Laser processing head posture adjusting mechanism for thermoplastic fiber placement machine

Abstract

The invention discloses a laser processing head posture adjusting mechanism for a thermoplastic fiber placement machine, which comprises a flange plate, a laser processing head mounting arm and a laser processing head translation arm, the laser processing head posture adjusting mechanism is rooted at the tail end of a machine tool of the fiber placement machine through the flange plate, and the laser processing head translation arm is mounted on the laser processing head mounting arm. The laser processing head is installed at the end, close to the fiber placement head moving end, of the laser processing head translation arm, one end of the laser processing head installation arm is rooted on the flange plate, and the other end of the laser processing head installation arm extends out of a fiber placement machine pipeline package gap and extends towards the fiber placement head moving end. The mounting position of the laser processing head is close to the moving end of the fiber placement head under the condition that the laser processing head does not interfere with the fiber placement machine pipeline package, and laser emitted by the laser processing head exactly falls on the fiber placement head compression roller after passing through the set focal length of the laser. According to the invention, automatic locking / separation of the laser processing head and the moving end of the fiber placement head is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of composite material wire laying machines, and in particular to a laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic wire laying machine. Background Art

[0002] The automatic fiber placement machine for composite materials is an industrial mother machine required for the placement and molding of large composite structural parts in the aerospace industry. Currently, the automatic fiber placement technology is in the stage of upgrading the raw materials from thermosetting carbon fiber prepreg to thermoplastic carbon fiber prepreg. In order to achieve the raw material upgrade, it is necessary to install a special laser processing head on the equipment to laser heat the resin on the surface of the thermoplastic composite ply to a molten state to ensure the bonding of the upper and lower layers of raw materials. To achieve this goal, the focus position of the laser processing head's light spot needs to be precisely controlled at the end pressure roller of the fiber placement machine's end effector (fiber placement head), and the light spot needs to be accurately distributed on the pressure roller and the ply surface.

[0003] The fiber placement head usually consists of a yarn box and a moving end. The yarn box is fixedly connected to the fiber placement machine, while the moving end is connected to the yarn box in a floating manner. The two can move relative to each other along the normal direction of the fiber placement head. Since the pressure roller is fixed on the moving end of the fiber placement head, in order to ensure that the relative position of the laser spot emitted by the laser processing head and the pressure roller remains unchanged, the laser processing head and the moving end of the fiber placement head must be fixed as the same rigid body so that the two can float at the same time.

[0004] Existing thermoplastic automatic wire laying machines usually directly connect the laser processing head to the moving end of the wire laying head with bolts, and set features such as waist-shaped holes on the connecting bracket. The light spot is fine-tuned by adjusting the installation position of the bolts in the waist-shaped holes. After adjustment, tighten the bolts to ensure that the relative position relationship between the light spot and the pressure roller remains unchanged. This connection method brings the following problems:

[0005] First, in the process of replacing raw materials, troubleshooting and other operations, the wire laying machine can quickly replace the wire laying head so that the wire laying head can be prepared offline. In this process, all cables on the wire laying head need to be automatically plugged in and out. However, the laser processing head usually needs to be connected to the laser body arranged near the ground through deionized cooling water pipes, optical fibers and other cables; because deionized water needs to avoid contamination, the optical fiber connector structure is relatively fragile and the installation accuracy affects the quality of the light spot, the above connectors are difficult to automatically and quickly plug in and out. Therefore, if the laser processing head is fixedly connected to the wire laying head, the wire laying machine will lose the automatic quick change of the wire laying head and the offline preparation / material change function; because there are multiple high-temperature heat sources such as laser processing head (400℃) and preheating mold (120℃~150℃) in the thermoplastic laying process environment, it is highly dangerous for operators to enter the site to replace raw materials, so it is urgent to develop the functions of quick replacement and offline material change of thermoplastic wire laying heads.

[0006] Second, according to different process requirements, the spot focus of the laser processing head may need to be automatically fine-tuned online. For example, when performing heat treatment, the spot needs to fall completely on the existing layer, and when performing composite-composite interface placement, the spot needs to be evenly distributed on the wire laying head pressure roller and the existing layer. If the processing head is fixedly connected to the wire laying head, when the spot focus needs to be changed, the spot can only be adjusted by manually adjusting the position of the mounting bolts. Therefore, the core process condition of the spot position is difficult to accurately control, resulting in a decrease in molding quality. In addition, manual bolt position adjustment in the high temperature environment of thermoplastic placement will not only take up working time and reduce productivity, but will also bring potential safety hazards to personnel. Summary of the invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic wire laying machine to solve the problems described in the background technology.

