Chip recovery system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chip recovery system which uses a suction unit to suck and recover chips (M1) generated when a tip of a spot welding tip is cut with a tip dresser. The suction unit includes an electric motor (6) that rotates and drives, an impeller (5) that rotates by the electric motor (6) and generates a suction force, and a chip recovery tank (9) capable of recovering chips (M1). The chip recovery system is configured so as to recover the chips (M1), which move together with air sucked by the centrifugal impeller (5), into the chip recovery tank (9).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chip recovery system for recovering chips generated when a tip dresser is used to cut a front end of a spot welding electrode tip. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a copper electrode tip is detachably mounted on the front end of the shank of a welding gun used for spot welding. After a certain number of welding operations, the front end of the electrode tip will wear out or deteriorate due to the adhesion of an oxide film, etc. Therefore, the electrode tip dresser is regularly used to perform cutting to remove the oxide film, etc.

[0003] However, when the front end of the electrode tip is cut with an electrode tip dresser, the chips generated adhere to the drive unit of the equipment, which increases the load on the drive unit. In the worst case, there is a risk of equipment failure, so it is best to recover the chips immediately after they are generated.

[0004] In order to solve this problem, for example, the chip recovery system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a suction unit capable of sucking chips. The suction unit includes a pipe section having a chip suction port at one end and connected to a chip recovery box at the other end, and an air inlet for introducing compressed air is provided in the middle portion of the pipe section. Then, compressed air is introduced from the air inlet into the chip recovery box side in the pipe section, so that negative pressure is generated on the chip suction port side in the pipe section, and an air flow toward the chip recovery box is generated in the pipe section, and the chips falling from the electrode tip dresser are sucked together with the air from the chip suction port and recovered in the chip recovery box. Prior art literature Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Korean Patent No. 10-1696263 Summary of the invention Problems to be solved by the invention

[0006] In recent years, in order to improve the working environment of factories, it is necessary to significantly reduce noise and make work quieter and easier, and efforts are being made to avoid using the compressor that supplies compressed air usually installed in factories as much as possible. Therefore, even in the suction unit used in the electrode tip dresser disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to quietly recover the chips without using the compressed air of the compressor installed in the factory.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a chip recovery system that can reduce noise during use and improve the working environment without reducing the chip recovery capability. Means of solving problems

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is characterized by designing a driving source that operates a mechanism that generates an attractive force.

[0009] Specifically, the following measures have been taken for a chip recovery system that uses a suction unit to suck and recover chips generated when the tip of a spot welding electrode tip is cut by a tip dresser.

[0010] That is, the first invention is characterized in that the suction unit includes a rotationally driven electric motor, an impeller that rotates with the help of the electric motor to generate a suction force, and a chip recovery box capable of recovering the chips, and the chips moved together with the air sucked by the rotating action of the impeller are recovered in the chip recovery box.

[0011] The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, there is a cover body, which has a circular plate-shaped upper wall portion extending up and down on the center line, and a cylindrical side wall portion extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper wall portion, and the cover body is a shape opening downward, and the cover body covers the electric motor and the impeller.

[0012] The third invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, the impeller is a centrifugal impeller whose rotation center extends in the vertical direction and whose suction port faces downward, and the electric motor is arranged above the impeller.

[0013] The fourth invention is characterized in that, in the third invention, a chip inlet for introducing air containing the chips from the outside to the inside is provided in the cover body, and a partition is provided on the inner side of the cover body, the partition divides the internal space of the cover body into an upper area for accommodating the electric motor and the impeller, and a lower area corresponding to the chip inlet, and the partition is formed with a connecting hole corresponding to the suction port in the center, and an air filter is provided below the partition, the air filter has an air outlet connected to the connecting hole, and is formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape extending up and down, and has a plurality of air inlets on the outer peripheral surface of the air filter, and air enters from the outside to the inside through these air inlets, and the chip recovery box is a bottomed cylindrical shape, which has an installation opening portion opening upward, and the installation opening portion can be installed in a manner to close the lower end opening of the cover body.

