A high efficiency electric arc additive forming device and additive forming method

Abstract

The application discloses a high-efficiency electric arc additive forming device and an additive forming method. The high-efficiency electric arc additive forming device comprises a first welding gun, a rotating assembly, a translating assembly and a second welding gun. The first welding gun is connected to an external mechanical arm or gantry, and serves as a reference component of the high-efficiency electric arc additive forming device. The other components are arranged around the first welding gun. The rotating assembly and the translating assembly are connected to the first welding gun. The second welding gun is driven by the rotating assembly and the translating assembly to displace relative to the first welding gun, so that the second welding gun can also independently perform additive manufacturing work. The two welding guns work together to improve the additive manufacturing efficiency. The second welding gun is connected to the first welding gun through the rotating assembly and the translating assembly, so that the coordinates of the second welding gun take the first welding gun as a reference point, thereby avoiding the situation that the position deviates or even collides due to the independent coordinate systems of the two welding guns. The application relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and in particular to a high-efficiency arc additive forming device and an additive forming method. Background Art

[0002] Arc additive manufacturing (AM) uses an electric arc as a heat source to melt metal wire at high temperatures and then weld it layer by layer to create solid parts. It is commonly used for additive manufacturing of large metal parts. At the welding torch, a wire is fed from a feeder. The arc melts the wire, coating the part with molten metal. The torch is moved under the control of a robotic arm. Once the metal cools and hardens, the additive manufacturing of that layer is complete. The torch is then raised, and the above process repeats layer by layer to complete the additive manufacturing of the entire part.

[0003] At present, the existing arc additive equipment basically adopts a single welding gun structure and is installed on a robotic arm or gantry. It occupies a large space and can only realize single welding gun additive forming. The efficiency is not high enough and the space floor utilization rate is not high. In order to solve the above problems, some high-efficiency arc additive equipment has also appeared on the market. Generally, it also uses a single arc, but has the characteristics of dual wire feeding or multi-wire feeding to realize multi-wire arc additive and improve additive efficiency. However, this method cannot guarantee the accuracy of each weld bead (generally speaking, the more fuses in a single weld bead, the wider and higher the weld bead, and the lower its forming accuracy), thereby affecting the accuracy of the overall additive manufacturing.

[0004] While using a dual-torch system, where two torches work together on the same part, it does improve work efficiency, the two torches are independent of each other, potentially leading to collisions during operation. Furthermore, the two torches require high-precision calibration to minimize machining errors, placing high demands on the calibration process. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and to provide a high-efficiency arc additive forming device and additive forming method, which can improve the production efficiency of arc additive manufacturing and solve the problems of easy collision and difficult calibration under the dual welding gun structure.

[0006] According to a first embodiment of the present application, a high-efficiency arc additive forming device is provided, comprising:

[0007] a first welding gun connected to an external robotic arm or gantry;

[0008] a rotating assembly comprising a rotating ring and a rotating drive motor, wherein the rotating ring is rotatably mounted on the outside of the first welding gun, a rotating axis of the rotating ring being coaxial with a central axis of the first welding gun, and the rotating drive motor being connected to the first welding gun and configured to drive the rotating ring to rotate;

[0009] a translation assembly comprising a first translation rail, a second translation rail, and a third translation rail that are perpendicular to each other, wherein an end of the first translation rail is connected to the rotating ring, a slider on the first translation rail is connected to a slider on the second translation rail, and an end of the second translation rail is connected to the third translation rail;

[0010] A second welding gun is connected to the slider on the third translation guide rail.

[0011] According to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, further, the rotating assembly also includes a gear ring and a gear, the gear ring is sleeved and installed on the outside of the rotating ring, the gear is installed on the output shaft of the rotating drive motor, and the gear is engaged with the gear ring.

[0012] According to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, further, the translation assembly also includes a first drive motor, the first translation guide rail is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the first drive motor is connected to the screw of the first translation guide rail.

[0013] According to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, further, the translation assembly also includes a second drive motor, the second translation guide rail is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the second drive motor is connected to the screw of the second translation guide rail.

