Vacuum superplastic forming machine tool

Abstract

The invention discloses a vacuum superplastic forming machine tool, relates to the technical field of vacuum superplastic forming equipment, aims to solve the problem of oxidation of parts during high-temperature superplastic forming, and realizes automation of the whole technological process by virtue of the characteristics of simplicity in operation, high automation degree, high production efficiency, high product precision and high percent of pass. The device comprises a lathe bed assembly, the lathe bed assembly comprises an upper cross beam, a lower cross beam and stand columns, the upper cross beam and the lower cross beam are connected through the stand columns, a furnace body assembly is installed on the lower cross beam, a pressure head assembly is slidably connected to the top of the furnace body assembly, and an oil cylinder is installed on one side of the top end of the upper cross beam through a locking nut; a hydraulic station is installed on the other side of the top end of the upper cross beam, the rear side of the furnace body assembly is connected with a vacuum unit through a catcher, the right side of the furnace body assembly is connected with an air cooling assembly through a pipeline, and an electric control cabinet and an operation table are arranged on the right side of the lathe bed assembly. The full-automatic superplastic forming device can automatically complete the whole technological process of superplastic forming of the part in the vacuum environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of vacuum superplastic forming equipment, in particular to a vacuum superplastic forming machine tool. Background Art

[0002] The superplasticity of metal refers to the phenomenon that the material exhibits abnormally low rheological resistance and abnormally high rheological properties under certain internal conditions (such as grain shape, size and phase change, etc.) and external conditions (such as temperature and pressure). Its characteristics are: large elongation, small stress, no necking, and easy forming. Titanium alloys have the characteristics of high specific strength, good high and low temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and radiation resistance, and are widely used in the aerospace field. Titanium alloy materials are almost impossible to form at room temperature, but they have good superplasticity in a higher temperature range (800-1000℃), so superplastic forming is the main forming method for titanium alloy parts. Due to the high forming temperature, the surface of the material is oxidized, which not only reduces the mechanical properties of the parts, but also affects the subsequent processing. Vacuum superplastic forming can avoid the above defects.

[0003] At present, the existing superplastic forming machine tools do not have a vacuum furnace chamber. In order to realize the vacuum superplastic forming of titanium alloy parts, the part blanks and the molds to be formed need to be sealed and welded in a vacuum box welded by heat-resistant steel, and then loaded into the heating furnace chamber of the superplastic forming machine tool. The air in the vacuum box is extracted through the reserved air nozzle. After reaching the required vacuum degree, the temperature is raised according to the process requirements and appropriate hydraulic and gas pressures are applied to complete the superplastic forming of the parts. After all the processes are completed, the furnace is cooled to room temperature, and then the whole is taken out from the furnace chamber, the vacuum box is cut open, and the mold and parts are taken out.

[0004] The existing technology has a complex process, a low degree of automation, low temperature and pressure control accuracy, and low production efficiency; the vacuum box manufacturing process is complex and can only be used once, the cost is high, and it is easy to leak during use, causing parts oxidation, and the product qualification rate is low. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vacuum superplastic forming machine tool, which can automatically complete the entire process of superplastic forming of parts under a vacuum environment, effectively avoid oxidation of parts, and the equipment is simple to operate, has a high degree of automation, high production efficiency, and high product precision and qualified rate. The machine tool comprises a bed assembly, wherein the bed assembly comprises an upper crossbeam, a lower crossbeam and a column, wherein the upper crossbeam and the lower crossbeam are connected by a plurality of columns, a furnace body assembly is installed on the lower crossbeam, a pressure head assembly is slidably connected to the top of the furnace body assembly, an oil cylinder is installed on one side of the top of the upper crossbeam through a locking nut, a hydraulic station is installed on the other side of the top of the upper crossbeam, a vacuum unit is connected to the rear side of the furnace body assembly through a collector, an air cooling assembly is connected to the right side of the furnace body assembly through a pipeline, and an electric control cabinet and an operating table are arranged on the right side of the bed body assembly; the furnace body assembly comprises a furnace body, a furnace door and a heating chamber, wherein a heating chamber is installed inside the furnace body, a furnace door is arranged on the front side of the furnace body, and reinforcing ribs and cooling pipelines are evenly arranged in the double-layer interlayer cavity of the furnace body; the heating chamber comprises a heating belt and a heat insulation screen, and the inner wall of the heat insulation screen is evenly installed with a heating belt; the vacuum unit comprises a Roots pump and a diffusion pump, the bottom end of the Roots pump is installed on the bracket, the suction port of the Roots pump is respectively connected to the second baffle valve and the third baffle valve through pipelines, the air outlet of the Roots pump is respectively connected to two first rotary vane pumps through pipelines, the top of the diffusion pump is connected to the first baffle valve through a flange, one side of the first baffle valve is connected to a collector, the other side of the first baffle valve is connected to the second baffle valve through a pipeline, one side of the bottom of the diffusion pump is respectively connected to the third baffle valve and the fourth baffle valve through a pipeline, and the fourth baffle valve is connected to the second rotary vane pump through a pipeline.

