A forming process for flexible jaws

Abstract

The application discloses a forming process of a flexible jaw, and belongs to the forming technical field of the flexible jaw. The forming process comprises the following steps: S1, a reinforcing ring and an upper connecting plate are produced through an injection molding process or a metal processing process; S2, the reinforcing ring is placed in a mold of a flexible jaw body, and after the mold is closed, silicon glue is injected to form a flexible jaw semi-finished product with the reinforcing ring through post-injection molding, wherein the reinforcing ring is partially embedded into the silicon glue of a mounting port of the flexible jaw body, and an upper end face of the reinforcing ring is exposed; and S3, the upper connecting plate is bonded or welded to the upper end face of the reinforcing ring. The forming process has low forming difficulty, and the reliability of the flexible jaw after forming is higher, and the service life is longer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of flexible gripper molding technology, and more particularly to a flexible gripper molding process. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of industrial automation, the grasping action of robotic arms is mainly accomplished by rigid robotic grippers or vacuum suction cups. However, rigid robotic grippers, due to the difficulty in controlling the force, struggle to grasp soft and fragile objects without damage. Vacuum suction cups are difficult to handle rough surfaces or irregularly shaped objects with openings during transport. This limits the application scenarios of both. Flexible robotic fingers, made of elastic materials, can grasp soft and fragile objects without damaging them. To address this, the applicant previously disclosed a novel flexible gripper, its flexible clamp, and a flexible gripping pen in patent application number CN201721042513.4. The flexible gripper consists of a clamping part and a connecting part made of elastic material, both formed into a single structure through two injection molding processes. However, the connecting port on the connecting plate is located on the flexible component, and the elasticity of the connecting port is used to fit onto the connecting nozzle. This connection method is not very secure, especially for some flexible grippers that are opened by positive pressure. When the flexible gripper is subjected to positive pressure, the connecting nozzle and the connecting port may easily detach.

[0003] To this end, the applicant also applied for a single-finger flexible gripper and its flexible clamp with application number 202320123427.5. In this patent document, a rigid material connecting joint is set on the connecting part. This connection structure is generally bonded to the upper end of the connecting part by adhesive. Since the connecting part is generally made of flexible silicone material, while the connecting part is generally made of plastic or metal material, a specific adhesive is required to ensure a strong bond when bonding the rigid plastic or metal with silicone. Moreover, the amount of adhesive is difficult to control. If there is too little adhesive, the bond will not be strong enough. If there is too much adhesive, the adhesive may flow down into the driving cavity. When the adhesive cures, the adhesive in the driving cavity will affect the normal deformation of the driving cavity, resulting in the deformation of the finger not meeting the design requirements, and ultimately affecting the clamping force. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a molding process for a flexible gripper, which has low molding difficulty and the resulting flexible gripper has higher reliability and longer service life.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is: a molding process for a flexible gripper, wherein the flexible gripper to be molded by the molding process includes a flexible gripper body, a reinforcing ring, and an upper connecting plate, wherein the flexible gripper body includes a connecting part made of elastic material, the connecting part is provided with a driving chamber, the upper part of the connecting part is provided with an installation port communicating with the driving chamber, at least one flexible finger is connected to the lower part of the connecting part, the driving chamber includes a bottom wall and a side wall, the base of the flexible finger is connected to the side wall, the thickness of the bottom wall of the driving chamber is less than the thickness of the side wall or the elastic modulus of the bottom wall is less than the elastic modulus of the side wall; the reinforcing ring is a rigid reinforcing ring and is adapted to the size of the installation port; the size of the upper connecting plate is adapted to the size of the reinforcing ring, and the upper connecting plate is provided with a connecting hole; the molding process includes the following steps:

[0006] S1. The reinforcing ring and the upper connecting plate are produced by injection molding or metal processing.

[0007] S2. Place the reinforcing ring in the mold of the soft claw body. After the mold is closed, inject silicone and then injection mold to form a semi-finished soft claw with a reinforcing ring. The reinforcing ring is embedded in the silicone of the mounting port of the soft claw body, and the upper end face of the reinforcing ring is exposed.

