Method and apparatus for recycling electrodes

Abstract

The application discloses a method and device for recycling electrodes, and the method comprises the following steps: inputting parameters of an electrode to be processed into a database of an electrode intelligent library; matching the parameters of the electrode to be processed with parameters of a plurality of recycled electrodes stored in the database; and taking a recycled electrode in the electrode intelligent library which is most matched with the parameters of the electrode to be processed as a blank of the electrode to be processed and processing the blank into a new electrode. By matching the parameters of the electrode to be processed with the parameters of the recycled electrodes stored in the electrode intelligent library, the recycled electrode which is most matched with the parameters of the electrode to be processed is taken as the blank of the electrode to be processed, so that the automation of recycling electrodes is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of mold technology, and more specifically, relates to a method and apparatus for electrode recycling. Background Technology

[0002] The mold industry is a core technology sector within manufacturing. Tool electrodes are the most fundamental and critical manufacturing resource in mold making, with approximately 60% to 80% of mold processing requiring electrical discharge machining (EDM). With product diversification and a surge in the number of molds, even a relatively simple mold often requires dozens or even hundreds of different electrode shapes. This massive quantity of electrodes represents a significant cost in mold manufacturing. Therefore, to save costs, electrode recycling has become a trend.

[0003] Currently, the industry's methods for electrode recycling include: after the electrode discharge ends, the electrode is disassembled and stored in an electrode library. Electrodes that are very large and clearly recyclable are retained. An Excel spreadsheet is created detailing the retained electrodes. If the dimensions of the newly designed electrode can be contained within the dimensions of the retained electrode, the electrode shape is imported into the new design to check if the shape can be contained. If both the size and shape can be contained within the retained electrode, the retained electrode number is written on the drawing, and electrode processing personnel are notified to move the retained electrode as raw material for the new electrode. The retained electrode is then processed to manufacture the new electrode. This method of electrode recycling requires manual comparison of the newly designed electrode with the retained electrode and manual handling of the retained electrode as raw material, resulting in a low level of automation in electrode recycling. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a method and apparatus for electrode recycling. By matching the parameters of the electrode to be processed with the parameters of the recycled electrodes stored in the electrode intelligent library, the recycled electrode with the parameters that best match the electrode to be processed is used as the blank of the electrode to be processed, thereby achieving the purpose of automating electrode recycling.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the basic concept of the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] This invention provides a method for recycling electrodes.

[0007] Substitute the parameters of the electrode to be processed into the database of the electrode intelligent library;

[0008] The parameters of the electrode to be processed are matched with the parameters of several cyclic electrodes stored in the database;

[0009] The circulating electrodes from the electrode intelligent library that best match the parameters of the electrode to be processed are used as blanks for the electrode to be processed and processed into new electrodes.

[0010] Furthermore, each circulating electrode has a number that corresponds one-to-one with its own parameters. The circulating electrode that best matches the parameters of the electrode to be processed is taken out from the electrode intelligent library and processed.

[0011] Preferably, the parameters of the electrode to be processed are the shape of the electrode to be processed, and the parameters of the circulating electrode are the shape of the circulating electrode.

[0012] Furthermore, after retrieving the most matching cyclic electrode from the electrode intelligent library, the number of the most matching cyclic electrode is replaced with the number of the electrode to be processed, and then the most matching cyclic electrode is processed.

[0013] Furthermore, the scanner on the robotic arm scans the most matching circulating electrode retrieved from the intelligent electrode library and replaces the number of the most matching circulating electrode with the number of the electrode to be processed.

[0014] Furthermore, after the number of the most matching cyclic electrode is replaced, the electrode programming program is automatically retrieved to process the most matching cyclic electrode.

[0015] Furthermore, during electrode programming, open the newly designed 3D drawing of the electrode shape. If there are two 3D electrode drawings in the drawing, the semi-transparent electrode shape is the shape of the circulating electrode, and the opaque electrode shape is the shape of the electrode to be processed. Electrode programming is performed using the opaque electrode shape as the blank.

