Alloy forming apparatus

Abstract

The application relates to the field of metal casting, and discloses an alloy forming device which comprises a rack, a lifting mechanism, a feeding mechanism and a forming mechanism. The lifting mechanism comprises a car hopper, a guide rail and a lifting part. The lifting part pulls the car hopper to slide on the guide rail and collide with a limiting piece. Finally, the car hopper is overturned through cooperation of the limiting groove and the pin column. The feeding mechanism comprises a discharge hopper and a feeding pipe. The feeding pipe is telescopic and is provided with a sliding groove. The forming mechanism comprises an upper die and a lower die. The upper die is provided with a feeding plate on one side in a slanting mode. The feeding plate is slidably connected with the feeding pipe through the sliding groove. The lower die is provided with a second feeding port. The feeding port is communicated with the feeding pipe. The powder is formed in small amounts and multiple times through the lifting part. The time and area of the powder exposed to the air are reduced, so that the quality of the formed block is improved. Meanwhile, the feeding pipe is directly communicated with the cavity, the single feeding time of the material is reduced, and the forming efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aluminum alloy casting, and more specifically to an alloy forming equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Powder metallurgy is widely popular due to its high raw material utilization rate and low manufacturing cost. The powder metallurgy process includes: raw material powder preparation: preparing metal powders with the required particle size through mechanical or chemical methods and mixing them uniformly; powder forming: forming the uniformly mixed powder through pressureless or pressurized forming to obtain billets with specific density, strength, size, and shape; and billet sintering: sintering the formed billets to obtain the final physical and mechanical properties. It is suitable for producing products with the same shape in large quantities. However, some metals, due to their highly reactive properties, present challenges when using powder metallurgy.

[0003] Aluminum alloys, due to their lightweight, corrosion resistance, good hardness, mechanical strength, and ease of processing, are widely used in aviation, aerospace, automotive, machinery manufacturing, shipbuilding, and chemical industries. Examples include aircraft engine compressor wheels, guide vanes, fans, impellers; aircraft structures, rivets, missile components, truck wheel hubs, propeller components and other structural parts; body sheet metal parts; vehicle engine parts; gearbox gears; and robot housings.

[0004] When powder metallurgy is applied to aluminum alloys, users typically purchase commercially available aluminum alloys, mechanically prepare aluminum alloy powder, and add corresponding auxiliary materials to mix it, ensuring that its mechanical strength and hardness meet customer requirements. However, during the feeding process, aluminum powder readily reacts with oxygen in the air to form alumina. Alumina is hygroscopic, and for the same mass of alumina, the smaller the particles, the larger the specific surface area, and the more water it absorbs. This results in a large amount of water being trapped inside the formed blank. When the blank is sintered, the moisture evaporates, causing bubbles and cracks to appear in the finished product. Therefore, when performing powder metallurgy on aluminum alloys, it is necessary to reduce the contact between the metal powder and air. Currently, the mainstream solutions are generally to use high-purity nitrogen for protection to prevent aluminum powder from contacting air, or to perform degassing treatment after forming.

