Method and device for sintering wick

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of wick sintering, in particular to a wick sintering method and device.The method comprises the steps that a high-frequency magnetic field area is formed in a set environment through an induction coil; and the wick to be sintered penetrates through the high-frequency magnetic field area, the high-frequency magnetic field area generates induction eddy current in the wick to be sintered, and the wick to be sintered is heated and sintered through the induction eddy current. According to the wick sintering method and device, when the wick sintering method and device are used, the wick to be sintered penetrates through the induction coil, and the wick to be sintered is sintered and formed through the high-frequency magnetic field generated by the induction coil; when the wick is sintered, a single wick to be sintered is sintered and molded, only about 10 seconds are needed, and the sintering production efficiency is effectively improved; in addition, in the sintering process, the needed electric quantity is obviously reduced, then the electricity utilization cost can be reduced, the structure of a device needed for sintering forming is simple, and compared with existing sintering equipment, the equipment cost is lower.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of liquid absorbent core sintering, and in particular to a liquid absorbent core sintering method and device. Background Art

[0002] Heat pipes and vapor chambers are used in electronic products to dissipate heat from heating components within the system. The wick structure within these heat pipes and vapor chambers plays a crucial role in their performance. Wicks for these systems typically come in grooved, sintered, and composite types. The most commonly used sintered wicks utilize a single particle size powder or a mixture of powders with multiple particle sizes, which are then sintered onto the inner wall of the heat pipe or the upper and lower covers of the vapor chamber to form the wick structure.

[0003] Solid-phase sintering of metal powders is an irreversible thermodynamic process in which metal powder particles form a continuous solid structure through molecular or atomic diffusion under high temperature conditions. During sintering, a large amount of powder is filled into a mold of a predetermined shape and then heated under certain protective atmosphere conditions to a temperature of 100-200°C, the melting point of the sintered metal material. This creates a certain degree of bonding between adjacent particles, forming a dense solid structure with a certain degree of bonding strength.

[0004] In the above heating method, the wick structure is usually placed in an atmosphere sintering furnace with a sintering temperature of 980° C. or above for 8 hours or even longer, which consumes a lot of electricity and takes up a lot of production time. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve at least the above technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a method and device for sintering a liquid wick.

[0006] On one hand, the present invention provides a method for sintering a liquid absorbent core, the method comprising: forming a high-frequency magnetic field zone in a set environment by an induction coil; passing a liquid absorbent core to be sintered through the high-frequency magnetic field zone, wherein the magnetic field in the high-frequency magnetic field zone generates induced eddy currents on the liquid absorbent core to be sintered, and heating and sintering the liquid absorbent core to be sintered by the induced eddy currents.

[0007] In some embodiments, the method of forming a high-frequency magnetic field zone in a set environment by using an induction coil includes: placing the induction coil in an inert gas environment, wherein the induction coil forms the high-frequency magnetic field zone in the inert gas environment.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method of passing the wick to be sintered through the high-frequency magnetic field zone includes: passing the wick to be sintered through the induction coil in sequence from the head end to the tail end by a conveying device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the frequency range of the current loaded on the induction coil is 20 KHz to 50 KHz; the power range of the induction coil is 30 KW to 80 KW; and / or the time for the wick to be sintered to pass through the induction coil is 5 seconds to 15 seconds.

[0010] In some embodiments, the sintering temperature of the wick to be sintered by heating the induced eddy current is in a range of 900 degrees Celsius to 1000 degrees Celsius.

[0011] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a liquid-absorbing core sintering device, including a protective box and an induction coil; the induction coil is arranged in the protective box, and the protective box is filled with a protective gas; the induction coil is used to pass current and form a high-frequency magnetic field zone, and the high-frequency magnetic field zone is used to generate induced eddy currents in the liquid-absorbing core to be sintered, and the liquid-absorbing core to be sintered is heated and sintered by the induced eddy currents.

[0012] In some embodiments, a conveying structure is further included; the conveying structure is arranged in the protective box, and the melting point of the conveying structure is higher than the melting point of the wick to be sintered; the wick to be sintered is arranged on the conveying structure, and the wick to be sintered is conveyed through the high-frequency magnetic field zone by the conveying structure.

[0013] In some embodiments, the conveying structure includes a conveying belt; a conveying entrance and a conveying exit are provided on the protection box, and the conveying belt passes through the conveying entrance, the induction coil and the conveying exit in sequence.

[0014] In some embodiments, the outer diameter of the delivery inlet and the delivery outlet is less than 3 cm; the protective gas is an inert gas, the protective box is filled with the inert gas, and part of the inert gas is discharged through the delivery inlet or the delivery outlet to shield the air outside the protective box.

