Friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size and size adjustment method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a stir friction additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size and a size adjustment method thereof, comprising a hollow main shaft, an auxiliary sliding disk, an auxiliary rotating disk and a positioning assembly; the hollow main shaft adopts a discrete main shaft component unit; the auxiliary sliding disk and the auxiliary rotating disk are sequentially arranged above the hollow main shaft, and the auxiliary sliding disk, the auxiliary rotating disk and the hollow main shaft are coaxially arranged; each auxiliary rotating guide groove on the auxiliary rotating disk corresponds one to one to each auxiliary sliding guide groove on the auxiliary sliding disk; each main shaft component unit is respectively connected to the auxiliary sliding guide groove and the auxiliary rotating guide groove through a positioning assembly; therefore, the present invention moves the main shaft column in the auxiliary sliding disk by rotating the rotating disk, thereby adjusting the main shaft feeding channel size, effectively solving the problem of the immutable feeding channel size in the stir friction deposition additive manufacturing process, thereby changing the deposition width, and providing the possibility for stir friction additive manufacturing of complex structural parts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of material forming and additive manufacturing, and in particular to a tool head with adjustable feeding size for friction stir deposition additive manufacturing and a size adjustment method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a technique that creates solid components by adding material layer by layer from the bottom up. Compared to traditional subtractive manufacturing, it offers advantages such as shorter processing cycles, higher production efficiency, and a greater degree of freedom in part creation. Furthermore, the resulting parts possess superior mechanical properties. Consequently, additive manufacturing has rapidly developed in recent years and has become an indispensable key technology in the field of intelligent manufacturing.

[0003] Friction stir solid phase deposition additive manufacturing technology is a new additive manufacturing technology developed based on friction stir welding. Its principle is to transport metal rods, powders or wires to the substrate surface through a high-speed rotating hollow spindle. The high temperature generated by friction with the substrate plastically softens the metal material. Under the pressure of the tool head shoulder, the softened material combines with the substrate to form a deposition layer. As the tool head moves, the first deposition layer is gradually formed. Afterwards, three-dimensional parts are formed by continuously adding subsequent deposition layers to the first layer.

[0004] Currently, the bar stock used in friction stir solid phase deposition additive manufacturing (FSSD) is fixed in size, resulting in a nearly constant width of the deposited layer. While fixed-size bar stock is sufficient for the production of simple parts, it is difficult to achieve this for more complex parts. This significantly limits the development and application of FSD additive manufacturing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To this end, the technical problem that the present invention seeks to solve is to overcome the problem in the prior art that rod materials cannot be supplied in variable sizes, and to design a stir friction deposition additive manufacturing tool head with variable feeding sizes.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with an adjustable feed channel size comprises a hollow spindle with a spindle feed channel disposed in the middle, a spindle adjustment mechanism, and a positioning assembly; the hollow spindle comprises a plurality of spindle component units, and the spindle adjustment mechanism comprises an auxiliary sliding disk and an auxiliary rotating disk; wherein:

[0008] The auxiliary rotating disk includes a rotating disk body, a first through hole is provided in the middle area of ​​the rotating disk body, and a plurality of auxiliary rotating guide grooves are evenly distributed around the first through hole in the rotating disk body;

[0009] The auxiliary sliding plate includes a sliding plate body, a second through hole is provided in the middle area of ​​the sliding plate body, and a plurality of auxiliary sliding guide grooves are evenly distributed around the second through hole in the sliding plate body;

[0010] The number of the auxiliary sliding guide grooves and the auxiliary rotating guide grooves is consistent with the number of the main shaft component units;

[0011] The auxiliary sliding disk and the auxiliary rotating disk are sequentially arranged above the hollow main shaft, and the auxiliary sliding disk, the auxiliary rotating disk and the hollow main shaft are arranged coaxially; each auxiliary rotating guide groove is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with each auxiliary sliding guide groove; each main shaft component unit is guided and connected to the corresponding auxiliary sliding guide groove and auxiliary rotating guide groove through a positioning assembly, and is respectively positioned and locked with the auxiliary sliding disk and the auxiliary rotating disk;

[0012] Driven by the rotation of the auxiliary rotating disk, the positioning assembly, in combination with the guiding cooperation of the auxiliary sliding guide groove and the auxiliary rotating guide groove, drives the movement of each spindle component unit, thereby enclosing a hollow spindle with a variable size to form a spindle feeding channel;

[0013] The size of the first through hole is greater than that of the second through hole, and the size of the second through hole matches the maximum size of the spindle feeding channel.

