Metal handle acupuncture needle and production device and method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a metal handle acupuncture needle and a production device and method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of acupuncture needle manufacturing. The production device comprises a feeding mechanism, a wire penetrating mechanism, a bending and gluing mechanism and a collecting mechanism which feed in sequence through a feeding plate. The feeding plate is provided with metal handle grooves in the transverse direction on the surface. The wire penetrating mechanism comprises a wire guide plate, a wire feeding roller pair and a cutter. The wire guide plate is provided with wire guide holes in the transverse direction. The wire guide holes are used for directional wire guiding and are in one-to-one correspondence with the metal handle grooves. The wire feeding roller pair is arranged between the wire guide plate and the cutter. After the steel wire passes through the gap between the wire feeding roller pair, the steel wire is inserted into the metal handle in the metal handle groove. After the steel wire is drawn out to a specified length, the steel wire is cut off by the cutter. After the batch needle bodies are bent and glued and then pushed into the batch metal handles, the gel bodies formed after solidification and the bending of the batch needle bodies produce a synergistic effect. The needle bodies form a solidified structure in the metal handle, and the technical effect of improving the connection firmness, uniformity and reliability and the consistency of batch products is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of acupuncture needle manufacturing, and more specifically to a metal-handled acupuncture needle and its manufacturing apparatus and method. Background Technology

[0002] Existing metal-handled acupuncture needles include a needle body and a metal handle. The needle body needs to be inserted into a metal tube handle or a stainless steel wire flat handle made of wound stainless steel wire and fixed in place. Existing fixing methods include:

[0003] 1. After the tail of the needle body is bent into a wave shape, it is inserted into the metal shank. The friction force formed by the interference fit connects the needle shank and the needle body. Due to the different metal materials and the dimensional deviations in the manufacturing process, the connection between the needle body and the needle shank is not 100% reliable. In order to ensure quality, special equipment for testing the strength is required.

[0004] 2. The needle body is inserted directly into the metal needle handle without bending it, with a small portion of the needle body protruding from the tail end. The metal needle handle and the needle body are then welded together at the tail end using a laser. This connection method uses expensive laser welding equipment, resulting in high investment costs. In addition, since laser welding may also have welding defects, there may be a small number of unqualified welding cases. Therefore, specialized testing equipment is also required. Summary of the Invention

[0005] 1. The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0006] To address the problem of unreliable connection strength when fixing the needle body and metal handle of traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture needles in existing technologies, this invention provides a metal-handled acupuncture needle and its production device and method. By bending and applying adhesive to a batch of needle bodies and then pushing them into a batch of metal handles, the gel formed after solidification has a synergistic effect with the bending of the batch of needle bodies. This improvement in the solidification structure of the needle body inside the metal handle and the adhesive application method achieves the technical effect of simultaneously improving the uniformity and reliability of the connection strength and the consistency of batch products.

[0007] 2. Technical Solution

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided by this invention is as follows:

[0009] A production apparatus for metal-handled acupuncture needles includes a feeding mechanism, a threading mechanism, a bending and gluing mechanism, and a receiving mechanism that feed the needles sequentially via a feeding plate. The feeding plate has a horizontally arranged metal handle groove. The feeding mechanism includes a metal hopper with a vertically inserted baffle plate at the bottom outlet, serving as a discharge switch. The threading mechanism includes a guide plate, feeding rollers, and a cutter. The guide plate has horizontally perforated guide holes for directional guidance, with each guide hole corresponding to a metal handle groove. The feeding rollers are positioned between left and right guide plates, and the cutter is attached to the left side of the left guide plate. After passing through the gap between the feeding rollers, the wire enters the metal handle in the metal handle groove. After the wire has passed a specified length, it is cut by the cutter.

[0010] Further production equipment includes a pusher plate between the bending and gluing mechanism and the receiving mechanism. The pusher plate pushes the side-by-side glued bent sections into the center hole of the metal handle to ensure the consistency of the final product.

