Automatic zinc pot bottom slag salvaging device and method

Abstract

An automatic zinc pot bottom slag salvaging device, comprising a truss robot, a zinc slag pumping device, and an electric control cabinet, characterized in that the truss robot comprises an X-axis trolley, a Y-axis trolley, and a Z-axis trolley, the zinc slag pumping device comprises a zinc slag pumping body and a nitrogen pipeline, and the electric control cabinet is a transmission control system, which controls the movement of the X-axis trolley, the Y-axis trolley, and the Z-axis trolley by using a power frequency, a frequency conversion, and a servo controller. The automatic zinc pot bottom slag salvaging device and method have the advantages that the truss robot is combined with a siphon pump to realize automatic bottom slag pumping and filtering, and the waste of zinc liquid can be effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of zinc pot bottom slag cleaning technology of cold-rolled hot-dip galvanized aluminum-zinc units, specifically, it is an automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device. Background Technology

[0002] As a byproduct of the hot-dip galvanizing production cycle, zinc pot bottom slag is unavoidable. In terms of quality control, the increased height of the bottom slag will cause it to be swept up by the flow field during production and enter the areas of the strip steel and the zinc pot submerged roller, stabilizing roller, and correction roller, thus sticking to the surface of the strip steel. This can cause roller mark defects in mild cases, or even be pressed into the surface of the strip steel, appearing as small bright spots during the subsequent stamping process at the user end. Historically, bottom slag has caused major claims disputes worth tens of millions of yuan on other production lines.

[0003] In the cold-rolled hot-dip galvanized aluminum-zinc process, when the iron content in the zinc bath is supersaturated, iron-zinc alloy particles will be suspended in the zinc bath, inevitably forming bottom dross in the zinc pot. During strip galvanizing, these small, hard particles adhere to the steel plate surface along with the zinc bath, forming a small protrusion, commonly known as a "zinc particle" defect. This defect not only affects the appearance of the galvanized sheet but also its performance. Excessive bottom dross in the zinc pot also reduces the unit's operating rate and increases the additional consumption of zinc alloy. The bottom dross must be cleaned regularly; failure to effectively clean it can lead to the bottom dross rising and contacting the settling rollers, making production unsustainable. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Traditional offline zinc pots typically use manual slag removal or robotic arms for automatic slag removal, but this method leads to the waste of excess molten zinc.

[0005] Therefore, the known methods for removing zinc pot bottom slag have the aforementioned inconveniences and problems.

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a safe and reliable automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device.

[0007] Another objective of this invention is to provide a safe and reliable method for automatically removing zinc pot bottom slag. To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is: an automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device, comprising a gantry robot, a slag pump device, and an electrical control cabinet, characterized in that: the gantry robot comprises an X-axis trolley, a Y-axis trolley, and a Z-axis trolley; the X-axis trolley is equipped with a variable frequency reduction motor to drive the gantry robot to move in the X-axis direction; the Y-axis trolley is equipped with a variable frequency reduction motor to drive the gantry robot to move in the Y-axis direction; the Z-axis trolley comprises a Z-axis trolley body and a clamping moving mechanism; the Z-axis trolley body is mounted above the Y-axis lower trolley and is equipped with a variable frequency reduction motor to drive the gantry robot to move in the Z-axis direction; it also includes a servo motor, which controls the action of the clamping moving mechanism; the clamping moving mechanism comprises an electric hoist and a clamp; the electric hoist is mounted on the clamping moving mechanism of the Z-axis trolley and moves laterally with the Z-axis to realize the lateral movement of the slag hopper; the electric hoist hook has a lifting function; the slag hopper is suspended on the electric hoist hook by the clamp to realize the lifting function of the slag hopper;

[0008] The zinc slag pump device includes a zinc slag pump body and a nitrogen pipeline. The zinc slag pump body is an inverted Y-shaped steel pipe support. The Y-shaped steel pipe support has interconnected straight pipes and inclined pipes. Each of the straight pipes and inclined pipes has a zinc slag suction port at its bottom end. The top of the zinc slag pump body has a bend pipe with its opening facing downwards. The nitrogen pipeline is arranged in the middle of the inverted Y-shaped steel pipe support. A radial nitrogen inlet is provided on the straight pipe at the height of the bend pipe opening for supplying nitrogen to the zinc slag pump device.

