An electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component
By using the precise position adjustment of the mandrel and the conductive base and the stable flow of the electrolyte nozzle during the electroforming process, high-precision molding of the spiral metal component is achieved, and the formation inequality and low accuracy in the prior art is solved. Problem, high precision and diversified electroforming manufacturing of spiral metal components are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202211081150.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-09-06
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-31
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-09-06
AI Technical Summary
The existing electroforming technology is difficult to quickly and accurately manufacture complex spatial structures and high-thickness spiral metal components, especially due to the poor fluidity of the electrolyte liquid bridge and the low forming inhomogeneity and the impact of nozzle movement.
An electroforming method is adopted to fix the conductive base on the mandrel, adjust its position and the relative movement of the electrolyte nozzle to form a stable liquid beam flow, and use the combined action of the electric field and the electrolyte to make the metal ions photosynthesis Deposition on the plane forms a spiral metal layer, which combines the rotation and movement of the mandrel to achieve precise molding of the spiral metal member.
It achieves high spatial accuracy and cross-sectional consistency of spiral metal components, maintains consistent inner diameter and high forming accuracy. It is suitable for electroforming manufacturing of multiple cross-sections and complex spatial structures, meeting diverse needs.
Smart Images
Figure CN115369454B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The patent of this invention belongs to the field of electroforming technology, and specifically relates to an electroforming method for manufacturing spiral metal components. Background Art
[0002] Electroforming is a special processing technology that realizes the precision manufacturing of metal-based parts on the cathode substrate based on the principle of electrochemical cathode deposition. It is also a low-temperature forming technology that realizes the integrated manufacturing of material-forming-forming in an additive way. Compared with metal additive manufacturing technology that uses laser beams, electron beams, etc. as energy sources, the metal components obtained by electroforming have fewer defects such as gaps and warping, the material is denser, the internal stress is smaller, and the surface quality is better. Therefore, in recent years, additive manufacturing technology based on the working principle of electroforming has received increasing attention from the scientific and technological community, and a variety of three-dimensional electroforming manufacturing methods with different working modes have been developed.
[0003] Electroforming technology can be divided into mask-based electrodeposition technology and maskless electrodeposition technology. Conventional masked electrodeposition technology can achieve high-precision forming and manufacturing, but it cannot achieve electroforming manufacturing of high aspect ratio metal components with complex spatial structures due to the limitation of mask manufacturing. Maskless electrodeposition technology can achieve metal forming and manufacturing of complex spatial structures with high degrees of freedom, and is one of the current research hotspots of electroforming technology. Maskless electrodeposition technology can be divided into meniscus confined electrodeposition, anode induced electrodeposition, jet electrodeposition, liquid beam confined electrodeposition, etc.
[0004] The principle of meniscus confined electrodeposition technology is to establish a stable electrolyte liquid bridge between the outlet of the micropipette and the cathode substrate, using the stable electrolyte liquid bridge as a micro reaction pool, while continuously depositing metal atoms on the cathode surface, driving the micropipette to make precise movements relative to the cathode substrate, thereby realizing the electroforming of complex spatial structure metal components. However, since the electrolyte liquid bridge has almost no flow, the metal ions consumed on the cathode surface cannot be replenished in time, and the electrodeposition forming speed is extremely slow, which is difficult to meet the rapid manufacturing needs of metal components.
[0005] The US patent number US 5641391 proposes an anode induced electrodeposition technology. The principle of this technology is to use the local electric field oriented by the tip to induce electrochemical reaction in the electrolyte, and deposit metal components with complex spatial structures on the cathode substrate. The distribution range of the electric field formed in this technology is highly localized, and the electrodeposition area is strictly limited. The accuracy of the metal components obtained by electroforming depends on the accuracy of the anode tip motion control system, which puts high demands on the spatial motion accuracy of the motion system.