[0015] In some embodiments, the wick to be sintered passes through the induction coil via a middle portion of the induction coil; and a cross-sectional shape of the induction coil is the same as a cross-sectional shape of the wick to be sintered.

[0016] The present invention provides a wick sintering method and apparatus. During use, the wick to be sintered is passed through an induction coil, where it is sintered into shape using the high-frequency magnetic field generated by the induction coil. The wick sintering operation takes only approximately 10 seconds to sinter a single wick, effectively improving sintering efficiency. Furthermore, the amount of electricity required during the sintering process is significantly reduced, thereby lowering electricity costs. The sintering apparatus is simple in structure, resulting in lower equipment costs compared to existing sintering equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent by reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of example and not limitation, in which:

[0018] In the drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts.

[0019] Figure 1 A flowchart of a wick sintering method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a wick sintering device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the liquid wick sintering device provided in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the liquid wick sintering device provided in an embodiment of the present invention Figure 2 .

[0023] In the picture:

[0024] 1: Protective box; 11: Delivery inlet; 2: Induction coil; 3: Delivery structure; 4: Liquid-absorbing core to be sintered. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purposes, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a wick sintering method, the method comprising the following steps:

[0027] Step S10: forming a high-frequency magnetic field region in a set environment through an induction coil.

[0028] The induction coil is placed in a predetermined environment. For example, the induction coil is placed in a box structure filled with an inert gas. The induction coil forms a high-frequency magnetic field within the inert gas environment. For example, the inert gas is nitrogen. The box structure is filled with nitrogen to prevent air from entering the box structure, thereby maintaining the predetermined environment within the box structure. The purpose of the inert gas environment is to prevent air from entering the sintering process, thereby preventing / reducing oxidation.

[0029] The absorbent core to be sintered includes a wick structure, powder and a mold. Before the sintering operation, the absorbent core to be sintered needs to be prepared and shaped. In the embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the mold and the molding process of the absorbent core to be sintered are not limited.

[0030] The shape of the induction coil can be determined by the shape of the wick to be sintered. The induction coil is an annular structure. If the wick to be sintered is cylindrical, the induction coil can be configured as a circular ring. If the wick to be sintered is a rectangular cylindrical wick, the induction coil can be configured as a square ring. This configuration ensures a consistent linear distance between the induction coil and the wick to be sintered, facilitating uniform heating of the wick and improving sintering quality.

[0031] For example, the material of the induction coil can be a metal material or a non-metal material, for example, metal materials such as copper, aluminum, iron, steel, etc., and non-metal materials such as graphite, ceramics, etc.

[0032] Applying high-frequency alternating current to the induction coil can generate a time-varying magnetic field, which is the high-frequency magnetic field zone. The high-frequency magnetic field zone is the heating zone, and the wick to be sintered passing through the heating zone is heated and sintered.

[0033] For example, the frequency range of the current loaded on the induction coil is 20 kHz to 50 kHz; the power range of the induction coil is 30 kW to 80 kW.

[0034] Step S20: the absorbent core to be sintered passes through a high-frequency magnetic field zone. The magnetic field in the high-frequency magnetic field zone generates induced eddy currents on the absorbent core to be sintered, and the induced eddy currents heat and sinter the absorbent core to be sintered.

[0035] The portion of the wick to be sintered located within the high-frequency magnetic field (heating zone) is heated. By continuously passing the wick through the high-frequency magnetic field, the entire wick can be sintered. For example, the passage time for a single wick to be sintered is typically 5 to 15 seconds.

[0036] For example, a conveyor device is used to sequentially pass the wicks to be sintered from the head end to the tail end through the induction coil. The conveyor device needs to have a higher melting point than the wicks to be sintered, and the wicks to be sintered are transported through the high-frequency magnetic field by the conveyor device. For example, the conveyor device is a conveyor belt structure.

[0037] The high-frequency magnetic field generates eddy currents in the wick to be sintered, generating heat. This heat is then used to heat and sinter the wick. For example, the sintering temperature ranges from 900°C to 1000°C. For example, if the sintering powder is copper powder, eddy currents will be generated between the copper powder and between the copper powder and the copper shell during the sintering process, resulting in resistance loss, thereby heating the powder and the wick. By controlling the frequency and duration of the sintering process, the copper powder and the copper shell will reach the sintering temperature instantaneously. At this temperature, the powder particles undergo molecular diffusion, resulting in a certain degree of bonding, forming a dense solid structure with a certain bond strength, thereby achieving the purpose of sintering.

