Automatic welding device and method suitable for saddle-shaped welds

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic welding device and method suitable for saddle-shaped welds, which belongs to the technical field of saddle-shaped weld processing, and comprises a main pipe, a branch pipe, a positioner, a support assembly, a welding robot, a battery module and an overall control and simulation analysis system, wherein the main pipe is mounted on the positioner and the support assembly, the branch pipe is perpendicular to the outer surface of the main pipe, the cutting angles of the hole groove at the lower end of the branch pipe and the hole groove cut in the wall thickness direction of the main pipe are both 30°, and a gap is left between the two hole grooves, a welding gun, a contact sensor and a laser scanning device are arranged at the front end of the welding robot, and an arc voltage tracker for real-time monitoring of the welding voltage is arranged in the battery module, and through the invention, a working mode of continuous automatic welding can be achieved for pipes with different wall thicknesses, manual operation can be avoided, labor costs can be reduced, time and labor can be saved, welding difficulty can be reduced, welding efficiency can be improved, and safety risks can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention mainly relates to the technical field of saddle-shaped weld processing, and in particular to an automatic welding device and method suitable for saddle-shaped welds. Background Art

[0002] A weld is where two or more metal workpieces are joined during the welding process. There are many types of welds, depending on the application and welding process. A butt weld is formed when two workpieces are placed on the same plane and the sides of each workpiece are connected by welding. This is the most common type of weld used in pipe and structural manufacturing. A lap weld is a weld suitable for specific applications. An end weld is a weld formed by forming an end joint. A T-weld is a weld formed where two workpieces intersect in a T-shape. A fillet weld is a weld welded along the intersection of two orthogonal or nearly orthogonal parts.

[0003] A saddle weld usually refers to a T-joint weld formed when the branch pipe is perpendicular to the surface of the main pipe and the end face of the branch pipe is flush with the inner wall of the main pipe. Since the groove surface formed by the main pipe opening is neither a regular cone nor a regular circular ring, and a groove is cut at the end of the branch pipe, the saddle weld is different from conventional butt, fillet and socket welds. It has a more complex shape, a larger filling volume, and is more difficult. The welding gun angle needs to change at any time. At present, saddle welds are mainly welded by manual arc welding, which has a large welding workload, high welding strength, high labor cost, and is time-consuming and labor-intensive. The existing technology also has robot welding, but it is limited to those pipes with very thin walls and small diameters, which can be almost processed as flat grooves to meet the conditions for robot welding. For those pipes with thick walls and large diameters, the groove cannot be treated as a flat surface and needs to be welded manually.

[0004] Based on this, we need to develop an automatic welding device suitable for saddle-shaped welds, divide the welding area formed by the main pipe groove and the branch pipe groove, arrange the welds in each area, and adjust the welding process parameters to realize the automatic welding of saddle-shaped welds, so as to improve the welding automation technology. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention aims at the technical problem that the existing technical solution is too single, and provides a solution that is significantly different from the existing technology. Specifically, the present invention mainly provides an automatic welding device and method suitable for saddle-shaped welds to solve the technical problems raised in the above background technology.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is:

[0007] An automatic welding device suitable for saddle-shaped welds comprises a main pipe, a branch pipe, a positioner, a support assembly, a welding robot, a battery module and an overall control and simulation analysis system, wherein the main pipe is mounted on the positioner and the support assembly, the branch pipe is perpendicular to the outer surface of the main pipe, the cutting angles of the hole groove at the lower end of the branch pipe and the hole groove cut in the wall thickness direction of the main pipe are both 30°, and a gap is left between the two hole grooves, the front end of the welding robot is provided with a welding gun, a contact sensor and a laser scanning device, and the battery module is provided with an arc voltage tracker for real-time monitoring of the welding voltage.

[0008] Preferably, the laser scanning device comprises a laser transmitter and a receiver.

[0009] Preferably, the positioner includes a bottom plate, a base, a side frame and a motor, the base is located on one side of the upper surface of the bottom plate, the motor is located at the opening of the base, a rotating shaft and a turntable on the rotating shaft are provided on the side frame, and a plurality of clamps are arranged around the turntable at equal intervals.

[0010] Preferably, each of the clamping members includes a mounting block, which is installed along the radial direction of the turntable according to the diameter of the main pipe by screws, and each of the mounting blocks is provided with a fixed clamping block and a movable clamping block, the movable clamping block and the mounting block are slidably connected, and an elastic anti-slip layer is provided on the movable clamping block and the fixed clamping block.

[0011] Preferably, the clamping member further comprises a cylinder, and an output end of the cylinder is connected to a corresponding movable clamping block.