[0006] The present invention is further configured as follows: the pressure head assembly includes a pressure rod, a pressure head and a bellows, the ball head structure of the pressure rod head is connected to the tail of the pressure head through a connecting pin, the inner cavity of the pressure rod is provided with a cooling water channel, and the outer wall of the pressure rod is covered with a bellows.

[0007] The present invention is further configured as follows: the oil cylinder comprises a piston rod, a cylinder body and a cylinder cover, the cylinder body is installed on the top of the upper cross beam through a locking nut, the inner cavity of the cylinder body is installed with a piston rod, and the other end of the piston rod passes through the cylinder cover and is connected to the top of the pressure head assembly.

[0008] The present invention is further configured as follows: a displacement sensor is provided on the oil cylinder, an oil inlet is provided on one side of the displacement sensor, an oil outlet is provided on one side of the cylinder body, and the oil inlet and the oil outlet are connected to the hydraulic station through a hydraulic pipeline.

[0009] The present invention is further configured as follows: the hydraulic station comprises an oil tank, a hydraulic pump assembly, a hydraulic valve group and a heat exchanger, the hydraulic pump assembly and the hydraulic valve group are installed on the top of the oil tank, and the heat exchanger is arranged on the side wall of the oil tank.

[0010] The present invention is further configured as follows: the electric control cabinet is electrically connected to the furnace body assembly, the pressure head assembly, the oil cylinder, the hydraulic station, the vacuum unit, the air cooling assembly and the operating table.

[0011] The beneficial technical effects of the present invention are as follows: the equipment of the present invention is easy to operate, has a high degree of automation, can automatically complete the entire process of superplastic forming of parts under a vacuum environment, avoids oxidation to prevent changes in the material properties of the parts, has high working efficiency, a compact structure and complete functions. At the same time, the product precision and qualified rate are high, and high-quality products can be stably output. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 The front side structural schematic diagram of the present invention is shown.

[0013] Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the rear structure of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the bed assembly is shown.

[0015] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the furnace assembly structure is shown.

[0016] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the pressure head assembly is shown.

[0017] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the oil cylinder structure is shown.

[0018] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the hydraulic station structure is shown.

[0019] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the vacuum unit structure is shown.

[0020] Figure numerals: 1, bed assembly, 2, furnace assembly, 3, pressure head assembly, 4, oil cylinder, 5, hydraulic station, 6, vacuum unit, 7, air cooling assembly, 8, electric control cabinet, 9, operating table, 10, upper beam, 11, lower beam, 12, column, 13, furnace body, 14, furnace door, 15, heating chamber, 16, heating belt, 17, heat insulation screen, 18, first baffle valve, 19, second baffle valve, 20, third baffle valve, 21, fourth baffle valve Plate valve, 22, pressure rod, 23, pressure head, 24, bellows, 25, piston rod, 26, cooling water channel, 27, cylinder body, 28, cylinder head, 29, locking nut, 30, displacement sensor, 31, oil inlet, 32, oil outlet, 33, oil tank, 34, hydraulic pump assembly, 35, hydraulic valve group, 36, heat exchanger, 37, second rotary vane pump, 38, Roots pump, 39, diffusion pump, 40, collector, 41, first rotary vane pump. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Please refer to the attached Figure 1-8 Those skilled in the art should understand that these embodiments are only used to explain the technical principles of the present invention and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0022] The present invention proposes a vacuum superplastic forming machine tool, including a bed assembly 1, which is the main structural part of the equipment. The bed assembly 1 includes an upper crossbeam 10, a lower crossbeam 11 and a column 12, and has good strength, rigidity and machining accuracy, a simple structure and low manufacturing cost. The upper crossbeam 10 and the lower crossbeam 11 are connected by a plurality of columns 12, and are assembled into a prestressed bed assembly by a hot assembly process, which can reduce the stress deformation generated when the equipment is working, and ensure that the deformation of the bed remains within the design range when the equipment is under maximum load without increasing the bed structure and the material thickness.