[0009] The electrical control cabinet is a transmission control system. The transmission control system uses a variable frequency reduction motor to control the movement of the X-axis trolley, Y-axis trolley, and Z-axis trolley. The clamping moving mechanism uses an encoder, laser rangefinder, and limit switch to achieve precise positioning of the gantry robot, satisfying the loading and unloading of the filter bucket and the control of the slag extraction position.

[0010] The system comprises three trolleys: the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis trolleys, which work together to achieve multi-dimensional movement of the gantry robot. A zinc slag pump is mounted on the mounting plate of the Z-axis trolley and connected to a nitrogen pipeline. The pump is submerged at the bottom of the zinc pot, covering the area within the pot. A clamping mechanism is located at the lower end of the Z-axis trolley. This mechanism, driven by a servo motor, uses gears and racks to move along a linear guide rail. An electric hoist within the mechanism is used for hoisting. The clamps in the mechanism are mechanically driven to open and close, allowing for lateral movement between the slag hopper loading / unloading position and the slag extraction position. The zinc slag pump is equipped with lifting and rotating devices to control its position and avoid the slag hopper. The slag hopper lifting function controls the movement between the slag extraction and loading / unloading positions.

[0011] The automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device of the present invention can also be further implemented by the following technical measures.

[0012] In the aforementioned automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device, the X-axis trolley adopts a welded frame structure and moves along the X-axis.

[0013] In the aforementioned automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device, the Y-axis trolley adopts a welded frame structure and moves along the Y-axis.

[0014] In the aforementioned automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device, the Z-axis trolley is driven by a variable frequency reduction motor, and the clamp moving mechanism is driven by a servo motor to move along a linear guide rail via gears and racks.

[0015] The aforementioned automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device, wherein the clamp is a linkage mechanism to grip the slag hopper.

[0016] An automatic method for removing slag from the bottom of a zinc pot, characterized by the following steps:

[0017] a. Construct an automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device. Construct two parallel tracks above the zinc pot. Construct an X-axis trolley on the tracks, a Y-axis trolley on the X-axis trolley, and a Z-axis trolley on the Y-axis trolley. Install an electric hoist and clamps on the clamping and moving mechanism of the Z-axis trolley. Install an electrical control cabinet next to the tracks. The electrical control cabinet is the transmission control system of the zinc pot bottom slag removal device. Install a valve platform between the zinc slag pump device and the cooling energy medium. The valve platform is used for the intermediate connecting pipe between the zinc slag pump device and the cooling energy medium.

[0018] b. Receive the signal and begin the work process;

[0019] c. Move the clamp above the filter bucket;

[0020] d. After clamping the empty filter bucket, the fixture moves to the working position;

[0021] e. The X-axis trolley and the Y-axis trolley move along the X-axis and Y-axis respectively to the starting point of the zinc slag pump device;

[0022] f. The fixture moves along the Z-axis to the zinc slag surface;

[0023] g. The zinc slag pump device rotates and descends to begin pumping zinc slag and filtering slag.

[0024] h. Move along the set trajectory until the zinc slag hopper is full or the zinc slag in the zinc pot is completely removed.

[0025] i. The X-axis trolley and Y-axis trolley move to the starting position along the X-axis and Y-axis respectively, end the operation cycle, and wait to replace the empty zinc slag hopper or zinc slag; or the filter hopper rotating device rotates the next empty filter hopper to the grab position.