[0014] A fifth invention is characterized in that, in the fourth invention, a porous material is disposed inside the air filter.

[0015] The sixth invention is characterized in that, in the fourth or fifth invention, there is also a mounting bracket for mounting the suction unit on the mounted body, the cover body is formed with a mating wall portion, and when observed from the center line direction, the outer peripheral surface of the mating wall portion is a regular polygonal shape centered on the center line, and the mounting bracket is formed with a mating hole that is mated with the mating wall portion, and the mating hole is formed in the same regular polygonal shape as the mating wall portion.

[0016] The seventh invention is characterized in that, in any one of the third to fifth inventions, a plurality of exhaust holes are formed over the entire circumference of the cover body at positions on the outer peripheral surface of the cover body corresponding to the centrifugal impeller, and the exhaust holes are used to discharge the air released radially outward from the centrifugal impeller to the outside of the cover body.

[0017] The eighth invention is characterized in that, in the seventh invention, a plurality of concave grooves extending in the same direction are arranged in parallel in the area of ​​the outer peripheral surface of the cover body except for the exhaust holes, and a plurality of convex portions extending in the same direction are arranged in parallel between the concave grooves.

[0018] The characteristic of the ninth invention is that, in the eighth invention, the cover body is a shape divided into two halves with the center line as the boundary, and has a pair of resin split bodies of the same shape, which are assembled by docking the opening end edges of each of the pair of resin split bodies, each of the concave grooves is recessed along the direction in which the two split bodies are arranged in parallel, each of the convex strips protrudes along the direction in which the two split bodies are arranged in parallel, and each of the exhaust holes passes through along the direction in which the two split bodies are arranged in parallel.

[0019] A tenth invention, in the first invention, is characterized in that the chip recovery box is integrally molded from a transparent resin material.

[0020] The eleventh invention is characterized in that, in the fourth or fifth invention, a plurality of annular grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the chip recovery box along the center line of the barrel, the cross-section of the annular groove along the center line of the barrel is concave in an arcuate shape, and the annular groove extends throughout the circumference with the center line of the barrel as the center. Effects of the Invention

[0021] In the first invention, since the impeller that generates the suction force for recovering the chips is rotated by the driving force of the electric motor, it is not necessary to start the compressor commonly installed in the factory as in Patent Document 1 when recovering the chips. Therefore, it is possible to greatly reduce the noise during the use of the chip recovery system without reducing the chip recovery capacity, thereby improving the working environment.

[0022] In the second invention, for example, even if cooling water for cooling the electrode tip leaks from the welding gun or the like and falls from above the suction unit, it is possible to prevent the cooling water from directly adhering to the electric motor or the impeller.

[0023] In the third invention, since the centrifugal impeller is located below the electric motor, it is difficult for cooling water and the like to reach the electric motor from below. Therefore, it is possible to provide a debris collection system having a high waterproof performance.

[0024] In the fourth invention, when the electric motor is driven to rotate the centrifugal impeller to generate suction force, the air introduced from the chip inlet into the chip recovery box rises and passes through the air filter through the air inlet and the air outlet, and then reaches the centrifugal impeller through the connecting hole. When the chips are introduced from the chip inlet together with the air of the air flow, the chips that want to pass through the filter are blocked by the air filter and remain in the chip recovery box. When the operator removes the chip recovery box from the cover body, the chips retained in the chip recovery box can be simply discarded. In this way, the chips can be effectively recovered and discarded.

[0025] In the fifth invention, the porous material inside the air filter absorbs the sound generated when the air passes through the air filter. Therefore, the noise generated when the chip recovery system is used can be further reduced.

[0026] In the sixth invention, the fitting wall can be fitted into the fitting hole while the cover is rotated by a desired angle about the center line relative to the mounting bracket. Therefore, the position of the chip introduction port relative to the mounting body can be changed according to the situation around the suction unit.

