A multi-point progressive forming device and method for pipes

Abstract

The present invention discloses a multi-point progressive forming device and method for a pipe, comprising a pipe feeding device and a forming device, wherein the pipe feeding device and the forming device are mounted on a CNC machine tool workbench (8); the forming device comprises a large gear (2), a small gear (19) and a plurality of independent tool devices, each tool device comprising a tool head (16) and a tool head motor (18); the tool head (16) is fixed on the large gear (2) and can change its radial angle with the large gear (2) to change the initial angle of the three tool heads; each tool head (16) can independently move along its axial direction under the drive of its corresponding tool head motor (18); at the same time, the small gear (19) drives the large gear (2) to rotate, thereby driving the plurality of tool heads (16) arranged along the radial direction of the large gear (2) to rotate together to realize multi-point progressive forming of the pipe; the plurality of tool heads can process different parts at the same time, thereby realizing efficient processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of incremental forming, in particular to a device and method for multi-point incremental forming of a pipe. Background Art

[0002] Tube progressive forming is a method that uses incremental local deformation to obtain parts with the required shape and performance requirements. This processing method uses a simple-shaped tool to move along a specific trajectory to obtain the corresponding part shape. It does not require a dedicated mold to form more complex parts. Compared with traditional stamping methods, it has the advantages of greater flexibility, saving complex mold manufacturing costs, and improving material forming properties. It is very suitable for the production of small batches and multiple varieties of parts, as well as the trial production of samples.

[0003] Currently, incremental forming equipment is usually equipped with only one spindle, which cannot adapt to various complex contour shapes and cross-sectional changes. It has low design freedom, low processing efficiency, and cannot produce more complex and sophisticated parts. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the defects of existing pipe forming methods in process diversity and complexity, the present invention unifies high process flexibility and high workpiece complexity, and proposes a new pipe forming device and forming method, which can design a variety of regular or irregular cross-section pipes.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A multi-point progressive forming device for pipes includes a pipe feeding device and a forming device, which are mounted on a CNC machine tool workbench 8; the forming device includes a large gear 2, a small gear 19, and multiple sets of independent tool devices, each set of tool devices includes a tool head 16 and a tool head motor 18, the tool head 16 is fixed to the large gear 2, and its radial angle with the large gear 2 can be changed to change the initial angle of the three tool heads; each tool head 16 can move independently along its axial direction under the drive of its corresponding tool head motor 18; at the same time, the small gear 19 drives the large gear 2 to rotate, thereby driving the multiple sets of tool heads 16 arranged along the radial direction of the large gear 2 to rotate together to achieve multi-point progressive forming of the pipe.

[0007] The described multi-point progressive forming device for pipes, the described pipe feeding device includes a z-guide rail 9, a z-direction lead screw 10, a three-jaw chuck 11, a chuck bracket 12, a slide 13, and a propulsion motor 14; the propulsion motor 14 serves as a power source to drive the z-direction lead screw 10 to drive the slide 13 to move linearly along the z-guide rail 9; the chuck bracket 12 is fixedly mounted on the slide 13 to support the three-jaw chuck 11; the three-jaw chuck 11 forms a linkage relationship with the guide rail 9 and the lead screw 10 through the slide 13, and under the drive of the motor 14, can move smoothly along the z-axis direction to realize the clamping and propulsion operations of the pipe.

[0008] The described multi-point progressive forming device for pipes, each set of tool devices includes a mold guide seat 15, a tool head 16, a mold mounting plate 17, a tool head motor 18, a forming bracket 20, and a positioning guide sleeve 21. The tool head 16 is fixed to the mold mounting plate 17 through the mold guide seat 15, the forming bracket 20 and the positioning guide sleeve 21. The mold mounting plate 17 is fixed to the large gear 2. The radial angle between the mold mounting plate and the large gear 2 can be changed to change the initial angle of each tool head; under the drive of its own tool head motor 18, each tool head 16 can move independently along its axial direction.

[0009] The described multi-point progressive forming device for pipes, one end of the tool head 16 is fixed to the mold mounting plate 17 through the mold guide seat 15, and the other end is connected to the radial screw pair; the two ends of the radial screw pair are respectively connected to the positioning guide sleeve 21 and the adapter ring, and the hollow rotating platform passes through the adapter ring and is connected to the positioning guide sleeve 21; the top of the hollow rotating platform is connected to the tool head motor 18, and the tool head motor 18 cooperates with the hollow rotating platform to drive the tool head to move in the radial direction.

[0010] In the multi-point progressive forming device for pipes, the cutter head 16 can independently adjust the distance from the pipe when driven by the cutter head motor 18 .

[0011] In the multi-point progressive forming device for pipes, the large gear 2 is meshed with the small gear 19, and the small gear 19 is connected to the rotary motor 7 through a gear screw and a coupling. The rotary motor 7 drives the small gear 19, and the small gear 19 drives the large gear 2 to rotate, thereby driving the tool head 16 to rotate.

