Full-process high-throughput metallographic specimen preparation platform and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a full-process high-throughput metallographic specimen preparation platform and method. The platform comprises a chuck storage unit, a full-automatic grinding and polishing unit, a corrosion drying and conveying unit and an operation control unit. According to the platform, a plurality of units are integrated together, sample chucks are conveyed through the truss and the truss manipulator on one conveying unit, and two clamping jaws are arranged at the lower end of the truss manipulator, so that a plurality of samples can be machined on the working platform at the same time, and assembly line operation is achieved. According to the metallographic full-process preparation technology, grinding, polishing and etching treatment can be carried out on a batch of metallographic samples, and the preparation efficiency of the metallographic samples is greatly improved. In the preparation process, only in the sample clamping work and the equipment operation work process, operation of testers is needed. Other processes do not need manual intervention, so that the labor intensity is reduced. The polishing sample which is free of any scratches and is in a mirror surface state can be prepared in batches, and a powerful sample preparation basis is provided for follow-up metallographic analysis work.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of metallographic sample preparation, and in particular relates to a full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform and method. Background Art

[0002] Metallographic inspection is one of the main methods for analyzing the internal microstructure, defects and quality of metal materials. It plays a pivotal role in the field of materials science. In the process of metallographic inspection, the preparation of metallographic samples is an indispensable key step. The quality of metallographic sample preparation is directly related to the authenticity of the metallographic image and the accuracy of the inspection data.

[0003] The traditional preparation process of metallographic samples includes grinding, polishing and etching. Grinding is when the test personnel hold the metallographic sample and grind the test surface of the sample using different brands of metallographic water sandpaper. The grinding direction after changing the fine sandpaper is 90° to the previous grinding direction until the previous grinding marks are removed. The whole process requires changing the sandpaper 4 to 5 times. Polishing is when the test personnel hold the polished sample and use the polishing agent to polish the test surface of the sample on the polishing disk until the sample becomes a mirror surface. Etching is to immerse the test surface of the sample in the metallographic etching liquid for a certain period of time until the original mirror surface disappears. From the above, it can be seen that the current metallographic sample preparation is mainly manual operation by the test personnel, with low preparation efficiency and high labor intensity. In addition, the operation level of different test personnel has a great influence on the quality of metallographic sample preparation, and there are large human uncertainties.

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the prior art provides a variety of automatic sample grinding machines or auxiliary tooling. For example, Buehler Company in the United States and QATM Company in Germany have launched commercial automatic metallographic grinding and polishing machines. However, some operations of these devices still need to be performed manually by test personnel, which is inefficient; and the high price of fully automatic sample preparation equipment and its consumables makes most laboratories discouraged. Chinese patent (publication number CN114441268A) discloses an automated device and method for metallographic sample grinding, which can reduce labor costs to a certain extent and improve the stability of metallographic sample grinding. However, this method still has the following shortcomings: 1) The rough grinding, fine grinding, and polishing processes are all carried out on the same working platform, requiring staff to frequently replace sandpaper or polishing discs; 2) The grinding process is that the grinding platform contacts the inspection surface and performs linear reciprocating motion, and the preparation efficiency of this grinding method is low; 3) It does not have a full-process metallographic preparation process of grinding + polishing + etching treatment. Chinese patent (publication number CN112798387A) discloses a metallographic sample preparation robot based on 3D scanning technology, which can replace people to grind and polish samples. However, its essence is still to simulate the manual operation of test personnel, the preparation efficiency is relatively low, and it does not have the full process metallographic preparation process of grinding + polishing + etching. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned prior art and provide a full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform and method to solve the technical problems in the prior art such as the time-consuming and labor-intensive metallographic preparation, low efficiency, poor sample preparation quality, and inability to achieve the full-process metallographic preparation process of grinding, polishing and etching treatment.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform comprises a workbench, a chuck storage unit is arranged on one side of the workbench, and a conveyor belt is arranged on the other side of the workbench; a bracket is arranged on the workbench, and a truss is arranged on the bracket, one side of the truss is above the chuck storage unit, and the other side of the truss is above the conveyor belt;

[0008] A plurality of sample chucks are placed on the chuck storage unit, and a plurality of samples are placed in each sample chuck;

[0009] A plurality of grinding and polishing heads are arranged on the bracket;

[0010] Along the direction from the chuck storage unit to the conveyor belt, the workbench is provided with a rough grinding station, a fine grinding station, a rough polishing station and a fine polishing station in sequence, and a grinding and polishing head is provided above each station; the workbench is also provided with a visual evaluation system;

[0011] A dipping and drying station is arranged on one side of the conveyor belt, and a three-claw truss and a flip-claw truss are arranged above the conveyor belt and the dipping and drying station;

[0012] The truss is slidably connected to a truss manipulator, and the lower end of the truss manipulator is connected to two mirror-set grippers, and the horizontal center lines of the two grippers coincide with each other; the two grippers can rotate around the truss manipulator; when any one of the grippers rotates to position A, the any one of the grippers is above a workstation; when any one of the grippers rotates to position B, the any one of the grippers is above the visual evaluation system; when the grippers take samples from the chuck storage unit, the horizontal center lines of the two grippers are parallel to the length direction of the workbench;

[0013] The chuck storage unit, truss, conveyor belt, rough grinding station, fine grinding station, rough polishing station, fine polishing station, grinding and polishing head, visual evaluation system, immersion and drying station, three-claw truss, flip clamp truss, truss manipulator and clamp are commonly connected to an operation control unit.