[0027] In the seventh invention, the area where the exhaust gas discharged radially outward from the centrifugal impeller passes through the cover is expanded, and the area where the exhaust gas passes through the cover is distributed throughout the circumference of the cover. Therefore, the inertia of the exhaust gas when passing through the cover is reduced, the sound generated when passing through the cover is reduced, and the noise when the chip recovery system is used can be further reduced.

[0028] In the eighth invention, the cover body is lightweighted by forming only the spatial area of ​​each concave groove and the section modulus of each convex line area is increased, thereby improving the rigidity of the cover body. Therefore, a highly rigid and lightweight chip recovery system can be provided.

[0029] In the ninth invention, when the mold opening direction corresponds to the direction in which the divided bodies are arranged in parallel is used and the divided bodies are molded integrally with the resin material, the divided bodies having a complex outer shape having a plurality of concave grooves, a plurality of convex strips, and a plurality of exhaust holes can be molded with one mold while avoiding undercutting. Therefore, the number of molds used during molding can be reduced, and the cost of manufacturing the suction unit can be kept at a low level.

[0030] In the tenth invention, the operator can visually check the state of the chip collection box from the outside. Therefore, the operator can discard the chips while checking the chip collection status, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0031] In the eleventh invention, since the section modulus of the cross section along the barrel center line increases, the rigidity against the force in the direction of the barrel center line toward the chip recovery box increases. Therefore, when the chip recovery system is working, even if a large suction force is generated on the air filter located at the barrel center line of the chip recovery box, it is possible to prevent the chip recovery box from being deformed and the chip recovery area from being reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a chip recovery system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is a perspective view of a unit body in the suction unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 It is an exploded perspective view of the upper half of the unit body in the suction unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 It is an exploded perspective view of the lower half of the unit body in the suction unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is along Figure 2 A cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. Figure 6 is along Figure 5 A cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature.

[0034] Figure 1 The chip recovery system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The chip recovery system 1 includes an electrode tip dresser 10 capable of cutting the front ends of a pair of electrode tips T1 attached to a spot welding gun G, and a suction unit 2 that sucks and recovers chips M1 generated when the front ends of the electrode tips T1 are cut by the electrode tip dresser 10 (see FIG. Figure 5 ).

[0035] The electrode tip dresser 10 has a main body housing 10a which is substantially L-shaped when viewed from the side. The main body housing 10a has a motor housing portion 10b in a bottomed cylindrical shape with the center line of the cylinder extending up and down, and a retainer housing portion 10c extending laterally from the upper part of the motor housing portion 10b in a substantially horizontal direction, and the retainer housing portion 10c is approximately teardrop-shaped in a plan view.

[0036] A shock absorbing mechanism portion 10d for absorbing shock applied to the main body housing 10a is attached to the side surface of the motor housing portion 10b on the base end side of the retainer housing portion 10c.

[0037] The retainer housing portion 10 c is in the shape of a plate having thickness, and a retainer support hole 10 e opened upward and downward is provided at the center of the extending side thereof.

[0038] A rotating holder 11 having a rotation axis center C1 extending in the vertical direction is arranged in the holder supporting hole 10e of the holder housing portion 10c and is configured to be rotated about the rotation axis center C1 by a driving motor (not shown) housed in the motor housing portion 10b.

[0039] The rotation holder 11 is substantially C-shaped in a plan view, and has a notch portion 11 a that gradually expands outward in a circumferential direction around the rotation axis center C1 as it extends radially outward from the rotation axis center C1 and opens upward and downward.

[0040] In addition, a pair of curved recessed portions 11b are formed symmetrically on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotation holder 11 along the rotation axis center C1 direction, and the diameters thereof gradually decrease toward the center of the rotation holder 11. Figure 1 Only the curved recessed portion 11 b located on the upper side of the pair of curved recessed portions 11 b is shown.

