Environment-friendly automatic production line for crucible overturning, pouring and directional recycling

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of environmental protection type automatic production line of crucible overturning and directional recovery, it includes self front to rear arrangement of material pouring box, belt hook conveying belt and push mechanism, the push mechanism one side is provided with first crucible frame, the first crucible frame is provided with multiple full load powder's crucible needing material pouring on, first row frame mechanical arm is arranged at the position of the first crucible frame, the belt hook conveying belt rear end is provided with drop slide below, the drop slide is provided with lifting conveying belt below, the lifting conveying belt extends to the rear of push mechanism, the lifting conveying belt one side is provided with second crucible frame, second row frame mechanical arm is arranged at the position of the second crucible frame.The present application can realize crucible overturning and material pouring, and realize again overturning after material pouring and open upward and stack on crucible frame, greatly reduce the labor intensity of worker, improve production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an environmentally friendly automated production line that uses crucible tilting to pour out and directional recycling materials, belonging to the field of metal 3D printing technology. Background Technology

[0002] With social development and continuous advancements in science and technology, the application of metal 3D printing technology is becoming increasingly widespread. Its high material utilization rate, short manufacturing cycle, and high flexibility have rapidly secured it a significant position in the metal manufacturing industry. Metal 3D printing technology involves directly applying a laser beam (or electron beam, etc.) to metal powder. This high-energy source rapidly melts the powder, forming a high-temperature molten pool or sintering the powder. Rapid cooling then creates overlapping solid melt channels, which are continuously accumulated on the resulting metal processing surface to complete the machining process. Metal 3D printing technology can print small, complex, and highly precise metal parts, playing a crucial role in improving the quality and efficiency of overall industrial production. It offers more possibilities in the manufacturing of metal parts and promotes the development of the metal manufacturing industry.

[0003] Currently, the mainstream metal 3D printing technologies used directly for manufacturing metal parts include: Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), Laser Near-Net-Shape Forming (LENS), and Electron Beam Selective Melting (EBSM), all of which use powder materials as raw materials. The production process for these powder materials is relatively complex, involving multiple steps that require pouring the powder from small crucibles after heat treatment in the furnace for mixing, washing, filtering, or sieving. In one company's actual production, each heat treatment furnace processes 144 to 198 small crucibles, with multiple furnaces operating simultaneously. This results in hundreds or even thousands of crucible pouring operations per batch, necessitating automation to reduce labor intensity, improve working conditions, and minimize environmental pollution. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an environmentally friendly automated production line for crucible flipping, unloading, and directional recycling, which can realize crucible flipping and unloading, and after unloading, flipping it back to face upward and stacking it on the crucible rack, which greatly reduces the labor intensity of workers and improves production efficiency.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above problems is as follows: an environmentally friendly automated production line for crucible flipping, unloading, and directional recycling, which includes a unloading box, a hook conveyor belt, and a pushing mechanism arranged sequentially from front to back. A first crucible rack is provided on one side of the pushing mechanism. Multiple crucibles full of powder that need to be unloaded are provided on the first crucible rack. A first rack robotic arm is provided at the position of the first crucible rack. A detachment slide is provided below the rear end of the hook conveyor belt. A lifting conveyor belt is provided below the detachment slide. The lifting conveyor belt extends rearward to the rear of the pushing mechanism. A second crucible rack is provided on one side of the lifting conveyor belt. A second rack robotic arm is provided at the position of the second crucible rack.

[0006] Optionally, the feeding box is equipped with a flipping guide mechanism.

[0007] Optionally, the feeding box is equipped with a dust removal device, which can prevent dust from escaping when the powder in the crucible is poured out. The dust generated during the powder pouring process will be collected by the dust removal device, and the collected dust can be reused.

[0008] Optionally, the flipping guide mechanism includes two guide slides, left and right, with a hollow area between the two guide slides.

[0009] Optionally, the material discharge box includes a material discharge box body, and an opening is provided on the rear side of the material discharge box body, into which the front end of the hook conveyor belt extends.

[0010] Optionally, the hook-driven belt includes a front roller and a rear roller, with a drive belt wound between the front roller and the rear roller, and multiple hooks evenly arranged on the outer side of the drive belt.

[0011] Optionally, the hook includes two hook plates, left and right, and a slot is provided on the rear side of the hook plate.

[0012] Optionally, the slot includes a guide groove arranged in the front-back direction, with an upper slot and a lower slot respectively provided on the upper and lower sides of the front end of the guide groove, and the guide groove is arranged to gradually slope upward from back to front.