[0026] After adopting the above technical solution, the automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device and method of the present invention has the advantage of using a gantry robot with a siphon pump to achieve fully automatic bottom slag extraction and filtration, which can effectively reduce zinc liquid waste. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating slag hopper platform and slag hopper according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 1. Track, 2. X-axis trolley, 3. Y-axis trolley, 4. Z-axis trolley, 5. Clamp, 6. Zinc slag pump device, 7. Rotary slag hopper platform, 8. Slag hopper, 9. Valve platform, 10. Electrical control cabinet. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings. Example

[0032] The automatic zinc slag removal device of the present invention includes a gantry robot, a zinc slag pump device, and an electrical control cabinet 10.

[0033] Please see now Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the rotating slag hopper platform and slag hopper according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the track 1 is a conventional track, fixed to the zinc pot plate, enabling the X-axis carriage 2 to move back and forth. The X-axis carriage 2 is an X-axis moving mechanism, using a welded frame structure, driven by a variable frequency reduction motor, enabling the robot to move in the X-axis direction. The Y-axis carriage 3, the Y-axis moving mechanism, also uses a welded frame structure, driven by a variable frequency reduction motor, enabling the robot to move in the Y-axis direction. The Z-axis carriage 4's lateral movement mechanism is driven by a variable frequency reduction motor (with a brake). The clamping moving mechanism uses a servo motor to drive gears and racks to achieve lateral movement, ensuring smooth start-up. The motor has an encoder for accurate positioning. The clamp 5 is a slag hopper clamp, using a linkage mechanism to grip the slag hopper. The clamp body itself is not driven by a motor or cylinder, as the high temperature of the zinc pot would affect the motor and cylinder. The zinc slag pumping device 6 uses nitrogen, utilizing the principle of pneumatic lifting to draw zinc slag into the slag hopper for filtration. A double-headed zinc slag pump is used to reduce the number of pump changes and improve slag extraction efficiency. The rotating slag hopper platform 7 is a welded component, serving as the base for rotating the filter hoppers and storing them. A rotating mechanism moves empty hoppers to the robot's gripping position and full hoppers to the forklift position. This effectively utilizes compact space, allowing for the placement of multiple slag hoppers. The slag hopper 8 is welded from carbon steel, with filter screens laid around its perimeter and bottom. The valve platform 9 is the intermediate connecting pipe for the zinc slag pump device 6 and the energy medium used for cooling. The electrical control cabinet 10 is the transmission control system, employing a variable frequency geared motor to control the movement of the automatic gantry robot in the X / Y / Z axes; a servo motor to control the gripper movement mechanism; and encoders, laser rangefinders, and limit switches (selected for their high temperature resistance) to achieve precise positioning of the automatic gantry robot, fulfilling the functions of loading and unloading filter hoppers and controlling the slag extraction position. This satisfies the series of slag extraction steps required by the automatic gantry robot. Example

[0034] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal method of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0035] a. An automatic zinc pot bottom slag removal device is installed. Two parallel tracks are installed above the zinc pot. An X-axis trolley is installed on the tracks, a Y-axis trolley is installed on the X-axis trolley, and a Z-axis trolley is installed on the Y-axis trolley. An electric hoist and clamps are installed on the Z-axis trolley. An electrical control cabinet 10 is installed next to the tracks. The electrical control cabinet 10 is the transmission control system of the zinc pot bottom slag removal device. A valve platform is installed between the zinc slag pump device 6 and the cooling energy medium. The valve platform is the intermediate connecting pipe between the zinc slag pump device 6 and the cooling energy medium.

[0036] b. Receive the signal and begin the work process;

[0037] c. Move the clamp above the filter bucket;

[0038] d. After clamping the empty filter bucket, the fixture moves to the working position;

[0039] e. The X-axis trolley and the Y-axis trolley move along the X-axis and Y-axis respectively to the starting point of the zinc slag pump device 6;

[0040] f. The fixture moves along the Z-axis to the zinc liquid surface;

[0041] g. The zinc slag pump device 6 rotates and descends to begin pumping zinc slag and filtering slag.