[0023] A furnace body assembly 2 is installed on the lower cross beam 11. The furnace body assembly 2 is the working assembly of the equipment, which is used to provide a high temperature and vacuum working environment required for part forming. It consists of a furnace body 13, a furnace door 14 and a heating chamber 15. The heating chamber 15 is installed inside the furnace body 13. The furnace body 13 and the furnace door 14 are double-layer sandwich designs, and reinforcing ribs and cooling pipelines are evenly arranged in the sandwich cavity. This structure can improve the overall strength, reduce weight and ensure the uniform temperature of the furnace body 13; the heating chamber 15 is composed of a heating belt 16 and a heat insulation screen 17. The inner wall of the heat insulation screen 17 is evenly installed with the heating belt 16, which generates heat and generates high temperature after power is turned on; the heat insulation screen 17 is provided with 5 layers in total, which can reduce the outward radiation of the high temperature generated by the heating belt 16 after power is turned on, improve the heating rate in the furnace, and save energy.

[0024] The top of the furnace body assembly 2 is slidably connected with a pressure head assembly 3, which consists of a pressure rod 22, a pressure head 23 and a bellows 24. The head of the pressure rod 22 is connected to the tail of the pressure head 23 by a connecting pin, and the ball head structure of the head of the pressure rod 22 can automatically adjust and compensate for the parallelism error caused by mold installation and thermal deformation; the upper end of the pressure head assembly 3 is screwed to the piston rod 25 of the cylinder 4, and the lower end is slidably connected to the upper part of the furnace body assembly 2 to transmit the die pressing force output by the cylinder 4; the inner cavity of the pressure rod 22 is provided with a cooling water channel 26 to prevent the high temperature inside the furnace body 13 from being transmitted to the cylinder 4 during operation; the outer wall of the pressure rod 22 is provided with a bellows 24 to meet the sealing requirements of the pressure head assembly 3 in any working state.

[0025] The top side of the upper cross beam 10 is installed with a cylinder 4 through a locking nut 29. The cylinder 4 is composed of a piston rod 25, a cylinder body 27 and a cylinder cover 28. After the cylinder body 27 is positioned, it is installed on the top of the upper cross beam 10 of the bed assembly 1 through a locking nut 29. The inner cavity of the cylinder body 27 is installed with a piston rod 25. The other end of the piston rod 25 passes through the cylinder cover 28 and is connected to the top of the pressure head assembly 3. A displacement sensor 30 is provided on the cylinder 4. An oil inlet 31 is provided on one side of the displacement sensor 30. An oil outlet 32 ​​is provided on one side of the cylinder body 27. The oil inlet 31 and the oil outlet 32 ​​are connected to the hydraulic station 5 through a hydraulic pipeline.

[0026] The hydraulic station 5 is arranged on the upper part of the upper crossbeam 10 of the bed assembly 1, and is composed of an oil tank 33, a hydraulic pump assembly 34, a hydraulic valve group 35, a heat exchanger 36, hydraulic pipelines and auxiliary components. The top of the oil tank 33 is equipped with a hydraulic pump assembly 34 and a hydraulic valve group 35, wherein the oil tank 33 is mainly used to contain hydraulic oil and install and fix other components; the hydraulic pump assembly 34 is composed of a motor, a hydraulic pump and a coupling, etc., and is used to provide hydraulic oil with stable flow and pressure. The hydraulic valve group 35 is composed of a combination of hydraulic valves of different functional models, which can control and adjust the pressure, flow and flow direction of the hydraulic oil according to different working conditions. The heat exchanger 36 is arranged on the side wall of the oil tank 33, which can cool the hydraulic oil with excessive temperature and keep the temperature of the hydraulic system stable. The pump, valve, heat exchanger 36, various components and the oil cylinder 4 of the hydraulic system are connected through hydraulic pipelines to form a closed loop. The hydraulic station 5 is connected to the oil cylinder 4 through the hydraulic pipeline to provide it with pressure oil and drive the oil cylinder 4 to work.

