Ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing equipment comprises a main frame, a main shaft, an additive structure, a subtractive structure and a control module, the main shaft is vertically installed on one side of the main frame, the subtractive structure is installed on the main shaft and can move up and down along the main shaft, and the additive structure is installed on the right side of the main shaft; a workbench capable of moving in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction is arranged on the upper surface of the main frame. The material adding structure comprises a cutting unit, a foil feeding unit and an ultrasonic welding unit, the cutting unit is used for cutting a foil strip, and the foil feeding unit is used for continuously providing a metal or non-metal foil strip for the ultrasonic welding unit; the subtractive structure comprises a milling tool, and the control module is used for receiving the part three-dimensional model and controlling the additive structure and the subtractive structure to work. According to the method, complex metal parts can be efficiently and accurately manufactured, the advantages of ultrasonic additive manufacturing and subtractive machining are fully played, and the limitation of a traditional manufacturing process is overcome.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of additive and subtractive material manufacturing, in particular to an ultrasonic additive and subtractive material integrated manufacturing device. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) is an emerging additive manufacturing technology. Its core principle is to use high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations (frequencies commonly range between 20kHz-40kHz) to cause intense friction and intermolecular interactions at the microscopic level, so that the workpiece can be solid-state welded under pressure (50% lower than the melting point of the material). In the field of electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing, ultrasonic welding is often used to seal tiny electronic components and circuit board assemblies to ensure the reliability and stability of electrical connections; in the new energy vehicle manufacturing industry, it is widely used for the welding of battery tabs, and can also be used for the assembly of plastic parts such as automotive interiors, which can achieve efficient and reliable connections, improve product appearance quality and meet corresponding technical requirements; in the aerospace field, ultrasonic welding technology can be used to process various aluminum light alloy materials to meet the requirements of high strength and lightweight structural parts. A typical ultrasonic welding system consists of multiple key components working together. The press, as a device that provides stable pressure, can ensure that the workpieces fit closely during the welding process and ensure the welding quality. The base or anvil provides a stable support platform for the workpiece and helps to guide and transmit ultrasonic vibrations. The ultrasonic welding head is the core vibration part of the system. The piezoelectric transducer is responsible for converting electrical energy into high-frequency mechanical vibrations, which are transmitted to the ultrasonic welding head through the amplitude transformer, and finally the vibrations are transmitted to the workpiece through the welding head.

[0003] When building a part, thin metal strips or non-metallic strips (usually with a thickness of tens to hundreds of microns) are first used as raw materials, and the metal strips are welded layer by layer under pressure using an ultrasonic welding head to form the basic shape of the part. After each layer of welding is completed, the CNC system controls the milling tool to mill the welded structure, remove excess material, and form precise features such as internal channels, grooves, threads, etc. At the same time, the surface of the part is trimmed to ensure its flatness and precision requirements. Therefore, UAM technology can manufacture metal parts with complex internal structures and high-precision surface quality.

[0004] Traditional UAM equipment generally adopts a split processing method, that is, the UAM equipment ultrasonically welds the workpiece into a simple shape and then moves it to a precision CNC machine tool for refined processing. This greatly increases work efficiency. At the same time, repeated positioning of the workpiece will reduce the accuracy of the product, which not only reduces product quality, but also leads to waste of production costs. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes an ultrasonic additive and subtractive material integrated manufacturing device.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is: an ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing device, including a main frame, a main shaft, an additive structure, a subtractive structure, and a control module, wherein the main shaft is vertically mounted on one side of the main frame, the subtractive structure is mounted on the main shaft and can move up and down along the main shaft, the additive structure is mounted on the right side of the main shaft, and a workbench that can move in the x-axis and y-axis directions is provided on the upper surface of the main frame; The additive structure comprises a cutting unit, a foil feeding unit and an ultrasonic welding unit, wherein the cutting unit is used for cutting the foil strip, and the foil feeding unit is used for continuously providing the ultrasonic welding unit with metal or non-metal foil strip; The subtractive structure includes a milling tool, and the control module is used to receive a three-dimensional model of a part and control the operation of the additive structure and the subtractive structure.

[0007] In the above-mentioned ultrasonic additive and subtractive material integrated manufacturing equipment, the workbench is provided with heating wires arranged horizontally and vertically.

[0008] The above-mentioned ultrasonic additive and subtractive material integrated manufacturing equipment, the ultrasonic welding unit includes a connecting plate, an ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic amplitude transformer, and an ultrasonic welding head, the connecting plate is connected to the main shaft, the ultrasonic transducer is located on both sides of the ultrasonic amplitude transformer, and the ultrasonic welding head is located in the middle of the ultrasonic amplitude transformer.

