed to the anvil rack 10 through a threaded hole, and a spring is provided inside the plunger pin 13. Under the action of the spring, the top ball at the top of the plunger pin 13 applies pressure to the cutter 4, thereby ensuring that the cutter 4 remains tightly fitted with the anvil 12 during the movement.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the tape cutting frame 2 is an L-shaped structure, one side of which has a large countersunk hole, and cooperates with the raised circle on the end face of the cylinder 1 to achieve the centering and limiting of the cylinder 1; at the same time, one side of the fixed side of the cylinder 1 of the tape cutting frame 2 has 4 countersunk holes, and 4 screws are locked with the cylinder 1 through the countersunk holes.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder 1 is a telescopic bidirectional cylinder, and the top of the extension rod of the cylinder has an internal thread, which can be fixedly connected to the cutter frame 3. The stroke of the cylinder 1 must ensure that the movement distance of the cutter 4 exceeds the opening through which the prepreg tape 11 passes, thereby achieving the cutting of the prepreg tape 11.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the toughness of the cutter 4 can be oblique or straight, wherein the oblique toughness is the preferred embodiment. The root of the cutter 4 has two through holes, and two screws are respectively passed through the through holes to fix the cutter 4 on the cutter frame 3. In particular, the screw is a non-full-thread screw, and the root has a length of an optical axis section, the diameter of the optical axis section forms a clearance fit with the two through holes of the cutter 4, and the length of the optical axis section is the thickness of the cutter 4 plus 0.1 to 0.2 mm.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the portion where the cutter holder 3 and the cutter 4 are fixed is fixed in a plane, and two screw holes are provided at corresponding positions for fixing the cutter 4. A countersunk hole is provided at the center of the cutter 4, and a screw is fixed to the piston rod extending from the cylinder 1 through the countersunk hole, thereby fixing the cutter holder 3 to the piston rod of the cylinder 1.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a screw is arranged in the middle of the first spring 6-1, and the screw is fixed on the first fixed support 9-1. A screw is arranged in the middle of the second spring 6-2, and the screw is fixed on the second fixed support 9-2. By adjusting the screw, the maximum distance that the tape cutting frame 2 moves along with the prepreg tape 11 can be controlled.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cutter frame 3 moves in a specific direction driven by the piston rod extended from the cylinder 1. Since the cutter 4 is fixed on the cutter frame 3, the cutter 4 moves in a specific direction driven by the piston rod extended from the cylinder 1, so as to cut the prepreg tape 11.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tape cutting frame 2 can move linearly along the direction of the linear guide rail between the first laying head side plate 8-1 and the second laying head side plate 8-2, and can be reset under the action of a spring.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, during the laying process of the tape cutting device, the prepreg moves in the anvil frame. When the cutting command occurs, the cylinder pushes the cutter frame forward to drive the cutter to quickly cut. At this time, since the prepreg is still in motion, during the time period when the cutter touches the prepreg and cuts the prepreg, the cutter is subjected to a pulling force along the advancing direction of the prepreg. Under the pulling force of the prepreg, the tape cutting frame moves along the linear guide rail, thereby not affecting the laying movement. After the cutter cuts the prepreg, the pulling force disappears, and the tape cutting frame is reset under the action of the spring.

[0033] The preparation method of the present invention will be described in further detail below in conjunction with specific examples. It should be understood that the following examples are only exemplary illustrations and explanations of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. All technologies implemented based on the above content of the present invention are included in the scope that the present invention is intended to protect.

[0034] Unless otherwise specified, the experimental methods used in the following examples are all conventional methods; the reagents, materials, etc. used in the following examples, unless otherwise specified, can be obtained from commercial channels.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes, and do not indicate or imply relative importance.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] The present embodiment provides a tape cutting device for automatic placement of composite materials without stopping, the device comprising a tape cutting frame 2, a cylinder 1, a cutter 4, a cutter frame 3, an anvil frame 10, an anvil 12, a plunger pin 13, a first slider connector 5-1, a second slider connector 5-2, a first linear guide rail 7-1, a second linear guide rail 7-2, a first spring 6-1, a second spring 6-2, a first placement head side plate 8-1, a second placement head side plate 8-2, a first fixed support 9-1, and a second fixed support 9-2;

[0038] The cylinder 1 is fixed on the tape cutting frame 2, the piston rod extending from the cylinder 1 is connected to the cutter frame 3, and the cutter 4 is fixed on the cutter frame 3;

[0039] The first laying head side plate 8-1 and the second laying head side plate 8-2 are respectively arranged on both sides of the tape cutting frame 2.