[0008] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of the present invention is:

[0009] A laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic wire laying machine comprises a flange, a laser processing head mounting arm and a laser processing head translation arm, wherein the laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism is rooted at the end of the wire laying machine bed through the flange, the laser processing head translation arm is mounted on the laser processing head mounting arm and can be translated along the laser processing head mounting arm, the laser processing head is mounted at the end of the laser processing head translation arm close to the moving end of the wire laying head, one end of the laser processing head mounting arm is rooted in the flange, and the other end extends from the gap of the wire laying machine pipeline package and extends toward the moving end of the wire laying head, so that the installation position of the laser processing head is close to the moving end of the wire laying head without interfering with the wire laying machine pipeline package, so that the laser emitted by the laser processing head falls exactly on the pressure roller of the wire laying head after passing through the laser to set the focal length.

[0010] Furthermore, the laser processing head translation arm is connected to the laser processing head mounting arm via a guide rail, and the guide rail direction is along the normal direction of the flange, so that the laser processing head translation arm can translate along the floating direction of the silk placing head yarn box-moving end.

[0011] Furthermore, a laser processing head positioning cylinder is installed on the laser processing head translation arm, a laser processing head locking pin is installed on the front end of the cylinder, and a locking groove is provided at the moving end of the wire placing head. When the laser processing head translation arm translates along the floating direction of the wire placing head yarn box-moving end, the laser processing head locking pin slides through the locking groove on the moving end of the wire placing head, and the laser processing head locking pin sinks into the locking groove, locking the laser processing head translation arm and the moving end of the wire placing head into the same rigid body, so that the two can float at the same time.

[0012] Furthermore, a laser processing head swing arm motor and a reducer are installed at the end of the laser processing head translation arm, a laser processing head swing arm is installed at the output flange of the reducer, and the laser processing head is installed on the laser processing head swing arm; under the action of the laser processing head swing arm motor, the laser processing head can swing around the axis of the reducer output flange, thereby realizing the following functions: first, when performing a head changing operation, the laser processing head is swung to outside the projection area of ​​the wire laying head on the head changing movement path to avoid collision between the processing head and the wire laying head during head changing; second, during the laying operation, the laser processing head can be swung in real time according to the process requirements, so as to adjust the position of the light spot and improve the molding quality.

[0013] Furthermore, sensors such as a coaxial camera and an infrared thermal imager are installed on the swing arm of the laser processing head to facilitate accurate measurement of the laying process parameters.

[0014] Furthermore, a gun changing disc is installed on a side of the flange close to the silk placing head yarn box, and the female head of the gun changing disc is fixedly connected to the silk placing head yarn box, so as to realize the rapid replacement of the silk placing head.

[0015] Furthermore, a laser processing head translation cylinder is installed on the laser processing head mounting arm, the laser processing head translation cylinder body is fixedly connected to the laser processing head mounting arm, and the piston is fixedly connected to the laser processing head translation arm, so that the laser processing head translation arm can be moved along the guide rail direction, thereby controlling the position of the laser processing head translation arm when performing a head changing operation.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes a cable bracket to facilitate the rooting of optical fibers, cooling water pipes, attitude adjustment motor cables, cylinder air pipes, etc.

[0017] This patent has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0018] This patent moves the rooting position of the laser processing head, the core component of the thermoplastic fiber laying machine, from the fiber laying head that needs to be quickly replaced to the machine tool system that does not need to be quickly replaced, realizing the automatic locking and separation of the laser processing head and the moving end of the fiber laying head, thereby avoiding the operator entering the high-temperature working area to manually plug and unplug cables / replace raw materials when changing the head of the fiber laying machine. The thermoplastic fiber laying machine can quickly replace the fiber laying head and change materials offline, thereby improving the equipment productivity and safety; the laser processing head can perform controlled swing to achieve precise fine-tuning of the light spot position, adapt to different process requirements, and improve molding quality and productivity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is an example diagram of the layout of this mechanism on the wire laying machine.

[0020] Figure 2 This is the structure diagram of this organization.