[0014] According to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, further, the translation assembly also includes a third drive motor, the third translation guide rail is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the third drive motor is connected to the screw of the third translation guide rail.

[0015] According to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, further, the high-efficiency arc additive forming device also includes a flip motor, the flip motor is installed on the slider on the third translation guide rail, the second welding gun is connected to the output end of the flip motor, and the flip axis of the flip motor is perpendicular to the central axis of the second welding gun.

[0016] According to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, further, the high-efficiency arc additive forming device also includes a first clamping ring, the first clamping ring is clamped and fixed to the surface of the first welding gun, and the rotary drive motor is fixed to the first welding gun through the first clamping ring.

[0017] According to the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application, further, the high-efficiency arc additive forming device also includes a second clamping ring, the second clamping ring is clamped and fixed to the surface of the second welding gun, and the third translation guide rail is fixed to the second welding gun through the second clamping ring.

[0018] According to a second embodiment of the present application, an additive forming method based on the above-mentioned high-efficiency arc additive forming device is provided, comprising:

[0019] Fixing the first welding gun to an external robotic arm or gantry, and adjusting the position of the second welding gun relative to the first welding gun;

[0020] The high-efficiency arc additive forming device is started, and the first welding gun moves with the robotic arm or the gantry to form a first pattern;

[0021] The second welding gun moves with the rotating assembly and the translating assembly to form a second pattern;

[0022] The robotic arm or gantry is raised, and the above steps are repeated to stack the first pattern and the second pattern layer by layer to complete the additive manufacturing of the part.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present application, further, the first welding gun and the second welding gun work simultaneously.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application include at least: the present application improves the efficiency of additive manufacturing by having two welding guns working together; and the second welding gun is connected to the first welding gun through a rotating assembly and a translation assembly, so that the coordinates of the second welding gun are based on the first welding gun as a reference point, thereby avoiding positional offset or even collision due to the independence of the coordinate systems of the two welding guns. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the following briefly describes the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Those skilled in the art can also derive other design solutions and drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort.

[0026] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of a high-efficiency arc additive forming device according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present application;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the steps of the additive forming method according to the second aspect of the present application;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the steps of the additive forming method according to the second aspect of the present application;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the steps of the additive forming method according to the second aspect of the present application;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the steps of the additive forming method according to the second aspect of the present application;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the steps of the additive forming method according to the second aspect of the present application;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the steps of the additive forming method in the second embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Figure markings: 100-first welding gun, 200-rotating assembly, 210-rotating ring, 220-rotating drive motor, 230-gear ring, 240-gear, 300-translational assembly, 310-first translation guide rail, 320-second translation guide rail, 330-third translation guide rail, 340-first drive motor, 350-second drive motor, 360-third drive motor, 400-second welding gun, 500-flip motor, 600-first clamping ring, 700-second clamping ring, 800-first pattern, 900-second pattern. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] This section will describe the specific embodiments of the present application in detail. The preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the accompanying drawings is to supplement the description of the text part of the specification with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and overall technical solution of the present application, but it cannot be understood as a limitation on the scope of protection of the present application.

[0035] In the description of this application, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on this application.

[0036] In the description of this application, "several" means one or more, "many" means more than two, "greater than," "less than," and "exceed" are understood to exclude the number itself, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the number itself. The terms "first" and "second" are used solely to distinguish technical features and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or as implicitly specifying the number or order of the technical features indicated.

[0037] In the description of this application, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, and connecting should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0038] At present, the existing arc additive equipment basically adopts a single welding gun structure and is installed on a robotic arm or gantry. It occupies a large space and can only realize single welding gun additive forming. The efficiency is not high enough and the space floor utilization rate is not high. In order to solve the above problems, some high-efficiency arc additive equipment has also appeared on the market. Generally, it also uses a single arc, but has the characteristics of dual wire feeding or multi-wire feeding to realize multi-wire arc additive and improve additive efficiency. However, this method cannot guarantee the accuracy of each weld bead (generally speaking, the more fuses in a single weld bead, the wider and higher the weld bead, and the lower its forming accuracy), thereby affecting the accuracy of the overall additive manufacturing.