[0013] Optionally, the pushing mechanism includes a pushing platform, a pushing cylinder frame is provided on the pushing platform, a pushing cylinder is provided on the pushing cylinder frame along the front-back direction, and a push head is provided at the front end of the pushing cylinder.

[0014] Optionally, the crucible includes a crucible body, and a hook is provided on the front side of the crucible body, the hook cooperating with a locking hook.

[0015] Optionally, the detachment slide includes a slide base plate, which includes an upper vertical plate, a middle arc plate, and a lower horizontal plate connected in sequence. The lower horizontal plate is located in front of the upper vertical plate, and baffles are provided on the left and right sides of the upper vertical plate and the middle arc plate.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] 1. This invention enables crucibles to be flipped over to pour out materials, and after pouring, they can be flipped back to face upwards and stacked on the crucible rack, which greatly reduces the labor intensity of workers and improves production efficiency;

[0018] 2. The feeding box of this invention is equipped with a dust removal device, which can prevent dust from escaping when the powder in the crucible is poured out. The dust generated during the powder pouring process will be collected by the dust removal device, and the collected dust can be reused. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an environmentally friendly automated production line for crucible flipping, unloading, and directional recycling according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Top view.

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part A.

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part B.

[0023] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the detachment slide.

[0024] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the fit between the crucible and the hook.

[0025] in:

[0026] dump box 1

[0027] Discharge box 1.1

[0028] Opening 1.2

[0029] Hook conveyor belt 2

[0030] Front roller 2.1

[0031] Rear roller 2.2

[0032] 2.3 Transmission belt

[0033] Hook 2.4

[0034] Hook plate 2.4.1

[0035] Card slot 2.4.2

[0036] Guide groove 2.4.2.1

[0037] Upper card slot 2.4.2.2

[0038] Lower card slot 2.4.2.3

[0039] Push Organization 3

[0040] Push platform 3.1

[0041] Push cylinder support 3.2

[0042] Push cylinder 3.3

[0043] Push head 3.4

[0044] First crucible rack 4

[0045] Crucible 5

[0046] 5.1 Crucible body

[0047] Hook 5.2

[0048] Front hook rod 5.2.1

[0049] Connecting rod 5.2.2

[0050] First row robotic arm 6

[0051] Detachment Slide 7

[0052] Slide base plate 7.1

[0053] Top panel 7.1.1

[0054] 7.1.2 Middle arc plate

[0055] Lower horizontal plate 7.1.3

[0056] baffle 7.2

[0057] Upgrade conveyor belt 8

[0058] Lower horizontal section 8.1

[0059] The middle inclined section is 8.2.

[0060] Upper horizontal segment 8.3

[0061] Second crucible rack 9

[0062] Second row robotic arm 10

[0063] Flipping guide mechanism 11

[0064] Guide slide 11.1

[0065] Dust removal device 12

[0066] Discharge port 13. Detailed Implementation

[0067] like Figures 1-5 As shown in this embodiment, an environmentally friendly automated production line for crucible flipping, unloading, and directional recycling includes a unloading box 1, a hook conveyor belt 2, and a pushing mechanism 3 arranged sequentially from front to back. A first crucible rack 4 is provided on one side of the pushing mechanism 3. Multiple crucibles 5 filled with powder that need to be unloaded are provided on the first crucible rack 4. A first rack robotic arm 6 is provided at the position of the first crucible rack 4. A detachment slide 7 is provided below the rear end of the hook conveyor belt 2. A lifting conveyor belt 8 is provided below the detachment slide 7. The lifting conveyor belt 8 extends rearward to the rear of the pushing mechanism 3. A second crucible rack 9 is provided on one side of the lifting conveyor belt 8. A second rack robotic arm 10 is provided at the position of the second crucible rack 9.

[0068] The feeding box 1 is equipped with a flipping guide mechanism 11;

[0069] The feeding box 1 is equipped with a dust removal device 12, which can prevent dust from escaping when the powder in the crucible is poured out. The dust generated during the powder pouring process will be collected by the dust removal device, and the collected dust can be reused.

[0070] The bottom of the feeding box 1 is provided with a discharge port 13;

[0071] The material discharge box 1 includes a material discharge box body 1.1, and an opening 1.2 is provided on the rear side of the material discharge box body 1.1. The front end of the hook conveyor belt 2 extends into the opening 1.2.

[0072] The hook-driven transmission belt 2 includes a front roller 2.1 and a rear roller 2.2. A transmission belt 2.3 is wound between the front roller 2.1 and the rear roller 2.2. A plurality of hooks 2.4 are evenly arranged on the outer side of the transmission belt 2.3.