[0011] In the further production device, there are two guide plates on both sides of the wire feeding rollers. The two work together to guide the wire and reduce the piercing error. A bending gap is reserved between the left guide plate and the feeding plate. The gap width is the length of the bending section before bending. The blade of the cutter is close to the left side of the left guide plate and plays a guiding cutting role to facilitate the cutting action.

[0012] Further production equipment includes a handle pressure plate, which is configured in conjunction with a feeding plate to press the metal handle into the metal handle groove. Generally, the pressing is achieved by inserting rods and holes that are symmetrically and cooperatively arranged on the lower surface of the handle pressure plate and the upper surface of the feeding plate, making the operation convenient and quick.

[0013] A further production device, the bending and gluing mechanism, includes a gluing wheel and a glue box fitted to the side of the feeding plate, and symmetrically arranged counter-pressure rollers. The circumferential surface of the gluing wheel preferably has a groove structure that conforms to the bending shape of the bending section. This groove, combined with the semi-fluid nature of the glue, serves to store and retain the glue, applying it to the bending section. The shape of the bent section after bending also facilitates glue retention. These components work together to increase the amount of glue applied to the bending section and improve the fixing and connection effect after solidification. The symmetrically arranged counter-pressure rollers perform bending or pressing actions on the bending section.

[0014] Further production equipment includes staggered annular grooves on the circumferential surfaces of the upper and lower pressure rollers, with the number of grooves adjustable according to the required number of bends.

[0015] Further production equipment includes wire feeding rollers with fixed lengths, which facilitates subsequent wire cutting to a fixed length and improves the uniformity of product length. The fixed length can be achieved by driving the wire feeding rollers to rotate a certain number of times via a wire feeding motor.

[0016] Further production equipment includes a receiving mechanism comprising a robotic arm with a flexible suction cup at the picking end.

[0017] A method for producing a metal-handled acupuncture needle, using the aforementioned production apparatus, comprises the following steps:

[0018] When the feeding plate is driven to the unloading mechanism, the metal handles fall sequentially from the discharge port at the bottom of the metal hopper into the metal handle groove.

[0019] When the feeding plate carries the metal handle to the wire threading mechanism, under the action of the wire feeding rollers, the parallel steel wires pass through the guide hole and are aligned with the center hole of the metal handle in the metal handle groove. After the steel wire extends a specified length out of the center hole, the cutter cuts the steel wire, leaving a bending section at the cut point.

[0020] When the feeding plate carries the metal-handled acupuncture needle to be bent to the bending and gluing mechanism, the bending section is first bent by the pressure roller, or the bending section can be roughened and flattened, and then the gluing section is glued by the gluing roller.

[0021] When the feeding plate transmits the glue-coated metal-handled acupuncture needle to the pusher plate, the pusher plate pushes the side-by-side bent sections into the center hole of the metal handle.

[0022] When the feeding plate moves the metal-handled acupuncture needles to the receiving mechanism, the robotic arm transfers the metal-handled acupuncture needles to the finished product tray.

[0023] The entire production method involves the feeding plate circulating along the conveyor belt. During this process, the conveying speed is controlled and adjusted according to product requirements. The process includes metal handle feeding, wire guiding and cutting, bending and gluing of the bending section, pushing by the pusher plate, and finally material collection by the receiving mechanism. As long as the conveying speed of the conveyor belt is well controlled, the purpose of batch cutting, bending and solidification can be achieved, thereby achieving a consistent and stable product quality.

[0024] A metal-handled acupuncture needle, manufactured by the above-mentioned production method, includes a needle body and a metal handle. The bent section of the needle body is coated with glue in the central hole of the metal handle and solidified to form a solidified section, which fixes the needle body and the metal handle together.