[0014] Preferably, the cross-section of the spindle feeding channel is square, there are four spindle component units in total, and the angle between adjacent auxiliary sliding channels is 90°.

[0015] Preferably, the spindle component unit includes a spindle column and a positioning column;

[0016] The positioning assembly includes a fixed connector and a fixed blind hole used in conjunction with each other;

[0017] The spindle columns of each spindle component unit can be enclosed to form a hollow spindle; the positioning column is arranged on the spindle column, and the end surface of the positioning column is penetrated by the fixed blind hole;

[0018] The positioning columns of each spindle component unit pass through the corresponding auxiliary sliding guide grooves and auxiliary rotating guide grooves in sequence, and the auxiliary sliding disk, auxiliary rotating disk and spindle component unit are locked by cooperating with the fixed connecting parts and the fixed blind holes.

[0019] Preferably, the fixing blind hole is a threaded hole, and the fixing connecting piece is a fixing bolt.

[0020] Preferably, the main axis column is a right triangular prism, comprising a right-angled surface A, a right-angled surface B and an inclined surface;

[0021] The spindle columns of the four spindle component units are distributed in rotational symmetry, and the two right-angled faces of the right triangular prism and the different right-angled faces of the other two right triangular prisms fit together. At the same time, the right-angled faces A of each right triangular prism can enclose to form the spindle feeding channel.

[0022] Preferably, in the right triangular prism, the angle formed by the right-angled surface A and the inclined surface is the vertex angle; a main shaft column is arranged at the vertex position, and the positioning column is arranged above the main shaft column; the angle between the right-angled surface A and the corresponding auxiliary sliding guide groove is 45°.

[0023] Preferably, the first through hole is a circular hole, and the second through hole is a square hole.

[0024] Preferably, the minimum size of the spindle feeding channel can be zero, and the maximum size is 1 / 2 of the right-angle surface A.

[0025] Preferably, the auxiliary rotating disk is linked to the power output end of the power drive mechanism.

[0026] Another technical object of the present invention is to provide a method for adjusting the feed channel size of a friction stir additive manufacturing tool head, which is based on the above-mentioned friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feed channel size, and includes:

[0027] The auxiliary rotating disk rotates forward, driving the positioning assembly to move through the auxiliary rotating guide groove. Under the guidance of the auxiliary rotating guide groove and the auxiliary sliding guide groove, the upper end of the positioning assembly moves from the initial position of the auxiliary rotating guide groove to point A of the auxiliary rotating guide groove, and the lower end moves from the initial position of the auxiliary sliding guide groove to point A' of the auxiliary rotating guide groove. At this time, the area of ​​the spindle feeding channel enclosed by the various spindle components is the largest, recorded as Smax;

[0028] The auxiliary rotating disk rotates in the opposite direction, driving the positioning assembly to move through the auxiliary rotating guide groove. Under the guidance of the auxiliary rotating guide groove and the auxiliary sliding guide groove, the upper end of the positioning assembly moves in the opposite direction from point A of the auxiliary rotating guide groove to the initial position, and the lower end moves in the opposite direction from point A' of the auxiliary sliding guide groove to the initial position of the auxiliary sliding guide groove. At this time, the area of ​​the spindle feeding channel enclosed by each spindle component unit is zero.

[0029] Based on the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0030] (1) The present invention effectively solves the problem of fixed feed channel dimensions during friction stir deposition additive manufacturing. During friction stir additive manufacturing, the feed channel dimensions of a device are often fixed, which results in an unchanging deposition width. The deposited parts are often simple in shape, and complex structural parts cannot be prepared. The present invention, however, uses a discrete spindle component unit to adjust the spindle feed channel dimensions by rotating an auxiliary rotating disk, thereby changing the deposition width, making it possible to manufacture complex structural parts using friction stir additive manufacturing.