[0008] S3. Attach or weld the upper connecting plate to the upper end face of the reinforcing ring.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the reinforcing ring includes a reinforcing ring body, and a lower embedded ring portion is provided on the lower end face of the reinforcing ring body. The thickness of the lower embedded ring portion is thinner than the thickness of the reinforcing ring body, and a positioning surface is formed on the lower surface of the reinforcing ring body. In step S2, the lower embedded ring portion is completely embedded in the connecting part and wrapped with silicone. The upper surface of the mounting port of the connecting part is flush with the positioning surface. Therefore, the reinforcing ring can be better embedded into the mounting port of the connecting part by utilizing the lower embedded ring portion, and it also facilitates better positioning between the reinforcing ring and the mounting port of the connecting part during glue injection and wrapping.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the upper part of the reinforcing ring is provided with an upper mating ring portion, and correspondingly, the upper connecting plate is provided with an upper mating groove that mates with the upper mating ring portion. A receiving gap is provided between the mating upper mating ring portion and the upper mating groove to facilitate the accommodating of the adhesive medium. When the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are bonded with adhesive, adhesive is evenly applied to the upper mating groove and the upper mating ring portion before they are pressed together, and the excess adhesive is placed in the receiving gap.

[0011] When the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are welded together, the upper connecting plate is made of translucent plastic, and the reinforcing ring is made of opaque plastic. The upper connecting plate is placed above the reinforcing ring and within the upper mating groove supported by the upper mating ring. A laser is used to irradiate the mating end face of the upper mating groove supported by the upper mating ring from the upper connecting plate downwards. The energy of the laser melts the end face of the upper mating ring. The upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are squeezed together, and the molten plastic of the upper mating ring flows downwards into the receiving gap, bonding the sides of the upper mating groove and the upper mating ring together. The end face of the upper mating ring and the upper mating groove... For bottom bonding, if the upper connecting plate and reinforcing ring are made of metal, they are fixed by welding. Therefore, the upper mating ring and upper mating groove not only facilitate the assembly between the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring, but also increase the contact area between them. This allows for better bonding whether glue or welding is used, and also prevents glue from flowing into the drive unit during bonding. At the same time, the presence of the accommodating gap allows glue and molten medium to enter, which also allows the sides of the upper mating groove and the upper mating ring to bond better, resulting in greater bonding strength.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the upper connecting plate includes a connecting plate body and an upper flange edge. The lower end face of the upper flange edge is provided with the upper mating groove. The connecting plate body extends into the mounting opening of the connecting part. A receiving gap is provided between the connecting plate body and the inner wall of the mounting opening of the connecting part. An inwardly protruding flange is provided in the driving chamber of the connecting part, and the flange contacts and mates with the end face of the connecting plate body. When the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are bonded with adhesive, the receiving gap is also coated with adhesive to bond the connecting plate body to the inner wall of the mounting opening of the connecting part.

[0013] When the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are welded together, part of the molten medium in the upper mating ring flows into the receiving gap to bond the connecting plate to the inner wall of the mounting port. With the above structure, the connecting plate can also bond well to the inner wall of the mounting port, and the bonding force is greater.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the inner or outer surface of the lower embedded ring is further provided with an anti-detachment structure.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the upper mating ring is provided with several radial positioning protrusions. When the upper mating ring of the upper connecting plate is assembled with the upper mating groove on the reinforcing ring, the radial positioning protrusions abut against the side wall of the upper mating groove to achieve the assembly positioning of the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring. In this way, the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring can be better aligned during assembly, thereby ensuring that the gaps between the upper mating ring of the upper connecting plate and the upper mating groove of the reinforcing ring are uniform, and avoiding uneven distribution of glue or molten medium during bonding or welding, which would lead to uneven bonding force.

[0016] After adopting the above technical solution, the effect of the present invention is as follows: The molding process introduces a rigid reinforcing ring and an upper connecting plate. First, the reinforcing ring and the upper connecting plate are molded, and then the reinforcing ring is embedded into the flexible claw body using an injection molding process. At this time, the connection between the reinforcing ring and the flexible claw body is very strong. Then, the upper connecting plate is bonded or welded. At this time, both the reinforcing ring and the upper connecting plate are rigid materials, and it is very convenient to bond or weld the two rigid materials together. There are also more types of adhesives to choose from, and the bonding force after bonding or welding is greater. Therefore, the reliability of the molded flexible claw is higher, and the flexible claw will not leak air due to poor bonding, resulting in a longer service life. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible gripper formed by the molding process of this invention;

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The main view;

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Sectional view at point AA;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the reinforcing ring structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 The main view;