[0021] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the application of this mechanism and the wire placing head. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Combination Figure 1-Figure 3The present embodiment provides a laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic wire laying machine, which realizes the function of fast and automatic head changing of the thermoplastic automatic wire laying machine, avoids the equipment shutdown and the operator entering the high-temperature working area when troubleshooting or loading operations, so that the thermoplastic wire laying machine can be changed and prepared offline, thereby improving the equipment productivity and safety. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism is composed of a flange 9, a laser processing head mounting arm 10, a laser processing head translation arm 12, a laser processing head swing arm motor 17, a reducer 18, a laser processing head swing arm 13, a laser processing head positioning cylinder 15, a laser processing head translation cylinder 11, a laser processing head locking pin 16, and a locking groove 20 at the moving end of the wire laying head. The whole is rooted at the end of the wire laying machine tool 1 (such as a robot, a gantry, etc., and the figure shows a robot) through the flange 9. The laser processing head mounting arm 10 is the frame of the above-mentioned posture adjustment mechanism, rooted on the flange 9, extending from the gap of the fiber laying machine pipeline package 2 and extending toward the fiber laying head moving end 5 (i.e., the normal direction of the flange 9), so that the installation position of the laser processing head 8 is close to the fiber laying head moving end 5 without interfering with the fiber laying machine pipeline package 2, ensuring that the laser 7 emitted by the laser processing head falls exactly on the fiber laying head pressure roller 6 after passing through the laser setting focal length. The laser processing head translation arm 12 is connected to the laser processing head mounting arm 10 through a guide rail 14, and the direction of the guide rail 14 is along the normal direction of the flange 9, so that the translation arm 12 can be translated along the floating direction of the fiber laying head yarn box 4-moving end 5. A laser processing head positioning cylinder 15 is installed on the laser processing head translation arm 12, and a laser processing head locking pin 16 is installed at the front end of the cylinder 15. When the laser processing head translation arm 12 translates along the floating direction of the wire laying head yarn box 4-moving end 5, the laser processing head locking pin 16 slides through the wire laying head moving end locking groove 20 rooted on the wire laying head moving end 5, and the laser processing head locking pin 16 will sink into the wire laying head moving end locking groove 20, thereby locking the laser processing head translation arm 12 and the wire laying head moving end 5 into the same rigid body, so that the two can float at the same time. A laser processing head swing arm motor 17 and a reducer 18 are installed at the end of the laser processing head translation arm 12, and a laser processing head swing arm 13 is installed at the output flange of the reducer 18, and the laser processing head 8 is installed on the laser processing head swing arm 13. Under the action of the laser processing head swing arm motor 17, the laser processing head 8 can swing around the output flange axis of the reducer 18, thereby realizing the following functions: First, when performing a head changing operation, the laser processing head 8 is swung to outside the projection area of ​​the silk head yarn box 4 and the moving end 5 on the head changing movement path to avoid collision of the laser processing head 8 during head changing; Second, during the laying operation, the laser processing head 8 can be swung in real time according to the process requirements, so as to adjust the position of the light spot and improve the molding quality.

[0024] A gun changing disc 3 is installed on one side of the flange 9 close to the silk placing head yarn box 4, and the female end of the gun changing disc 3 is fixedly connected to the silk placing head yarn box 4 to realize the rapid replacement of the silk placing head.

[0025] A laser processing head translation cylinder 11 is installed on the laser processing head mounting arm 10. The cylinder body of the cylinder 11 is fixedly connected to the laser processing head mounting arm 10, and the piston is fixedly connected to the laser processing head translation arm 12. The laser processing head translation arm 12 can be moved along the guide rail 14, thereby controlling the position of the laser processing head translation arm 12 when performing a head replacement operation.

[0026] The laser processing head swing arm 13 is equipped with a coaxial camera 19, an infrared thermal imager and other sensors to facilitate accurate measurement of laying process parameters.

[0027] A cable bracket is installed on the attitude adjustment mechanism of the laser processing head to facilitate the rooting of optical fibers, cooling water pipes, attitude adjustment motor cables, cylinder air pipes, etc.

[0028] Working process of the laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism:

[0029] When performing the head changing operation and grabbing the wire laying head from the wire laying head placement rack, the wire laying machine tool 1 moves vertically downward and moves toward the wire laying head placed on the parking bracket with the gun changing plate 3 facing upward; at this time, the laser processing head swing arm 13 swings to a vertical position under the action of the motor 17, making way for the machine tool 1 to move and avoid the laser processing head 8 from colliding with the yarn box 4, until the male and female joints of the gun changing plate 3 are locked with each other, so that the wire laying machine tool 1 is connected to the wire laying head yarn box 4. After the male and female joints of the gun changing plate 3 are locked, the laser processing head positioning cylinder 15 is first retracted, and the wire laying head moving end 5 and the laser processing head translation arm 12 are both pressed down to the bottom (the laser processing head translation cylinder 11 is in the extended position). The laser processing head positioning cylinder 15 is then extended, and the laser processing head translation arm 12 is pulled up by the laser processing head translation cylinder 11. When the laser processing head locking pin 16 moves with the laser processing head translation arm 12 to a position that coincides with the locking groove 20 of the wire laying head moving end, the locking pin 16 sinks into the locking groove 20, and the wire laying head moving end 5 and the laser processing head translation arm 12 are locked in relative position. At this time, the laser processing head translation cylinder 11 is depressurized, and the laser processing head translation arm 12 is in a passive state, following the movement of the wire laying head moving end 5. Next, the motor 17 is rotated to make the laser spot 7 emitted by the laser processing head 8 fall on the wire laying head pressure roller 6 and brake, that is, the laser processing head 8 is fixedly connected with the wire laying head moving end 5. At this time, the rapid grasping work of the thermoplastic wire laying machine wire laying head is completed, and the wire laying machine tool 1 can move the wire laying head back to the working area. During the laying process, the rotating motor 17 can be used to fine-tune the landing point of the spot 7 according to different working conditions, and the sensor 19 can monitor the laying process. The process of placing the wire laying head on the placement rack is the reverse process of the above process, which will not be repeated.