[0025] 3. Beneficial effects

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by this invention has the following advantages:

[0027] (1) The metal-handled acupuncture needle and its production apparatus and method of the present invention are improvements on the structure of the needle body inside the metal handle and the glue application method. Compared with the frictional connection formed by interference fit and the poor welding connection between the needle handle and the needle body, as well as the problem of uneven glue distribution caused by vertical seepage glue injection and pressure injection glue solidification connection, the tail section of the needle body is bent into a W-shape or a single bend to facilitate glue application. With the glue application wheel, the two work together to achieve a uniform distribution of glue application, increase the amount of glue applied, and improve the bonding strength and uniformity after the glue solidifies. Of course, the tail section of the needle body is not limited to a W-shape or a single bend, but can also be a roughened surface or a flattened surface, which can improve the bonding strength and uniformity.

[0028] (2) The metal-handled acupuncture needle and its production device and method of the present invention, the glue is applied by a glue-applying wheel, and the glue application amount, glue application speed and frequency can be strictly controlled by the speed of the glue-applying wheel, and the glue application amount of each bending section is uniform.

[0029] (3) The metal-handled acupuncture needle and its production device and method of the present invention can be produced automatically, reducing and avoiding the instability of human operation and improving the stability of adhesive coating; it can also improve production efficiency and reduce production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the production device for metal-handled acupuncture needles according to a specific embodiment;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism in a specific embodiment;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the threading mechanism in a specific embodiment;

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the bending and gluing mechanism in a specific embodiment;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the pusher plate structure in a specific embodiment;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the material receiving mechanism in a specific embodiment;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the counterweight roller structure in a specific embodiment;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the handle pressure plate structure in a specific embodiment;

[0038] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the metal-handled acupuncture needle structure in a specific embodiment;

[0039] Figure 10 for Figure 9A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure.

[0040] In the diagram: 1-Discharging mechanism; 11-Metal handle hopper; 12-Handle stop plate;

[0041] 2-Threading mechanism; 20-Steel wire; 21-Guide plate; 22-Feeding rollers; 23-Cutter;

[0042] 3-Pressure bending and gluing mechanism; 31-Pressure roller; 32-Glue applying roller; 33-Glue box; 35-Ring groove;

[0043] 4-Push-needle plate;

[0044] 5-Receiving mechanism; 51-Robot arm; 52-Flexible suction cup;

[0045] 6-Handle pressure plate; 61-Insertion rod;

[0046] 7-Bending distance;

[0047] 8-Metal-handled acupuncture needle; 81-Needle body; 82-Metal handle; 83-Bent section; 85-Coagulated section;

[0048] 10-Feeding plate; 101-Metal handle groove; 102-Positioning groove; 103-Insertion hole. Detailed Implementation

[0049] To further understand the content of this invention, a detailed description of the invention is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0050] Example 1

[0051] The production apparatus for the metal-handled acupuncture needles in this embodiment, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes a feeding mechanism 1 that feeds materials sequentially via a feeding plate 10, a threading mechanism 2, a bending and gluing mechanism 3, a needle pusher plate 4, and a receiving mechanism 5; wherein, as... Figure 2 As shown, a metal handle groove 101 is horizontally arranged on the surface of the feeding plate 10; the discharging mechanism 1 includes a metal hopper 11, and a stop plate 12 is vertically inserted into the discharge port at the bottom of the metal hopper 11, which serves as a discharge switch. The metal hopper 11 preferably has a downward-closing structure with a bottom slit, and the whole is in the shape of an inverted triangle. The bottom slit is the discharge port, and the slit specification is adapted to the metal handle 82; as Figure 3 As shown, the wire threading mechanism 2 includes a wire guide plate 21, a wire feeding roller pair 22, and a cutter 23. The wire guide plate 21 has a wire guide hole that is transversely perforated to guide the wire. The wire guide hole corresponds one-to-one with the metal shank groove 101. The wire feeding roller pair 22 is located between the wire guide plate 21 and the cutter 23. After the wire 20 passes through the gap between the wire feeding roller pair 22, it enters the metal shank 82 in the metal shank groove 101. After the wire 20 passes through a specified length, it is cut by the cutter 23.