[0041] The shape of the curved recess 11 b corresponds to the curved shape of the front end of the electrode tip T1 , and the front end of the electrode tip T1 can be inserted in a state where the central axis of the electrode tip T1 is aligned with the rotation axis center C1 .

[0042] A cutting tool 12 for cutting the front end of the electrode tip T1 is attached to one inner side surface of a notch 11 a extending outward from the rotation axis center C1 .

[0043] The cutting tool 12 is provided with a cutting edge portion 12 a extending in a direction intersecting the rotation axis center C1 , and the shape of the cutting edge portion 12 a is gently curved corresponding to each curved recessed portion 11 b .

[0044] Then, by inserting one of a pair of electrode heads T1 facing each other into the upper curved recess 11b and the other into the lower curved recess (not shown) while rotating the rotating holder 11, the front end of each electrode head T1 is cut by the cutting edge portion 12a of the cutting tool 12.

[0045] The suction unit 2 includes a unit body 3 and a pipe hose 4 . The unit body 3 is substantially cylindrical, and its center line extends in the up-down direction. The pipe hose 4 guides the chips M1 generated by the electrode tip dresser 10 to the unit body 3 .

[0046] The pipe hose 4 has a chip suction port 4 a at one end and is connected to the unit body 3 at the other end. The chip suction port 4 a is arranged to face the chip drop area below the rotating retainer 11 of the electrode tip dresser 10 .

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, the unit main body 3 includes an air supply unit 30 that is substantially T-shaped when viewed from the side, and a resin cover 7 that covers the air supply unit 30 .

[0048] like Figure 5 As shown, the air supply unit 30 includes a substantially disk-shaped centrifugal impeller 5 with a rotation center C2 oriented in the vertical direction and a suction port 5a directed downward, and an electric motor 6 disposed above the centrifugal impeller 5 with a rotation axis 6a directed directly downward.

[0049] The centrifugal impeller 5 is accommodated in a thick disk-shaped blower cover 30a, which is open downward and has a plurality of air passage windows 30b formed on its outer peripheral surface.

[0050] The centrifugal impeller 5 is rotated about the rotation center C2 by the rotation drive of the electric motor 6, so that the air sucked upward from the suction port 5a moves radially outward and is discharged to the outside of the blower cover 30a through each air passage window 30b, while generating suction force.

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, the cover body 7 includes a disc-shaped upper wall portion 7a extending vertically along the center line C3 and a cylindrical side wall portion 7b extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper wall portion 7a. The cover body 7 is open downward.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, on the opening periphery of the cover body 7, a plurality of upper side claws 7k are formed at predetermined intervals around the center line C3. Figure 3 In FIG. 1 , only one upper claw 7k is shown.

[0053] like Figure 2As shown, the cover body 7 includes a first divided body 7A and a second divided body 7B which are divided into two halves with the center line C3 as a boundary.

[0054] A plurality of slit-like exhaust holes 7c are formed along the center line C3 in the middle region of the first split body 7A. The slit-like exhaust holes 7c penetrate along the direction in which the first split body 7A and the second split body 7B are arranged in parallel and extend in the circumferential direction centered on the center line C3.

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown, an opening 7d is provided at the center of the lower region of the first divided body 7A.

[0056] In the area other than the exhaust holes 7c on the outer surface of the first split body 7A, a plurality of concave grooves 7e are arranged in parallel, and the plurality of concave grooves 7e are recessed in the direction in which the first split body 7A and the second split body 7B are arranged in parallel, and extend in the same direction in a direction intersecting the center line C3 and along the split surface.

[0057] Furthermore, between the concave grooves 7e on the outer surface of the first split body 7A, a plurality of convex portions 7f are arranged in parallel, projecting in the direction in which the first split body 7A and the second split body 7B are arranged in parallel and extending in the same direction as the concave grooves 7e.