[0031] (2) The present invention can achieve a wide range of adjustment of the spindle feed channel, wherein the minimum size of the spindle feed channel can be adjusted to zero, and the maximum size depends on the size of the spindle component unit.

[0032] (3) The hollow spindle used in the present invention is a discrete spindle. The spindle component units can be disassembled, and it is easy to clean the metal material remaining inside the hollow spindle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to make the content of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below based on specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0034] Figure 1 This is an axonometric view of the overall structure of the tool head with small feeding dimensions of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 2 This is an axonometric view of the tool head spindle component unit.

[0036] Figure 3 It is a top view of the tool head spindle component unit.

[0037] Figure 4 Axonometric view of the tool head sliding disc.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a bottom view of the tool head spindle-sliding disk.

[0039] Figure 6 This is the axonometric view of the tool head spindle-sliding disk.

[0040] Figure 7 Axonometric view of the tool head turning disk.

[0041] Figure 8 This is the axonometric drawing of the overall structure of the large-size feeding channel of the tool head.

[0042] Figure 9 This is a top view of the overall structure of the small-size feeding channel of the tool head.

[0043] Figure 10 This is a top view of the overall structure of the large-size feeding channel of the tool head.

[0044] In the figure: 1. Spindle component unit; 101. Spindle column; 102. Bolt channel; 2. Auxiliary sliding disk; 201. Auxiliary sliding guide groove; 202. Second through hole; 3. Auxiliary rotating disk; 301. Auxiliary rotating guide groove; 302. First through hole; 4. Fixing bolt; 5. Spindle feeding channel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] A stir friction additive manufacturing tool head with an adjustable feed channel size according to an embodiment of the present invention includes four parts: a spindle component unit 1, an auxiliary sliding disk 2, an auxiliary rotating disk 3, and a fixing bolt 4; there are four spindle component units in total, each including a spindle column 101 and a threaded channel 102; the auxiliary sliding disk 2 includes an auxiliary sliding guide groove 201 and a second through hole 202; the auxiliary rotating disk includes an auxiliary rotating guide groove 301 and a first through hole 301; wherein the fixing bolt 4 connects the spindle component unit 1, the auxiliary sliding disk 2, and the auxiliary rotating disk 3.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown in the axonometric view of the tool head spindle component unit, the main body of the four spindle component units is a right triangular prism, one of the corners of which is a right angle, and the two right-angled faces of the right triangular prism fit together with the different right-angled faces of the other two right triangular prisms. The four spindle component units are rotationally symmetrically distributed, and together form a hollow spindle with a square feeding channel. In other words, the two right-angled faces of the right triangular prism correspond to right-angled faces A and B, and the right-angled face A of any right triangular prism fits together with the right-angled face B of one of the adjacent right triangular prisms, and the right-angled face B fits together with the right-angled face A of another adjacent right triangular prism. At the same time, the right-angled faces A of each right triangular prism can enclose to form the spindle feeding channel; Figure 5 As shown, there is a scale engraved on the right-angled side of the bottom surface of the four spindle units, which can be used to confirm the size of the spindle feeding channel.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, the four spindle components together constitute the main body of the spindle. In addition, the spindle component unit also includes a spindle column, the function of the spindle column is to assist sliding; at the same time, there is a threaded hole at the top of the spindle column, which is used to cooperate with the fixing bolt to fix the spindle, sliding disk and rotating disk.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, it is an auxiliary sliding disk. The overall structure is a circular disk with four rectangular auxiliary sliding guide grooves inside. These four rectangular auxiliary sliding guide grooves are also rotationally symmetrically distributed. There is a square hole in the center of the auxiliary sliding disk. Its size is the same as the maximum size of the main shaft feeding channel. Its function is to allow materials to pass through.