[0006] The US patent number US 3810829 proposes a scanning nozzle electroplating processing system based on the jet electroplating technology. In this system, the "anodized" electrolyte ejected at high speed by the nozzle impacts the cathode substrate. Under the action of the electric field, the metal ions in the electrolyte are reduced to metal atoms and continuously accumulate on the surface of the cathode substrate. By driving the nozzle to move relative to the cathode substrate, the electroplating manufacturing of metal components with complex spatial structures can be achieved. However, since the uniformity of mass transfer and current density distribution in the high-speed flowing electrolyte column are inevitably affected when the nozzle is driven to move, the forming accuracy of the electroplated metal components is adversely affected. The uneven cathode surface and unstable high-speed electrolyte flow further aggravate the unevenness of the electroplating process. Therefore, this technology is difficult to achieve precision electroplating manufacturing of metal components with relatively high thickness.
[0007] Some researchers have studied the flow forming of electrolyte liquid beams based on the jet electrodeposition technology and proposed a liquid beam confined electrodeposition additive manufacturing technology. This technology uses high-quality steady-state electrolyte liquid beams to achieve electroplating of high-precision metal components. By optimizing the flow characteristics of the electrolyte liquid beam in jet electrodeposition, the electroplating of circular cross-section metal components with a height of 14.2 mm and a long diameter of up to 30 mm is achieved. After that, spiral metal components with complex spatial structures are electroplated. However, due to factors such as motion control accuracy, the spatial geometric accuracy of the spiral metal components is low. At the same time, the electrolyte liquid beam ejected from the nozzle is circular in cross section due to the influence of surface tension, so the cross section of the metal component obtained by electroplating is also circular. This technology cannot meet the diverse electroplating needs. Summary of the invention
[0008] In order to realize the electroforming of spiral metal components, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows.
[0009] An electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component, characterized in that it comprises the following steps implemented in sequence:
[0010] S1: A mandrel with a constant cross-section is prepared using an electrically insulating solid material resistant to acid and alkali corrosion, and a conductive base having a smooth surface is fixedly installed at a selected position of the mandrel;
[0011] S2: Adjust the spatial position of the mandrel so that the angle θ between its axial symmetry center line and the horizontal plane reaches a set value, and adjust the orientation of the conductive base so that the smoothing plane is parallel to the horizontal plane;
[0012] S3: Adjust the spatial position of the electrolyte nozzle containing the anode so that the axis of the nozzle is perpendicular to the smoothing plane and the distance H from the end of the nozzle to the smoothing plane is 3-10 mm;
[0013] S4: The positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrodeposition power supply are electrically connected to the anode and the conductive base respectively, the electrolyte circulation and filtration system is started, and the electrolyte flows out from the electrolyte nozzle at a set speed, flows to the smoothing plane in the form of a stable liquid stream, and the outer surface of the liquid stream is always in contact with or tangent to the surface of the mandrel;
[0014] S5: while starting the electrodeposition power supply at a set voltage, the mandrel is driven to rotate at a constant speed around its axisymmetric center line and to move at a constant speed along its axisymmetric center line. At this time, under the combined action of the electric field and the electrolyte, the specific metal ions in the electrolyte are reduced to metal atoms, which are continuously deposited on the smooth plane and continue to grow along the relative motion trajectory of the mandrel and the electrolyte nozzle, forming a spiral metal layer around the mandrel. During this process, the electrolyte nozzle is relatively stationary and always keeps the distance H between the end of the nozzle and the growth end face of the spiral metal layer basically unchanged;
[0015] S6: When the length or height of the spiral metal layer reaches the set requirement, the electrodeposition power supply and the electrolyte supply system are turned off, the mandrel movement is stopped, the mandrel with the spiral metal layer is taken out, and it is washed with clean water and dried;
[0016] S7: Separate the core shaft from the spiral metal layer to obtain a spiral metal component.
[0017] The included angle θ between the axisymmetric center line of the mandrel and the horizontal plane is adjustable, and metal components with different helix angles can be manufactured by electroforming.
[0018] The cross-sectional shape of the mandrel is circular or positively deformed, which meets the electroforming requirements of various spatial structural metal components.
[0019] The shape of the nozzle can be circular, semicircular or rectangular, and metal components with different cross-sections can be manufactured by electroforming.
[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following main advantages.