[0040] Among them, the first linear guide rail 7-1 and the first fixed support member 9-1 are fixedly arranged on the first placement head side plate 8-1; the first fixed support member 9-1 is arranged below the first linear guide rail 7-1, the first slider connector 5-1 is slidably connected to the first linear guide rail 7-1, and the sliding direction of the first linear guide rail 7-1 is parallel to the moving direction of the prepreg tape 11; the first spring 6-1 is arranged between the first slider connector 5-1 and the first fixed support member 9-1;

[0041] A second linear guide rail 7-2 and a second fixed support member 9-2 are fixedly arranged on the second placement head side plate 8-2; the second fixed support member 9-2 is arranged below the second linear guide rail 7-2, the second slider connector 5-2 is slidably connected to the second linear guide rail 7-2, and the sliding direction of the second linear guide rail 7-2 is parallel to the moving direction of the prepreg tape 11; a second spring 6-2 is arranged between the second slider connector 5-2 and the second fixed support member 9-2;

[0042] The anvil frame 10 includes a first slot hole and a second slot hole, and the first slot hole and the second slot hole have an intersection, wherein the first slot hole is parallel to the direction of the cutter, and the cutter can be accommodated in the anvil frame; the second slot hole is parallel to the movement direction of the prepreg tape, and the anvil frame 10 is used to cut the prepreg tape when the cutter moves;

[0043] Wherein, a cutting board 12 is fixed in the first slot, and the plane of the cutting board 12 is parallel to the movement direction of the cutter 4;

[0044] The plunger pin 13 is fixed on the cutting board frame 10 through a threaded hole. There is a spring inside the plunger pin 13. Under the action of the spring, the top ball on the top of the plunger pin 13 applies pressure to the cutter 4 to ensure that the cutter 4 remains tightly fitted with the cutting board 12 during movement.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the tape cutting frame 2 is an L-shaped structure, one side of which has a large countersunk hole, and cooperates with the raised circle on the end face of the cylinder 1 to achieve the centering and limiting of the cylinder 1; at the same time, one side of the fixed side of the cylinder 1 of the tape cutting frame 2 has 4 countersunk holes, and 4 screws are locked with the cylinder 1 through the countersunk holes.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylinder 1 is a telescopic bidirectional cylinder, and the top of the extension rod of the cylinder has an internal thread, which can be fixedly connected to the cutter frame 3. The stroke of the cylinder 1 must ensure that the movement distance of the cutter 4 exceeds the opening through which the prepreg tape 11 passes, thereby achieving the cutting of the prepreg tape 11.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tough part of the cutter 4 can be an oblique tough part or a straight tough part, wherein the oblique tough part is the preferred embodiment. The root of the cutter 4 has two through holes, and two screws are respectively passed through the through holes to fix the cutter 4 on the cutter frame 3. In particular, the screw is a non-full thread screw, and the root has a length of an optical axis section, and the diameter of the optical axis section forms a clearance fit with the two through holes of the cutter 4, and the length of the optical axis section is the thickness of the cutter 4 plus 0.1 to 0.2 mm.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the portion where the cutter frame 3 and the cutter 4 are fixed is fixed in a plane, and two screw holes are provided at corresponding positions for fixing the cutter 4. A countersunk hole is provided at the center of the cutter frame 3, and a screw is fixed to the piston rod extending from the cylinder 1 through the countersunk hole, thereby fixing the cutter frame 3 to the piston rod of the cylinder 1.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a screw is arranged in the middle of the first spring 6-1, and the screw is fixed on the first fixed support 9-1. A screw is arranged in the middle of the second spring 6-2, and the screw is fixed on the second fixed support 9-2. By adjusting the screw, the maximum distance that the cutting frame 2 moves along with the prepreg tape 11 can be controlled.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cutter frame 3 moves in a specific direction driven by the piston rod extended from the cylinder 1. Since the cutter 4 is fixed on the cutter frame 3, the cutter 4 moves in a specific direction driven by the piston rod extended from the cylinder 1, so as to cut the prepreg tape 11.

[0051] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tape cutting frame 2 can move linearly along the direction of the linear guide rail between the first laying head side plate 8-1 and the second laying head side plate 8-2, and can be reset under the action of a spring.

[0052] During the laying process of the tape cutting device, the prepreg moves in the cutting board frame. When the cutting command occurs, the cylinder pushes the cutting knife frame forward to drive the cutting knife to cut quickly. At this time, since the prepreg is still in motion, the cutting knife is subjected to a pulling force along the advancing direction of the prepreg during the time period when the cutting knife touches the prepreg and cuts the prepreg. Under the pulling force of the prepreg, the cutting knife frame moves along the linear guide rail, so as not to affect the laying movement. After the cutting knife cuts the prepreg, the pulling force disappears, and the cutting knife frame is reset under the action of the spring.