[0005] However, both methods have some problems. For example, using high-purity nitrogen will inevitably increase manufacturing costs. After forming, degassing is performed. The degassing temperature should generally be equal to or slightly higher than the subsequent hot pressing, hot working deformation and heat treatment temperature to avoid water and gas remaining in the briquettes causing bubbles and delamination in the material. However, if the temperature is too high, some other elements in the aluminum alloy may burn off, and the intermetallic compounds that play a strengthening role in the alloy may aggregate and coarsen, reducing the material's performance. Moreover, some components in the alloy may not be resistant to high temperatures. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to provide an alloy forming device to solve the feeding problem in powder forming.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: an alloy forming device, comprising a frame, a lifting mechanism, a feeding mechanism, and a forming mechanism. The lifting mechanism includes a bucket, a guide rail, and a lifting section. The guide rail is inclinedly mounted on the frame, and the bucket is slidably mounted on the guide rail. The lifting section pulls the bucket to slide on the guide rail. Several limiting members are provided in the middle of the guide rail, and the bucket collides with the limiting members. A pin is provided at the end of the guide rail, and limiting grooves are provided on both sides of the bucket. The bucket is flipped by cooperating with the pin through the limiting grooves. The feeding mechanism includes a discharge mechanism. The machine includes a hopper and a conveying pipe. The conveying pipe is telescopic. The unloading hopper is connected to the conveying pipe. A groove is provided on the conveying pipe. The forming mechanism includes an upper mold and a lower mold. A feeding plate is inclined on one side of the upper mold. The feeding plate is provided with a first feeding port. The feeding plate passes through the groove and is slidably connected to the conveying pipe. The lower mold includes a cavity and a first discharge part. The cavity is fixedly connected to the frame. A second feeding port is provided at the upper end of the cavity. The second feeding port is connected to the conveying pipe. An extension plate is provided at the end of the feeding plate. The extension plate extends to the lower end of the first discharge part and can contact the first discharge part.

[0008] The beneficial effects of this solution are: 1. By colliding with the guide rail limiting component, the gap between powders in the truck bed is reduced, the surface area of ​​powder in contact with air is reduced, and the powder moisture absorption efficiency is reduced;

[0009] 2. The powder is transported in small batches to the feeding mechanism via a hopper. By adjusting the relationship between the amount of powder transported per trip and the consumption of the forming mechanism, the time it takes for the hopper to transport powder in one round trip is just enough for the forming mechanism to consume all the powder in the feeding mechanism. This avoids the powder being exposed to the air for a long time. By using a small amount of powder to feed multiple times, the moisture absorption time of the powder is reduced, and the formed blanks are prevented from absorbing too much water during the feeding process, which would cause bubbles and cracks in the blanks during sintering.

[0010] 3. A feed plate is inclined on one side of the upper mold. The movement of powder in the conveying pipe is controlled by the first feed port. The up and down movement of the feed plate determines whether the powder can continue to move along the conveying pipe. The structure is simple. At the same time, since the feed plate is inclined, the conveying pipe will swing left and right when the feed plate moves up and down. With the two ends of the conveying pipe fixed, the left and right swing of the conveying pipe will facilitate the conveying of powder inside the conveying pipe and avoid the powder from sticking to the inner wall of the conveying pipe or from falling poorly due to moisture absorption and clumping.

[0011] 4. When the upper mold moves upward, the extension plate of the feed plate moves upward until it abuts against the lower end of the first discharge section. The conveying pipe generates an outward pulling force on the feed plate, causing the feed plate to deform. The extension plate at the lower end of the feed plate will also tilt upward. When the extension plate contacts the first discharge section, an eccentric collision will occur. Through this eccentric collision, the first discharge section will vibrate and transmit it to the lower mold, which is similar to knocking on the side of the first discharge section. This facilitates the demolding of the blank when it sticks to the lower mold.

[0012] 5. The feeding pipe is directly connected to the second feed port of the cavity. Except for the first start-up, the pipe between the feed plate and the cavity is always filled with powder, reducing the time for filling powder each time.

[0013] Furthermore, the lifting unit includes a first driving component, a fixed pulley, and a lifting rope. The fixed pulley is fixed above the unloading hopper, and the lifting rope passes around the fixed pulley to connect the hopper and the first driving component.

[0014] Beneficial effects: The bucket slides on the guide rail by being pulled by the lifting rope. The lifting rope is not rigid, which can avoid interference with the collision between the bucket and the limiting parts. The bucket can swing on the guide rail and then collide with the limiting parts. Moreover, the bucket is lifted by the lifting rope and the fixed pulley, which eliminates the need for the installation position of the first drive component. The structure is simple and easy to install.

[0015] Furthermore, a second ejector is provided on the other side of the upper mold. The second ejector includes a first rack, a toothed column, and a second rack. The first rack is fixedly connected to the upper mold, the toothed column is rotatably mounted on the frame and meshes with the first and second racks, and the second rack is slidably connected to the frame.