[0058] like Figure 5 As shown, on the inner surface of the lower side of the first split body 7A, a protruding plate 7g protruding toward the second split body 7B is set to divide the inner space of the first split body 7A into an upper area and a lower area, and a cut-out recess 7h opening to the protruding end side of the protruding plate 7g is formed on the protruding plate 7g.

[0059] Since the second divided body 7B has the same structure as the above-mentioned first divided body 7A, the same reference numerals as those of the above-mentioned first divided body 7A are given thereto, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0060] The first split body 7A and the second split body 7B are integrally molded from a resin material using a single mold, and the mold opening direction of the mold is set to correspond to the parallel arrangement direction of the first split body 7A and the second split body 7B.

[0061] like Figure 3 As shown, the cover body 7 is designed to be assembled by butting the opening end edges of the first split body 7A and the second split body 7B with the air supply unit 30 disposed between the first split body 7A and the second split body 7B. When the cover body 7 is assembled, Figure 5As shown, the cover body 7 is formed with a partition 70, and the partition 70 divides the internal space S1 of the cover body 7 into an upper area for accommodating the air supply unit 30 and a lower area corresponding to the opening portion 7d by using the protruding plate 7g of the first split body 7A and the protruding plate 7g of the second split body 7B, and a connecting hole 70a corresponding to the suction port 5a of the centrifugal impeller 5 is formed by the cut-out recess 7h of the first split body 7A and the cut-out recess 7h of the second split body 7B.

[0062] In the assembled state of the cover body 7, each exhaust hole 7c is provided at a position corresponding to the centrifugal impeller 5 on the outer peripheral surface of the cover body 7. That is, each exhaust hole 7c is provided over the entire circumference of the cover body 7, and is used to exhaust the air exhausted radially outward by the centrifugal impeller 5 to the outside of the cover body 7.

[0063] A cylindrical member 71 is fitted into the opening 7 d on the first split body 7A side of the cover 7 . The space inside the cylindrical member 71 serves as a chip introduction port 71 a for introducing air containing chips M1 from the outside to the inside of the cover 7 .

[0064] On the other hand, the opening 7 d on the second divided body 7B side of the cover body 7 is closed from the outer peripheral surface side by a rectangular plate-shaped cover member 72 .

[0065] In addition, a fitting wall portion 73 is formed at a position adjacent to the upper claw 7k and is recessed toward the center line C3 and extends in a ring shape around the center line C3. Figure 6 As shown, when viewed from the direction of the center line C3, the outer peripheral surface of the fitting wall portion 73 has a regular dodecagonal shape centered on the center line C3.

[0066] like Figure 5 As shown, an air filter 8 is provided below the partition plate 70. The air filter 8 has an air outlet 8b connected to the communication hole 70a and is in the shape of an elongated bottomed cylinder extending vertically.

[0067] The air filter 8 has a tapered outer peripheral surface whose diameter gradually decreases as it goes downward, and includes a filter body 81 integrally molded from a resin material, and a filter material made of nonwoven fabric covering the filter body 81 from above.

[0068] On the side of the outer peripheral surface of the filter body 81 away from the cylindrical component 71, a plurality of slit-shaped air inlets 81a extending circumferentially around the center line C3 are arranged in parallel up and down, and air enters the air filter 8 from the outside to the inside through each air inlet 81a.

[0069] The inside of the filter body 81 is filled with a porous material 83. As the porous material 83, it is preferable to use a material having many pores and having excellent sound absorbing performance, such as a sponge material or resin foam.

[0070] like Figure 1 As shown, the lower portion of the cover body 7 is supported by a mounting bracket 13, and the mounting bracket 13 is used to mount the suction unit 2 on a mounting body B1 such as a supporting frame.