[0009] In the above-mentioned ultrasonic additive and subtractive material integrated manufacturing equipment, the surface roughness of the ultrasonic welding head is Ra=25μm.

[0010] The above-mentioned ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing equipment, the foil feeding unit includes a foil raw material wheel, a tensioning wheel, a limiting wheel, a conveying wheel, and a conveying card. The tensioning wheel is provided with a tension sensor to monitor the tension of the foil in real time; the limiting wheel is used to guide the foil into the conveying wheel and limit the outflow of the foil; the conveying wheel is used to control the feeding speed of the foil; the conveying card is used to accurately deliver the foil to the bottom of the ultrasonic welding unit.

[0011] In the above-mentioned ultrasonic additive and subtractive material integrated manufacturing equipment, the transmission wheel is driven to rotate by a motor, and the motor is controlled by a control module; a polyurethane limit block is arranged on the surface of the transmission wheel.

[0012] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that in the entire ultrasonic additive manufacturing process, the various parts of the equipment work closely together and are uniformly and accurately controlled by the control module, which can not only realize real-time monitoring and parameter adjustment of the processing process, but also have fault diagnosis and early warning functions. The present invention can efficiently and accurately realize the manufacturing of complex metal parts, give full play to the advantages of ultrasonic additive manufacturing and subtractive processing, overcome the limitations of traditional manufacturing processes, and provide high-performance and high-precision metal parts manufacturing solutions for aerospace, automobile manufacturing, medical equipment and other fields. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the present invention; FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a workbench of the present invention, wherein (a) is a plan view of the workbench; (b) is a perspective view of the workbench; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic welding module of the present invention.

[0014] Among them, 1. main shaft, 2. ultrasonic welding unit, 3. cutting unit, 4. foil raw material wheel, 5. tensioning wheel, 6. limiting wheel, 7. transmission wheel, 8. transmission card, 9. workbench.

[0015] 21. Connecting plate, 22. Ultrasonic transducer, 23. Ultrasonic welding head, 24. Ultrasonic horn. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment discloses an ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing device, including a main frame, a main shaft 1, an additive structure, a subtractive structure, and a control module. The main shaft 1 is vertically mounted on one side of the main frame, the subtractive structure is mounted on the main shaft 1 and can move up and down along the main shaft, the additive structure is mounted on the right side of the main shaft, and a workbench 9 that can move in the x-axis and y-axis directions is provided on the upper surface of the main frame. The subtractive structure includes a milling tool, and the control module is used to receive a three-dimensional model of a part and control the operation of the additive structure and the subtractive structure.

[0018] The main frame, as the basic support structure of the milling tool, is made of high-strength metal materials and has sufficient rigidity and stability to ensure that the equipment will not be significantly deformed during the manufacturing process. The precisely constructed z-axis guide system inside the main frame provides high-precision guidance and support for the subsequent movement of the spindle.

[0019] As the key moving part of the milling tool, the spindle is manufactured using precision machining technology, and the surface is specially treated (such as quenching, grinding, etc.) to improve hardness and surface finish, ensuring accuracy and stability during high-speed rotation and frequent axial movement. The spindle is compatible with a variety of standard milling tools, and a reliable connection with the milling tool is achieved through high-precision taper matching (such as common BT, CAT and other taper systems). The spindle is designed with a cooling channel inside, which can introduce coolant during the working process to effectively take away the heat generated by high-speed rotation and cutting, and prevent the spindle from being deformed or damaged due to overheating. The spindle is connected to the z-axis motor through a high-precision ball screw nut pair. Under the precise control of the control module, the z-axis motor drives the spindle to achieve fast and precise movement in the z-axis direction, and the positioning accuracy can reach ±0.005mm or even higher.

[0020] The spindle plays a vital role in the working process of the milling tool. Its functions cover tool installation (different types of milling cutters, such as end mills, face mills, ball-end mills, etc.), rotation drive (the motor speed and torque are transmitted to the spindle through belt drive, gear drive or direct drive, and the spindle then accurately transmits the rotational motion to the milling cutter), motion control (the spindle can not only realize rotational motion, but also move along the z-axis direction within a certain range, so as to realize the cutting process of the workpiece in different depth directions. This z-axis motion control is combined with the movement of the worktable in the x-axis and y-axis directions, so that the milling cutter can cut the workpiece according to the predetermined processing path in three-dimensional space), precision assurance (the high-precision spindle can ensure that the milling cutter's blade always moves on a precise circle during the rotation process, so that the cutting thickness is uniform and consistent, reducing processing errors), power transmission (the spindle can effectively transmit the power and torque output by the motor to the milling cutter, and provide appropriate power according to processing requirements. Milling machine spindles of different specifications and models have different power and torque characteristics to meet various types and scales of processing tasks) and many other aspects.

