Roll-to-roll mask electrolytic processing device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a roller-printing mask electrolytic processing device, comprising a power supply, a cathode tool, a workpiece fixture, an electrolyte circulation system, and a transmission system. The cathode tool is a roller-type structure, consisting of a lead shaft, a rolling bearing, a bushing, a transmission gear, a center block, a linear cathode, a rubber sponge, and a flexible mask; the mask on the outer surface of the cathode tool rotates with the transmission gear and bushing, while the lead shaft, the center block, and the linear cathode at the bottom remain stationary. When the graphic hole on the mask moves to a position in contact with the workpiece, the linear cathode and the workpiece and the electrolyte surrounding it form a mask electrolytic processing area, an electrolytic reaction occurs, and a micro-pit array is processed on the workpiece surface below the mask hole. This device can achieve efficient and high-precision processing of microstructure arrays on the plane, inner cylindrical surface, and outer cylindrical surface of the workpiece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a roll-printing mask electrolytic machining device, belonging to the field of electrolytic machining. Background Art

[0002] Metal microstructure arrays refer to the arrangement of microstructures on the metal surface with special shapes, sizes and distributions. Preparing microstructure arrays on the metal surface is one of the effective measures to achieve metal surface functionalization. By preparing microstructure arrays of different shapes and sizes, the metal surface can have good wear resistance, corrosion resistance, heat dissipation and wettability. Therefore, metal surface microtexturing technology has always been a research hotspot in the field of advanced manufacturing. To date, the technologies that have been maturely applied to prepare metal surface microstructures include: electrical discharge machining, electron beam machining, laser machining, electrolytic machining, etc. Among them, the mask electrolytic machining technology for preparing regular microstructures is often widely concerned in the field of microstructure surface processing because of its advantages of not being restricted by materials, having no micro defects or residual stress on the machined surface, good forming surface quality, and being able to form a large number of microstructure groups with different shapes at one time. In the existing mask electrolytic machining technology, masks are divided into disposable masks and active masks that can be used multiple times. The processing cost of disposable masks is high and the efficiency is low; the movable masks used multiple times often use different methods to achieve the pressing between the mask and the substrate or workpiece. The applicability of the pressing method is not wide enough, resulting in low consistency of the prepared microstructure and unsealing defects.

[0003] In response to this, patent application number 201910673940.X proposes a new technology for electrochemical machining of microstructure arrays using a belt-type active mask, achieving close contact between the mask and the workpiece, highly consistent microstructures, and seamless fabrication. However, the annular cathode used in this technology still suffers from irregular electric field distribution, stray corrosion at the edges of micro-pits on the machined surface, inability to machine infinitely long surfaces at once, and limited applicability to a single workpiece surface. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the problems of general electrochemical machining such as a single scope of application, low machining capacity, insufficient machining accuracy, and inability to machine the entire surface at one time, the present invention proposes a roller-printing mask electrochemical machining device, which utilizes the rotation of a roller mask to drive the movement of the workpiece, gradually transferring the mask pattern to the workpiece surface, and can achieve one-time massive machining of microstructure arrays on the surface of flat, inner cylindrical, and outer cylindrical workpieces.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a roller-printing mask electrolytic processing device, including a power supply, a workpiece fixture, a cathode tool, an electrolyte circulation system and a transmission system; characterized in that: the cathode tool is a roller-type structure, consisting of an electric lead shaft, a rolling bearing, a bushing, a transmission gear, a center block, a linear cathode, a rubber sponge and a flexible mask; the electrolyte circulation system is composed of a pressure gauge, a pressure regulating valve, a pump, a filter and an electrolytic cell; the transmission system is composed of a motor and a transmission belt; the electric lead shaft in the center of the cathode tool is a hollow shaft, one end of which is closed and the other end is open, and a small hole is provided in the middle for For the circulation of electrolyte, rolling bearings are installed at both ends; the rolling bearings are equipped with shaft sleeves, and a transmission gear is installed on the shaft sleeve on one side; the center block is installed in the middle of the lead-in shaft and between the rolling bearings, and a flow channel for the circulation of electrolyte is provided inside it, and a groove structure is provided at the lowest end of its surface; the linear cathode is installed in the groove provided at the bottom end of the center block and is connected to the lead-in shaft; the surfaces of both sides of the shaft sleeve are bonded with rubber strips and sponges, and its surface is bonded with a flexible mask; the workpiece fixture clamps the workpiece anode between the cathode tool and the workpiece fixture, and uses the friction between the mask and the workpiece surface to drive the workpiece to feed.