[0042] h. Move along the set trajectory until the zinc slag hopper is full or the zinc slag in the zinc pot is completely removed.

[0043] i. The X-axis trolley and Y-axis trolley move to the starting position along the X-axis and Y-axis respectively, end the operation cycle, and wait to replace the empty zinc slag hopper or zinc slag; or the filter hopper rotating device rotates the next empty filter hopper to the grab position.

[0044] The automatic zinc pot slag removal device of the present invention is a complete slag extraction and filtration device that can automatically load and unload the slag hopper and automatically perform slag extraction and filtration according to a planned path. To ensure that the slag extraction work covers the entire zinc pot, the zinc slag pump device 6 needs to move along the X, Y, and Z axes inside the zinc pot. The robot moves along the X and Y axes, and the zinc slag pump device 6 travels inside the zinc pot under the drive of the X and Y axes, covering the area inside the zinc pot. The Z axis is used for lateral movement between the slag hopper loading / unloading position and the slag extraction position. The zinc slag pump device 6 is equipped with lifting and rotating devices to control its position and avoid the slag hopper; the slag hopper lifting mechanism controls the lifting and lowering between the slag extraction position and the loading / unloading position. The zinc slag pump device 6 is mounted on a gantry robot, which moves it inside the zinc pot. The clamping and moving mechanism consists of the zinc pump device 6 and the lifting and lateral movement mechanism. The transmission control uses a variable frequency geared motor to control the movement of the gantry robot in the X / Y / Z axis directions, and a servo motor to control the movement of the fixture moving mechanism; and the precise positioning of the gantry robot is achieved through encoders, laser rangefinders, limit switches (selected with high temperature resistance), etc., to meet the functions of loading and unloading filter buckets, as well as the control of the slag extraction position.

[0045] This invention features substantial characteristics and significant technological advancements. Compared to traditional offline zinc pot slag removal methods, which typically involve manual slag removal or automated slag removal using robotic arms, resulting in excessive waste of molten zinc, this invention utilizes a gantry robot. This robot is a versatile manipulator capable of automatic control, reprogrammability, and multiple degrees of freedom. The automatic zinc pot slag removal device primarily operates by performing linear movements along the X, Y, and Z axes. Combined with a siphon pump, it achieves fully automated slag extraction and filtration, effectively reducing molten zinc waste.