[0021] 9 is a workbench. The workbench below the spindle can move freely in the x-axis and y-axis directions. Its moving range covers the entire workbench surface, providing a wide operating space for the processing of parts. The workbench 9 under the spindle is also made of high-strength metal materials, and its surface is finely ground to ensure the flatness and roughness requirements. The workbench is connected to the x-axis and y-axis motors through linear guides to form a high-precision planar motion system. Under the coordinated control of the control system, the x-axis and y-axis motors can drive the workbench to achieve fast and accurate positioning and movement in the x-axis and y-axis directions. The movement speed can be adjusted according to the processing requirements, and the maximum speed can reach several meters per minute. The positioning accuracy can also reach ±0.005mm level. The size of the workbench is determined according to the equipment design specifications. Generally, the workbench size of large-scale equipment can reach several square meters, which can carry large-sized and heavy workpieces for processing.

[0022] In a specific embodiment, the workbench is provided with heating wires arranged horizontally and vertically, as shown in Figure 2. These heating wires are connected to the control center module through PLC, which can provide a certain preset temperature for the welding process to meet the processing requirements of more materials. The main frame of the entire processing platform serves as the basic supporting structure of the ultrasonic welding manufacturing equipment. It not only provides a stable installation platform for the main shaft and the workbench, but also bears the weight of the entire equipment and various forces generated during the working process.

[0023] In this embodiment, the control module uses an advanced industrial control computer or a programmable logic controller (PLC) as the core control unit, and is equipped with a high-precision motion control card and a sensor interface card. Before the manufacturing process begins, the operator imports the three-dimensional model of the part into the control module, and selects different types of foils according to the required part structure. Different foils select appropriate welding parameters such as welding pressure, ultrasonic frequency, ultrasonic amplitude, welding speed, and workbench temperature. During the manufacturing process, the control module monitors various state parameters of the equipment in real time, such as spindle position, workbench position, welding head vibration parameters, milling force, temperature, etc., and dynamically adjusts the operating state of the equipment according to these parameters. For example, in the process of additive welding, if the welding quality is detected to be abnormal (such as insufficient welding strength, discontinuous welds, etc.), the control module will immediately adjust the welding parameters (such as increasing vibration energy, adjusting welding pressure, etc.); in the process of subtractive milling, if the tool wear exceeds the set threshold, the control module will automatically replace the tool or adjust the milling parameters to ensure the processing accuracy. At the same time, the control module also has a human-machine interactive interface, through which operators can view the progress of the manufacturing process and equipment status parameters in real time, and can manually intervene in the manufacturing process as needed, such as pausing, adjusting parameters, switching processing modes, etc. Through this control module, seamless switching and collaborative work of additive and subtractive manufacturing processes on the same equipment are achieved, greatly improving manufacturing efficiency and part quality.

[0024] In this embodiment, the additive structure includes a cutting unit 3, a foil feeding unit, and an ultrasonic welding unit 2. The cutting unit 3 is equipped with a high-strength hardened steel blade for cutting foil. The foil feeding unit is used to continuously provide metal or non-metal foil to the ultrasonic welding unit. The foil feeding unit includes a foil raw material wheel 4, a tensioning wheel 5, a limiting wheel 6, a transmission wheel 7, and a transmission card 8. The foil raw material wheel 4 is provided with a buckle, which can be used to clamp the raw material foil roll, and the raw material foil is continuously transported outward from here; a tension sensor is provided in the tensioning wheel to monitor the tension of the foil in real time and feed back the information to the interface of the control module; the limiting wheel 6 is used to guide the foil into the conveying wheel and limit the outflow of the foil; the conveying wheel 7 is used to control the feeding speed of the foil, and the conveying wheel is driven to rotate by a motor, and the motor is connected to the control module. The operator can change the feeding speed of the foil through the control module. The conveying wheel is embedded with polyurethane material, which is a polymer material with high friction, high wear resistance and high elasticity, which is convenient for clamping the foil and conveying it to a predetermined position; the conveying card 8 is used to accurately deliver the foil to the bottom of the ultrasonic welding unit.

[0025] In this embodiment, the structure of the ultrasonic welding unit 2 is shown in Figure 3, which specifically includes a connecting plate 21, an ultrasonic transducer 22, an ultrasonic amplitude transformer 24, and an ultrasonic welding head 23. The connecting plate 21 is connected to the main shaft 1, and the ultrasonic transducer 22 is located on both sides of the ultrasonic amplitude transformer 24. The ultrasonic welding head 23 is located in the middle of the ultrasonic amplitude transformer 24. The ultrasonic welding head is made of high-wear-resistant materials such as tungsten steel, or a high-hardness coating is formed by laser cladding, such as cladding a tungsten-chromium alloy coating on the surface of a titanium alloy. The surface has a certain roughness, and the surface roughness Ra=25μm.