[0071] like Figure 4 As shown, the mounting bracket 13 includes a bracket main body 13b which is annular in plan view and has an interlocking hole 13a inside, and a mounting portion 13c which is continuously extended outward from a portion of the outer peripheral edge portion of the bracket main body 13b and has a roughly L-shaped longitudinal cross-section. The interlocking hole 13a is formed to be able to interlock with the interlocking wall portion 73 and has the same regular dodecagonal shape as the interlocking wall portion 73.

[0072] The mounting bracket 13 may be divided into two parts at the center of the mounting portion 13 c , and assembled by sandwiching the fitting wall portion 73 of the cover body 7 from the side using the divided parts, so that the fitting wall portion 73 fits into the fitting hole 13 a .

[0073] A bottomed cylindrical chip collecting box 9 having a mounting opening 9 a opened upward is provided below the cover 7 , and the chip collecting box 9 is integrally molded from a transparent resin material.

[0074] like Figure 5 As shown, a plurality of annular grooves 9b are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the chip recovery box 9 along the barrel center line C4. The cross section of the annular groove 9b along the barrel center line C4 is concave in an arc shape toward the barrel center line C4 and extends over the entire circumference with the barrel center line C4 as the center.

[0075] like Figure 4 As shown, a pair of lower side claws 9c are provided at a predetermined interval around the barrel center line C4 in the mounting opening 9a of the chip recovery box 9.

[0076] By engaging each of the lower claws 9 c of the cover body 7 with each of the upper claws 7 k , the chip recovery box 9 can be mounted in a state where the lower end opening of the cover body 7 is closed.

[0077] Here, the chip recovery operation in the suction unit 2 will be described.

[0078] When the electrode tip dresser 10 starts cutting the electrode tip T1 mounted on the front end of the shank G1 of the spot welding gun G, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the suction unit 2 is powered on and the electric motor 6 starts to be driven in rotation.

[0079] When the electric motor 6 is driven to rotate and the rotating shaft 6a rotates, the centrifugal impeller 5 rotates accordingly. Then, in the centrifugal impeller 5, the air sucked upward from the suction port 5a changes direction while moving radially outward from the centrifugal impeller 5, passes through the air passage windows 30b of the blower cover 30a, and is discharged from the exhaust holes 7c of the cover body 7. Through this series of actions, a suction force is generated inside the suction unit 2.

[0080] When suction force is generated inside the suction unit 2, air is sucked in from the chip suction port 4a of the duct hose 4, and is introduced into the chip recovery box 9 from the chip introduction port 71a, and the air passes through the air filter 8 while rising through each air inlet 81a and the air outlet 8b, and reaches the centrifugal impeller 5 through the connecting hole 70a. When the chips M1 sucked in from the chip suction port 4a are introduced into the suction unit 2 through the chip introduction port 71a together with the air of the air flow, the chips M1 that are about to pass through the air filter 8 are blocked by the air filter 8 and retained in the chip recovery box 9. Therefore, when the operator removes the chip recovery box 9 from the cover body 7, the chips M1 retained in the chip recovery box 9 can be simply discarded. In this way, the chip recovery system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can effectively recover and discard the chips M1.

[0081] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the centrifugal impeller 5 that generates the suction force for recovering the chips M1 is rotated by the driving force of the electric motor 6, so that when recovering the chips M1, there is no need to operate the compressor generally installed in the factory as in Patent Document 1. Therefore, it is possible to greatly reduce the noise during the use of the chip recovery system 1 without reducing the chip recovery capacity, thereby improving the working environment.

[0082] In addition, since the cover 7 covers the centrifugal impeller 5 and the electric motor 6, even if cooling water for cooling the electrode tip T1 leaks from the welding gun G, etc. and falls from above the suction unit 2, in this state, the cooling water can be prevented from directly adhering to the electric motor 6 and the centrifugal impeller 5.

[0083] Furthermore, since the centrifugal impeller 5 is located below the electric motor 6, cooling water and the like are unlikely to reach the electric motor 6 from below. Therefore, it is possible to provide the chip recovery system 1 having a high waterproof performance.