[0046] The above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions should also fall within the scope of this invention and should be defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic zinc pot bottom slag salvaging device, comprising a truss robot, a zinc slag pumping device, an electric control cabinet (10), characterized in that: the truss robot comprises an X-axis trolley (2), a Y-axis trolley (3), and a Z-axis trolley (4), the X-axis trolley (2) is provided with a variable frequency reduction motor to drive the truss robot to move in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis trolley (3) is provided with a variable frequency reduction motor to drive the truss robot to move in the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis trolley (4) comprises a Z-axis trolley body and a clamp moving mechanism, the Z-axis trolley body is installed above the Y-axis trolley (3) and is provided with a variable frequency reduction motor to drive the truss robot to move in the Z-axis direction; further comprising a servo motor, the servo motor controls the action of the clamp moving mechanism, the clamp moving mechanism comprises an electric hoist and a clamp (5), the clamp (5) is installed on the lifting hook of the electric hoist and moves longitudinally along the Z-axis, the lifting hook of the electric hoist has a lifting function, a slag bucket (8) is hung on the lifting hook of the electric hoist through the clamp (5), when the slag bucket (8) is clamped by the clamp (5), it moves longitudinally along the Z-axis to realize the lifting function of the slag bucket (8); the zinc slag pumping device comprises a zinc slag pumping body and a nitrogen gas pipeline, the zinc slag pumping body is a reverse Y-shaped steel pipe support, the reverse Y-shaped steel pipe support is provided with a straight pipe and an inclined pipe which are connected to each other, the bottom end of the straight pipe and the inclined pipe is respectively provided with a zinc slag suction port, the top end of the zinc slag pumping body is provided with an elbow pipe, the elbow pipe is downward, and the nitrogen gas pipeline is arranged in the middle of the reverse Y-shaped steel pipe support, the straight pipe at the height of the elbow pipe is provided with a radial nitrogen gas inlet for supplying nitrogen gas to the zinc slag pumping device (6); the electric control cabinet (10) is a transmission control system, the transmission control system adopts a variable frequency reduction motor to control the X-axis trolley (2), the Y-axis trolley (3), and the Z-axis trolley (4); the clamp moving mechanism realizes accurate positioning of the truss robot through an encoder, a laser range finder, and a limit switch to meet the action function of loading and unloading the filter bucket and the control of the slag pumping position; wherein: the X-axis trolley (2), the Y-axis trolley (3), and the Z-axis trolley (4) cooperate with each other to realize the movement of the truss robot in multiple dimensions, the zinc slag pumping device is installed on the mounting plate of the Z-axis trolley, connected to the nitrogen gas pipeline, and the zinc slag pumping body is submerged in the zinc pot bottom to cover the area inside the zinc pot; the lower end of the Z-axis trolley (4) is provided with a clamp moving mechanism, the clamp moving mechanism moves along the linear guide rail through the servo motor driving gear and rack to realize the transverse movement of the slag bucket (8), the electric hoist in the clamp moving mechanism is used for hanging, and the clamp (5) in the clamp moving mechanism is driven to open and close by a mechanical structure to clamp the slag bucket (8); the zinc slag pumping device (6) is provided with a lifting and rotating device for position control and avoiding the slag bucket (8).

2. The automatic zinc bottom sludge salvaging device according to claim 1, wherein The X-axis trolley (2) is a welded frame structure and moves along the X-axis.

3. The automatic zinc bottom sludge salvaging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The Y-axis trolley (3) is a welded frame structure and moves along the Y-axis.

4. The automatic zinc bottom sludge salvaging device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The clamp (5) is a connecting rod mechanism to clamp the slag bucket (8).

5. A method for automatically salvaging zinc pot bottom slags by using the device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: a, set up the automatic zinc pot bottom slag device, set up two parallel tracks (1) above the zinc pot, X-axis trolley (2) is set up on the track (1), Y-axis trolley (3) is set up on the X-axis trolley (2), Z-axis trolley (4) is set up on the Y-axis trolley (3), electric hoist and clamp (5) are installed on the clamp moving mechanism of the Z-axis trolley (4), electric control cabinet (10) is set up beside the track (1), the electric control cabinet (10) is the transmission control system of the zinc pot bottom slag device, valve table (9) is set up between the zinc slag pump device (6) and the energy medium for cooling, the valve table (9) is the intermediate connecting pipeline for the zinc slag pump device (6) and the energy medium for cooling; b, accept the signal to start the operation process; c, the clamp (5) moves above the filter hopper; d, after clamping the empty filter hopper, the clamp (5) moves to the working position; e, the X-axis trolley and the Y-axis trolley move to the starting point of the zinc slag pump device (6) along the X-axis and the Y-axis respectively; f, the clamp (5) moves to the zinc liquid surface along the Z-axis; g, the zinc slag pump device (6) rotates and descends to start filtering the zinc slag; h, move along the set trajectory until the zinc slag hopper is full or the zinc slag in the zinc pot is pumped out; i, the X-axis trolley (2) and the Y-axis trolley (3) move to the starting position along the X-axis and the Y-axis respectively, end the operation cycle, and wait for replacement of the empty zinc slag hopper or zinc liquid; or the filter hopper rotating device rotates the next empty filter hopper to the grabbing position.

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