[0006] The flexible mask material is an insulating polymer material with good flexibility, and can be polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

[0007] The linear cathode is a metal wire with good conductivity. Its diameter is determined by the size of the pattern on the mask and is equal to the minimum size of the pattern on the mask ±5μm. Its material can be selected from platinum, gold, copper, and nickel.

[0008] The cathode tool can realize electrolytic machining of microstructure arrays on planes, outer cylindrical surfaces and inner cylindrical surfaces by adjusting the relative positions between the cathode tool and the workpiece and the workpiece fixture.

[0009] The working principle of the present invention is as follows: During electrolytic machining, a motor transmits power to the cathode tool's transmission gear via a transmission belt in the transmission system. The transmission gear drives the shaft sleeve, the rubber sponge attached to it, and the flexible mask bonded to its surface to rotate together. The cathode tool's central lead shaft, the center block, and the linear cathode at its bottom remain stationary. The workpiece being machined is clamped between the cathode tool surface and the workpiece fixture by a workpiece fixture, and the friction between the mask and the workpiece surface drives the workpiece forward. Electrolyte flows from an open end on one side of the lead shaft, through a small hole in the middle of the lead shaft, into the center block, and through a flow channel opened therein to enter the through-holes of the flexible mask pattern structure. As the cathode tool rotates, it flows out from between the cathode tool and the workpiece into the electrolytic cell, where it is filtered and circulated through the electrolyte circulation system before entering the lead shaft side.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the outstanding advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0011] 1. The cathode described in the present invention is a linear cathode. The linear cathode is a metal wire with a small size, similar to the size of the pattern structure on the mask hole. During the electrochemical machining process, the current density is mainly concentrated in the machining area within the mask pattern and near the workpiece surface. There is almost no current distribution near the workpiece surface at other locations, and its localization is good. The size of the annular cathode is much larger than the size of the mask hole pattern, and the electric field distribution range is larger. During the electrochemical machining process, both the unmachined and machined areas of the workpiece surface are affected by the electric field generated by the cathode. The resulting excess current distribution will cause micro-corrosion in the unmachined and machined areas on both sides of the micro-pit, resulting in a large deviation in the diameter of the electrochemically machined micro-pits from the diameter of the mask hole and poor localization of the micro-pit array.

[0012] 2. The roll-to-roll mask electrochemical machining device described in the present invention can achieve electrochemical machining of microstructure arrays on planes, outer cylindrical surfaces, and inner cylindrical surfaces by adjusting the relative positions of the workpiece, workpiece fixture, and cathode tool. In other words, a single device can be used to achieve microstructure array machining on multiple workpiece surfaces. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is the schematic diagram of the roll-to-roll mask electrochemical processing device.

[0014] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the drum cathode tool structure.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the device for electrolytic machining of planar workpieces according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the electrolytic machining device for inner cylindrical workpieces according to the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the electrolytic machining device for outer cylindrical workpieces of the present invention.

[0018] The reference numbers in the figure are as follows: 1. Workpiece fixture; 2. Power supply; 3. Workpiece; 4. Cathode tool; 4-1. Lead shaft; 4-2. Bushing; 4-3. Rubber sponge; 4-4. Flexible mask; 4-5. Center block; 4-6. Transmission gear; 4-7. Rolling bearing; 4-8. Linear cathode; 5. Electrolyte circulation system; 5-1. Pressure gauge; 5-2. Pressure regulating valve; 5-3. Pump; 5-4. Filter; 5-5. Electrolytic cell; 6. Transmission system; 6-1. Motor; 6-2. Transmission belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following combination Figures 1 to 5The implementation of the present invention is further described in detail: a roller-printing mask electrolytic processing device, including a power supply 2, a workpiece fixture 1, a cathode tool 4, an electrolyte circulation system 5 and a transmission system 6; characterized in that: the cathode tool 4 is a roller-type structure, consisting of an electric shaft 4-1, a rolling bearing 4-7, a sleeve 4-2, a transmission gear 4-6, a center block 4-5, a linear cathode 4-8, a rubber sponge 4-3 and a flexible mask 4-4; the electrolyte circulation system 5 consists of a pressure gauge 5-1, a pressure regulating valve 5-2, a pump 5-3, a filter 5-4, and an electrolytic cell 5-5; the transmission system 6 comprises a motor 6-1 and a transmission belt 6-2; during electrolytic machining, the motor 6-1 transmits power to the transmission gear 4-6 of the cathode tool 4 via the transmission belt 6-2 in the transmission system 6. The transmission gear 4-6 drives the shaft sleeve 4-2, the rubber sponge 4-3 thereon, and the flexible mask 4-4 bonded to its surface to rotate together, while the lead shaft 4-1 at the center of the cathode tool 4, the center block 4-5, and the linear cathode 4-8 at the bottom end remain stationary. The workpiece anode 3 being machined is clamped between the surface of the cathode tool 4 and the workpiece fixture 1 by the workpiece fixture 1, and the friction between the mask 4-4 and the surface of the workpiece 3 drives the workpiece 3 to be fed. The electrolyte flows in from the open end on one side of the lead-in shaft 4-1, flows into the interior of the central block 4-5 through the small hole in the middle of the lead-in shaft 4-1, and enters the through hole of the graphic structure of the flexible mask 4-4 through the flow channel opened therein. Then, as the cathode tool 4 rotates, it flows out from between the cathode tool 4 and the workpiece 3 to the electrolytic cell 5-5, and after being filtered and circulated by the electrolyte circulation system 5, it enters the lead-in shaft side 4-1.