[0016] Furthermore, when programming the electrode, open the 3D drawing of the newly designed electrode shape. If there is a 3D drawing of one electrode in the drawing, the electrode programming is performed according to the normal electrode program.

[0017] Furthermore, after the electrode shape design is completed, it is determined whether the electrode can be recycled. If the electrode can be recycled, the electrode is stored in the electrode smart library, and the electrode shape and the number corresponding to the electrode shape are stored in the database of the electrode smart library. The electrode is used as a recycled electrode.

[0018] Preferably, the standard for the recyclability of the electrode is that, except for the ribbed electrode and the electrode with a size within 30*30*35mm, all other electrodes can be recycled.

[0019] Furthermore, if the electrode to be processed is not matched with the most suitable or relatively suitable circulating electrode, a purchase list of the blank of the electrode to be processed is issued, the blank is processed into a new electrode, and it is determined whether the new electrode can be recycled.

[0020] The present invention also provides an electrode reuse device and an electrode recycling method provided by the above technical solution, comprising an electrode intelligent library for storing recycled electrodes, a robotic arm for removing recycled electrodes from the electrode intelligent library, a scanner mounted on the robotic arm, and an RFID chip mounted on the electrode and storing electrode parameters and numbers. The electrode intelligent library has a database that stores the parameters of the recycled electrodes and numbers corresponding to the parameters.

[0021] The steps for electrode recycling are as follows:

[0022] S1. After the electrode shape design is completed, determine whether the electrode can be recycled. If it can be recycled, proceed to step S2.

[0023] S2. Store the electrode in the electrode smart library, and store the electrode shape and the number corresponding to the electrode shape in the database of the electrode smart library. Then execute step S3.

[0024] S3. Match the parameters of the electrode to be processed with the parameters of several circulating electrodes stored in the database. If the electrode to be processed is matched with the most matching circulating electrode, proceed to step S4. If the electrode to be processed is not matched with the most matching circulating electrode, proceed to step S7.

[0025] S4. Based on the number of the most matching circulating electrode, remove the most matching circulating electrode from the electrode smart library and proceed to step S5.

[0026] S5. After taking the most matching circulating electrode out of the electrode smart library, replace the number of the most matching circulating electrode with the number of the electrode to be processed, and then proceed to step S6.

[0027] S6. The automatic electrode programming program is used to process the most suitable cyclic electrode.

[0028] S7. Issue the purchase list of the blanks for the electrodes to be processed, process the blanks into new electrodes, and then execute step S1.

[0029] The present invention also provides an electrode reuse device and an electrode recycling method provided by the above technical solution, comprising an electrode intelligent library for storing recycled electrodes, a robotic arm for removing recycled electrodes from the electrode intelligent library, a scanner mounted on the robotic arm, and an RFID chip mounted on the electrode and storing electrode parameters and numbers. The electrode intelligent library has a database that stores the parameters of the recycled electrodes and numbers corresponding to the parameters.

[0030] By adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art.

[0031] 1. By matching the parameters of the electrode to be processed with the parameters of the circulating electrodes stored in the intelligent electrode library, the circulating electrode with the best matching parameters is used as the blank of the electrode to be processed, thus realizing the automation of electrode recycling.

[0032] 2. If the electrode to be processed is not matched with the most suitable or relatively suitable circulating electrode, issue a purchase list of the blanks of the electrode to be processed, process the blanks into new electrodes, and determine whether the new electrodes can be recycled to achieve the recycling of each electrode.

[0033] 3. After the electrode shape design is completed, determine whether the electrode can be reused. In principle, except for rib electrodes and electrodes with a size of 30*30*35mm or less, they can be reused. The electrode intelligent library will store the shape and number of recyclable electrodes in the electrode intelligent library software. After the electrode discharge is completed, the electrode is saved in the electrode intelligent library. The electrode intelligent library will mark the placement position of the electrode as the area to be recycled, and the electrode enters the recycling state.