[0012] The multi-point progressive forming device for pipes comprises three sets of tool devices in total.

[0013] A multi-point progressive forming method based on the multi-point progressive forming device for pipes comprises the following steps:

[0014] 1) Change the position of the mold mounting plate according to the required processing trajectory to change the initial angles of the three tool heads;

[0015] 2) According to the required processing trajectory, the tool holder is driven to change the distance between the tool head and the pipe and adjusted to the required state;

[0016] 3) The spindle motor of the pipe feeding device drives the slide to move the pipe, and the motor of the forming device drives the gear to rotate the tool head, and the tool head performs progressive forming processing on the pipe.

[0017] The method described above involves adjusting the distance between the tool head and the pipe to meet the requirements, and then using the machine tool operation panel in conjunction with the drive mechanism to lock the tool head and the pipe.

[0018] The method is as follows: before the pipe driving mechanism drives the pipe to advance, the center positions of the large gear and the three-jaw chuck are adjusted so that the circle formed by the pipe and the tool head are concentric.

[0019] The method described above assumes that the pipe diameter is d, the pipe wall groove depth is e, the fixed pitch is p, and the pipe advancement speed is v. z , that is, the speed along the z-axis, the rotational speed of the gear around the z-axis ω, that is, the angular velocity of the tool head on the circumference, and the initial angular positions of the three tool heads are θ1, θ2, and θ3 respectively; the positions of the three tool heads change with time t as follows:

[0020] For the first tool head:

[0021]

[0022] For the second tool head:

[0023]

[0024] For the third tool head:

[0025]

[0026]

[0027] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0028] (1) By operating the mold mounting plate, the position and angle of the mold mounting plate on the rotary gear can be flexibly adjusted, and the relative position of the tool head can be adjusted. This adjustment allows the operator to quickly optimize the position of the tool head according to the size, shape and processing path requirements of the workpiece to be produced, thereby using a set of tools to produce different geometric shapes, providing more forming possibilities.

[0029] (2) The tool heads are mounted and integrated using a main bracket and a large gear. The main bracket is fixed to the machine tool spindle through a mechanical connection, ensuring that the entire tool assembly can operate smoothly on the spindle. Each tool head acts on the workpiece simultaneously during the machining process. The motion trajectories of different tools are precisely designed, eliminating the need to repeatedly process the same trajectory, thereby achieving efficient machining and reducing the error accumulation caused by repeated machining.

[0030] (3) The device and forming method can produce pipes with different shapes and performance requirements by replacing the shape and size of the tool head. Multiple tool heads can process different parts at the same time. This adjustable design allows tool heads of different sizes and shapes to be quickly assembled and replaced, greatly expanding the scope of application of the equipment. It can flexibly handle processing needs from small parts to large workpieces and achieve efficient processing layout. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a multi-point progressive forming device for pipes provided by the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a front view of a multi-point progressive forming device for pipes provided by the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a right side view of a multi-point progressive forming device for pipes provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the forming positions of a pipe and a tool head provided by the present invention;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a tube forming trajectory provided by the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the forming angle between a pipe and a tool head provided by the present invention;

[0037] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a pipe forming part provided by the present invention;

[0038] Explanation of the accompanying numbers: 1-winding wheel, 2-large gear, 3-hanging device, 4-main bracket, 5-dust cover, 6-bearing pressure plate, 7-rotating motor, 8-CNC machine table, 9-z guide rail, 10-z screw, 11-three-jaw chuck, 12-chuck bracket, 13-slide plate, 14-propulsion motor, 15-mold guide seat, 16-tool head, 17-mold mounting plate, 18-tool head motor, 19-pinion gear, 20-forming bracket, 21-positioning guide sleeve; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0040] In this embodiment, reference Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, a multi-point progressive forming device for pipes is proposed, which includes a pipe feeding device and a forming device. The pipe feeding device and the forming device are installed on a CNC machine tool workbench 8.

[0041] The pipe feeding device achieves precise pipe advancement through the coordinated cooperation of various mechanisms, including a z-guide rail 9, a z-screw 10, a three-jaw chuck 11, a chuck bracket 12, a slide 13, and a propulsion motor 14. The propulsion motor 14 serves as a power source, driving the z-screw 10 to cause the slide 13 to move linearly along the z-guide rail 9. The chuck bracket 12 is fixedly mounted on the slide 13 to support the three-jaw chuck 11. The three-jaw chuck 11 forms a linkage with the guide rail 9 and the screw 10 via the slide 13. Driven by the motor 14, it can move smoothly along the z-axis, achieving pipe clamping and advancement operations.