[0052] like Figure 4 As shown, the bending and gluing mechanism 3 includes a gluing roller 32 and a glue box 33 fitted to the side of the feeding plate 10, and pressure rollers 31 symmetrically arranged vertically; Figure 7 As shown, the pressure roller 31 with a symmetrical upper and lower structure performs bending or pressing actions on the bending section 83.

[0053] The method for producing metal-handled acupuncture needles in this embodiment uses the aforementioned production apparatus and comprises the following steps:

[0054] 1. When the feeding plate 10 is driven to the discharging mechanism 1, a batch of metal handles 82 fall one by one from the discharge port at the bottom of the metal hopper 11 into the metal handle groove 101.

[0055] 2. When the feeding plate 10 carries the metal handle 82 to the wire threading mechanism 2, under the action of the wire feeding roller 22, the parallel steel wires 20 pass through the guide hole and are aligned with the center hole of the metal handle 82 in the metal handle groove 101. After the steel wires 20 extend out of the center hole by a specified length, the cylinder pushes the cutter 23 to cut the steel wires 20. A bending section 83 is reserved at the cut point of the steel wires 20.

[0056] 3. When the feeding plate 10 carries the metal-handled acupuncture needle 8 to be bent to the bending and gluing mechanism 3, the bending section 83 is first bent by the pressure roller 31, or the bending section 83 is roughened and flattened, and then the gluing roller 32 applies glue to the bending section 83.

[0057] IV. When the feeding plate 10 transmits the glue-coated metal-handled acupuncture needle 8 to the needle-pushing plate 4, as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the pusher plate 4 pushes the side-by-side bent sections 83 into the center hole of the metal handle 82 to ensure the consistency of the final product.

[0058] 5. When the feeding plate 10 transmits the metal-handled acupuncture needle 8 to the receiving mechanism 5, the robot arm 5 transfers the metal-handled acupuncture needle 8 to the finished product tray. After the glue in the handle dries completely, it can be sent to the handle-grinding machine to grind the needle tip.

[0059] The prepared metal-handled acupuncture needle 8, such as Figure 9 , 10 As shown, it includes a needle body 81 and a metal handle 82. The bent section 83 of the needle body 81 is coated with glue in the central hole of the metal handle 82 and solidifies to form a solidified section 85. The solidified section 85 fixes the needle body 81 and the metal handle 82 together.

[0060] The metal-handled acupuncture needle and its production apparatus and method in this embodiment are improvements to the structure and adhesive application method of the needle body 81 inside the central hole of the metal handle 82. Compared with the frictional connection formed by the interference fit between the needle handle and the needle body, and the unreliable welding connection between the needle handle and the needle body, as well as the problem of uneven distribution of adhesive due to vertical seepage adhesive application and pressure injection adhesive coagulation connection, the tail section of the needle body 81 in this embodiment is bent into a W shape or a single bend, which makes it easier to apply adhesive. Combined with the rotating adhesive application wheel, the two work together to achieve a uniform distribution of adhesive, increase the amount of adhesive applied, and improve the bonding strength and uniformity after the adhesive has solidified. Of course, the tail section of the needle body is not limited to a W-bend or a single bend; it can also be a roughened surface or a flattened surface, all of which can improve the bonding strength and uniformity.

[0061] Example 2

[0062] The metal-handled acupuncture needle, its production apparatus, and production method in this embodiment have the same basic structure and steps as in Embodiment 1. The difference or improvement is that the metal handle groove 101 is arc-shaped or semi-circular, and its diameter is adapted to the diameter of the metal handle 82, slightly larger by 1-2%, to facilitate the drop-in insertion of the metal handle 82. A positioning groove 102 is provided at the bottom of the feeding plate 10 to facilitate positioning connection with the conveyor belt and improve the stability of the conveying.