[0050] like Figure 5 As shown in FIG, it is a bottom view of the assembly structure of the main shaft component unit and the auxiliary sliding disk. The four main shaft columns are respectively in the auxiliary sliding guide grooves of the four auxiliary sliding disks. When the four main shaft columns slide in one direction respectively, the size of the main shaft feeding channel can be adjusted. Specifically, when the main shaft columns are as shown in FIG. Figure 5 When the feed channel moves in the direction of the arrow (rotating the auxiliary rotating disk 3 in the positive direction to drive the main shaft component unit), the feed channel size increases, and when the feed channel moves in the opposite direction of the arrow, the feed channel size decreases.

[0051] The angle formed by the long angle side of the auxiliary sliding channel and its mating main shaft component unit (i.e., the right angle surface A of the right triangular prism) is 45°. Figure 5 In our design, each spindle component can slide in the auxiliary sliding channel only when the angle formed by the long corner side of the auxiliary sliding channel and the mating spindle component is 45°. Otherwise, the spindle components will interfere with each other and cannot slide in the sliding channel.

[0052] Wherein, the angle between adjacent auxiliary sliding channels is 90°. Figure 5 As shown. In our design, only when the angle between the auxiliary sliding channels is 90° can they cooperate with the main shaft component unit. Among them, the angle between the adjacent auxiliary rotating channels is also 90°, as shown in Figure 7 In our design, only when the angle between the rotating channels is 90° can they form a unit with the main shaft and the auxiliary sliding channels cooperate with each other.

[0053] like Figure 6 As shown, it is an axonometric view of the main shaft component unit and the auxiliary sliding disk, and the main shaft column cooperates with the sliding channel of the auxiliary sliding disk.

[0054] like Figure 7 As shown, it is an auxiliary rotating disk, and its overall structure is a centrally symmetrical structure; the center is a circular through hole, recorded as the first through hole, and its function is to ensure the smooth passage of materials; there is a channel at each of the four equal parts of its circumference, recorded as an auxiliary rotating guide groove, and its function is also to assist in adjusting the movement of the main shaft column, thereby adjusting the size of the main shaft feeding channel.

[0055] like Figure 8 The figure shows an overall isometric view of the large-scale feed channel of the present invention. The spindle unit, auxiliary sliding plate, and auxiliary rotating plate are integrated by the fixing bolts and the spindle column. To adjust the spindle feed channel size, loosen the fixing bolts and rotate the auxiliary rotating plate clockwise (counterclockwise) to increase (or decrease) the spindle feed channel size.

[0056] like Figure 9 and 10 As shown, they are respectively top views of the small-sized and large-sized feeding channels of the present invention; Figure 9 In the state, rotate the auxiliary rotation shaft clockwise to get Figure 10 The state of the large-sized feeding channel is shown.

[0057] The present invention solves the problem of needing to adjust the size of the feed channel to meet the processing requirements of complex additive manufacturing during friction stir additive manufacturing. The coordinated movement of the rotating disk and the sliding disk is used to drive the movement of the main shaft component unit, thereby realizing the adjustment of the size of the main shaft feed channel, which plays an important role in realizing the preparation of complex structural parts by friction stir additive manufacturing.

Claims

1. A friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with an adjustable feed channel size, comprising a hollow spindle with a spindle feed channel provided in the middle, characterized in that: It also includes a spindle adjustment mechanism and a positioning assembly; the hollow spindle includes a plurality of discretely distributed spindle component units, and the spindle adjustment mechanism includes an auxiliary sliding disk and an auxiliary rotating disk; wherein: The auxiliary rotating disk includes a rotating disk body, a first through hole is provided in the middle area of ​​the rotating disk body, and a plurality of auxiliary rotating guide grooves are evenly distributed around the first through hole in the rotating disk body; The auxiliary sliding plate includes a sliding plate body, a second through hole is provided in the middle area of ​​the sliding plate body, and a plurality of auxiliary sliding guide grooves are evenly distributed around the second through hole in the sliding plate body; The number of the auxiliary sliding guide grooves and the auxiliary rotating guide grooves is consistent with the number of the main shaft component units; The auxiliary sliding disk and the auxiliary rotating disk are sequentially arranged above the hollow main shaft, and the auxiliary sliding disk, the auxiliary rotating disk and the hollow main shaft are arranged coaxially; each auxiliary rotating guide groove is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with each auxiliary sliding guide groove; each main shaft component unit is guided and connected to the corresponding auxiliary sliding guide groove and auxiliary rotating guide groove through a positioning assembly, and is respectively positioned and locked with the auxiliary sliding disk and the auxiliary rotating disk; Driven by the rotation of the auxiliary rotating disk, the positioning assembly, in combination with the guiding cooperation of the auxiliary sliding guide groove and the auxiliary rotating guide groove, drives the movement of each spindle component unit, thereby enclosing a hollow spindle with a variable size to form a spindle feeding channel; The size of the first through hole is greater than that of the second through hole, and the size of the second through hole matches the maximum size of the spindle feeding channel.