[0053] Example 2

[0054] The method of using the composite material automatic laying non-stop tape cutting device described in Example 1 comprises the following steps:

[0055] In the in-situ forming process of thermoplastic composite automatic placement laser closed-loop heating, the target temperature is set to 420°C, and the heating temperature fluctuation is within 1% in the uniform speed stage.

[0056] If the tape is paused for cutting, when the laying speed is 100mm / s or less, the temperature of the prepreg tape jumps to a maximum of about 440°C, fluctuating by about 10%. If the automatic laying speed is 200mm / s or more, the temperature of the prepreg tape fluctuates by more than 20%.

[0057] This is mainly because there is an acceleration and deceleration process in the laying pause area, and the energy density in this area changes, which leads to changes in performance. Therefore, there is a big difference in the short beam shear performance of the samples in the pause area and the uniform speed area. The short beam shear performance of the samples in the uniform speed area reaches 78.3Mpa, while the short beam shear performance in the acceleration and deceleration stage is only 62Mpa.

[0058] After using the device of the present invention, the laying speed is uniform, the temperature fluctuations in each area are within 1%, and the shear performance fluctuations of the tested short beams are within 5%, which are within the normal error range.

[0059] The above is an explanation of the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tape cutting device for automatic laying of composite materials without stopping, the tape cutting device comprising a tape cutting frame, a cylinder, a cutter, a cutter frame, an anvil frame, a first slider connecting member, a second slider connecting member, a first linear guide rail, a second linear guide rail, a first spring, a second spring, a first laying head side plate, a second laying head side plate, a first fixed support member, and a second fixed support member; The cylinder is fixed on the strip cutting frame, the piston rod extending from the cylinder is connected to the cutter frame, and the cutter is fixed on the cutter frame; A first laying head side plate and a second laying head side plate are respectively arranged on both sides of the tape cutting frame. in, A first linear guide and a first fixed support are fixedly arranged on the first placement head side plate; the first fixed support is arranged below the first linear guide, the first slider connector is slidably connected to the first linear guide, and the sliding direction of the first linear guide is parallel to the movement direction of the prepreg tape; a first spring is arranged between the first slider connector and the first fixed support; A second linear guide and a second fixed support are fixedly arranged on the second placement head side plate; the second fixed support is arranged below the second linear guide, the second slider connector is slidably connected to the second linear guide, and the sliding direction of the second linear guide is parallel to the movement direction of the prepreg tape; a second spring is arranged between the second slider connector and the second fixed support; The anvil frame includes a first slot hole and a second slot hole, and the first slot hole and the second slot hole have an intersection, wherein the first slot hole is parallel to the direction of the cutter, and the cutter can be accommodated in the anvil frame; the second slot hole is parallel to the movement direction of the prepreg tape, and the anvil frame is used to cut the prepreg tape when the cutter moves; The anvil rack comprises an anvil and a plunger pin; wherein an anvil is fixed in the first slot, and the plane of the anvil is parallel to the movement direction of the cutter; The plunger pin is fixed on the cutting board frame through a threaded hole. A spring is arranged inside the plunger pin. Under the action of the spring, a top ball on the top of the plunger pin exerts pressure on the cutter to ensure that the cutter remains tightly fitted to the cutting board during movement.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The structure of the cutting frame is an L-shaped structure, one side of which has a large countersunk hole, which cooperates with the raised circle on the end face of the cylinder to achieve the centering limit of the cylinder; one side of the cylinder fixing side of the cutting frame has 4 countersunk holes, and 4 screws are locked with the cylinder through the countersunk holes.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The cylinder is a telescopic bidirectional cylinder, and the top end of the extension rod of the cylinder is provided with an internal thread, which can be fixedly connected with the cutting knife frame.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The tough part of the cutter is oblique tough or straight tough.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein The root of the cutter is provided with two through holes, and two screws are respectively passed through the through holes to fix the cutter on the cutter frame.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The part where the cutter frame is fixed to the cutter is fixed in a plane, and there are two screw holes at corresponding positions for fixing the cutter.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein: A countersunk hole is arranged at the center of the cutter frame, and a screw is fixed to the piston rod extending from the cylinder through the countersunk hole, thereby fixing the cutter frame on the piston rod of the cylinder.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: A screw is arranged in the middle of the first spring and fixed on the first fixed support. A screw is arranged in the middle of the second spring and fixed on the second fixed support. By adjusting the screw, the maximum distance that the tape cutting frame moves along with the prepreg tape can be controlled.

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The tape cutting frame can move linearly along the direction of the linear guide rail between the first laying head side plate and the second laying head side plate, and reset under the action of the spring.

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