[0084] Furthermore, since the porous material 83 is filled inside the air filter 8, the porous material 83 inside the air filter 8 can absorb the sound generated when the air passes through the air filter 8. Therefore, the noise generated when the chip recovery system 1 is used can be further reduced.

[0085] In addition, since the fitting wall portion 73 of the cover body 7 and the fitting hole 13a of the mounting bracket 13 to which the fitting wall portion 73 fits form a corresponding regular dodecagonal shape, the fitting wall portion 73 can fit into the fitting hole 13a when the cover body 7 is rotated by a desired angle around the center line C3 relative to the mounting bracket 13. Therefore, the position of the chip introduction port 71a relative to the mounted body B1 can be changed according to the conditions around the suction unit 2.

[0086] In addition, a plurality of exhaust holes 7c are formed in the entire circumferential direction at the position of the cover body 7 corresponding to the centrifugal impeller 5, so that the area where the exhaust gas discharged from the centrifugal impeller 5 to the radial outside passes through the cover body 7 is expanded, and the area where the exhaust gas passes through the cover body 7 is distributed in the circumferential direction of the cover body 7. Therefore, the inertia of the exhaust gas when passing through the cover body 7 is reduced, the sound generated when passing through the cover body 7 is reduced, and the noise when the chip recovery system 1 is used can be further reduced.

[0087] In addition, since a plurality of concave grooves 7e and a plurality of convex strips 7f are formed in the cover body 7, the weight of the cover body 7 is reduced by the space area where the concave grooves 7e are formed, and on the other hand, the section modulus of the area of ​​the convex strips 7f is increased, and the rigidity of the cover body 7 is increased. Therefore, a highly rigid and lightweight chip recovery system 1 can be provided.

[0088] In addition, if the first split body 7A and the second split body 7B are integrally molded with a resin material using a mold whose mold opening direction is set to coincide with the parallel arrangement direction, undercuts can be avoided, and the first split body 7A and the second split body 7B having a complex outer shape having a plurality of concave grooves 7e, a plurality of convex strips 7f, and a plurality of exhaust holes 7c can be molded in one mold. Therefore, the number of molds used during molding can be reduced, and the cost of manufacturing the suction unit 2 can be kept at a low level.

[0089] Furthermore, since the chip recovery box 9 is integrally molded from a transparent resin material, the operator can visually check the state of the inside of the chip recovery box 9 from the outside. Therefore, the operator can discard the chips M1 while checking the recovery status of the chips M1, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0090] Since a plurality of concave grooves are formed along the barrel center line C4 on the outer peripheral surface of the chip recovery box 9, the section modulus of the cross section of the concave groove along the barrel center line C4 becomes larger, and the rigidity of the chip recovery box 9 against the force in the direction toward the barrel center line C4 increases. Therefore, when the chip recovery system 1 is working, even if a large suction force is generated on the air filter 8 located at the barrel center line C4 of the chip recovery box 9, it is possible to prevent the chip recovery box 9 from being deformed and the chip M1 recovery area from being reduced.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present invention, a centrifugal impeller 5 is used to generate suction force, but other types of impellers may also be used, and an axial flow impeller or a mixed flow impeller may also be used.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present invention, the fitting hole 13a of the mounting bracket 13 and the fitting wall portion 73 of the cover 7 that fit together are in the shape of a regular dodecagon, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be other regular polygonal shapes.