[0039] While using a dual-torch system, where two torches work together on the same part, it does improve work efficiency, the two torches are independent of each other, potentially leading to collisions during operation. Furthermore, the two torches require high-precision calibration to minimize machining errors, placing high demands on the calibration process.

[0040] To this end, the present application improves the efficiency of additive manufacturing by having two welding guns working together; and the second welding gun 400 is connected to the first welding gun 100 through the rotating assembly 200 and the translation assembly 300, so that the coordinates of the second welding gun 400 are based on the first welding gun 100 as the reference point, thereby avoiding positional offset or even collision due to the independence of the coordinate systems of the two welding guns.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 The high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application includes a first welding gun 100, a rotation assembly 200, a translation assembly 300, and a second welding gun 400. The first welding gun 100 is connected to an external robotic arm or gantry and serves as the reference component of the high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device. The other components are arranged around the first welding gun 100. The rotation assembly 200 and the translation assembly 300 are both connected to the first welding gun 100. The second welding gun 400 is driven by the rotation assembly 200 and the translation assembly 300 to move relative to the first welding gun 100, so that the second welding gun 400 can also independently perform additive manufacturing.

[0042] Specifically, the rotating assembly 200 includes a rotating ring 210 and a rotating drive motor 220. The rotating ring 210 is rotatably mounted on the outside of the first welding gun 100. The rotating axis of the rotating ring 210 is coaxial with the central axis of the first welding gun 100. The rotating drive motor 220 is connected to the first welding gun 100 and is used to drive the rotating ring 210 to rotate.

[0043] The translation assembly 300 includes a first translation rail 310, a second translation rail 320, and a third translation rail 330, which are perpendicular to each other. The end of the first translation rail 310 is connected to the rotating ring 210, the slider on the first translation rail 310 is connected to the slider on the second translation rail 320, and the end of the second translation rail 320 is connected to the third translation rail 330. These three translation rails together form an xyz motion mechanism.

[0044] The second welding gun 400 is connected to the slider on the third translation rail 330. Consequently, when the rotating ring 210 rotates, the second welding gun 400 rotates with the first welding gun 100 as the reference point; the translation assembly 300 drives the second welding gun 400 to change its relative position with the first welding gun 100. Driven by both the rotating assembly 200 and the translation assembly 300, the second welding gun 400 can move independently of the first welding gun 100, without affecting the operation of either gun. Furthermore, because the second welding gun 400 moves based on the position of the first welding gun 100, the relative position of the two guns can be clearly measured, reducing the risk of collision between the two guns and simplifying the difficulty of calibrating the positions of the two guns.

[0045] Furthermore, the rotating assembly 200 further includes a gear ring 230 and a gear 240. The gear ring 230 is sleeved and mounted on the outer side of the rotating ring 210. The gear 240 is mounted on the output shaft of the rotating drive motor 220. The gear 240 meshes with the gear ring 230. Thus, the rotating drive motor 220 drives the rotating ring 210 to rotate through the meshing of the gear ring 230 and the gear 240.

[0046] Furthermore, the translation assembly 300 further includes a first drive motor 340. The first translation guide rail 310 is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the first drive motor 340 is connected to the screw of the first translation guide rail 310. After the first drive motor 340 is started, it can drive the screw to rotate, thereby causing the slider on the first translation guide rail 310 to slide.

[0047] Furthermore, the translation assembly 300 further includes a second drive motor 350. The second translation guide rail 320 is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the second drive motor 350 is connected to the screw of the second translation guide rail 320. After the second drive motor 350 is started, it can drive the screw to rotate, thereby causing the slider on the second translation guide rail 320 to slide.

