Multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding and working method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a multi-station welding fixture for insert welding and its working method, relating to the field of welding tool technology. The fixture structure includes a multi-station welding fixture body, on which a main shaft and tilting shafts are provided. Multiple tilting shafts are arranged around the outside of the main shaft, and the main shaft and the multiple tilting shafts are connected via a helical gear set. A chuck for fixing the workpiece to be welded is provided at the top of each tilting shaft. The bottom of the main shaft is connected to a welding machine chuck on a welding machine. Based on the above-mentioned multi-station welding fixture for insert welding, this invention's working method achieves the purpose of welding multiple insert welding workpieces in a single clamping and vacuuming operation without the need for additional motors and feeding mechanisms.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding tool technology, and in particular to a multi-station welding fixture for insert welding and its working method. Background Technology

[0002] Electron beam welding is typically performed under vacuum, with the vacuum level in the vacuum chamber generally around 1 × 10⁻⁶. -2 Electron beam welding, with its Pa level, effectively reduces the contamination of the weld seam by oxygen and nitrogen gases in the air, which is beneficial for obtaining good weld microstructure and properties. It is suitable for welding most metallic materials. When performing vertical insertion welding of circumferential weld seams, a workpiece needs to be clamped on the welding machine chuck, the vacuum chamber door closed, and the vacuum pump turned on to create a vacuum. When the vacuum level reaches (5-7)×10⁻⁶... -2 Welding begins at a certain pressure (Pa). After welding is complete, the vacuum chamber door is opened, the welded workpiece is removed, and then re-clamped. This process is repeated until multiple workpieces are welded. When the vacuum chamber volume is large, the vacuuming time is relatively long, which seriously affects production efficiency.

[0003] In practical applications, welding fixtures often need to be specially designed according to the weld structure of the workpiece. Most multi-station welding machine workbenches are equipped with motors, which provide power to drive the workbench rotation, thereby enabling the switching of the workpiece's position relative to the welding location. For example, the patent "Multi-station Welding Machine Workbench, Patent Application No. 201510115632.7" describes a workbench consisting of a rotating worktable and tooling mounted on it. Both the rotating worktable and the tooling are equipped with motors, allowing for the welding of multiple workpieces in a single clamping operation, reducing worker fatigue and improving production efficiency. Similarly, there is a multi-station welding fixture with intermittent feeding, "A Multi-station Welding Machine Workbench for Laser Welding Machine, Application No. 202011517155.4". This patent describes a workbench with an intermittent feeding mechanism. In use, the workpiece to be welded is placed in the mold, and the workpiece is clamped by a combined clamping mechanism. The action of the intermittent feeding mechanism is controlled to move the combined workpiece to be welded to the lower part of the welding head of the laser welding machine for welding. After the welding is completed, the action of the intermittent feeding mechanism is controlled to move the next workpiece to be welded to the lower part of the welding head to complete the welding of the next workpiece.

[0004] The multi-station welding machine worktables mentioned above are designed based on the structure of the weld seam of their own products. They all require multiple additional motors or feeding mechanisms to transport and control the workpieces separately. They are not universally applicable and cannot meet the welding requirements for insert welding workpieces. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-station welding fixture and its working method for insert welding, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art. It can achieve the purpose of welding multiple insert welding workpieces in one clamping and one vacuuming without the need for additional motors and feeding mechanisms.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution:

[0007] This invention provides a multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding, comprising a multi-station welding fixture body, a main shaft and tilting shafts on the multi-station welding fixture body, a plurality of tilting shafts being arranged around the outside of the main shaft, the main shaft and the plurality of tilting shafts being connected by a helical gear set for transmission; a chuck for fixing the workpiece to be welded is provided at the top of the tilting shaft; the bottom of the main shaft is used for transmission connection with the welding machine chuck on the welding machine.

[0008] Optionally, the multi-station welding fixture body includes a lower frame, a top cover fixedly installed on the top of the lower frame, the top cover having a structure that gradually slopes downward from the center outward; the inclined shaft passes through the top cover and is connected to the top cover via a bearing; the main shaft passes through the lower frame and is connected to the lower frame via a bearing; and the top of the main shaft is connected to the center position of the bottom of the top cover via a bearing.

[0009] Optionally, the helical gear set includes a first helical gear and a second helical gear; the first helical gear is fixedly mounted on the main shaft, and a second helical gear is fixedly mounted on each inclined shaft, and the first helical gear is meshed and connected to multiple second helical gears respectively.