[0023] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Sectional view at BB;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the connecting plate in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] In the attached diagram: 1. Connecting part; 2. Driving chamber; 3. Flexible finger; 4. Reinforcing ring; 41. Reinforcing ring body; 42. Lower embedded ring; 43. Anti-detachment groove; 44. Accommodating gap; 45. Accommodating slot; 46. Upper mating ring; 5. Upper connecting plate; 51. Connecting plate body; 52. Upper flange edge; 53. Positioning protrusion; 54. Upper mating groove; 6. Connecting hole. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0027] like Figures 1 to 7As shown, the flexible gripper formed by the molding process of the present invention includes a connecting part 1 made of an elastic material, typically silicone. The connecting part 1 includes a driving chamber 2. The upper part of the connecting part 1 is provided with an installation port communicating with the driving chamber 2. At least one flexible finger 3 is connected to the lower part of the connecting part 1. The driving chamber 2 includes a bottom wall and a side wall. The base of the flexible finger 3 is connected to the side wall. The thickness of the bottom wall of the driving chamber 2 is less than the thickness of the side wall, or the elastic modulus of the bottom wall is less than the elastic modulus of the side wall. A rigid reinforcing ring 4 is provided at the installation port at the upper part of the connecting part 1. The reinforcing ring 4 is partially embedded in the upper part of the connecting part 1. A rigid upper connecting plate 5 is bonded or welded to the upper end of the reinforcing ring 4. The upper connecting plate 5 seals the reinforcing ring 4. A connecting hole 6 is provided on the upper connecting plate 5.

[0028] In this embodiment, the reinforcing ring 4 and the upper connecting plate 5 are both made of plastic, but other materials, such as metal, cannot be excluded.

[0029] In addition, the connecting part 1 of the flexible gripper in this embodiment is circular, so the reinforcing ring is circular. Of course, the shape of the flexible gripper can be adapted. For example, when the shape of the connecting part 1 of the flexible gripper is rectangular, the shape of the upper connecting plate 5 is also rectangular, and the corresponding reinforcing ring 4 is a rectangular closed ring structure.

[0030] In this embodiment, the reinforcing ring 4 includes a reinforcing ring body 41. The lower end face of the reinforcing ring body 41 is provided with a lower embedded ring part 42 that is embedded in the connecting part 1. The connecting part 1 wraps around the inner and outer ring surfaces of the lower embedded ring part 42. The part of the connecting part 1 that wraps around the inner ring surface of the lower embedded ring part 42 is defined as the inner wrapping part. A plurality of anti-detachment structures are provided on the inner ring surface of the lower embedded ring part 42. The anti-detachment structure is an anti-detachment groove 43. Of course, the anti-detachment groove 43 can also be provided on the outer ring surface of the lower embedded ring part 42. The upper part of the reinforcing ring body 41 is provided with an upper mating ring part 46 or an upper mating groove 54. Correspondingly, the upper connecting plate 5 is provided with an upper mating groove 54 or an upper mating ring part 46 that mates with the upper mating ring part 46 or the upper mating groove 54. A receiving gap 44 is provided between the mating upper mating ring part 46 and the upper mating groove 54 to facilitate the receiving of the adhesive medium. The receiving gap 44 is located outside the upper mating ring part 46 for easy bonding. In this embodiment, preferably, the reinforcing ring 41 is provided with an upper mating ring portion 46, and the upper connecting plate 5 is provided with an upper mating groove 54, so that the molten medium can flow downward into the receiving gap 44 during welding.

[0031] A plurality of positioning protrusions 53 are provided on the groove wall of the upper mating groove 54 or on the side wall of the upper mating convex ring. The positioning protrusions on the groove wall of the upper mating groove 54 are positioned and engaged with the side wall of the corresponding upper mating convex ring. The positioning protrusions 53 on the side wall of the upper mating convex ring are positioned and engaged with the groove wall of the corresponding upper mating groove 54. Multiple methods are available for selection and can be used in combination.

[0032] The upper connecting plate 5 includes a connecting plate body 51 and an upper flange edge 52. The lower end face of the upper flange edge 52 is provided with the upper mating groove 54. The connecting plate body 51 extends into the mounting opening of the connecting part 1. The upper connecting plate 5 is made of translucent plastic, while the reinforcing ring 4 is made of opaque plastic. The upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are fixed together by laser welding. The connecting plate body 51 is also bonded to the inner wall of the inner wrapping part with adhesive. One or more reinforcing ribs may also be provided inside the upper connecting plate 5 as needed.

[0033] The forming process of the flexible gripper in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0034] S1. The reinforcing ring 4 and the upper connecting plate 5 are produced by injection molding or metal processing. Therefore, the reinforcing ring 4 and the upper connecting plate 5 can be made of plastic or metal.