[0012] Preferably, a first pulley is provided at the output end of the motor, the first pulley is connected to a second pulley via a belt, and the second pulley is provided on a rotating shaft.

[0013] Preferably, the support assembly includes a sliding seat, the sliding seat is slidably connected to a sliding rail, the sliding rail is arranged on the base plate, the sliding seat is threadedly connected to a threaded rod, an arc-shaped support member is arranged at the upper end of the threaded rod, the arc-shaped support member includes an arc-shaped groove and a side plate, and a plurality of balls are arranged in a cavity formed by the arc-shaped groove and the side plate.

[0014] Preferably, information interaction is implemented between the laser scanning device and the overall control and simulation analysis system.

[0015] A method for an automatic welding device suitable for a saddle weld, the method specifically comprising the following steps:

[0016] Step 1: First, cut holes along the wall thickness direction of the main pipe and cut out the grooves, cut out the grooves at the ends of the branch pipes, and then spot weld the main pipes and branch pipes, leaving a certain gap;

[0017] Step 2: Use a laser scanning device to scan the groove area formed by the main pipe and the branch pipe, obtain the groove data and transmit it to the overall control and simulation analysis system. The overall control and simulation analysis system establishes a coordinate system through finite element software according to the groove data and forms a three-dimensional model of the groove;

[0018] Step 3: The overall control and simulation analysis system divides the groove three-dimensional model into several welding areas along the axis direction of the branch pipe, and divides the groove area according to the curvature change of the main groove edge line. The larger the branch pipe diameter and the larger the opening area, the more curvature changes and the more divided areas there are. The angles are 15°, 30°, 60° and 90° respectively. In each welding area, the overall control and simulation analysis system calculates and fits the shape of the weld according to the set welding parameters, and arranges the welds based on this. The overall control and simulation analysis system uses the cubic B-spline interpolation algorithm to transitionally connect the weld arrangements of each welding area, so that the welding path becomes a smooth transition, forming a welding path for the entire welding area;

[0019] Step 4: The overall control and simulation analysis system plans the actual path of the base welding and the movement process of the positioner according to the planned welding path, combined with contact sensors and manual teaching. The welding robot and the positioner perform base welding according to the route planned by the overall control and simulation analysis system. During the base welding process, the arc voltage tracker and laser scanning device adjust the welding path in real time.

[0020] Step 5: After the base coating is completed, the welding gun and the contact sensor contact the weld surface of the base coating and the groove on one side, and the laser scanning device scans the area to be welded to correct and adjust the planned welding path. The overall control and simulation analysis system controls the welding robot and the positioner to weld according to the adjusted welding path. During the welding process, the arc voltage tracker and the laser scanning device adjust the welding path in real time. The welding path is adjusted before welding through the contact of the welding gun and the contact sensor and the scanning of the laser scanning device, combined with the welding path adjustment during the welding process, to complete the welding of the saddle weld.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] The present invention realizes that during the welding process, the saddle-shaped weld groove is divided into a plurality of welding areas, weld beads are arranged in each welding area, and the transition connection of the weld beads between the welding areas is made, the welding path is planned in coordination with the movement of the positioner, the corresponding welding path is collected in real time, and the base welding is first completed by manual teaching, and then the welding path is adjusted by the welding gun contact sensor, and the welding route during the welding process is adjusted in coordination with arc voltage tracking and laser scanning, so as to achieve a continuous automatic welding working mode, avoid manual operation, and also avoid manual teaching errors in the robot welding process, reduce labor costs, save time and effort, reduce welding difficulty and welding costs, improve welding efficiency, and reduce safety risks.

[0023] The present invention realizes welding with a welding gun by combining contact sensing and laser scanning sensing through the mutual cooperation between the welding gun, the contact sensor and the laser scanning device, thereby improving the accuracy of data collection and making the planned welding path more practical. Under the action of the arc voltage tracker, the voltage during welding can be monitored in real time, and the arc length can be automatically controlled to ensure the consistency of the arc length, and the position of the welding gun can be adjusted in real time to ensure the stability of weld formation and welding process, thereby further improving the welding efficiency and the quality of the saddle weld.