[0021] (1) The spiral metal component obtained by the electroforming method proposed in the present invention has high spatial precision. The inner diameter of the spiral metal component obtained by electroforming is consistent. Since the metal layer is wound around the mandrel to "grow" during the jet electroforming process, the mandrel provides effective guidance and support for the electroformed metal layer, and the inner diameter of the spiral metal component remains highly consistent; the cross-sectional shape of the spiral metal component obtained by electroforming is consistent; the pitch of the spiral metal component obtained by electroforming is accurate, and the pitch of the spiral metal component can be accurately controlled by controlling the rotation and movement speed of the mandrel.
[0022] (2) The electroforming method proposed in the present invention has high forming accuracy. The surface of the mandrel is tangent to the outer surface of the ejected liquid column, which can constrain the liquid stream, so that the cross section of the liquid stream is highly consistent with the shape of the nozzle. At the same time, the cathode is in a moving state during the electroforming process, the position of the liquid stream ejected from the nozzle remains relatively fixed, and the deposition area always remains stable. Therefore, the cross-sectional forming accuracy of the metal component obtained by electroforming is high.
[0023] (3) The electroforming method proposed in the present invention can manufacture three-dimensional spiral metal components with high electroforming precision. The present invention can realize the electroforming manufacturing of metal components with complex spiral spatial structures by driving the mandrel to rotate and move around its geometric center line to maintain the relative position relationship between the nozzle and the cathode substrate. The operation method is easy to achieve high electroforming precision, and the nozzle shape used in the method of the present invention is easy to replace with different geometric cross-sections, which can realize the electroforming manufacturing of spiral metal components with various cross-sections, and has strong applicability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of step S1 of an electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component according to the present invention.
[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of step S2 of an electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component according to the present invention.
[0026] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of steps S3-S4 of an electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component according to the present invention.
[0027] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of step S5 of an electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component according to the present invention.
[0028] Figure 5 1 is a side view of step S5 of an electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component according to the present invention.
[0029] Figure 6 The present invention is a schematic diagram of an electrolyte nozzle that can be selected for use in an electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component and a spiral metal component obtained by electrodeposition.
[0030] Numbers and names in the figure: 1. Mandrel; 2. Conductive base; 2-1 Upper surface of conductive base; 3. Electrolyte nozzle; 3-1. Nozzle; 3-1-1. Circular nozzle; 3-1-2. Semicircular nozzle; 3-1-3. Rectangular nozzle; 4. Anode; 4-1. Circular cross-section anode; 4-2. Semicircular cross-section anode; 4-3. Rectangular cross-section anode; 5. Electrodeposition power supply; 6. Electrolyte supply system; 7. Spiral metal layer; 7-1. Growth end face; 7-2. Spiral metal component; 7-2-1. Circular spiral metal component; 7-2-2. Semicircular spiral metal component; 7-2-3. Rectangular spiral metal component; 8. Electrolyte; 9. Liquid beam flow. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0032] The implementation of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0033] An electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component, characterized in that it comprises the following steps implemented in sequence:
[0034] S1: a circular mandrel 1 with a diameter of 5 mm and a uniform cross-section is prepared using an acid- and alkali-resistant electrically insulating solid material, and a conductive base 2 containing a smoothing plane 2-1 is fixedly installed at a selected position of the mandrel 1;
[0035] S2: adjusting the spatial position of the mandrel 1 so that the angle θ between its axial symmetry center line and the horizontal plane is 30°, and adjusting the orientation of the conductive base 2 so that the smoothing plane 2-1 is parallel to the horizontal plane;
[0036] S3: Adjust the spatial position of the electrolyte nozzle 3 containing a circular nozzle 3-1-1 and a circular cross-section anode 4-1 inside, so that the axis of the nozzle 3-1-1 is perpendicular to the smoothing plane 2-1, the distance H from the end of the circular nozzle 3-1 to the smoothing plane 2-1 is 5 mm, and the diameter of the circular nozzle 3-1-1 is 1 mm;