[0016] Beneficial effects: By combining the first rack, the toothed column and the second rack, the force of the upper die moving up and down is used to push out the formed blank. The structure is simple and reliable, the cost is low and no additional drive components are required.

[0017] Furthermore, the forming mechanism also includes a housing and a second driving member. The second driving member is disposed outside the housing and can drive the upper mold to move up and down. Both the upper mold and the lower mold are disposed inside the housing.

[0018] Beneficial effects: By enclosing the upper and lower molds with a shell, air circulation is reduced. As the equipment continues to operate, the oxygen content and humidity of the gas inside the shell gradually decrease, resulting in higher quality blanks formed later.

[0019] Furthermore, the shell is provided with an opening, and the opening is provided with a sloping plate.

[0020] Beneficial effects: The design of the shell opening and the inclined plate at the opening facilitate the unloading of the formed blanks, making continuous production easier and eliminating the need for timed collection of the formed blanks, thus accelerating production efficiency.

[0021] Furthermore, the pin is rotatably connected to the guide rail, a torsion spring is connected between the pin and the guide rail, and return plates are fixed on both sides of the pin.

[0022] Beneficial effects: By utilizing the combination of torsion springs and return plates, and taking advantage of the weight of the truck bed, the truck bed can achieve an automatic return function. The structure is simple and the cost is low.

[0023] Furthermore, sealing components are slidably installed on both sides of the first feed inlet, with the lower end of the sealing component fixed to the upper end of the chute.

[0024] Beneficial effects: Prevents powder leakage and reduces powder waste. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional view of the vehicle bed located at the bottom of the guide rail in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional view of the vehicle bed located at the top of the guide rail in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the lifting mechanism of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the feeding mechanism and forming mechanism of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The following detailed description illustrates the specific implementation method:

[0032] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings include: hopper 11, limiting groove 111, guide rail 12, limiting member 121, pin 122, limiting protrusion 123, unloading hopper 21, conveying pipe 22, conveying section 221, feeding section 222, lifting frame 311, extrusion section 312, feeding plate 32, first feeding port 321, extension plate 33, cavity 34, second feeding port 341, first discharge member 35, first rack 41, rack 42, second rack 43, housing 51, inclined plate 52, first driving member 53, and second driving member 54.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] Example 1 is basically as shown in the appendix. Figure 1-6 As shown, Figure 1-6 The alloy forming equipment shown includes a frame, a lifting mechanism, a feeding mechanism, and a forming mechanism.

[0035] like Figure 3 As shown, the lifting mechanism includes a bucket 11, a guide rail 12, and a lifting section. Limiting grooves 111 are provided on both sides of the bucket 11. Each limiting groove 111 includes an inlet, a connecting hole at the top, and a slope at the front with a rounded transition to the bottom. Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the guide rail 12 is a ladder structure, including two parallel supports and nine limiting members 121 welded in the middle. The distance between adjacent limiting members 121 is less than the length of the inclined surface at the front of the truck bed 11. The distance between the two supports is adapted to the width of the truck bed 11. A pin 122 is rotatably mounted on the upper end of the support. A torsion spring is installed between the pin 122 and the support. A return plate is welded to the pin 122. Figure 4 As shown, a limiting protrusion 123 is welded to the upper surface of the bracket. The limiting protrusion 123 and the limiting member 121 form a track for the movement of the bucket 11, ensuring that the bucket 11 will not tip over when sliding on the guide rail 12. The pin 122 is adapted to the limiting groove 111. The bracket is welded to the frame and is at an angle of 30-80° with the horizontal plane, preferably 60°. The bucket 11 is slidably set on the guide rail 12. The lifting part includes a first driving member 53, a fixed pulley and a lifting rope. The first driving member 53 is preferably a servo motor. The lifting rope passes around the two ends of the fixed pulley and connects the bucket 11 and the first driving member 53 respectively, for lifting the powder to the feeding mechanism.