[0048] Furthermore, the translation assembly 300 further includes a third drive motor 360. The third translation guide rail 330 is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the third drive motor 360 is connected to the screw of the third translation guide rail 330. When the third drive motor 360 is started, it can drive the screw to rotate, thereby causing the slider on the third translation guide rail 330 to slide.

[0049] Furthermore, the present high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device includes a flip motor 500 mounted on a slider on the third translation guide rail 330. The second welding gun 400 is connected to the output end of the flip motor 500, and the flip axis of the flip motor 500 is perpendicular to the central axis of the second welding gun 400. Thus, the flip motor 500 can drive the second welding gun 400 to flip, achieving a different tilt angle than the first welding gun 100, giving the second welding gun 400 five degrees of freedom, capable of meeting the additive manufacturing requirements of different parts.

[0050] Furthermore, the high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device further includes a first clamping ring 600, which is clamped and fixed to the surface of the first welding gun 100. The rotary drive motor 220 is fixed to the first welding gun 100 via the first clamping ring 600. When the rotary drive motor 220 needs to be disassembled, the first clamping ring 600 can be released to remove the rotary drive motor 220.

[0051] Furthermore, the high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device further includes a second clamping ring 700, which is clamped and fixed to the surface of the second welding gun 400. The third translation guide 330 is fixed to the second welding gun 400 via the second clamping ring 700. When the second welding gun 400 needs to be disassembled, the second clamping ring 700 can be released to remove the second welding gun 400, and the position of the second clamping ring 700 fixed to the second welding gun 400 can also be changed.

[0052] An additive forming method in an embodiment of the second aspect of the present application is performed based on the above-mentioned high-efficiency arc additive forming device, comprising the following steps:

[0053] S100. The first welding gun 100 is fixed to an external robotic arm or gantry, and the position of the second welding gun 400 is adjusted relative to the first welding gun 100;

[0054] S200 starts the high-efficiency arc additive forming device, the first welding gun 100 moves with the robotic arm or gantry to form the first pattern 800;

[0055] S300. The second welding gun 400 moves with the rotating assembly 200 and the translation assembly 300 to form a second pattern 900;

[0056] S400. The robotic arm or gantry is raised, and the above steps are repeated to stack layers on the first pattern 800 and the second pattern 900 to complete the additive manufacturing of the part.

[0057] Specifically, the first welding gun 100 and the second welding gun 400 operate simultaneously. When the first welding gun 100 operates, the rotation assembly 200 and the translation assembly 300 offset the impact of the movement of the first welding gun 100 on the second welding gun 400, and add a position control algorithm for the second welding gun 400 to achieve synchronous operation of the second welding gun 400.

[0058] The following describes the workflow of this additive manufacturing method using a practical example. The part in this example is a symmetrical part with a multi-layer structure. The additive manufacturing concept is that the first welding gun 100 forms the central part of the part, and the second welding gun 400 forms the wing panels extending outward from the part. The specific process is as follows:

[0059] (1)Reference Figure 2 , the first welding gun 100 forms the A1 portion of the part, and the second welding gun 400 forms the A2 portion of the part;

[0060] (2)Reference Figure 3 , the A1 part and the A2 part of the part are joined to form an integrated structure;

[0061] (3)Reference Figure 4 , the robot arm or gantry is lifted upward, and the first welding gun 100 continues to form the B1 part on the top surface of the A1 part of the part. At the same time, the second welding gun 400 is lowered relative to the first welding gun 100 and rotated 90 degrees by the rotating assembly 200 to form the B2 part of the part;

[0062] (4)Reference Figure 5 , the robot arm or gantry is lifted upward, and the first welding gun 100 continues to form the C1 portion on the top surface of the B1 portion of the part. At the same time, the second welding gun 400 is lowered relative to the first welding gun 100 and rotated 90 degrees by the rotating assembly 200 to form the C2 portion of the part;

[0063] (5)Reference Figure 6 , the robot arm or gantry is lifted upward, and the first welding gun 100 continues to form the D1 portion on the top surface of the C1 portion of the part. At the same time, the second welding gun 400 is lowered relative to the first welding gun 100 and rotated 90 degrees by the rotating assembly 200 to form the D2 portion of the part;

[0064] (6)Reference Figure 7 , the second welding gun 400 returns to the same height as the first welding gun 100, and the first welding gun 100 and the second welding gun 400 respectively form the E1 and E2 parts of the part, and the additive forming of the part is completed.