[0034] 4. After retrieving the most suitable circulating electrode from the intelligent electrode library, the robotic arm suspends the circulating electrode on the electrode shelf. The RFID chip of the most suitable circulating electrode on the electrode shelf faces the robotic arm scanner. The scanner on the robotic arm scans the RFID chip of the most suitable circulating electrode, thereby replacing the number of the most suitable circulating electrode with the number of the electrode to be processed. This improves the accuracy of the robotic arm scanner in scanning the RFID chip of the most suitable circulating electrode and increases the efficiency of replacing the number of the most suitable circulating electrode with the number of the electrode to be processed.

[0035] 5. After the number of the most matching circulating electrode is replaced, the electrode programming program is automatically retrieved, and the processing machine processes the most matching circulating electrode according to the electrode programming program to form a new electrode.

[0036] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0037] The accompanying drawings, as part of this invention, are provided to further illustrate the invention. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of the invention are used to explain the invention, but do not constitute an undue limitation thereof. Clearly, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0038] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating an electrode recycling method provided as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] It should be noted that these accompanying drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0041] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0042] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0043] Existing electrode recycling methods include: after electrode discharge, the electrodes are disassembled and stored in an electrode library. Electrodes that are very large and obviously recyclable are retained. After the electrodes are retained, an Excel spreadsheet is created to detail the size of the newly designed electrode, which can be contained within the size of the retained electrode. The electrode shape is then imported into the shape of the newly designed electrode to check if the shape can be contained. If both the size and shape can be contained within the retained electrode, the retained electrode number is written on the drawing, and the electrode processing personnel are notified to transport the retained electrode as the blank for processing the new electrode. The retained electrode is then processed to manufacture the new electrode. The above electrode recycling method requires manual comparison of the newly designed electrode with the retained electrode and manual handling of the retained electrode as the blank for processing the new electrode, resulting in a low degree of automation in electrode recycling.

[0044] like Figure 1As shown, the present invention provides a method for electrode recycling, which involves substituting the parameters of the electrode to be processed into the database of an electrode intelligent library; matching the parameters of the electrode to be processed with the parameters of several recycled electrodes stored in the database; and using the recycled electrode in the electrode intelligent library that best matches the parameters of the electrode to be processed as the blank of the electrode to be processed and processing it into a new electrode.

[0045] In embodiments of the present invention, by matching the parameters of the electrode to be processed with the parameters of the circulating electrodes stored in the electrode intelligent library, the circulating electrode that best matches the parameters of the electrode to be processed is used as the blank of the electrode to be processed, thereby realizing the automation of electrode recycling.

[0046] An electrode reuse device employs an electrode recycling method, comprising an electrode intelligent library for storing reusable electrodes, a robotic arm for retrieving reusable electrodes from the electrode intelligent library, a scanner mounted on the robotic arm, and an RFID chip mounted on the electrode storing electrode parameters and a serial number. Furthermore, the electrode reuse device also includes an electrode shelf; after the robotic arm retrieves the reusable electrode from the electrode intelligent library, it suspends the reusable electrode on the electrode shelf. The electrode intelligent library has a database storing the parameters of the reusable electrodes and serial numbers corresponding to those parameters.

[0047] Specifically, the parameters of the electrode to be processed are the shape of the electrode to be processed, and the parameters of the circulating electrode are the shape of the circulating electrode.

[0048] In an embodiment of the present invention, after the most matching cyclic electrode is taken out from the electrode smart library, the number of the most matching cyclic electrode is replaced with the number of the electrode to be processed, and then the most matching cyclic electrode is processed.

[0049] In embodiments of the present invention, each shaped circulating electrode corresponds to a specific number. When the electrode intelligent library receives the electrode to be processed and matches the most matching circulating electrode, the robot arm picks up the most matching circulating electrode in the electrode intelligent library and places it on the electrode shelf according to the number of the most matching circulating electrode. The electrode shelf is used to support the electrode, and the circulating electrode can be processed on the electrode shelf.

[0050] Specifically, after the electrode design is completed, click the "Inventory Electrode Utilization Check" option in the computer program. The intelligent electrode library will automatically match the shape of the existing circulating electrodes in the library with the shape of the electrode to be processed, and compare the matching results. It will automatically display the optimal matching result and show the electrode number and shape of the optimal result.