[0020] Different from the traditional electrolytic machining method, the linear cathode 4-8 rolling mask machining is to use a linear cathode 4-8 of similar graphic size to etch the material of the anode workpiece (3) in a restricted area. During the electrolytic machining process, the linear cathode 4-8 remains stationary relative to the workpiece 3 and the mask 4-4 rotates. The linear cathode 4-8 and the mask 4-4 graphic moving to the surface of the workpiece 3, the workpiece 3 and the electrolyte around it form a mask electrolytic machining area, and an electrolytic reaction occurs, thereby changing the open mask electrolytic machining into a closed mask electrolytic machining, and replacing the traditional large-sized cathode with a cathode close to the graphic size to improve the influence of the electrode on other areas, so as to achieve the purpose of improving the graphic quality and dimensional localization in the electrolytic machining.

Claims

1. A roll-to-roll mask electrochemical machining device comprising a power supply (2), a workpiece fixture (1), a cathode tool (4), an electrolyte circulation system (5) and a transmission system (6); characterized in that: The cathode tool (4) is a roller-type structure, consisting of a lead shaft (4-1), a rolling bearing (4-7), a sleeve (4-2), a transmission gear (4-6), a center block (4-5), a linear cathode (4-8), a rubber sponge (4-3) and a flexible mask (4-4); the electrolyte circulation system (5) consists of a pressure gauge (5-1), a pressure regulating valve (5-2), a pump (5-3), a filter (5-4) and an electrolytic cell (5-5); the transmission system (6) is composed of a motor (6-1) and a transmission belt (6-2); the lead shaft (4-1) in the center of the cathode tool (4) is a hollow shaft, one end of which is closed and the other end is open, and a small hole is provided in the middle for the circulation of electrolyte, and rolling bearings (4-7) are installed at both ends; the rolling bearing (4-7) is equipped with a shaft sleeve (4-2), and the shaft sleeve (4-2) on one side is equipped with a transmission gear (4-6); the central block (4-5) is assembled on the lead shaft (4-1) The center of the center block (4-5) and the position between the rolling bearing (4-7) are provided with a flow channel for electrolyte circulation inside, and the lowest end of the surface is provided with a groove structure; the linear cathode (4-8) is assembled in the groove provided at the lowest end of the center block (4-5) and is connected to the lead shaft (4-1); the surfaces of both sides of the sleeve (4-2) are bonded with rubber strip sponges (4-3), and the surface thereof is bonded with a flexible mask (4-4); the workpiece fixture (1) clamps the workpiece anode (3) on the cathode tool ( 4) and the workpiece fixture (1), and utilizes the friction between the mask (4-4) and the surface of the workpiece (3) to drive the workpiece (3) to feed; the transmission belt (6-2) transmits power to the transmission gear (4-6), and the transmission gear (4-6) drives the shaft sleeve (4-2) and the rubber sponge (4-3) thereon and the flexible mask (4-4) bonded to its surface to rotate together, while the lead shaft (4-1), the center block (4-5) and the linear cathode (4-8) at the bottom remain stationary.

2. The roll-to-roll mask electrochemical machining device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible mask (4-4) is made of an insulating polymer material with good flexibility.

3. The roll-to-roll mask electrochemical machining device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The linear cathode (4-8) is a metal wire with good conductivity, and its diameter is determined according to the size of the pattern on the mask (4-4), and is equal to the minimum size of the pattern on the mask (4-4) ±5μm.

4. The roll-to-roll mask electrochemical machining device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cathode tool (4) can achieve electrolytic machining of microstructure arrays on planes, outer cylindrical surfaces, and inner cylindrical surfaces by adjusting the relative positions between the cathode tool (4) and the workpiece (3) and the workpiece fixture (1).

5. The roll-to-roll mask electrochemical machining device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The material of the flexible mask (4-4) is polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

6. The roll-to-roll mask electrochemical machining device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material of the linear cathode (4-8) is platinum, gold, copper or nickel.

Images