[0024] The present invention realizes the rotation and displacement of the welding position during the welding of the main pipe and the branch pipe by means of the bottom plate, the base, the side frame, the rotating shaft, the rotating disk, the clamping member, the motor, the first pulley and the second pulley, and the mutual cooperation among the mounting block, the fixed clamping block, the movable clamping block, the elastic anti-skid layer and the cylinder can clamp the inner and outer sides of one end of the main pipe at the same time, so that the problem of deformation of one end of the pipe due to the influence of the unilateral clamping force when clamping the thin-walled pipe is avoided, the stability of the clamping is improved, and the accuracy of the welding point position of the welding gun on the pipe is ensured each time during welding. The sliding seat, the slide rail, the threaded rod, the arc groove, the side plate and the ball bearing provide stable support for one end of the main pipe, so that slight bending due to the influence of its own gravity when welding a longer and thinner main pipe is avoided, the influence of the deformation of the main pipe itself is prevented, and the welding accuracy is further improved.

[0025] The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the positioner of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the clamping member of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 1 A magnified schematic diagram of area A;

[0030] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of welding area segmentation of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the weld bead arrangement in the welding area of ​​the present invention.

[0032] In the figure: 1. main pipe; 2. branch pipe; 3. positioner; 31. bottom plate; 32. base; 33. side frame; 34. rotating shaft; 35. turntable; 36. clamping member; 361. mounting block; 362. fixed clamping block; 363. moving clamping block; 364. elastic anti-skid layer; 365. cylinder; 37. motor; 38. first pulley; 381. second pulley; 4. welding robot; 5. welding gun and contact sensor; 6. overall control and simulation analysis system; 7. battery module; 71. arc voltage tracker; 8. support assembly; 81. sliding seat; 82. slide rail; 83. threaded rod; 84. arc support member; 841. arc groove; 842. side plate; 843. ball; 9. laser scanning device; 91. laser transmitter; 92. receiver. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more comprehensively below with reference to the relevant drawings. Several embodiments of the present invention are given in the drawings, but the present invention can be implemented in different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described in the text. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the content disclosed in the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0034] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this article are for illustrative purposes only.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly connected by technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. The terminology used in the specification of the present invention is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0036] Example 1, please refer to the attached Figure 1-6 As shown, an automatic welding device suitable for saddle-shaped welds includes a main pipe 1, a branch pipe 2, a positioner 3, a support assembly 8, a welding robot 4, a battery module 7 and an overall control and simulation analysis system 6, wherein the main pipe 1 is mounted on the positioner 3 and the support assembly 8, the branch pipe 2 is perpendicular to the outer surface of the main pipe 1, the cutting angles of the hole groove at the lower end of the branch pipe 2 and the hole groove cut along the wall thickness direction on the main pipe 1 are both 30°, and a gap is left between the two hole grooves, the front end of the welding robot 4 is provided with a welding gun and a contact sensor 5 and a laser scanning device 9, and the battery module 7 is provided with an arc voltage tracker 71 for real-time monitoring of the welding voltage.

[0037] Through the above structure, the saddle-shaped weld groove is divided into several welding areas, welds are arranged in each welding area, and the transition connection of the welds between the welding areas is done. The welding path is planned in conjunction with the movement of the positioner. The base welding is first completed by manual teaching, and then the welding path is adjusted by the welding gun contact sensor. The welding route during the welding process is adjusted in conjunction with arc voltage tracking and laser scanning, thereby achieving a continuous automatic welding working mode, avoiding manual operation, reducing labor costs, saving time and effort, reducing welding difficulty, improving welding efficiency, and reducing safety risks.

[0038] The specific operation is as follows: first, a hole is cut along the wall thickness direction of the main pipe 1, and a groove is cut out, and a groove is cut out at the end of the branch pipe 2. Then, the main pipe 1 and the branch pipe 2 are spot welded and fixed, and a certain gap is left; a laser scanning device 9 is used to scan the groove area formed by the main pipe 1 and the branch pipe 2, and the groove data is obtained and transmitted to the overall control and simulation analysis system 6. The overall control and simulation analysis system 6 establishes a coordinate system according to the groove data through finite element software, and forms a three-dimensional model of the groove; the overall control and simulation analysis system 6 places the three-dimensional model of the groove along the branch pipe 2. The axis direction of the main pipe 1 is divided into several welding areas. The groove area is divided according to the curvature change of the groove edge line of the main pipe 1. The larger the diameter of the branch pipe 2, the larger the opening area, the more the curvature change, and the more divided areas. The angles are 15°, 30°, 60° and 90° respectively. In each welding area, the overall control and simulation analysis system 6 calculates and fits the shape of the weld according to the set welding parameters, and arranges the welds based on this. The overall control and simulation analysis system 6 uses a cubic B-spline interpolation algorithm to transition the weld arrangement of each welding area. connection, so that the welding path becomes a smooth transition, forming a welding path for the entire welding area; the overall control and simulation analysis system 6 plans the actual path of the base welding and the movement process of the positioner 3 according to the planned welding path, combined with contact sensors and manual teaching, etc. The welding robot 4 and the positioner 3 perform base welding according to the route planned by the overall control and simulation analysis system 6. During the base welding process, the arc voltage tracker 71 and the laser scanning device 9 adjust the welding path in real time; after the base is completed, the welding gun and the contact sensor 5 contact the weld surface of the base layer and the groove on one side, and the laser scanning device 9 scans the area to be welded to correct and adjust the planned welding path. The overall control and simulation analysis system 6 controls the welding robot 4 and the positioner 3 to weld according to the adjusted welding path. During the welding process, the arc voltage tracker 71 and the laser scanning device 9 adjust the welding path in real time, and adjust the welding path before welding through the contact of the welding gun and the contact sensor 5 and the scanning of the laser scanning device 9 in turn, combined with the welding path adjustment during the welding process, to complete the welding of the saddle weld.