[0065] The above is a specific description of the preferred implementation methods of the present application, but the invention is not limited to the embodiments. Those skilled in the art may make various equivalent modifications or substitutions without violating the spirit of the present application. These equivalent modifications or substitutions are all included in the scope defined by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A high-efficiency arc additive forming device, characterized in that: include: A first welding gun (100), the first welding gun (100) being connected to an external robotic arm or gantry; A rotating assembly (200), the rotating assembly (200) comprising a rotating ring (210) and a rotating drive motor (220), the rotating ring (210) being rotatably mounted on the outside of the first welding gun (100), the rotating axis of the rotating ring (210) being coaxial with the central axis of the first welding gun (100), the rotating drive motor (220) being connected to the first welding gun (100) and used for driving the rotating ring (210) to rotate; A translation assembly (300), the translation assembly (300) comprising a first translation guide rail (310), a second translation guide rail (320), and a third translation guide rail (330) which are perpendicular to each other, wherein an end portion of the first translation guide rail (310) is connected to the rotating ring (210), a slider on the first translation guide rail (310) is connected to a slider on the second translation guide rail (320), and an end portion of the second translation guide rail (320) is connected to the third translation guide rail (330); a second welding gun (400), the second welding gun (400) being connected to a slider on the third translation guide rail (330); The rotating assembly (200) further comprises a gear ring (230) and a gear (240), wherein the gear ring (230) is sleeved and mounted on the outer side of the rotating ring (210), and the gear (240) is mounted on the output shaft of the rotating drive motor (220), and the gear (240) is meshed with the gear ring (230); The high-efficiency arc additive forming device further comprises a flip motor (500), wherein the flip motor (500) is mounted on a slider on the third translation guide rail (330), the second welding gun (400) is connected to the output end of the flip motor (500), and the flip axis of the flip motor (500) is perpendicular to the central axis of the second welding gun (400).

2. The high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The translation assembly (300) further comprises a first driving motor (340), the first translation guide rail (310) is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the first driving motor (340) is connected to the screw of the first translation guide rail (310).

3. The high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The translation assembly (300) further comprises a second drive motor (350), the second translation guide rail (320) is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the second drive motor (350) is connected to the screw of the second translation guide rail (320).

4. The high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The translation assembly (300) further comprises a third driving motor (360), the third translation guide rail (330) is a screw mechanism, and the output shaft of the third driving motor (360) is connected to the screw of the third translation guide rail (330).

5. The high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-efficiency arc additive forming device further comprises a first clamping ring (600), the first clamping ring (600) being clamped and fixed on the surface of the first welding gun (100), and the rotary drive motor (220) being fixed to the first welding gun (100) via the first clamping ring (600).

6. The high-efficiency arc additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-efficiency arc additive forming device further comprises a second clamping ring (700), wherein the second clamping ring (700) is clamped and fixed on the surface of the second welding gun (400), and the third translation guide rail (330) is fixed to the second welding gun (400) via the second clamping ring (700).

7. An additive forming method based on the high-efficiency arc additive forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: include: Fixing the first welding gun (100) to an external robotic arm or gantry, and adjusting the position of the second welding gun (400) relative to the first welding gun (100); The high-efficiency arc additive forming device is started, and the first welding gun (100) moves with the robotic arm or the gantry to form a first pattern (800); The second welding gun (400) moves along with the rotating assembly (200) and the translating assembly (300) to form a second pattern (900); The robotic arm or gantry is raised, and the above steps are repeated to stack the first pattern (800) and the second pattern (900) layer by layer to complete the additive manufacturing of the part.

8. The additive manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein: The first welding gun (100) and the second welding gun (400) operate simultaneously.

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