[0051] Once the electrode intelligent library receives the electrode to be processed and matches the most suitable circulating electrode, the electrode design prohibits the issuance of orders for electrode blanks, since the circulating electrode can be used as the blank material for the electrode to be processed. The blank material is mainly graphite or copper.

[0052] Once the electrode intelligent library receives the electrode to be processed and matches it with the most suitable circulating electrode, the electrode design displays and saves the optimal matching electrode shape and electrode number in the electrode shape to be processed.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present invention, after the most matching cyclic electrode is taken out from the electrode smart library, the number of the most matching cyclic electrode is replaced with the number of the electrode to be processed, and then the most matching cyclic electrode is processed.

[0054] In an embodiment of the present invention, after the most matching circulating electrode is taken out from the intelligent electrode library, the robotic arm suspends the most matching circulating electrode on the electrode shelf. The RFID chip of the most matching circulating electrode on the electrode shelf faces the direction of the robotic arm scanner. The robotic arm scanner scans the contents of the RFID chip, thereby replacing the number of the most matching circulating electrode with the number of the electrode to be processed. After the number of the most matching circulating electrode is replaced, the most matching circulating electrode is processed. During the process, the RFID chip of the most matching circulating electrode faces the direction of the robotic arm scanner, which can improve the accuracy of the scanner scanning the RFID chip of the circulating electrode.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present invention, after the number of the most matching cyclic electrode is replaced, the electrode programming program is automatically retrieved to process the most matching cyclic electrode.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present invention, after the number of the most matching circulating electrode is replaced, the electrode programming program is automatically retrieved, and the processing machine processes the most matching circulating electrode according to the electrode programming program to form a new electrode. The electrode programming program is associated with the RFID chip on the most matching circulating electrode.

[0057] In electrode programming, the newly designed 3D electrode shape is opened. If there are two electrode 3D shapes in the drawing, the semi-transparent electrode shape represents the shape of the circulating electrode, and the opaque electrode shape represents the shape of the electrode to be processed. Electrode programming uses the opaque electrode shape as the blank for program creation, or...

[0058] When programming electrodes, open the 3D drawing of the newly designed electrode shape. If the drawing contains a 3D drawing of one electrode, the electrode programming is performed according to the normal electrode program. By programming the newly designed electrode through the above two methods, the accuracy and efficiency of electrode programming are improved.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, after the electrode shape design is completed, it is determined whether the electrode can be recycled. If the electrode can be recycled, the electrode, the electrode shape, and the number corresponding to the electrode shape are stored in the electrode smart library, and the electrode is used as a recycling electrode.

[0060] In embodiments of the present invention, after the electrode shape design is completed, the electrode designer first determines whether the electrode can be reused. In principle, except for electrodes with ribs and electrodes with a size of 30*30*35mm or less, all electrodes can be reused. If they can be reused, the electrode designer clicks the "Electrode Retention" option in the computer software. The electrode intelligent library will store the electrode shape and electrode number in the software of the electrode intelligent library. After the electrode discharge is completed, the electrode is saved in the electrode intelligent library. The electrode intelligent library will mark the placement position of the electrode as the area to be recycled, and the electrode enters the state to be recycled.

[0061] In an embodiment of the present invention, if the parameters of the electrode to be processed are inconsistent with the parameters of the circulating electrode, a purchase list of the blank material of the electrode to be processed is issued, the blank material is processed into a new electrode, and it is determined whether the new electrode can be recycled.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present invention, if the electrode to be processed is not matched with the most suitable circulating electrode or a relatively suitable circulating electrode, the electrode design issues a purchase list of blanks for the electrode to be processed, processes the blanks, and processes the blanks into new electrodes.

[0063] In the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that if the electrode to be processed is not matched with the most matching circulating electrode, the electrode to be processed can also be matched with a relatively matching circulating electrode, and the relatively matching circulating electrode can be used as the blank of the electrode to be processed.