[0010] Optionally, it also includes a support part, which is fixedly mounted on the welding machine workbench, and the lower frame is mounted on the support part. The support part can drive the multi-station welding fixture body to move up and down.

[0011] Optionally, the support includes at least two symmetrically arranged welding machine columns located outside the welding machine; the bottom of each welding machine column is fixedly mounted on the welding machine workbench; a slide rail is provided on the inner side of each welding machine column; a slider is slidably mounted on the slide rail; a horizontally arranged support block is fixedly connected to the top of the slider via a slider connecting block; the top of the support block is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower frame; a fastening handwheel is provided on one side of the slide rail, and one end of the fastening handwheel can be fastened to the side wall of the slider.

[0012] Optionally, a support frame is fixedly installed at the bottom of the welding machine column, and the support frame is fixedly connected to the welding machine workbench by bolts.

[0013] Optionally, the tilting shaft is offset from the vertical direction by 10°, and the transmission ratio of the first helical gear and the second helical gear is 1.

[0014] Optionally, the top of the tilting shaft is integrally formed with a mounting plate, and the bottom of the chuck is fixedly mounted on the mounting plate.

[0015] The present invention also discloses a method for operating a multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding, comprising the following steps:

[0016] Step 1: Mount the main body of the multi-station welding fixture onto the welding machine chuck;

[0017] Step 2: Clamp the workpiece to be welded in the chuck of the multi-station welding fixture body;

[0018] Step 3: Loosen the locking screw of the welding machine chuck, adjust the height of the welding machine chuck in the Z-axis direction until the part of the workpiece to be welded is at the height of the welding machine focal point, and then tighten the locking screw.

[0019] Step 4: Install the support frame. During installation, first loosen the fastening handwheel, then adjust the height of the support block to the set position and lock the fastening handwheel. The main body of the multi-station welding fixture is set on the support block.

[0020] Step 5: Using the welding machine's video monitoring system, move the X and Y axes of the welding machine's worktable to ensure that the deviation between the weld seam of the first workpiece and the focal point of the welding machine is no more than 0.07mm.

[0021] Step 6: Close the vacuum chamber door and evacuate until the vacuum level reaches (5-7)×10⁻⁶. -2 After determining the Pa range, select the welding procedure and perform welding.

[0022] Step 7: After the first workpiece is welded, adjust the X and Y axes of the welding machine table so that the part of the second workpiece to be welded is moved to the focal position of the welding machine, and the deviation is no more than 0.07mm, and then perform welding.

[0023] Step 8: Perform the same operation as in Step 7 to complete the welding of the 3rd and 4th workpieces;

[0024] Step 9: After all workpieces have been welded, turn on the venting button on the welding machine to release the gas. After the atmospheric pressure inside and outside the vacuum chamber is balanced, open the vacuum chamber door and remove the welded workpieces.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects:

[0026] This invention employs a helical gear set arranged in a mating configuration, enabling the simultaneous control of multiple tilting shafts to rotate synchronously from a single main shaft. This allows for the synchronous rotation of workpieces held in chucks on the tilting shafts using only a single power source. The tilting shafts are positioned around the outside of the main shaft, with the bottom of the main shaft driven by the welding machine's power. The welding machine's own motor alone can achieve synchronous rotation of multiple workpieces, eliminating the need for additional control motors and conveying mechanisms. This allows for rotational control of multiple workpieces during the welding process, increasing efficiency by 300% compared to the previous method of welding only one insert welding workpiece at a time, demonstrating significant practical value. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the multi-station welding fixture structure for insertion welding according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a top view of the multi-station welding fixture and support for insertion welding of the present invention after installation;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a front view of the multi-station welding fixture and support for insertion welding of the present invention after installation;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a partial structural diagram of the support portion of the present invention;

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1-Lower frame; 2-Top cover; 3-Shim; 4-Main shaft; 5-Tilting shaft; 6-Support frame; 7-Slider; 8-Welding machine column; 9-Slide rail; 10-Support block; 11-Slider connecting block; 12-Fastening handwheel; 13-First helical gear; 14-Second helical gear; 15-Chuck; 16-Welding machine worktable. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-station welding fixture and its working method for insert welding, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art. It can achieve the purpose of welding multiple insert welding workpieces in one clamping and one vacuuming without the need for additional motors and feeding mechanisms.