[0063] The guide plates 21 are two separate ones on both sides of the wire feeding rollers 22. The two guide plates 21 work together to guide and calibrate the wire, reducing the perforation error. A bending gap 7 is reserved between the left guide plate 21 and the feeding plate 10. The gap width is the length of the bending section 83 before bending. The blade of the cutter 23 is close to the left side of the left guide plate 21, which plays the role of upper and lower guiding cutting, which facilitates the cutting action and improves the uniformity of cutting.

[0064] It also includes the handle pressure plate 6, such as Figure 8 As shown, the handle pressure plate 6 is configured to cooperate with the feeding plate 10 to press the metal handle 82 into the metal handle groove 101. Generally, the insertion and pressing is completed by the insertion rod 61 and the insertion hole 103 symmetrically and cooperatively configured on the lower surface of the handle pressure plate 6 and the upper surface of the feeding plate 10, which improves the positioning accuracy and makes the operation convenient and quick.

[0065] The upper and lower pressure rollers 31 have staggered annular grooves 35 on their circumferential surfaces. The number of annular grooves 35 can be set according to the number of bends required. For a single bend, a single groove is sufficient; for a W-shaped wavy bend, the number of staggered annular grooves 35 is designed according to the number of wavy bends; when the tail section of the needle body 81 needs to be roughened, a frosted surface is provided on the circumferential surfaces of the two pressure rollers 50; when the tail section of the needle body 81 needs to be flattened, an extrusion surface is provided on the circumferential surfaces of the two pressure rollers 50.

[0066] The wire feeding roller 22 is a fixed-length wire feeding roller, which facilitates the fixed-length cutting of the steel wire 20 in the subsequent process and improves the uniformity of the product length. The fixed length can be achieved by the number of turns of the wire feeding roller driven by the wire feeding motor.

[0067] like Figure 6 As shown, the material receiving mechanism 5 includes a robotic arm 51, and the material receiving end of the robotic arm 51 is a flexible suction cup 52.

[0068] The circumferential surface of the glue-applying wheel 32 conforms to the curved groove structure of the bending section 83, which, combined with the semi-fluid properties of the adhesive, serves to store and retain the adhesive. The groove then applies the adhesive to the bending section 83. The shape of the bent section 83 after bending also facilitates adhesive application. The groove and the bending section 83 work together to increase the amount of adhesive applied to the bending section 83, improving the bonding effect after curing. The adhesive is applied via the glue-applying wheel 32, and the amount, speed, and frequency of application can be strictly controlled by the wheel's rotation speed to ensure a uniform amount of adhesive on each bending section 83.

[0069] The entire production method involves the feeding plate circulating along the conveyor belt. During this process, the conveying speed is controlled and adjusted according to product requirements. The process includes metal handle dropping, steel wire 20 guiding and cutting, bending and gluing of the bending section 83, pushing by the pusher plate 4, and finally material collection by the receiving mechanism 5. As long as the conveying speed of the conveyor belt is well controlled, the purpose of batch cutting, bending, and solidification connection can be achieved, thereby achieving a consistent and stable product quality.

[0070] Wire 20 is preferably a non-drawing straight steel wire; place the non-drawing straight steel wire on the wire frame.

[0071] In step one, after the metal handle 82 falls into the metal handle groove 101, the metal handle 82 is pressed into the metal handle groove 101 by the cooperation of the handle pressure plate 6 and the feeding plate 10.

[0072] In step four, the cylinder drives the pusher plate 4 to push the side-by-side bent sections 83 into the center hole of the metal handle 82.

[0073] In step five, the feeding plate 3 is circulated to the robot arm 51. The flexible suction cup 52 at the end of the robot arm 51 is pushed by the cylinder to magnetically transfer a batch of metal-handled acupuncture needles 8 from the feeding plate 10 to the finished product tray after demagnetization.