[0038] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a wick sintering device, comprising a protective box and an induction coil. A set environment is formed in the protective box, and the induction coil generates a high-frequency magnetic field zone in the environment, and completes the sintering operation in the environment.

[0039] The following describes in detail the various structures of the liquid wick sintering device provided by the embodiment of the present invention, as well as the connection relationship and positional relationship between the various structures, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0040] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the induction coil 2 is arranged in the protective box 1, and the protective box 1 is filled with protective gas, so as to form a set environment in the protective box 1. For example, the protective box 1 is filled with inert gas, such as nitrogen. When the protective box 1 is filled with inert gas, the outside air can be shielded from entering the protective box 1, thereby avoiding / reducing the occurrence of oxidation during the sintering process.

[0041] For example, the material of the induction coil 2 can be a metal material or a non-metal material, for example, metal materials such as copper, aluminum, iron, steel, etc., and non-metal materials such as graphite, ceramics, etc.

[0042] The induction coil 2 is used to pass current and form a high-frequency magnetic field. The high-frequency magnetic field is used to generate eddy currents in the wick 4 to be sintered. These eddy currents heat and sinter the wick 4 to be sintered. The portion of the wick 4 to be sintered located in the high-frequency magnetic field (heating zone) is heated. By continuously passing the wick 4 through the high-frequency magnetic field, the entire wick 4 can be sintered.

[0043] The high frequency magnetic field generates induced eddy currents in the absorbent core 4 to be sintered, which generates heat. The heat generated by the eddy currents is used to heat and sinter the absorbent core 4 to be sintered. Figure 1 The wick sintering method shown.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present invention, the wick sintering device further includes a conveying structure 3; the conveying structure 3 is disposed in the protective box 1, and the melting point of the conveying structure 3 is higher than the melting point of the wick 4 to be sintered; the wick 4 to be sintered is disposed on the conveying structure 3, and the wick 4 to be sintered is conveyed through the high-frequency magnetic field zone by the conveying structure 3.

[0045] For example, the material of the conveying structure 3 is graphite, stainless steel, etc. The melting point of the conveying structure 3 made of such material is higher than the melting point of the wick 4 to be sintered, for example, the material of the wick 4 to be sintered is copper.

[0046] The conveying structure 3 moves at a set moving speed, and uniformly conveys the absorbent core 4 to be sintered through the induction coil 2 . The absorbent core 4 to be sintered is located in the high-frequency magnetic field area and can be sintered.

[0047] Continue to refer Figures 2 to 4 As shown, in the embodiment of the present invention, the conveying structure 3 includes a conveying belt; a conveying entrance 11 and a conveying outlet are provided on the protection box 1, and the conveying belt passes through the conveying entrance 11, the induction coil 2 and the conveying outlet in sequence.

[0048] For example, a driving structure is set at one end or both ends of the conveyor belt. If the driving structure is a driving wheel, the driving structure can be set outside the protective box 1, and the part of the conveyor belt located inside the protective box 1 is located inside the protective box 1 and runs smoothly, thereby achieving the purpose of transporting the liquid-absorbing core 4 to be sintered.

[0049] For example, the outer diameters of the delivery inlet 11 and the delivery outlet are less than 3 cm; the protective gas is an inert gas, and the protective box 1 is filled with the inert gas. For example, the wick 4 to be sintered is a heat pipe or a temperature equalizing plate, and an opening with an outer diameter of less than 3 cm can meet the requirements of the heat pipe or the temperature equalizing plate entering and exiting. When the protective box 1 is filled with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, the density of nitrogen is close to that of air. When the protective box 1 is filled with nitrogen, the state of the nitrogen is relatively stable. When heated, the temperature inside the protective box 1 rises, and the inert gas tends to expand. A small amount of inert gas will leak from the delivery inlet 11 and the delivery outlet, thereby continuously shielding the air outside the protective box 1, thereby ensuring that the internal sintering is not oxidized.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present invention, the wick 4 to be sintered passes through the middle of the induction coil 2 ; the cross-sectional shape of the induction coil 2 is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the wick 4 to be sintered.

[0051] The purpose of adapting the cross-sectional shape of the induction coil 2 to the cross-sectional shape of the wick 4 to be sintered is to position the wick 4 to be sintered at the center of the induction coil 2, and to make the straight-line distances between each position of the induction coil 2 and the wick 4 to be sintered the same or approaching the same. Therefore, when the wick 4 to be sintered is heated by the induction coil 2, each position is heated more evenly.