[0036] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0037] Reference Appendix Figure 1 and attached Figure 2 As shown, this invention provides a multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding, mainly used for electron beam welding, but also for laser beam welding. It includes a multi-station welding fixture body, on which a main shaft 4 and tilting shafts 5 are provided. Multiple tilting shafts 5 are arranged around the outside of the main shaft 4, and the main shaft 4 and the multiple tilting shafts 5 are connected by a helical gear set. A chuck 15 for fixing the workpiece to be welded is provided at the top of the tilting shaft 5. To prevent obstruction of the vertically incident electron beam, each chuck 15 is offset from the vertical direction by 10°. This angle can be changed according to requirements, but it cannot be adjusted once the manufacturing is completed. The bottom of the main shaft 4 is used for transmission connection with the welding machine chuck on the welding machine. A gasket 3 is provided at the connection point between the main shaft 4 and the welding machine chuck on the welding machine to make the connection tighter.

[0038] This invention employs a main shaft 4 connected to the welding machine chuck, coupled with a helical gear set, to simultaneously control the synchronous rotation of multiple workpieces on the top of the tilting shaft 5. It features a compact structure. The angle of the tilting shaft 5 can be adjusted during the design and manufacture of the multi-station fixture according to the process requirements of insertion welding. The fixture uses the welding machine's motor as its power source, eliminating the need for an additional motor, reducing manufacturing costs, and eliminating the need to consider the coupling design issues between the motor and the welding machine in the operating program, thus simplifying operation. To facilitate a better connection between the top of the tilting shaft 5 and the chuck 15, a mounting plate is integrally formed on the top of the tilting shaft 5, and the bottom of the chuck 15 is fixedly mounted on the mounting plate, resulting in a more stable connection and more reliable operation.

[0039] The inventors of this invention discovered that existing electron beam welding requires clamping a workpiece onto the welding machine chuck and then evacuating the vacuum chamber to complete the welding. This method allows for welding only one workpiece at a time. Even with the development of devices capable of welding multiple workpieces, the transport and control of these multiple workpieces still require additional motors and conveyor systems, resulting in low welding efficiency. Therefore, the inventors designed a multi-station welding fixture structure in this invention. This fixture is connected to the welding machine chuck via a main shaft 4, allowing the welding machine's motor to drive the main shaft. The main shaft 4 uses a helical gear set to synchronously drive multiple tilting shafts, enabling the welding machine's motor to simultaneously drive the rotation of multiple workpieces. By controlling the assembly accuracy of the multi-station welding fixture and selecting a high-precision chuck, the weld positioning accuracy is no greater than 0.07mm, meeting the requirements of high-precision welding. Using this fixture, four insert welding workpieces can be welded in one clamping and vacuuming operation, which is 300% more efficient than the previous method of welding only one workpiece at a time. The efficiency improvement is significant. By optimizing the fixture's structural design, increasing the number of chucks, or other methods, it is possible to further clamp and weld more than four workpieces.

[0040] Specifically, the multi-station welding fixture body includes a lower frame 1 with an opening at the top. A top cover 2 is fixedly installed at the top opening of the lower frame 1. The outer edge of the top cover 2 is bolted to the top of the lower frame 1, improving the overall stability of the device. The top cover 2 has a structure that gradually slopes downward from the center outward, preferably a smooth downward umbrella-shaped structure. This structure cooperates with the tilting shaft 5 to provide an inclined surface for the installation of the tilting shaft 5, while not interfering with the chuck 15 on the tilting shaft 5, thus enabling multiple tilting shaft 5 chuck structures. More compact; the tilting shaft 5 passes through the top cover 2 and is connected to the top cover 2 through a bearing, and the tilting shaft 5 can rotate independently on the top cover 2; the main shaft 4 passes through the lower frame 1 and is connected to the lower frame 1 through a bearing; and the top of the main shaft 4 is connected to the bottom center of the top cover 2 through a bearing, the bottom of the main shaft 4 is fixedly connected to the welding machine chuck, the middle part passes through the lower frame 1, and the top is rotatably set at the bottom center of the top cover 2, so that the main shaft 4 is limited at multiple points, and it will not deviate when the main shaft 4 rotates, making the movement process more stable and reliable.

[0041] More preferably, the helical gear set includes a first helical gear 13 and a second helical gear 14; the first helical gear 13 is fixedly mounted on the main shaft 4, and a second helical gear 14 is fixedly mounted on each inclined shaft 5. The first helical gear 13 is meshed and connected to multiple second helical gears 14 respectively. The transmission ratio of the helical gear set is 1, and the positioning accuracy can reach 0.07mm, which meets the requirements of electron beam precision welding of the insertion weld.