[0035] S2. Place the reinforcing ring 4 in the mold of the soft claw body. After the mold is closed, inject silicone and then injection mold to form a soft claw semi-finished product with reinforcing ring 4. The reinforcing ring 4 is partially embedded in the silicone of the mounting port of the soft claw body, and the upper end face of the reinforcing ring 4 is exposed.

[0036] S3. Attach or weld the upper connecting plate 5 to the upper end face of the reinforcing ring 4.

[0037] The reinforcing ring 4 includes a reinforcing ring body 41. The lower end face of the reinforcing ring body 41 is provided with a lower embedded ring portion 42. The thickness of the lower embedded ring portion 42 is thinner than the thickness of the reinforcing ring body 41. The lower surface of the reinforcing ring body 41 forms a positioning surface. In step S2, the lower embedded ring portion 42 is completely embedded in the connecting part 1 and is wrapped with silicone. The upper surface of the mounting port of the connecting part 1 is flush with the positioning surface. Therefore, the positioning surface can increase the connection contact surface between the connecting part 1 and the reinforcing ring body 41.

[0038] In this preferred embodiment, the upper part of the reinforcing ring 41 is provided with an upper mating ring 46, and correspondingly, the upper connecting plate 5 is provided with an upper mating groove 54 that mates with the upper mating ring 46. A receiving gap 44 is provided between the mating upper mating ring 46 and the upper mating groove 54 to facilitate the accommodating of the adhesive medium. When the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are bonded with adhesive, adhesive is evenly applied to the upper mating groove 54 and the upper mating ring 46 before they are pressed together, and the excess adhesive is placed in the receiving gap 44. At this time, the materials of the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are not limited when bonding with adhesive; both can be metal or plastic.

[0039] When the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are welded together, the upper connecting plate 5 is made of translucent plastic, and the reinforcing ring 4 is made of opaque plastic. The upper connecting plate 5 is placed above the reinforcing ring body 41 and supported by the upper mating groove 54 of the upper mating ring part 46. A laser is used to irradiate the mating end face of the upper mating groove 54 supported by the upper mating ring part 46 from the upper connecting plate 5 downwards. The energy of the laser melts the end face of the upper mating ring part 46. The upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are squeezed together, and part of the molten plastic in the upper mating ring part 46 flows downwards into the receiving gap 44 to bond the sides of the upper mating groove 54 and the upper mating ring part 46. The end face of the upper mating ring part 46 is bonded to the bottom of the upper mating groove 54. If the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are made of metal, they are welded together by metal welding. Of course, if both the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are made of metal, they can also be welded together by metal welding.

[0040] The use of the upper mating ring 46 and the upper mating groove 54 not only facilitates the assembly between the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4, but also increases the contact area between the two. This allows for better bonding whether glue or welding is used, and also prevents glue from flowing into the drive force during bonding. At the same time, the presence of the accommodating gap 44 allows glue and molten medium to enter, which in turn allows the upper mating groove 54 and the side of the upper mating ring 46 to bond better, resulting in greater bonding force.

[0041] And such Figure 7 As shown, the upper connecting plate 5 includes a connecting plate body and an upper flange edge. The upper mating groove 54 is provided on the lower end face of the upper flange edge. The connecting plate body extends into the mounting port of the connecting part 1. A receiving gap 45 is provided between the connecting plate body and the inner wall of the mounting port of the connecting part 1. An inwardly protruding flange is provided in the driving chamber of the connecting part 1, and the flange contacts and mates with the end face of the connecting plate body. When the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are bonded with glue, the receiving gap 45 is also coated with glue to bond the connecting plate body to the inner wall of the mounting port of the connecting part 1.

[0042] When the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 are welded together, part of the molten medium in the upper mating ring 46 flows into the receiving gap 45 to bond the connecting plate to the inner wall of the mounting opening. With the above structure, the connecting plate can also bond well with the inner wall of the mounting opening, and the bonding force is greater.

[0043] The upper mating ring 46 is provided with a plurality of radial positioning protrusions. When the upper mating ring 46 of the upper connecting plate 5 is assembled with the upper mating groove 54 on the reinforcing ring 4, the radial positioning protrusions abut against the side wall of the upper mating groove 54 to achieve the assembly positioning of the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4. In this way, the upper connecting plate 5 and the reinforcing ring 4 can be better aligned during assembly, thereby ensuring that the gaps between the upper mating ring 46 of the upper connecting plate 5 and the upper mating groove 54 of the reinforcing ring 4 are uniform, and avoiding uneven distribution of glue or molten medium during bonding or welding, which would lead to uneven bonding force.