[0039] Example 2, please refer to the attached Figure 1 and 2As shown, information interaction is implemented between the laser scanning device 9 and the overall control and simulation analysis system 6, the support assembly 8 includes a sliding seat 81, the sliding seat 81 is slidably connected with a slide rail 82, the slide rail 82 is arranged on the bottom plate 31, and the position of the support point is adjusted by the mutual cooperation between the sliding seat 81 and the slide rail 82 to achieve the support of the main pipe 1 of different lengths, the sliding seat 81 is threadedly connected with a threaded rod 83, and the threaded connection facilitates the adjustment of the support point height, and the upper end of the threaded rod 83 is provided with an arc support member 84, and the upper end of the threaded rod 83 is rotatably connected to the arc support member 84, and the arc support member 84 includes an arc groove 841 and a side plate 842, and a plurality of balls 843 are arranged in the cavity formed by the arc groove 841 and the side plate 842, and the balls 843 are used to reduce the friction with the main pipe 1 and avoid scratches.

[0040] Example 3, please refer to the attached Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figure 4, the laser scanning device 9 includes a laser transmitter 91 and a receiver 92 for receiving and transmitting signals. The positioner 3 includes a bottom plate 31, a base 32, a side frame 33 and a motor 37. The base 32 is located on one side of the upper surface of the bottom plate 31, and the motor 37 is located at the opening of the base 32. A rotating shaft 34 and a turntable 35 on the rotating shaft 34 are provided on the side frame 33, and a plurality of clamping members 36 are arranged around the turntable 35 at equal intervals. Each of the clamping members 36 includes a mounting block 361, and the mounting block 361 is installed along the radial direction of the turntable 35 according to the diameter of the main pipe 1 by screws. A fixed clamping block 362 and a movable clamping block 363 are provided on each of the mounting blocks 361. The movable clamping block 363 and the mounting block 361 are slidably connected, and an elastic anti-slip layer 364 is provided on the movable clamping block 363 and the fixed clamping block 362. The clamping member 36 also It includes a cylinder 365, the output end of which is connected to the corresponding movable clamping block 363, and the output end of the motor 37 is provided with a first pulley 38, which is connected to a second pulley 381 through a belt, and the second pulley 381 is provided on the rotating shaft 34. First, according to the size of the diameter of the main pipe 1 to be processed as required, the position of the mounting block 361 on the turntable 35 is selected by screws, and then one end of the main pipe 1 is placed between the movable clamping block 363 and the fixed clamping block 362, and then the cylinder 365 is started to push the movable clamping block 363 to move to one side of the fixed clamping block 362, so that the pipe wall of the main pipe 1 is clamped between the movable clamping block 363 and the fixed clamping block 362, and then the motor 37 is started, and then the rotating shaft 34 is driven to rotate through the first pulley 38, the second pulley 381 and the belt, and then the rotating shaft 34 drives the turntable 35 to rotate, so as to achieve the purpose of changing the position of the main pipe 1.