[0073] The hook 2.4 includes two hook plates 2.4.1, one on the left and one on the right, and a slot 2.4.2 is provided on the rear side of the hook plate 2.4.1;

[0074] The slot 2.4.2 includes a guide groove 2.4.2.1 arranged in the front-back direction. The guide groove 2.4.2.1 has an upper slot 2.4.2.2 and a lower slot 2.4.2.3 respectively provided on the upper and lower sides of the front end.

[0075] The guide groove 2.4.2.1 is arranged to gradually slope upwards from back to front;

[0076] The pushing mechanism 3 includes a pushing platform 3.1, a pushing cylinder frame 3.2 is provided on the pushing platform 3.1, a pushing cylinder 3.3 is provided on the pushing cylinder frame 3.2 along the front-back direction, and a push head 3.4 is provided at the front end of the pushing cylinder 3.3;

[0077] The upper surface of the pushing platform 3.1 is flush with the upper surface of the transmission belt 2.3;

[0078] The crucible 5 includes a crucible body 5.1, and a hook 5.2 is provided on the front side of the crucible body 5.1. The hook 5.2 cooperates with the catch hook 2.4.

[0079] The crucible body 5.1 is generally in the shape of a square box with a certain wall thickness and an open front.

[0080] The hook 5.2 includes a front hook rod 5.2.1, which is arranged in the left-right direction. The middle part of the front hook rod 5.2.1 is connected to the crucible body 5.1 through a connecting rod 5.2.2.

[0081] The front hook rod 5.2.1 is secured in the left and right slots 2.4.2;

[0082] The detachment slide 7 includes a slide base plate 7.1, which includes an upper vertical plate 7.1.1, a middle arc plate 7.1.2, and a lower horizontal plate 7.1.3 connected in sequence. The lower horizontal plate 7.1.3 is located in front of the upper vertical plate 7.1.1. Baffles 7.2 are provided on the left and right sides of the upper vertical plate 7.1.1 and the middle arc plate 7.1.2.

[0083] The width of the crucible body 5.1 is greater than the width of the lower horizontal plate 7.1.3;

[0084] The lifting conveyor belt 8 includes a lower horizontal section 8.1, a middle inclined section 8.2, and an upper horizontal section 8.3, with the lower horizontal section 8.1 located behind the upper horizontal section 8.3;

[0085] The upper surface of the upper horizontal segment 8.3 is flush with the upper surface of the pushing platform 3.1;

[0086] The flipping guide mechanism 11 includes two guide slides 11.1 on the left and right, and the area between the two guide slides 11.1 is a hollow area;

[0087] The guide slide 11.1 is arc-shaped (nearly circular arc);

[0088] The width of the crucible body 5.1 is greater than the distance between the two guide slides 11.1 on the left and right.

[0089] Working principle:

[0090] There are two crucible racks, one for holding crucibles containing powdered substances and the other for holding empty crucibles after unloading. There are two gantry robotic arms, one for grabbing crucibles onto the hooked conveyor belt before unloading and the other for grabbing crucibles onto the crucible rack after unloading. The hooked conveyor belt transports fully loaded crucibles into the unloading area, using hooks to drag and lift the crucibles for flipping and returning them. The crucibles automatically disengage when they reach the end of the conveyor belt. The pushing mechanism pushes the crucibles forward a certain distance on the hooked conveyor belt after the previous gantry robotic arm delivers a fully loaded crucible. The distance between the crucible and the guide mechanism is such that the hook at the front end of the crucible is embedded in the hook on the conveyor belt; the flipping guide mechanism restrains the flipping action of the crucible to control the angle change and downward trajectory of the crucible during the flipping process, and prevents the crucible from detaching; the dust removal device prevents dust from escaping when the powder in the crucible is poured out; the detachment chute controls the sliding trajectory of the crucible that is normally detached, and realizes the flipping orientation of the crucible at the end of the chute; in addition to assisting the crucibles coming down the detachment chute to complete the flipping orientation, the lifting conveyor belt mainly transports the crucibles to the crucible recycling point, and then the gantry robot arm stacks the crucibles on the crucible rack.

[0091] The principle of the connection between the crucible and the conveyor belt using hooks:

[0092] The crucible has a protruding horizontal bar at its front end that serves as a hook, the height of which matches the height of the latch on the conveyor belt. The latch is fixed to the surface of the conveyor belt and is designed as a bidirectional groove structure with an inclined slide. When the crucible is pushed forward by the pushing mechanism, the hook will slide along the inclined slide and, under the action of gravity, engage downwards into the lower latch of the latch.