[0074] The metal-handled acupuncture needle and its production apparatus and method in this embodiment can be automated through cyclic transmission, reducing and avoiding the instability of manual operation and improving the stability of adhesive coating; it can also improve production efficiency and reduce production costs.

[0075] The present invention and its embodiments have been described above illustratively. This description is not restrictive, and the figures shown are only one embodiment of the present invention. The actual structure and manufacturing steps are not limited thereto. Therefore, if those skilled in the art are inspired by this description and design similar structures and embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, such designs should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A production apparatus for metal-handled acupuncture needles, characterized in that, It includes a feeding mechanism (1) that feeds materials sequentially via a feeding plate (10), a threading mechanism (2), a bending and gluing mechanism (3), and a receiving mechanism (5); wherein: The surface of the feeding plate (10) is provided with a metal handle groove (101) in the horizontal direction. The feeding mechanism (1) includes a metal hopper (11), and a baffle plate (12) is vertically inserted into the discharge port at the bottom of the metal hopper (11). The wire threading mechanism (2) includes a wire guide plate (21), a wire feeding roller (22), and a cutter (23); the wire guide plate (21) has a wire guide hole through it laterally, and the wire guide hole corresponds one-to-one with the metal shank groove (101); the wire feeding roller (22) is located between the wire guide plate (21) and the cutter (23); after the wire (20) passes through the gap between the wire feeding rollers (22), it enters the metal shank (82) in the metal shank groove (101); It also includes a pusher plate (4) between the bending and gluing mechanism (3) and the receiving mechanism (5); The bending and gluing mechanism (3) includes a gluing wheel (32) and a glue box (33) that are fitted on the side of the feeding plate (10), and a counter-pressure wheel (31) that are symmetrically arranged on the top and bottom. The upper and lower pressure rollers of the pressure roller (31) are provided with mutually staggered annular grooves (35) on their circumferential surfaces.

2. The production apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide plates (21) are two separate ones on both sides of the wire feeding rollers (22), and a bending gap (7) is reserved between the left guide plate (21) and the feeding plate (10); the blade of the cutter (23) is close to the left side of the left guide plate (21).

3. The production apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a handle pressure plate (6), which is configured in conjunction with the feeding plate (10) to press the metal handle (82) into the metal handle groove (101).

4. The production apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that: The wire feeding rollers (22) are fixed-length wire feeding rollers.

5. The production apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that: The material receiving mechanism (5) includes a robotic arm (51), and the material receiving end of the robotic arm (51) is a flexible suction cup (52).

6. A method for producing a metal-handled acupuncture needle, characterized in that: The production process according to the production apparatus described in claim 5 comprises the following steps: When the feeding plate (10) is driven to the discharging mechanism (1), the metal handle (82) falls from the discharge port at the bottom of the metal hopper (11) into the metal handle groove (101); When the feeding plate (10) carries the metal handle (82) to the wire threading mechanism (2), under the action of the wire feeding roller (22), the parallel steel wires (20) pass through the guide hole and are aligned with the center hole of the metal handle (82) in the metal handle groove (101). After the steel wire (20) extends out of the center hole by a specified length, the cutter (23) cuts the steel wire (20), leaving a bending section (83) at the cut point of the steel wire (20). When the feeding plate (10) carries the metal-handled acupuncture needle (8) to be bent to the bending and gluing mechanism (3), the bending section (83) is first bent by the pressure roller (31), and then the bending section (83) is glued by the gluing roller (32). When the feeding plate (10) transmits the glue-coated metal-handled acupuncture needle (8) to the pusher plate (4), the pusher plate (4) pushes the side-by-side bent sections (83) into the center hole of the metal handle (82); When the feeding plate (10) transmits the metal-handled acupuncture needle (8) to the receiving mechanism (5), the robot (51) transfers the metal-handled acupuncture needle (8) to the finished product tray.

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