[0027] The rear side of the furnace assembly 2 is connected to a vacuum unit 6 through a collector 40. The vacuum unit 6 is used to provide the vacuum environment required inside the furnace body 13 when the equipment is working. The ultimate vacuum degree can reach 8×10 -4 The vacuum unit 6 is composed of a Roots pump 38, a diffusion pump 39, a rotary vane pump, a baffle valve and a pipeline.

[0028] The bottom end of the Roots pump 38 is installed on the bracket, and the Roots pump 38 is arranged on the bracket to maintain the stability of operation; the suction port of the Roots pump 38 is connected to the second baffle valve 19 and the third baffle valve 20 through pipelines, and the air outlet of the Roots pump 38 is connected to two first rotary vane pumps 41 through pipelines. The Roots pump 38 and the two first rotary vane pumps 41 serve as the front pumps of the diffusion pump 39 to provide the required vacuum environment for its operation, with a fast air extraction speed, saving the equipment vacuum extraction time and improving the work efficiency; when the equipment is working stably, the first rotary vane pump 41 and the Roots pump 38 can be turned off, and only a low-power second rotary vane pump 37 is used to operate to maintain the vacuum degree of the equipment, which can effectively save energy, reduce unit loss and extend the life of the equipment.

[0029] The top of the diffusion pump 39 is connected to the first baffle valve 18 through a flange. The diffusion pump 39 is the main pump of the vacuum unit 6 and is used to provide the high vacuum required for the equipment to work. One side of the first baffle valve 18 is connected to a collector 40, which is used to cool the furnace body 13 and the gas in the pipeline, capture dust and tiny oil mist particles, and purify the vacuum environment of the equipment. The other side of the first baffle valve 18 is connected to the second baffle valve 19 through a pipeline. The bottom side of the diffusion pump 39 is respectively connected to the third baffle valve 20 and the fourth baffle valve 21 through pipelines. The four baffle valves are used to realize the cutoff and conduction between the Roots pump 38 and the diffusion pump 39 and each pipeline. The fourth baffle valve 21 is connected to the second rotary vane pump 37 through a pipeline. The second rotary vane pump 37 is used as a maintenance pump of the vacuum unit 6 and is arranged on the side of the diffusion pump 39 to form a complete vacuum unit.

[0030] The right side of the furnace body assembly 2 is connected to an air cooling assembly 7 through a pipeline. After the part forming process is completed, a circulating cooling inert gas is filled into the furnace body 13 through the air cooling assembly 7. While protecting the interior of the furnace body 13 from oxidation, the cooling rate of the parts inside the furnace body 13 can be accelerated, greatly reducing the time for the parts to cool down with the furnace and improving work efficiency.

[0031] An electric control cabinet 8 and an operating table 9 are arranged on the right side of the bed assembly 1. The electric control cabinet 8 is electrically connected to the furnace assembly 2, the pressure head assembly 3, the oil cylinder 4, the hydraulic station 5, the vacuum unit 6, the air cooling assembly 7 and the operating table 9 respectively. It is electrically connected to each component between the equipment through cables and sensors, and provides the required power and control signals for the power and control unit of each component. The operating table 9 is the operation and control unit of the entire equipment, which is arranged in the right front of the bed assembly 1, and is electrically connected to the electric control cabinet 8 through cables and sensors. It is equipped with an industrial computer and operation buttons, which can automatically and manually control the operation of the equipment.

[0032] Preliminary preparation: prepare the mold and part blanks according to the requirements of the process documents, open the furnace door 14, load the mold and blanks, and close the furnace door 14.

[0033] Forming work: turn on the computer on the operating table 9, start the system control program, start the vacuum unit 6 to evacuate, start the heating and temperature raising program after the furnace body 13 reaches the required vacuum degree, start the hydraulic station 5 control program after the mold temperature reaches the requirement, the cylinder 4 presses down - pressurizes - maintains pressure - releases pressure - lifts, after the forming process is completed, turn off the vacuum unit 6, start the air cooling component 7 to quickly cool the furnace body 13 and the mold, turn off the air cooling component 7 after it drops to room temperature, open the furnace door 14, take out the mold and formed parts, close the furnace door 14 and the equipment, and complete the entire workflow.