[0030] This patent changes the fixed laser processing head mounting bracket of the existing thermoplastic fiber laying machine into a laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism with two degrees of freedom of linear motion / swinging and a plug-in and pull-out device, which can complete the automatic locking and separation of the laser processing head and the moving end of the fiber laying head. This mechanism makes the laser processing head no longer rooted on the fiber laying head that needs quick change, but fixedly connected to the machine tool part of the fiber laying machine that does not need to perform quick change, thereby avoiding the plugging and unplugging of the laser optical fiber when performing the quick change operation of the fiber laying head, realizing the quick change function of the end effector of the thermoplastic fiber laying machine, and the operator no longer needs to enter the high-temperature area to perform material change operations, thereby improving the safety and productivity of the equipment; at the same time, the mechanism can use its swinging freedom to accurately adjust the laser spot position online, realizing the online adjustment of the laser spot position and process switching under different conditions, thereby improving the equipment productivity, process adaptability and molding quality.

[0031] The connections mentioned in this patent are divided into fixed connections and detachable connections. The fixed connection is a non-detachable connection, including but not limited to conventional fixed connection methods such as folding connection, rivet connection, bonding connection and welding connection. The detachable connection includes but is not limited to conventional detachable methods such as threaded connection, snap connection, pin connection and hinge connection. When the specific connection method is not clearly defined, it is assumed that at least one connection method can always be found in the existing connection methods to achieve the function. Those skilled in the art can choose according to their needs. For example: choose welding connection for fixed connection and hinge connection for detachable connection.

[0032] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and do not limit its protection scope. Those skilled in the art may also make partial changes thereto, and as long as they do not exceed the spirit of the present invention, they are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic wire laying machine, characterized in that: It includes a flange, a laser processing head mounting arm and a laser processing head translation arm. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism is rooted in the end of the wire laying machine through the flange. The laser processing head translation arm is mounted on the laser processing head mounting arm and can be translated along the laser processing head mounting arm. The laser processing head is mounted on the end of the laser processing head translation arm close to the moving end of the wire laying head. One end of the laser processing head mounting arm is rooted in the flange, and the other end extends from the gap of the wire laying machine pipeline package and extends toward the moving end of the wire laying head, so that the installation position of the laser processing head is close to the moving end of the wire laying head without interfering with the wire laying machine pipeline package, so that the laser emitted by the laser processing head falls exactly on the pressure roller of the wire laying head after passing through the laser to set the focal length.

2. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic fiber placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser processing head translation arm is connected to the laser processing head mounting arm through a guide rail, and the guide rail direction is along the normal direction of the flange, so that the laser processing head translation arm can be translated along the floating direction of the silk placing head yarn box-moving end.

3. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic fiber placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A laser processing head positioning cylinder is installed on the laser processing head translation arm, and a laser processing head locking pin is installed on the front end of the cylinder. A locking groove is provided at the moving end of the wire placing head. When the laser processing head translation arm translates along the floating direction of the wire placing head yarn box-moving end, the laser processing head locking pin slides through the locking groove on the moving end of the wire placing head, and the laser processing head locking pin sinks into the locking groove, locking the laser processing head translation arm and the moving end of the wire placing head into the same rigid body.

4. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic fiber placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end of the laser processing head translation arm is equipped with a laser processing head swing arm motor and a reducer, the laser processing head swing arm is installed at the reducer output flange, and the laser processing head is installed on the laser processing head swing arm.

5. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic fiber placement machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: A coaxial camera and an infrared thermal imager are installed on the swing arm of the laser processing head.

6. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic fiber placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A gun changing disc is installed on a side of the flange disc close to the silk placing head yarn box, and a female head of the gun changing disc is fixedly connected to the silk placing head yarn box.

7. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic fiber placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: A laser processing head translation cylinder is installed on the laser processing head mounting arm, a cylinder body of the laser processing head translation cylinder is fixedly connected to the laser processing head mounting arm, and a piston is fixedly connected to the laser processing head translation arm.

8. The laser processing head posture adjustment mechanism for a thermoplastic fiber placement machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes cable holder.

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