[0093] In the embodiment of the present invention, the porous material 83 is filled inside the filter body 81 , but it may be provided inside the filter body 81 , for example, it may be in a cylindrical shape covering the inner surface of the filter body 81 . [Possible industrial applications]

[0094] The present invention is applicable to a chip recovery system for recovering chips generated when a tip of a spot welding electrode tip is cut by a tip dresser. Description of Reference Numerals

[0095] 1. Chip recovery system 2 Suction units 5 Centrifugal impeller 6 Electric Motor 7. Hood 7A First segment 7B Second segment 7a Upper wall 7b Side wall 7c exhaust hole 7e groove 7f rib 8 Air Filter 8b Air outlet 9 Chip recovery box 9a Installation opening 9b annular groove 10Electrode tip dresser 13 Mounting bracket 13a fitting hole 70 partition 70a through hole 71a Chip inlet 73 fitting wall 81a Air inlet 83Porous materials B1 Mounting body M1 Chips T1 electrode tip

Claims

1. A chip recovery system, which uses a suction unit to suck and recover chips generated when a tip dresser is used to cut a front end of a spot welding electrode tip, characterized in that: The suction unit includes an electric motor that is driven to rotate, an impeller that is rotated by the electric motor to generate a suction force, and a chip recovery box that can recover the chips. The chip recovery system is configured to recover the chips moved together with the air sucked by the rotation of the impeller into the chip recovery box.

2. The chip recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chip recovery system includes a cover body, which has a circular upper wall portion extending up and down along the center line, and a cylindrical side wall portion extending downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper wall portion, and the cover body is formed in a shape opening downward, and the cover body covers the electric motor and the impeller.

3. The chip recovery system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The impeller is a centrifugal impeller with a rotation center extending in the up-down direction and a suction port facing downward. The electric motor is arranged above the impeller.

4. The chip recovery system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cover body is provided with a chip introduction port, through which air containing the chips is introduced from the outside to the inside. A partition is provided inside the cover body, the partition dividing the internal space of the cover body into an upper area for accommodating the electric motor and the impeller, and a lower area corresponding to the chip introduction port, and a connecting hole corresponding to the suction port is formed in the center of the partition. An air filter is provided below the partition plate. The air filter has an air outlet connected to the communicating hole and is formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape extending up and down. The outer peripheral surface of the air filter has a plurality of air inlets for air to enter from the outside to the inside. The chip recovery box is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having an installation opening portion opened upward, and the installation opening portion can be installed so as to close the lower end opening of the cover body.

5. The chip recovery system according to claim 4, characterized in that: A porous material is provided inside the air filter.

6. The chip recovery system according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: Also included is a mounting bracket, the mounting bracket being used to mount the suction unit to a mounted body, The cover body is formed with a fitting wall portion, and when viewed from the center line direction, the outer peripheral surface of the fitting wall portion is in the shape of a regular polygon centered on the center line. The mounting bracket is formed with a fitting hole that can be fitted with the fitting wall portion, and the fitting hole is formed in the same regular polygonal shape as the fitting wall portion.

7. The chip recovery system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: A plurality of exhaust holes are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cover body at positions corresponding to the centrifugal impeller over the entire circumference of the cover body, and the exhaust holes are used to exhaust the air released radially outward from the centrifugal impeller to the outside of the cover body.

8. The chip recovery system according to claim 7, characterized in that: A plurality of concave grooves extending in the same direction are arranged in parallel in a region of the outer peripheral surface of the cover body except for the exhaust holes, and a plurality of convex portions extending in the same direction are arranged in parallel between the concave grooves.

9. The chip recovery system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The cover body is in a shape of two halves divided into two halves with the center line as the boundary, and includes a pair of resin divided bodies formed into the same shape and assembled by butting their respective opening end edges. Each of the concave grooves is concave along the direction in which the two segmented bodies are arranged in parallel. Each of the convex strips protrudes along the direction in which the two split bodies are arranged in parallel. Each of the exhaust holes penetrates along the direction in which the two split bodies are arranged in parallel.

10. The chip recovery system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chip recovery box is integrally formed of a transparent resin material.

11. The chip recovery system according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: A plurality of annular grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the chip recovery box along the barrel center line. The cross section of the annular groove along the barrel center line is concave in an arcuate shape and extends around the barrel center line throughout the entire circumference.

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