[0042] The forming device includes a winding wheel 1, a large gear 2, a main bracket 4, a small gear 19 and three independent tool devices, each tool device includes a mold guide seat 15, a tool head 16, a mold mounting plate 17, a tool head motor 18, a forming bracket 20, and a positioning guide sleeve 21. The tool head 16 is fixed to the mold mounting plate 17 through the mold guide seat 15, the forming bracket 20 and the positioning guide sleeve 21. The mold mounting plate 17 is fixed on the large gear 2. The radial angle between the mold mounting plate and the large gear 2 can be changed to change the initial angles of the three tool heads; under the drive of their respective tool head motors 18, the three tool heads 16 can move independently along their axial direction (that is, radially of the large gear 2 or at a certain angle to the radial direction of the large gear 2), and the engagement of the large and small gears drives the tool head to rotate around the axis of the large gear 2.

[0043] More specifically, one end of the tool head 16 is fixed to the mold mounting plate 17 through the mold guide seat 15, and the other end is connected to the radial screw pair; the two ends of the radial screw pair are respectively connected to the positioning guide sleeve 21 and the adapter ring, and the hollow rotating platform passes through the adapter ring and is connected to the positioning guide sleeve 21; the top of the hollow rotating platform is connected to the tool head motor 18, and the tool head motor 18 cooperates with the hollow rotating platform to drive the tool head to move in the radial direction.

[0044] In this embodiment, the tool heads can be replaced with tool heads of different structures or specifications to meet the needs of progressive forming of the pipe area. Each of the three tool heads is equipped with a tool head motor 18, which can independently adjust the distance from the pipe according to the forming requirements of the pipe area.

[0045] As for the large gear 2, the large gear 2 is engaged with the small gear 19 at the bottom of the main bracket. The small gear 19 is connected to the rotary motor 7 through the gear screw and the coupling. The rotary motor 7 drives the small gear 19, and the small gear 19 drives the large gear 2 to rotate, thereby driving the tool head 16 to rotate.

[0046] The tube advancing part and the forming part of the tube multi-point progressive forming device are installed on the spindle of the CNC machine tool to process the tube clamped and calibrated by the advancing distance and speed;

[0047] Determine the machining trajectory based on the required workpiece cross-sectional shape, and change the initial angles of the three tool heads by changing the distance and angle of the mold mounting plate on the large gear;

[0048] The initial angles of the three tool heads are changed by changing the position of the mold mounting plate according to the required processing trajectory. The tool head motor can also be driven to change the distance between the tool head and the pipe according to the required processing trajectory and adjust to the required state. After the distance between the tool head and the pipe is adjusted to meet the requirements, the machine tool operation panel is used in conjunction with the drive mechanism to lock the tool head and the pipe.

[0049] The propulsion motor 14 drives the slider to move the pipe, and the rotary motor 7 drives the gear to rotate the tool head, and the tool head performs progressive forming processing on the pipe.

[0050] Before the pipe driving mechanism drives the pipe forward, adjust the center position of the large gear and the three-jaw chuck so that the circle formed by the pipe and the tool head are concentric, which facilitates timely angle correction during the processing and improves processing accuracy.

[0051] The processing method is described in detail as follows:

[0052] (1) According to the target part design drawings and processing requirements, select the appropriate size of the tool head and determine the pipe material that matches the processing task.

[0053] (2) Assemble three sets of tool devices with adjustable spacing, adjust the overall angle of the forming tool according to the pipe processing requirements, ensure that each tool head is in the optimal position during the processing, and ensure the forming accuracy;

[0054] (3) Clamp the pipe on the machine tool and align the pipe with the gear where the tool head is located through coordinate testing;

[0055] (4) According to the processing requirements, adjust the distance between the three tool heads and the pipe through the CNC machine tool operation panel, specify the pipe feed speed and the large gear rotation speed;

[0056] (5) According to the CNC operation panel driving motor, the machine tool controls the multi-point forming tool to start processing the pipe. Each tool head performs progressive processing on the pipe at the same time. Through synchronous rotation and feed movement, the pipe is gradually formed and the forming operation of the pipe is completed according to the preset trajectory.

[0057] The target pipe in this example is 180mm in length, 32mm in diameter, and 2mm in thickness. The pitch p of the three threads is 6mm, and the depth e of the concave wall of the pipe groove is 1mm.

[0058] Use the propulsion device to set the propulsion speed to propel the pipe into the processing area.

[0059] The included angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 of the three tool heads are 0°, 120°, and 240° respectively.

[0060] The tool head is set to move down 2mm from the outer wall of the pipe in the radial direction.