2. The friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross section of the main shaft feeding channel is square, there are four main shaft component units in total, and the angle between adjacent auxiliary sliding channels is 90°.

3. The friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spindle component unit includes a spindle column and a positioning column; The positioning assembly includes a fixed connector and a fixed blind hole used in conjunction with each other; The spindle columns of each spindle component unit can be enclosed to form a hollow spindle; the positioning column is arranged on the spindle column, and the end surface of the positioning column is penetrated by the fixed blind hole; The positioning columns of each spindle component unit pass through the corresponding auxiliary sliding guide grooves and auxiliary rotating guide grooves in sequence, and the auxiliary sliding disk, auxiliary rotating disk and spindle component unit are locked by cooperating with the fixed connecting parts and the fixed blind holes.

4. The friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size according to claim 3, characterized in that: The fixed blind hole is a threaded hole, and the fixed connecting piece is a fixing bolt.

5. The friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size according to claim 4, characterized in that: The main axis column is a right triangular prism, including right angle surface A, right angle surface B and an inclined surface; The spindle columns of the four spindle component units are distributed in rotational symmetry, and the two right-angled faces of the right triangular prism and the different right-angled faces of the other two right triangular prisms fit together. At the same time, the right-angled faces A of each right triangular prism can enclose to form the spindle feeding channel.

6. The friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the right triangular prism, the angle formed by the right-angled surface A and the inclined surface is the vertex angle; A main shaft column is arranged at the top angle position, and a positioning column is arranged above the main shaft column; the angle between the right-angle surface A and the corresponding auxiliary sliding guide groove is 45°.

7. The friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first through hole is a circular hole, and the second through hole is a square hole.

8. The friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size according to claim 1, characterized in that: The minimum size of the spindle feeding channel can be zero, and the maximum size is 1 / 2 of the right-angle surface A.

9. The friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feeding channel size according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary rotating disk is linked to the power output end of the power driving mechanism.

10. A method for adjusting the feed channel size of a friction stir additive manufacturing tool head, based on the friction stir additive manufacturing tool head with adjustable feed channel size according to claim 1, characterized in that: include: The auxiliary rotating disk rotates forward, driving the positioning assembly to move through the auxiliary rotating guide groove. Under the guidance of the auxiliary rotating guide groove and the auxiliary sliding guide groove, the upper end of the positioning assembly moves from the initial position of the auxiliary rotating guide groove to point A of the auxiliary rotating guide groove, and the lower end moves from the initial position of the auxiliary sliding guide groove to point A' of the auxiliary rotating guide groove. At this time, the area of ​​the spindle feeding channel enclosed by the various spindle components is the largest, recorded as Smax; The auxiliary rotating disk rotates in the opposite direction, driving the positioning assembly to move through the auxiliary rotating guide groove. Under the guidance of the auxiliary rotating guide groove and the auxiliary sliding guide groove, the upper end of the positioning assembly moves in the opposite direction from point A of the auxiliary rotating guide groove to the initial position, and the lower end moves in the opposite direction from point A' of the auxiliary sliding guide groove to the initial position of the auxiliary sliding guide groove. At this time, the area of ​​the spindle feeding channel enclosed by each spindle component unit is zero.

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