[0036] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the feeding mechanism includes a discharge hopper 21 and a conveying pipe 22. The discharge hopper 21 is welded to the frame, and the fixed pulley is welded to the frame on the upper right side of the discharge hopper 21. The conveying pipe 22 includes a conveying section 221 and a feeding section 222. A chute is provided between the conveying section 221 and the feeding section 222. The chute passes through the conveying pipe 22. The conveying pipe 22 is a square pipe with extensibility, preferably an aluminum corrugated pipe, used to transport powder to the forming mechanism.

[0037] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the forming mechanism includes a second drive component 54, a housing 51, an upper mold, and a lower mold. The second drive component 54 is preferably a hydraulic cylinder, model YQ-32, as shown. Figure 5 , Figure 6As shown, the upper die includes a lifting frame 311 and an extrusion section 312. A feed plate 32 is welded to the left side of the lifting frame 311. The feed plate 32 is inclined from right to left, with an inclination angle ranging from 0 to 15°, preferably 5°. The feed plate 32 is provided with a first feed port 321. An extension plate 33 is welded to the bottom end of the feed plate 32, and the extension plate 33 is perpendicular to the feed plate 32. A second discharge component is provided at the right end of the lifting frame 311. The second discharge component includes a first rack 41, a toothed column 42, and a second rack 43. The first rack 41 is welded to the lifting frame 311. The toothed column 42 is rotatably mounted on the frame and meshes with the first rack 41 and the second rack 43. 3. A sliding part is provided in the axial direction of the lower mold to push out the formed blank. The lower mold includes a cavity 34 and a first discharge part 35. The cavity 34 is fixed to the frame by bolts. The first discharge part 35 is slidably connected to the cavity 34. The extension plate 33 extends to the lower end of the first discharge part 35 and can contact the first discharge part 35. The upper end of the cavity 34 has a second feed port 341. The feed section 222 is connected to the second feed port 341. The shell 51 is provided with an opening. An inclined plate 52 is provided outside the opening. After the blank is extruded and formed, the first discharge part 35 pushes the blank out of the lower mold. Then the second discharge part pushes the blank out from the opening and slides down along the inclined plate 52.

[0038] The specific implementation process is as follows:

[0039] 1. Feeding: The mixed powder is loaded into the hopper 11. The first drive member 53 rotates in the forward direction, driving the lifting rope and thus the hopper 11 to move upward along the guide rail 12 and collide with the limiting member 121 to reduce the gap between the powder particles. When it reaches the top, the bottom surface of the hopper 11 contacts the pin 122 and continues to slide until the pin 122 contacts the limiting groove 111. The hopper 11 falls down along the inlet of the limiting groove 111 to the corner. The first drive member 53 reverses, and the hopper 11 drives the return plate to flip under the action of gravity, transferring the powder in the hopper 11 to the unloading hopper 21. After the dumping is completed, the weight of the hopper decreases. The return plate drives the hopper 11 to rotate in the reverse direction under the action of the torsion spring. The first drive member 53 slowly rotates in the reverse direction, and the hopper 11 returns under its own gravity. The pin 122 disengages from the limiting groove 111 and returns to the bottom of the guide rail 12.

[0040] 2. Filler: After the powder enters the discharge hopper 21, it enters the end of the conveying section 221 along the conveying pipe 22. The output shaft of the second drive unit 54 extends, driving the lifting frame 311 to move downward, which in turn drives the feed plate 32 to move downward until the first feed port 321 is connected to the conveying pipe 22. The powder enters the feed section 222 and finally enters the cavity 34.

[0041] 3. Forming: The lifting frame 311 continues to move downwards, first blocking the second feed port 341 through the extrusion section 312. At this time, the powder entering the cavity 34 is equal to the powder required for the formation of the preform. The extrusion section 312 continues to extrude the powder downwards to form the preform.