[0061] Assuming the total processing time is T, the angular velocity of the three tool heads driven by the large gear to rotate around the pipe is ω:

[0062]

[0063] The positions of the three tool heads, i.e. the three thread lines, change with time t as follows:

[0064] For the first tool head:

[0065]

[0066] For the second tool head:

[0067]

[0068]

[0069] For the third tool head:

[0070]

[0071] This device and forming method, through its multi-tool head spacing adjustment and replaceable tool head design, not only flexibly accommodates the forming requirements of pipes of varying shapes and sizes, but also significantly reduces the accumulation of errors during multiple assembly and disassembly processes, significantly improving processing efficiency. Its simplified process flow and efficient processing model demonstrate strong application potential in the forming of a wide range of complex pipes.

[0072] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make improvements or changes based on the above description, and all such improvements and changes should fall within the scope of protection of the appended claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-point progressive forming device for pipes, characterized in that: The invention comprises a pipe feeding device and a forming device, wherein the pipe feeding device and the forming device are installed on a CNC machine tool workbench (8); the forming device comprises a large gear (2), a small gear (19) and a plurality of independent tool devices, each tool device comprises a tool head (16) and a tool head motor (18), the tool head (16) is fixed on the large gear (2), and can change the radial angle between the tool head (16) and the large gear (2) to change the initial angle of the three tool heads; each tool head (16) can move independently along its axial direction under the drive of its corresponding tool head motor (18); at the same time, the small gear (19) drives the large gear (2) to rotate, thereby driving the plurality of tool heads (16) arranged along the radial direction of the large gear (2) to rotate together to achieve pipe shaping. Multi-point progressive forming of a material; each set of tool devices includes a mold guide seat (15), a tool head (16), a mold mounting plate (17), a tool head motor (18), a forming bracket (20), and a positioning guide sleeve (21); the tool head (16) is fixed to the mold mounting plate (17) through the mold guide seat (15), the forming bracket (20) and the positioning guide sleeve (21); the mold mounting plate (17) is fixed to the large gear (2); the radial angle between the mold mounting plate and the large gear (2) can be changed to change the initial angle of each tool head; the tool head (16) is driven by its own tool head motor (18), and each tool head (16) can move independently along its axial direction; assuming that the diameter of the pipe is d, the depth of the pipe wall groove is e, the fixed pitch is p, and the pipe advancement speed is , that is, the speed along the z-axis, the rotation speed of the gear around the z-axis , that is, the angular velocity of the tool head on the circumference, and the initial angular positions of the three tool heads are 、 and ; The positions of the three tool heads change with time t as follows: For the first tool head: ; ; ; For the second tool head: ; ; ; For the third tool head: ; ; .

2. The multi-point progressive forming device for pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipe feeding device comprises a z-direction guide rail (9), a z-direction lead screw (10), a three-jaw chuck (11), a chuck bracket (12), a slide plate (13), and a propulsion motor (14); the propulsion motor (14) serves as a power source to drive the z-direction lead screw (10) to drive the slide plate (13) to move linearly along the z-direction guide rail (9); a chuck bracket (12) is fixedly mounted on the slide plate (13) for supporting the three-jaw chuck (11); the three-jaw chuck (11) forms a linkage relationship with the guide rail (9) and the lead screw (10) through the slide plate (13), and can move smoothly along the z-axis direction under the drive of the motor (14), thereby realizing the clamping and propulsion operations of the pipe.

3. The multi-point progressive forming device for pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the tool head (16) is fixed to the mold mounting plate (17) through the mold guide seat (15), and the other end is connected to the radial screw pair; the two ends of the radial screw pair are respectively connected to the positioning guide sleeve (21) and the adapter ring, and the hollow rotating platform passes through the adapter ring and is connected to the positioning guide sleeve (21); the top of the hollow rotating platform is connected to the tool head motor (18), and the tool head motor (18) cooperates with the hollow rotating platform to drive the tool head to move in the radial direction.

4. The multi-point progressive forming device for pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cutter head (16) can independently adjust the distance from the pipe when driven by the cutter head motor (18).

5. The multi-point progressive forming device for pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The large gear (2) is meshed with the small gear (19), and the small gear (19) is connected to the rotary motor (7) through a gear screw and a coupling. The rotary motor (7) drives the small gear (19), and the small gear (19) drives the large gear (2) to rotate, thereby driving the tool head (16) to rotate.

6. The multi-point progressive forming device for pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that: A total of three sets of tool devices are included.

7. A multi-point progressive forming method for a pipe based on the multi-point progressive forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: 1) The initial angles of the three tool heads are changed by changing the position of the mold mounting plate according to the desired processing trajectory. 2) The tool holder is driven to change the distance between the tool head and the pipe according to the desired processing trajectory and adjusted to the desired state. 3) The spindle motor of the pipe feeding device drives the slider to move the pipe, and the forming device motor drives the gear to rotate the tool head, which performs progressive forming processing on the pipe.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that After adjusting the distance between the tool head and the pipe to meet the requirements, use the machine tool operation panel and the drive mechanism to lock the tool head and the pipe.

Images