[0041] The above is an exemplary description of the present invention in combination with the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned method. As long as such non-substantial improvements are made by adopting the method concept and technical solution of the present invention, or the concept and technical solution of the present invention are directly applied to other occasions without improvement, they are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic welding device suitable for saddle-shaped welds, characterized in that , comprising a main pipe (1), a branch pipe (2), a positioner (3), a support assembly (8), a welding robot (4), a battery module (7) and an overall control and simulation analysis system (6), wherein the main pipe (1) is mounted on the positioner (3) and the support assembly (8), the branch pipe (2) is perpendicular to the outer surface of the main pipe (1), the cutting angle of the hole groove at the lower end of the branch pipe (2) and the hole groove cut along the wall thickness direction on the main pipe (1) are both 30°, and a gap is left between the two hole grooves, the front end of the welding robot (4) is provided with a welding gun and a contact sensor (5) and a laser scanning device (9), and the battery module (7) is provided with an arc voltage tracker (71) for real-time monitoring of the welding voltage; The positioner (3) comprises a bottom plate (31), a base (32), a side frame (33) and a motor (37); the base (32) is located on one side of the upper surface of the bottom plate (31); the motor (37) is located at an opening of the base (32); a rotating shaft (34) and a rotating disk (35) on the rotating shaft (34) are arranged on the side frame (33); and a plurality of clamping members (36) are arranged around the rotating disk (35) at equal intervals. Each of the clamping members (36) comprises a mounting block (361), the mounting block (361) being mounted along the radial direction of the turntable (35) according to the diameter of the main pipe (1) by means of screws, each of the mounting blocks (361) being provided with a fixed clamping block (362) and a movable clamping block (363), the movable clamping block (363) and the mounting block (361) being slidably connected, and an elastic anti-slip layer (364) being provided on the movable clamping block (363) and the fixed clamping block (362); the clamping member (36) further comprises a cylinder (365), the output end of the cylinder (365) being connected to the corresponding movable clamping block (363); The output end of the motor (37) is provided with a first belt pulley (38), the first belt pulley (38) is connected to a second belt pulley (381) via a belt, and the second belt pulley (381) is provided on the rotating shaft (34); The support assembly (8) comprises a sliding seat (81), the sliding seat (81) is slidably connected to a sliding rail (82), the sliding rail (82) is arranged on the bottom plate (31), the sliding seat (81) is threadedly connected to a threaded rod (83), an arc-shaped support member (84) is arranged at the upper end of the threaded rod (83), the arc-shaped support member (84) comprises an arc-shaped groove (841) and a side plate (842), and a plurality of balls (843) are arranged in a cavity formed by the arc-shaped groove (841) and the side plate (842).

2. The automatic welding device for saddle-shaped welds according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser scanning device (9) comprises a laser transmitter (91) and a receiver (92).

3. The automatic welding device for saddle-shaped welds according to claim 2, characterized in that: Information interaction is implemented between the laser scanning device (9) and the overall control and simulation analysis system (6).

4. A method for an automatic welding device suitable for a saddle weld, characterized in that, An automatic welding device suitable for saddle-shaped welds according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is used, and the method specifically comprises the following steps: Step 1: First, a hole is cut along the wall thickness direction of the main pipe (1), and a groove is cut, and a groove is cut at the end of the branch pipe (2). Then, the main pipe (1) and the branch pipe (2) are spot welded and fixed, and a certain gap is left; Step 2: Scanning the groove area formed by the main pipe (1) and the branch pipe (2) using a laser scanning device (9) to obtain groove data and transmit it to the overall control and simulation analysis system (6). The overall control and simulation analysis system (6) establishes a coordinate system based on the groove data using finite element software and forms a three-dimensional model of the groove; Step 3: The overall control and simulation analysis system (6) divides the groove three-dimensional model into several welding areas along the axis direction of the branch pipe (2), and divides the groove area according to the curvature change of the groove edge line of the main pipe (1). The larger the diameter of the branch pipe (2), the larger the opening area, the greater the curvature change, and the more divided areas. The angles are 15°, 30°, 60° and 90° respectively. In each welding area, the overall control and simulation analysis system (6) calculates and fits the shape of the weld according to the set welding parameters, and arranges the welds based on this. The overall control and simulation analysis system (6) uses a cubic B-spline interpolation algorithm to perform transition connection on the weld arrangement of each welding area, so that the welding path becomes a smooth transition, forming a welding path for the entire welding area; Step 4: The overall control and simulation analysis system (6) plans the actual path of the base welding and the movement process of the positioner (3) according to the planned welding path, combined with contact sensors and manual teaching, etc. The welding robot (4) and the positioner (3) perform base welding according to the route planned by the overall control and simulation analysis system (6). During the base welding process, the arc voltage tracker (71) and the laser scanning device (9) adjust the welding path in real time; Step 5: After the base coating is completed, the welding gun and the contact sensor (5) contact the weld surface of the base coating and the groove on one side, and the laser scanning device (9) scans the area to be welded to correct and adjust the planned welding path. The overall control and simulation analysis system (6) controls the welding robot (4) and the positioner (3) to weld according to the adjusted welding path. During the welding process, the arc voltage tracker (71) and the laser scanning device (9) adjust the welding path in real time. The welding path is adjusted before welding by the contact of the welding gun and the contact sensor (5) and the scanning of the laser scanning device (9) in turn, combined with the welding path adjustment during the welding process, to complete the welding of the saddle weld.

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