[0052] For example, Figure 3 As shown, the wick 4 to be sintered is a heat pipe, and the cross-sectional shape of the heat pipe is circular. Accordingly, the shape of the induction coil 2 is also set to be circular; for example, Figure 4 As shown, the wick 4 to be sintered is a temperature-averaging plate, and the cross-section of the temperature-averaging plate is a rectangle. Accordingly, the shape of the induction coil 2 is also set to a square ring.

[0053] The present invention provides a wick sintering method and device. When in use, the wick 4 to be sintered passes through the induction coil 2, and the high-frequency magnetic field generated by the induction coil 2 is used to sinter the wick 4 to be sintered.

[0054] The powder sintering time of a single wick 4 (heat pipe or temperature plate) to be sintered is reduced from 8 hours to a maximum of 15 seconds. Considering that the atmosphere sintering furnace can sinter up to 800 sample heat pipes per furnace and up to 500 temperature plates per furnace, the wick sintering device of the present invention only takes 3.3 hours to sinter 800 heat pipes. Similarly, the wick sintering device only takes 2 hours to sinter 500 heat pipes, effectively shortening the sintering time and improving production efficiency.

[0055] The atmosphere sintering furnace has a heating and holding time of 4 hours, during which it operates at full power and generates about 320 kWh of electricity. However, the wick sintering device of the present invention generates only 0.3 kWh of electricity for each wick 4 to be sintered. The production of 800 heat pipes generates 240 kWh of electricity, and the production of 500 heat pipes generates 150 kWh of electricity, effectively reducing electricity consumption and lowering production costs.

[0056] The cost of each atmosphere sintering furnace is about 500,000 to 1 million, while the cost of the liquid absorbent core sintering device of the present invention is about 20,000 to 150,000, which reduces the equipment investment cost.

[0057] In the description of this specification, reference to the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and integrate different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as features of different embodiments or examples, unless otherwise inconsistent.

[0058] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0059] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for sintering a liquid wick, characterized in that: The method comprises: A high-frequency magnetic field area is formed in a set environment through an induction coil; The absorbent core to be sintered passes through the high-frequency magnetic field zone, and the magnetic field in the high-frequency magnetic field zone generates induced eddy currents on the absorbent core to be sintered, and the absorbent core to be sintered is heated and sintered by the induced eddy currents.

2. The wick sintering method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method for forming a high-frequency magnetic field zone in a set environment by means of an induction coil comprises: The induction coil is placed in an inert gas environment, and the induction coil forms the high-frequency magnetic field region in the inert gas environment.

3. The wick sintering method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The method of passing the wick to be sintered through the high-frequency magnetic field zone comprises: The liquid absorbent core to be sintered is passed through the induction coil from the head end to the tail end in sequence by a conveying device.

4. The wick sintering method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The frequency range of the current loaded by the induction coil is 20KHz to 50KHz; The power range of the induction coil is 30KW to 80KW; and / or The time for the wick to be sintered to pass through the induction coil is 5 seconds to 15 seconds.

5. The sintering method of the liquid absorbent core according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The temperature range of heating and sintering the wick to be sintered by the induced eddy current is 900 degrees Celsius to 1000 degrees Celsius.

6. A liquid wick sintering device, characterized in that: It comprises a protection box (1) and an induction coil (2); The induction coil (2) is arranged in the protection box (1), and the protection box (1) is filled with protective gas; The induction coil (2) is used to pass current and form a high-frequency magnetic field area, and the high-frequency magnetic field area is used to generate induced eddy currents in the liquid absorbent core (4) to be sintered, and the liquid absorbent core (4) to be sintered is heated and sintered by the induced eddy currents.

7. The wick sintering device according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes a conveying structure (3); The conveying structure (3) is arranged in the protective box (1), and the melting point of the conveying structure (3) is higher than the melting point of the liquid absorbent core (4) to be sintered; The liquid absorbent core (4) to be sintered is arranged on the conveying structure (3), and the liquid absorbent core (4) to be sintered is conveyed through the high-frequency magnetic field zone by the conveying structure (3).

8. The wick sintering device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The conveying structure (3) comprises a conveying crawler; The protection box (1) is provided with a conveying inlet (11) and a conveying outlet, and the conveying crawler passes through the conveying inlet (11), the induction coil (2) and the conveying outlet in sequence.

9. The wick sintering device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer diameters of the delivery inlet (11) and the delivery outlet are less than 3 cm; The protective gas is an inert gas. The protective box (1) is filled with the inert gas, and part of the inert gas is discharged through the delivery inlet (11) or the delivery outlet to shield the air outside the protective box (1).

10. The wick sintering device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The wick (4) to be sintered passes through the induction coil (2) via the middle of the induction coil (2); The cross-sectional shape of the induction coil (2) is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the liquid absorbent core (4) to be sintered.

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