[0044] The above-described embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any modifications and alterations made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A molding process for a flexible gripper, characterized in that: The forming process is used to form a flexible gripper comprising a flexible gripper body, a reinforcing ring, and an upper connecting plate. The flexible gripper body includes a connecting portion made of elastic material, within which a driving chamber is located. An mounting port communicating with the driving chamber is located at the upper part of the connecting portion. At least one flexible finger is connected to the lower part of the connecting portion. The driving chamber includes a bottom wall and a side wall. The base of the flexible finger is connected to the side wall. The thickness of the bottom wall of the driving chamber is less than the thickness of the side wall, or the elastic modulus of the bottom wall is less than the elastic modulus of the side wall. The reinforcing ring is a rigid reinforcing ring and is adapted to the size of the mounting port. The size of the upper connecting plate is adapted to the size of the reinforcing ring, and a connecting hole is provided on the upper connecting plate. The forming process includes the following steps: S1. The reinforcing ring and the upper connecting plate are produced by injection molding or metal processing. S2. Place the reinforcing ring in the mold of the soft claw body. After the mold is closed, inject silicone and then injection mold to form a semi-finished soft claw with a reinforcing ring. The reinforcing ring is embedded in the silicone of the mounting port of the soft claw body, and the upper end face of the reinforcing ring is exposed. S3. Attach or weld the upper connecting plate to the upper end face of the reinforcing ring; The upper part of the reinforcing ring is provided with an upper mating ring portion, and correspondingly, the upper connecting plate is provided with an upper mating groove that mates with the upper mating ring portion. The upper connecting plate includes a connecting plate body and an upper flange edge. The lower end face of the upper flange edge is provided with the upper mating groove. The connecting plate body extends into the mounting port of the connecting part. A receiving gap is provided between the connecting plate body and the inner wall of the mounting port of the connecting part. An inwardly protruding flange is provided in the driving chamber of the connecting part, and the flange contacts and mates with the end face of the connecting plate body. When the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are bonded with adhesive, the receiving gap is also coated with adhesive to bond the connecting plate body to the inner wall of the mounting port of the connecting part. When the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are welded together, part of the molten medium in the upper mating ring flows into the receiving gap, causing the connecting plate and the inner wall of the mounting port to adhere together.

2. The forming process of a flexible gripper as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The reinforcing ring includes a reinforcing ring body, and a lower embedded ring portion is provided on the lower end face of the reinforcing ring body. The thickness of the lower embedded ring portion is thinner than the thickness of the reinforcing ring body. The lower surface of the reinforcing ring body forms a positioning surface. In step S2, the lower embedded ring portion is completely embedded in the connecting part and is wrapped with silicone. The upper surface of the mounting port of the connecting part is flush with the positioning surface.

3. The forming process of a flexible gripper as described in claim 2, characterized in that: A receiving gap is provided between the upper mating ring and the upper mating groove to facilitate the accommodating of the adhesive medium; when the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are bonded with glue, glue is evenly applied to the upper mating groove and the upper mating ring before they are pressed together, and the excess glue is placed in the receiving gap. When the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are welded together, the upper connecting plate is made of translucent plastic, and the reinforcing ring is made of opaque plastic. The upper connecting plate is placed above the reinforcing ring and within the upper mating groove supported by the upper mating ring. A laser is used to irradiate the mating end face of the upper mating groove supported by the upper mating ring from the upper connecting plate downwards. The energy of the laser melts the end face of the upper mating ring. The upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are squeezed together, and the molten plastic of the upper mating ring flows downwards into the receiving gap, bonding the sides of the upper mating groove and the upper mating ring together. The end face of the upper mating ring is bonded to the bottom of the upper mating groove. If the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring are made of metal, they are welded together using a metal welding process.

4. The forming process of a flexible gripper as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The inner or outer surface of the lower embedded ring is also provided with an anti-detachment structure.

5. The forming process of a flexible gripper as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The upper mating ring is provided with several radial positioning protrusions. When the upper mating ring of the upper connecting plate is assembled with the upper mating groove on the reinforcing ring, the radial positioning protrusions abut against the side wall of the upper mating groove to achieve the assembly and positioning of the upper connecting plate and the reinforcing ring.

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