[0042] 4. Discharge: The output shaft of the second drive unit 54 retracts, driving the upper mold to move upward, and through the extension plate 33, driving the first discharge unit 35 to move upward, thereby pushing the blank out of the cavity 34. At the same time, the lifting frame 311 moves upward, driving the first rack 41 to move upward. The first rack 41 drives the second rack 43 to push the blank forward through the rotation of the tooth column 42, and slides down the inclined plate 52 to enter the next process.

[0043] 5. Repeat steps 1-4 until the mixed powder is used up.

[0044] Example 2

[0045] Example 2 is basically the same as Example 1, except that the first feed port 321 of Example 2 is slidably provided with a sealing member. The side of the sealing member is attached to the feed plate to block the first feed port and prevent powder from leaking from the first feed port. The lower end of the sealing member is welded to the upper end of the chute to ensure that the powder can only be transported along the conveying pipe 22. The feed plate 32 passes through the chute and controls the powder to enter through the first feed port 321 to reduce powder waste.

[0046] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention, and common knowledge such as specific technical solutions and / or characteristics are not described in detail here. It should be noted that the technical means for solving problems in the above embodiments of the present invention can be used in combination to solve multiple technical problems simultaneously. For those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the technical solutions of the present invention, and these should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. These modifications and improvements will not affect the effectiveness of the implementation of the present invention or the practicality of the patent. The scope of protection claimed in this application should be determined by the content of its claims, and the specific embodiments described in the specification can be used to interpret the content of the claims.

Claims

1. An alloy forming equipment, characterized in that: The machine includes a frame, a lifting mechanism, a feeding mechanism, and a forming mechanism. The lifting mechanism comprises a bucket, a guide rail, and a lifting section. The guide rail is inclinedly mounted on the frame, and the bucket slides on the guide rail. The lifting section pulls the bucket along the guide rail. Several limiting components are installed in the middle of the guide rail, and the bucket collides with these components. A pin is installed at the end of the guide rail, and limiting grooves are provided on both sides of the bucket. The bucket rotates by engaging with the pin through the limiting grooves. The pin is rotatably connected to the guide rail, and a torsion spring connects the pin and the guide rail. Return plates are fixed on both sides of the pin. Utilizing the cooperation of the torsion spring and the return plates, the weight of the bucket propels the bucket... The hopper achieves an automatic return function; the feeding mechanism includes a discharge hopper and a conveying pipe. The conveying pipe is telescopic. The discharge hopper is connected to the conveying pipe. A groove is provided on the conveying pipe. The forming mechanism includes an upper mold and a lower mold. A feeding plate is inclined on one side of the upper mold. The feeding plate is provided with a first feeding port. The feeding plate passes through the groove and is slidably connected to the conveying pipe. The lower mold includes a cavity and a first discharge part. The cavity is fixedly connected to the frame. A second feeding port is provided at the upper end of the cavity. The second feeding port is connected to the conveying pipe. An extension plate is provided at the end of the feeding plate. The extension plate extends to the lower end of the first discharge part and can contact the first discharge part.

2. The alloy forming equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting unit includes a first drive component, a fixed pulley, and a lifting rope. The fixed pulley is fixed above the unloading hopper, and the lifting rope passes around the fixed pulley to connect the hopper and the first drive component.

3. The alloy forming equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: A second ejector is provided on the other side of the upper mold. The second ejector includes a first rack, a toothed column, and a second rack. The first rack is fixedly connected to the upper mold. The toothed column is rotatably mounted on the frame and meshes with the first and second racks. The second rack is slidably connected to the frame.

4. The alloy forming equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The forming mechanism also includes a housing and a second driving member. The second driving member is located outside the housing and can drive the upper mold to move up and down. Both the upper mold and the lower mold are located inside the housing.

5. The alloy forming equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The housing has an opening, and the opening has a ramp.

6. The alloy forming equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first feed inlet is slidably equipped with sealing components on both sides, and the sealing components are fixed to the upper end of the chute.

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