[0042] In different embodiments, the present invention has made further improvements based on the above structure, as detailed in the appendix. Figure 3 Appendix Figure 4 and attached Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment adds a support structure. The support is fixedly mounted on the welding machine workbench 16, and the lower frame 1 is mounted on the support. The support can drive the multi-station welding fixture body to move up and down. Specifically, the support includes at least two symmetrically arranged welding machine columns 8, which are located outside the welding machine. A support frame 6 is fixedly mounted at the bottom of the welding machine column 8. The support frame 6 is fixedly connected to the welding machine workbench 16 by bolts. The rigid connection between the support frame 6 and the welding machine workbench 16 further improves the stability of the fixture during operation and ensures the positioning accuracy of the weld. A slide rail 9 is provided on the inner side of the welding machine column 8. A slider 7 is slidably mounted on the slide rail 9. A horizontally arranged support block 10 is fixedly connected to the top of the slider 7 through a slider connecting block 11. The top of the support block 10 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower frame 1. A fastening handwheel 12 is threaded through one side of the slide rail 9. One end of the fastening handwheel 12 passes through the side wall of the slide rail 9 and can be fastened to the side wall of the slider 7. In use, first remove the fastening handwheel 12. Move the slider 7 on the slide rail 9 so that the support block 10 moves up and down with the slider 7. The slider 7 is a sufficiently long block structure, so when it moves up and down, the upper and lower ends of the slider will not leave the connection position between the slide rail and the fastening handwheel within the set sliding distance, that is, between the set limit positions. After tightening the fastening handwheel inward, the side wall of the slider can always contact and connect with the fastening handwheel 12. When the slider 7 moves to the appropriate position, tighten the fastening handwheel so that one end of the fastening handwheel 12 tightly abuts against the side wall of the slider 7, thereby fixing the slider 7 in the set position of the slide rail 9.

[0043] In another embodiment, the support structure is not specifically limited. Based on the above embodiments, in addition to adopting a slider and slide rail structure, the support can also be provided with a control gear on the welding machine column. The control gear is rotated manually or by a motor. The gear meshes with a vertical rack, and the top of the rack is connected to the support block. Thus, the support block can also be moved up and down through the gear and rack structure. When it is moved to a suitable position, the support block can be fixed by fixing the rotating shaft of the control gear.

[0044] Based on the above, the present invention also discloses a working method for a multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding, comprising the following steps:

[0045] Step 1: Mount the multi-station welding fixture body onto the three-jaw or four-jaw chuck of the electron beam welding machine (hereinafter referred to as the welding machine chuck);

[0046] Step 2: Clamp the workpiece to be welded into the four chucks 15;

[0047] Step 3: Loosen the locking screw of the electron beam welding machine chuck, adjust the height of the welding machine chuck in the Z-axis direction until the part of the workpiece to be welded is at the height of the welding machine focal point, and then tighten the locking screw.

[0048] Step 4: Install the support frame. During installation, first loosen the fastening handwheel 12, then adjust the height of the support block 10 to the set position and lock the fastening handwheel 12. The main body of the multi-station welding fixture is set on the support block 10. The support block 10 and the multi-station welding fixture are fixed by screws or by other means.

[0049] Step 5: Using the video monitoring system of the electron beam welding machine, move the X and Y axes of the welding machine's worktable to ensure that the positional deviation between the weld seam and the electron beam focus of the welding machine is no more than 0.07mm.

[0050] Step 6: Close the vacuum chamber door and evacuate until the vacuum level reaches (5-7)×10⁻⁶. -2 After determining the Pa range, select the welding procedure and perform welding.

[0051] Step 7: After the first workpiece is welded, adjust the X and Y axes of the welding machine table so that the part of the second workpiece to be welded is moved to the focal position of the welding machine, and the deviation is no more than 0.07mm, and then perform welding.

[0052] Step 8: Perform the same operation as in Step 7 to complete the welding of the 3rd and 4th workpieces;

[0053] Step 9: After all workpieces have been welded, turn on the venting button on the welding machine to release the gas. After the atmospheric pressure inside and outside the vacuum chamber is balanced, open the vacuum chamber door and remove the welded workpieces.