[0064] After the blank is processed into a new electrode, it can be determined whether the electrode is a recyclable electrode, so that the electrode can be used as the blank for a new electrode in the future, thus realizing the recycling of the electrode.

[0065] In summary, such as Figure 1 As shown, the steps of the electrode recycling method are as follows:

[0066] S1. After the electrode shape design is completed, determine whether the electrode can be recycled. If it can be recycled, proceed to step S2.

[0067] S2. Store the electrode in the electrode smart library, and store the electrode shape and the number corresponding to the electrode shape in the database of the electrode smart library. Then execute step S3.

[0068] S3. Match the parameters of the electrode to be processed with the parameters of several circulating electrodes stored in the database. If the electrode to be processed is matched with the most matching circulating electrode, proceed to step S4. If the electrode to be processed is not matched with the most matching circulating electrode, proceed to step S7.

[0069] S4. Based on the number of the most matching circulating electrode, remove the most matching circulating electrode from the electrode smart library and proceed to step S5.

[0070] S5. After taking the most matching circulating electrode out of the electrode smart library, replace the number of the most matching circulating electrode with the number of the electrode to be processed, and then proceed to step S6.

[0071] S6. The automatic electrode programming program is used to process the most suitable cyclic electrode.

[0072] S7. Issue the purchase list of the blanks for the electrodes to be processed, process the blanks into new electrodes, and then execute step S1.

[0073] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-described technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for recycling electrodes, characterized in that, After the electrode shape design is completed, it is determined whether the electrode can be recycled. If the electrode can be recycled, the electrode is stored in the electrode smart library. The electrode shape and the number corresponding to the electrode shape are stored in the database of the electrode smart library. The electrode is used as a recycling electrode. Substitute the parameters of the electrode to be processed into the database of the electrode intelligent library; The parameters of the electrode to be processed are matched with the parameters of several circulating electrodes stored in the database; the parameters of the electrode to be processed are the shape of the electrode to be processed, and the parameters of the circulating electrodes are the shape of the circulating electrodes. The circulating electrode from the electrode intelligent library that best matches the parameters of the electrode to be processed is taken out from the electrode intelligent library as the blank of the electrode to be processed. After the most matching circulating electrode is taken out of the smart library, the scanner on the robotic arm scans the most matching circulating electrode taken out of the electrode smart library and replaces the number of the most matching circulating electrode with the number of the electrode to be processed. After replacing the number of the most matching cyclic electrode with the number of the electrode to be processed, the electrode programming program is automatically retrieved to process the most matching cyclic electrode, thus processing the most matching cyclic electrode into a new electrode.

2. The method for recycling electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that, When programming the electrode, open the newly designed 3D drawing of the electrode shape. If there are two 3D electrode drawings in the drawing, the semi-transparent electrode shape is the shape of the circulating electrode, and the opaque electrode shape is the shape of the electrode to be processed. Electrode programming is performed using the opaque electrode shape as the blank.

3. The method for electrode recycling according to claim 1, characterized in that, When programming electrodes, open the 3D drawing of the newly designed electrode shape. If the drawing contains a 3D drawing of one electrode, the electrode programming is performed according to the normal electrode program.

4. The method for recycling electrodes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The standard for the recycling of this electrode is: except for the ribbed electrode and the electrode with a size within 30*30*35mm, all other electrodes can be recycled.

5. The method for recycling electrodes according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, If the electrode to be processed cannot be matched with the most suitable or relatively suitable circulating electrode, a purchase list of the blank of the electrode to be processed is issued, the blank is processed into a new electrode, and it is determined whether the new electrode can be recycled.

6. A device for reusing electrodes, characterized in that, The method for recycling electrodes according to any one of claims 1-5 includes an electrode smart library for storing recycled electrodes, a robotic arm for removing recycled electrodes from the electrode smart library, a scanner mounted on the robotic arm, and an RFID chip mounted on the electrode and storing electrode parameters and numbers. The electrode smart library has a database that stores the parameters of the recycled electrodes and numbers corresponding to the parameters.

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