[0093] The principle of crucible tilting and unloading action:

[0094] The crucible tilting and unloading action is achieved through the combined action of the hooks pulling on the conveyor belt as it reaches the end and the tilting guide mechanism. The hooks provide the power, while the tilting and unloading trajectory is controlled by the tilting guide mechanism. The tilting guide mechanism consists of two slides with a specific trajectory, with an open area between the two slides to allow the powder to be poured out without obstruction.

[0095] The principle of crucible unhooking:

[0096] After the crucible is poured, it is hooked to the bend at the other end of the conveyor belt. The hook is inverted and begins to rotate continuously clockwise. The groove of the hook gradually begins to tilt downward, making the crucible easy to slip off the hook. As the crucible continues to rotate clockwise with the hook, it is pushed forward by the rear upright plate, thus detaching from the hook.

[0097] The principle of crucible flipping and orientation before recovery:

[0098] After the crucible detaches, it slides down the detachment chute with its opening facing downwards. The front section of the chute is a single curved surface, which supports the edge of the crucible, keeping its opening facing downwards as it slides forward and downwards. The crucible can be considered a square box with a certain wall thickness and one open side. The end of the detachment chute (i.e., the lower horizontal section) is designed with open sides. When the crucible slides to this point, the front upright plate and side walls in the direction of sliding begin to lose support, fall downwards, and begin to rotate clockwise. As the crucible continues to slide, because its rear wall is still supported by the chute, the clockwise rotation angle becomes larger and larger. When the front end touches the reverse-moving lifting conveyor belt below the chute, it rotates further clockwise until it has rotated 180°, so that the crucible's opening faces upwards as it lands on the lifting conveyor belt, thus achieving the crucible's flipping and orientation.

[0099] The principle of dust removal and dust recovery:

[0100] The discharging of powder materials inevitably generates dust, and it is essential to consider preventing dust pollution. A dust collection device, equivalent to a conventional dust-free feeding station, is installed at the powder discharging location on the production line. It consists of a housing, an induced draft fan, an air filter, and a back-flushing system. The induced draft fan provides negative pressure, drawing dust-laden air in a fixed direction, forcing it through the air filter and out of the housing. The air filter's function is to filter dust from the air; clean air passes through while dust remains inside the filter. The back-flushing system performs a burst-like backflushing of the filter at a specific frequency, blowing off and recycling excess dust accumulated on the air filter, while simultaneously achieving self-cleaning of the air filter.

[0101] The overall process and steps are as follows:

[0102] Step 1: Positioning of the first crucible rack: The first crucible rack is forked out of the heat treatment furnace by an AGV forklift. It is filled with crucibles (8-11 layers in total, 9 crucibles per layer) and transported to the first rack robotic arm, where it is positioned at a fixed point.

[0103] Step 2, Crucible Placement: The first rack robotic arm moves continuously in the X, Y, and Z directions to pick up crucibles one by one and place them on the platform in front of the pushing mechanism. The timing (condition) for placement is when the pushing mechanism is in place, the platform is empty, and not all crucibles in the first crucible rack have been removed and pushed.

[0104] Step 3: Pushing the crucible onto the hook: When the hook on the conveyor belt is transferred to the appropriate position (detected by the position sensor), the pushing mechanism pushes the crucible forward, so that the hook (crossbar) at the front end of the crucible is embedded in the hook slot on the conveyor belt, thus hooking the two together;

[0105] Step 4, Crucible Discharge: The conveyor belt hooks the crucible and moves forward to the end bend, lifting and flipping the crucible. The flipping trajectory is also controlled by the flipping guide mechanism.

[0106] Step 5, Crucible unhooking: After the crucible is poured out, it is hooked to the bend at the other end of the conveyor belt. The hook is in an easy-to-unhook state, and the crucible is unhooked by the vertical plate.

[0107] Step 6: Crucible slides down and flips for orientation: With the crucible opening facing down, slide it down the detachment slide and flip it 180° at the end of the slide to make the opening face up and achieve orientation;

[0108] Step 7: Transport the empty crucibles to the collection point: The conveyor belt is used to transport the empty crucibles to the crucible collection point;

[0109] Step 8: Stacking empty crucibles onto the second crucible rack: The second rack robotic arm moves continuously in the X, Y, and Z directions to pick up empty crucibles one by one and stack them into the second crucible rack;

[0110] Repeat steps two through eight above until all crucibles in the first crucible rack have been emptied.