[0026] In the system of the present invention, the additive and subtractive structures realize a close collaborative working relationship through the spindle. The entire additive structure is installed on the right side of the spindle and can move with the spindle in the z-axis direction. At the same time, the movement of the worktable in the x-axis and y-axis directions can accurately position the parts under the ultrasonic welding assembly to realize additive welding processing of the parts, and at the same time, the processed workpiece can be moved under the spindle for corresponding milling and subtractive operations.

[0027] During the additive manufacturing process, the foil is accurately transported from the foil raw material wheel 4 to the working area below the ultrasonic welding head through the tensioning wheel 5, the limiting wheel 6, the transmission wheel 7, and the transmission card 8. Under the control of the control module, the transmission wheel 7 can accurately control the feeding speed and feeding amount of the foil according to the preset welding parameters (such as welding speed, welding pressure, foil thickness, etc.). After receiving the high-frequency ultrasonic vibration signal, the ultrasonic welding head transfers the vibration energy to the foil, so that the foil is solid-state welded with the welded part (such as the substrate or the previous welding layer) under the combined action of pressure and ultrasound. During the welding process, the parameters such as the vibration frequency, amplitude and applied pressure of the welding head are monitored and adjusted in real time by the control system to ensure the stability and consistency of the welding quality. As the welding process continues, the metal foil is accumulated layer by layer, gradually forming a three-dimensional part entity. After each layer of welding is completed, according to the part design requirements, the control module can selectively pause the welding process, start the milling operation, perform fine processing on the current layer, and then continue to weld the next layer, and so on, until the additive manufacturing process of the entire part is completed.

[0028] When subtractive manufacturing (milling) is required, the control module drives the milling tool to move in the z-axis direction and positions the milling tool (such as milling cutter, drill, boring tool, etc.) installed on the spindle above the part to be processed. Driven by the x-axis and y-axis motors, the worktable moves the part to the processing path of the milling tool. During the milling process, the milling tool rotates at high speed (the speed can be adjusted from thousands of revolutions per minute to tens of thousands of revolutions per minute according to the processing material and tool type). At the same time, according to the preset milling path and processing parameters (such as feed speed, cutting depth, cutting width, etc.), the worktable and the milling tool move in coordination to achieve precise milling of the part. Through multiple milling operations in different directions and depths, it is possible to remove excess material on the part to form various complex shape features, such as internal cavities, external contours, threads, keyways, etc., and at the same time, the surface of the part is finely trimmed to achieve the dimensional accuracy and surface roughness required by the design.

[0029] The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications or equivalent substitutions to the present invention within the essence and protection scope of the present invention, and such modifications or equivalent substitutions shall also be deemed to fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing device, characterized in that: It includes a main frame, a main shaft, an additive structure, a subtractive structure, and a control module. The main shaft is vertically mounted on one side of the main frame. The subtractive structure is mounted on the main shaft and can move up and down along the main shaft. The additive structure is mounted on the right side of the main shaft. A workbench that can move in the x-axis and y-axis directions is provided on the upper surface of the main frame. The additive structure comprises a cutting unit, a foil feeding unit and an ultrasonic welding unit, wherein the cutting unit is used for cutting the foil strip, and the foil feeding unit is used for continuously providing the ultrasonic welding unit with metal or non-metal foil strip; The subtractive structure includes a milling tool, and the control module is used to receive a three-dimensional model of a part and control the operation of the additive structure and the subtractive structure.

2. The ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The workbench is provided with heating wires arranged horizontally and vertically.

3. The ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ultrasonic welding unit comprises a connecting plate, an ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic amplitude transformer, and an ultrasonic welding head. The connecting plate is connected to the main shaft, the ultrasonic transducer is located on both sides of the ultrasonic amplitude transformer, and the ultrasonic welding head is located in the middle of the ultrasonic amplitude transformer.

4. The ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing equipment according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The surface roughness of the ultrasonic horn is Ra=25 μm.

5. The ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The foil feeding unit includes a foil raw material wheel, a tensioning wheel, a limiting wheel, a conveying wheel, and a conveying card. The tensioning wheel is provided with a tension sensor to monitor the tension of the foil in real time; the limiting wheel is used to guide the foil into the conveying wheel and limit the outflow of the foil; the conveying wheel is used to control the feeding speed of the foil; and the conveying card is used to accurately deliver the foil to the bottom of the ultrasonic welding unit.

6. The ultrasonic additive and subtractive integrated manufacturing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmission wheel is driven to rotate by a motor, and the motor is controlled by a control module; a polyurethane limit block is arranged on the surface of the transmission wheel.

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