[0054] This invention, through optimized design, eliminates the need for additional motors in typical multi-station welding fixtures, reducing manufacturing costs. It also eliminates the coupling design between the additional motor and the electron beam welding machine motor, allowing the welding machine's own power to drive the small chuck rotation. Multiple workpieces can be welded in a single clamping and vacuuming operation, increasing welding efficiency by 300% or more, resulting in considerable economic and social benefits.

[0055] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for 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 limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0056] The present invention uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only intended to help understand the method and core concept of the present invention. At the same time, those skilled in the art will find that the specific implementation methods and application scopes may vary based on the concept of the present invention. In summary, the contents of this specification should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding, characterized in that: The system includes a multi-station welding fixture body, on which a main shaft and inclined shafts are provided. Multiple inclined shafts are arranged around the outside of the main shaft, and the main shaft and the multiple inclined shafts are connected via a helical gear set. A chuck for fixing the workpiece to be welded is provided at the top of each inclined shaft; the bottom of the main shaft is connected to a welding machine chuck. The helical gear set includes a first helical gear and a second helical gear. The first helical gear is fixedly mounted on the main shaft, and a second helical gear is fixedly mounted on each inclined shaft. The first helical gear meshes with multiple second helical gears for transmission. The multi-station welding fixture body includes a lower frame. The lower frame is fixedly mounted with a top cover, which has a structure that gradually slopes downwards from the center outwards. It also includes a support section, which comprises at least two symmetrically arranged welding machine columns. The support section is fixedly mounted on the welding machine workbench, and the lower frame is mounted on the support section. The support section can drive the multi-station welding fixture body to move up and down. The tilting axis deviates 10° from the vertical direction. A helical gear set is used, allowing one main shaft to simultaneously control the synchronous rotation of multiple tilting axes. The bottom of the main shaft is driven by the welding machine's power. The welding machine's own motor can achieve synchronous rotation of multiple workpieces without the need for additional control motors and conveying mechanisms.

2. The multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inclined shaft passes through the top cover and is connected to the top cover via a bearing; the main shaft passes through the lower frame and is connected to the lower frame via a bearing; and the top of the main shaft is connected to the center of the bottom of the top cover via a bearing.

3. The multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding machine column is located on the outside of the welding machine; the bottom of the welding machine column is fixedly installed on the welding machine workbench, the inner side of the welding machine column is provided with a slide rail, a slider is slidably mounted on the slide rail, the top of the slider is fixedly connected to a horizontally arranged support block through a slider connecting block, the top of the support block is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower frame; a fastening handwheel is provided on one side of the slide rail, one end of the fastening handwheel can be fastened to the side wall of the slider.

4. The multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding according to claim 1, characterized in that: A support frame is fixedly installed at the bottom of the welding machine column, and the support frame is fixedly connected to the welding machine workbench by bolts.

5. The multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission ratio of the first helical gear and the second helical gear is 1.

6. The multi-station welding fixture for insertion welding according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the tilting shaft is integrally formed with a mounting plate, and the bottom of the chuck is fixedly mounted on the mounting plate.

7. A method of working with a multi-station welding fixture for insert welding as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: Step 1: Mount the main body of the multi-station welding fixture onto the welding machine chuck; Step 2: Clamp the workpiece to be welded in the chuck of the multi-station welding fixture body; Step 3: Loosen the locking screw of the welding machine chuck, adjust the height of the welding machine chuck in the Z-axis direction until the part of the workpiece to be welded is at the height of the welding machine focal point, and then tighten the locking screw. Step 4: Install the support frame. During installation, first loosen the fastening handwheel, then adjust the height of the support block to the set position and lock the fastening handwheel. The main body of the multi-station welding fixture is set on the support block. Step 5: Using the welding machine's video monitoring system, move the X and Y axes of the welding machine's worktable to ensure that the deviation between the weld seam of the first workpiece and the focal point of the welding machine is no more than 0.07mm. Step 6: Close the vacuum chamber door and evacuate until the vacuum level reaches (5-7)×10⁻⁶. -2 After determining the Pa range, select the welding procedure and perform welding. Step 7: After the first workpiece is welded, adjust the X and Y axes of the welding machine table so that the part of the second workpiece to be welded is moved to the focal position of the welding machine, and the deviation is no more than 0.07mm, and then perform welding. Step 8: Perform the same operation as in Step 7 to complete the welding of the 3rd and 4th workpieces; Step 9: After all workpieces have been welded, turn on the venting button on the welding machine to release the gas. After the atmospheric pressure inside and outside the vacuum chamber is balanced, open the vacuum chamber door and remove the welded workpieces.

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