[0037] S4: The positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrodeposition power source 5 are electrically connected to the anode 4 and the conductive base 2 respectively, and the electrolyte 8 is heated and maintained at 45°C to start the electrolyte circulation filtration system 6, so that the electrolyte 8 composed of nickel sulfate with a concentration of 159g / L, nickel chloride with a concentration of 40g / L, and boric acid with a concentration of 35g / L flows out from the electrolyte nozzle 3 at a speed of 1m / s, and flows to the smoothing plane 2-1 in the form of a stable liquid stream 9, and the outer surface of the liquid stream 9 is always in contact with or tangent to the surface of the core shaft 1;
[0038] S5: Start the electroplating power supply 5 at the set voltage so that the current density in the electroforming area is 20A / dm 2 , driving the mandrel 1 to rotate at a constant speed around its axisymmetric center line and to move at a constant speed along its axisymmetric center line. At this time, under the combined action of the electric field and the electrolyte 8, the nickel ions in the electrolyte 8 are reduced to nickel atoms, which are continuously deposited on the smoothing plane 2-1 and continue to grow along the relative motion trajectory of the mandrel 1 and the electrolyte nozzle 3, and form a spiral metal layer 7 around the mandrel 1. During this process, the electrolyte nozzle 3 is relatively stationary and always keeps the distance H between the end of the nozzle 3-1 and the growth end face 7-1 of the spiral metal layer 7 basically unchanged;
[0039] S6: When the length of the spiral metal layer 7 reaches 12 mm, the electrodeposition power supply 5 and the electrolyte supply system 6 are turned off, the movement of the mandrel 1 is stopped, and the mandrel 1 with the spiral metal layer 7 is taken out, washed with clean water and dried;
[0040] S7: Separate the core shaft 1 from the spiral metal layer 7 to obtain a circular spiral metal component 7-2-1 with an inner diameter of 5 mm, a circular cross-sectional size of 1 mm, and a length of 12 mm.
Claims
1. An electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component, characterized in that: It consists of the following steps, which are implemented in sequence: S1: a mandrel (1) of uniform cross-section is prepared using an electrically insulating solid material resistant to acid and alkali corrosion, and a conductive base (2) containing a smoothing plane (2-1) is fixedly installed at a selected position of the mandrel (1); S2: adjusting the spatial position of the core shaft (1) so that the angle θ between its axial symmetry center line and the horizontal plane reaches a set value, and adjusting the orientation of the conductive base (2) so that the smoothing plane (2-1) is parallel to the horizontal plane; S3: adjusting the spatial position of the electrolyte nozzle (3) containing the anode (4) so that the axis of the nozzle (3-1) is perpendicular to the smoothing plane (2-1) and the distance H between the end of the nozzle (3-1) and the smoothing plane (2-1) is 3 to 10 mm; S4: The positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrodeposition power source (5) are electrically connected to the anode (4) and the conductive base (2) respectively, the electrolyte circulation filtration system (6) is started, and the electrolyte (8) flows out from the electrolyte nozzle (3) at a set speed, and flows toward the smoothing plane (2-1) in the form of a stable liquid stream (9), and the outer surface of the liquid stream (9) is always in contact with or tangent to the surface of the core shaft (1); S5: while starting the electrodeposition power source (5) at a set voltage, the mandrel (1) is driven to rotate at a uniform speed around its axial symmetry center line and to move at a uniform speed along its axial symmetry center line. At this time, under the combined action of the electric field and the electrolyte (8), the specific metal ions in the electrolyte (8) are reduced to metal atoms and are continuously deposited on the smoothing plane (2-1) and continue to grow along the relative motion trajectory between the mandrel (1) and the electrolyte nozzle (3), forming a spiral metal layer (7) around the mandrel (1). During this process, the electrolyte nozzle (3) is relatively stationary and always keeps the distance H between the end of the nozzle (3-1) and the growth end face (7-1) of the spiral metal layer (7) basically unchanged; S6: When the length or height of the spiral metal layer (7) reaches the set requirement, the electro-deposition power supply (5) and the electrolyte supply system (6) are turned off, the movement of the mandrel (1) is stopped, and the mandrel (1) with the spiral metal layer (7) is taken out, washed with clean water and dried; S7: Separate the core shaft (1) from the spiral metal layer (7) to obtain a spiral metal component (7-2).
2. The electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component according to claim 1, characterized in that: The included angle θ between the axisymmetric center line of the core shaft (1) and the horizontal plane is adjustable.
3. The electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-sectional shape of the core shaft (1) is circular or regular polygonal.
4. The electroforming method for manufacturing a spiral metal component according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of the nozzle (3-1) can be circular, semicircular or rectangular.