[0111] In addition to the above embodiments, the present invention also includes other embodiments. All technical solutions formed by equivalent transformation or equivalent substitution should fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An environmentally friendly automated production line for crucible inversion, pouring and directional recycling, characterized in that: It includes a reverse feeding box (1), a hook conveying belt (2) and a pushing mechanism (3) arranged in sequence from front to back, one side of the pushing mechanism (3) is provided with a first crucible rack (4), a plurality of crucibles (5) are arranged on the first crucible rack (4), a first row frame mechanical arm (6) is arranged at the position of the first crucible rack (4), a falling slide (7) is arranged below the rear end of the hook conveying belt (2), a lifting conveying belt (8) is arranged below the falling slide (7), the lifting conveying belt (8) extends to the rear of the pushing mechanism (3), one side of the lifting conveying belt (8) is provided with a second crucible rack (9), a second row frame mechanical arm (10) is arranged at the position of the second crucible rack (9); The reverse feeding box (1) comprises a reverse feeding box body (1.1), an opening (1.2) is arranged on the rear side of the reverse feeding box body (1.1), and the front end of the hook conveying belt (2) extends into the opening (1.2). The hook conveying belt (2) comprises a front roller (2.1) and a rear roller (2.2), a transmission belt (2.3) is arranged between the front roller (2.1) and the rear roller (2.2), and a plurality of clamping hooks (2.4) are uniformly arranged on the outer side of the transmission belt (2.3). The crucible (5) comprises a crucible body (5.1), a hook (5.2) is arranged on the front side of the crucible body (5.1), and the hook (5.2) is matched with the clamping hook (2.4). The falling slide (7) comprises a slide bottom plate (7.1), the slide bottom plate (7.1) comprises an upper vertical plate (7.1.1), an intermediate circular arc plate (7.1.2) and a lower horizontal plate (7.1.3) connected in sequence, the lower horizontal plate (7.1.3) is located in front of the upper vertical plate (7.1.1), and the upper vertical plate (7.1.1) and the intermediate circular arc plate (7.1.2) are provided with baffle plates (7.2) on the left and right sides. The lifting conveying belt (8) comprises a lower horizontal section (8.1), an intermediate inclined section (8.2) and an upper horizontal section (8.3), the lower horizontal section (8.1) is located in front of the upper horizontal section (8.3), and the lower horizontal section (8.1) is located below the lower horizontal plate (7.1.3). When the clamping hook of the hook conveying belt is transported to the appropriate position, the pushing mechanism pushes the crucible to move forward, so that the hook of the front end of the crucible is embedded into the clamping groove of the clamping hook on the conveying belt, and the two are hooked; The conveying belt hooks the crucible and moves forward to the end turning part, and the crucible is lifted and turned over; After the crucible is reversed, it is hooked to the turning part at the other end of the conveying belt, the clamping hook is in a state of easy unhooking, and the crucible is unhooked under the block of the upper vertical plate; The crucible opening is downward, slides along the falling slide, turns over 180° at the end of the slide to make the opening upward to realize orientation. The reverse feeding box (1) is provided with a turning guide mechanism (11).

2. The environmentally friendly automatic production line for turning over the crucible, pouring out the material and directional recycling according to claim 1, characterized in that: The turning guide mechanism (11) comprises two guide slides (11.1) arranged on the left and right sides, and a hollow area is arranged between the two guide slides (11.1).

3. The environmentally friendly automatic production line for turning over the crucible, pouring out the material and directional recycling according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping hook (2.4) comprises two clamping hook plates (2.4.1), and a clamping groove (2.4.2) is formed in the rear side of the clamping hook plate (2.4.1).

4. The environmentally friendly automatic production line for turning over the crucible, pouring out the material and directional recycling according to claim 1, characterized in that: ​ 5. The environmentally friendly automatic production line for turning over and directional recycling of crucible according to claim 4, characterized in that: The card slot (2.4.2) comprises a guide chute (2.4.2.1) arranged along the front-rear direction, the guide chute (2.4.2.1) is provided with an upper card slot (2.4.2.2) and a lower card slot (2.4.2.3) on both sides of the upper and lower sides of the front end respectively, and the guide chute (2.4.2.1) is gradually arranged upward from the rear to the front.

6. The environmentally friendly automatic production line for turning over and directional recycling of crucible according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pushing mechanism (3) comprises a pushing platform (3.1), the pushing platform (3.1) is provided with a pushing cylinder frame (3.2), the pushing cylinder frame (3.2) is provided with a pushing cylinder (3.3) along the front-rear direction, and the pushing cylinder (3.3) is provided with a pushing head (3.4) at the front end.

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