[0034] Equipment specifications and technical parameters:

[0035]

[0036] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications may be made thereto and parts thereof may be replaced by equivalents without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there is no structural conflict. The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer" and the like indicating directions or positional relationships are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, which are only for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] In addition, it should be noted that in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] The term "comprise" or any other similar term is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, article, or apparatus / device that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, article, or apparatus / device.

[0040] So far, the technical solutions of the present invention have been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present invention is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principle of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum superplastic forming machine tool, comprising a bed assembly (1), characterized in that: The bed assembly (1) comprises an upper crossbeam (10), a lower crossbeam (11) and columns (12); the upper crossbeam (10) and the lower crossbeam (11) are connected via a plurality of columns (12); a furnace body assembly (2) is mounted on the lower crossbeam (11); a pressure head assembly (3) is slidably connected to the top of the furnace body assembly (2); an oil cylinder (4) is mounted on one side of the top end of the upper crossbeam (10) via a locking nut (29); a hydraulic station (5) is mounted on the other side of the top end of the upper crossbeam (10); a vacuum unit (6) is connected to the rear side of the furnace body assembly (2) via a collector (40); a wind cooling assembly (7) is connected to the right side of the furnace body assembly (2) via a pipeline; an electric control cabinet (8) and an operating table (9) are arranged on the right side of the bed assembly (1); The furnace body assembly (2) comprises a furnace body (13), a furnace door (14) and a heating chamber (15); the heating chamber (15) is installed inside the furnace body (13); the furnace door (14) is arranged on the front side of the furnace body (13); and reinforcing ribs and cooling pipelines are evenly arranged in the double-layer interlayer cavity of the furnace body (13); The heating chamber (15) comprises a heating belt (16) and a heat insulation screen (17), and the heating belt (16) is evenly installed on the inner wall of the heat insulation screen (17); The vacuum unit (6) comprises a Roots pump (38) and a diffusion pump (39). The bottom end of the Roots pump (38) is mounted on a bracket. The suction port of the Roots pump (38) is respectively connected to a second baffle valve (19) and a third baffle valve (20) through pipelines. The gas outlet of the Roots pump (38) is respectively connected to two first rotary vane pumps (41) through pipelines. The top end of the diffusion pump (39) is connected to the first baffle valve (18) through a flange. One side of the first baffle valve (18) is connected to a collector (40). The other side of the first baffle valve (18) is connected to the second baffle valve (19) through a pipeline. One side of the bottom of the diffusion pump (39) is respectively connected to the third baffle valve (20) and a fourth baffle valve (21) through pipelines. The fourth baffle valve (21) is connected to the second rotary vane pump (37) through a pipeline.

2. A vacuum superplastic forming machine tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure head assembly (3) comprises a pressure rod (22), a pressure head (23) and a bellows (24); the ball head structure at the head of the pressure rod (22) is connected to the tail of the pressure head (23) via a connecting pin; a cooling water channel (26) is provided in the inner cavity of the pressure rod (22); and the outer wall of the pressure rod (22) is sheathed with the bellows (24).

3. A vacuum superplastic forming machine tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oil cylinder (4) comprises a piston rod (25), a cylinder body (27) and a cylinder cover (28); the cylinder body (27) is mounted on the top end of the upper cross beam (10) via a locking nut (29); the piston rod (25) is mounted in the inner cavity of the cylinder body (27); the other end of the piston rod (25) passes through the cylinder cover (28) and is connected to the top end of the pressure head assembly (3).

4. A vacuum superplastic forming machine tool according to claim 5, characterized in that: The oil cylinder (4) is provided with a displacement sensor (30), one side of the displacement sensor (30) is provided with an oil inlet (31), one side of the cylinder body (27) is provided with an oil outlet (32), and the oil inlet (31) and the oil outlet (32) are connected to the hydraulic station (5) via a hydraulic pipeline.

5. The vacuum superplastic forming machine tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hydraulic station (5) comprises an oil tank (33), a hydraulic pump assembly (34), a hydraulic valve group (35) and a heat exchanger (36); the hydraulic pump assembly (34) and the hydraulic valve group (35) are installed on the top of the oil tank (33), and the heat exchanger (36) is arranged on the side wall of the oil tank (33).

6. A vacuum superplastic forming machine tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric control cabinet (8) is electrically connected to the furnace body assembly (2), the pressure head assembly (3), the oil cylinder (4), the hydraulic station (5), the vacuum unit (6), the air cooling assembly (7) and the operating table (9).

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