[0014] A further improvement of the present invention is:

[0015] Preferably, the chuck storage unit comprises a rotating table, which is arranged on a chassis, a servo motor is installed in the chassis, and a power output end of the servo motor is connected to the bottom of the rotating table; the multiple sample chucks are equally divided and placed along the circumference of the rotating table.

[0016] Preferably, the sample chuck is provided with a plurality of cavities, a sample is installed in each cavity, and a top screw is provided in each cavity, and the top screw abuts against one end of the sample.

[0017] Preferably, the coarse grinding station, fine grinding station, coarse polishing station and fine polishing station are all provided with water outlet pipes, and all the water outlet pipes are connected to a water tank.

[0018] Preferably, two automatic liquid-adding arms are respectively arranged on the grinding and polishing heads above the rough grinding station and the fine grinding station, water is introduced into one automatic liquid-adding arm, and polishing liquid is introduced into the other automatic liquid-adding arm.

[0019] Preferably, a sample cleaning station is provided between the rough polishing station and the fine polishing station, and a water outlet pipe is provided on the sample cleaning station.

[0020] Preferably, the visual evaluation system includes a camera, and an annular coaxial light lighting device is arranged outside the camera.

[0021] Preferably, a slide rail is provided on the truss, and the truss manipulator is slidably connected to the slide rail.

[0022] Preferably, the dipping and drying station is provided with an etching table, an automatic sliding table and a drying table in sequence.

[0023] A sample preparation method based on the above-mentioned full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform comprises the following steps:

[0024] Step 1, mounting the sample grinding card in the sample chuck, and placing the sample chuck on the chuck storage unit;

[0025] Step 2, two clamping jaws in the clamping jaws sequentially clamp a plurality of sample chucks to different stations, so that the plurality of sample chucks are processed on the workbench at the same time, and each sample chuck passes through a rough grinding station, a fine grinding station, a rough polishing station and a fine polishing station in sequence;

[0026] Step 3, after the sample chuck has been processed in the fine polishing station, it is photographed by the visual evaluation system and then sent to the dipping and drying station;

[0027] Step 4: The sample chuck is sequentially etched, cleaned and dried at the dipping and drying station, and the sample preparation is completed.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] The present invention discloses a full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform, which includes a chuck storage unit, a fully automatic grinding and polishing unit, a corrosion drying and transmission unit, and an operation control unit. The platform integrates multiple units together, and realizes the transmission of the sample chuck through a truss and a truss manipulator on a transmission unit, and the lower end of the truss manipulator has two clamping claws, so that multiple samples can be processed on the work platform at the same time, and the assembly line operation is performed. The present invention can perform a full-process metallographic preparation process for grinding, polishing and etching of batch metallographic samples, greatly improving the efficiency of metallographic sample preparation. During the preparation process, only the sample clamping work and the equipment operation work process require the operation of the test personnel. The rest of the process does not require manual intervention, which reduces the labor intensity. Polished samples without any scratches and in a mirror state can be prepared in batches, providing a strong sample preparation basis for subsequent metallographic analysis work.

[0030] Furthermore, a rotating table is provided on the chuck storage unit, and the grabbing and processing of multiple sample chucks are achieved through the cooperation of the rotating table and the truss manipulator.

[0031] Furthermore, a top screw is placed in the cavity, and the sample can be fixed in the cavity of the sample chuck through the top screw.

[0032] Furthermore, each workstation is provided with a corresponding water outlet pipe to facilitate the grinding and polishing process.

[0033] Furthermore, a visual evaluation system is directly set up on the workbench to monitor the processing status of each sample. If it is unqualified, it can be directly paused to prevent bad samples. An annular coaxial light lighting device is set outside the camera to enable clear photos of the surface placed downward.

[0034] The present invention also discloses a full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation method. A plurality of sample chucks can be placed around the circumference of the chuck storage unit. After the chassis speed, working time, pressure and other parameters are set by the operating control unit, the truss manipulator automatically grabs the sample chuck and clamps it to the full-automatic grinding and polishing unit. The full-automatic grinding and polishing unit performs metallographic preparation processes such as rough grinding-fine grinding-rough polishing-ultrasonic cleaning-fine grinding. After the fine polishing process is completed, samples that have not been polished clean can be found through camera inspection, and the samples can be fine polished again. The corrosion drying and conveying unit automatically etches, cleans and dries the finely polished samples. The present invention also has the following advantages:

[0035] 1) Improved the efficiency of metallographic sample preparation. The entire preparation process takes as follows: coarse grinding ≤ 5 minutes, fine grinding ≤ 5 minutes, rough polishing ≤ 5 minutes, ultrasonic cleaning ≤ 5 minutes, fine polishing ≤ 5 minutes, corrosion 10 seconds, alcohol cleaning and drying ≤ 5 minutes. The above processes are all parallel operations, so the cycle time is about 5 minutes to complete the work of a chuck (calculated based on 6 metallographic samples per chuck), and the maximum completion efficiency can reach 72 pieces / hour. Compared with manual sample preparation by metallographic test personnel (skilled experimenters can only achieve 10 pieces / hour at the fastest), the metallographic preparation efficiency has been greatly improved.

[0036] 2) Excellent and stable sample preparation effect: It can batch-produce mirror-like polished samples without any scratches, providing a strong sample preparation basis for subsequent metallographic analysis.

[0037] 3) During the preparation of metallographic samples, only one tester is required during the sample clamping and equipment operation process; no manual intervention is required during the rest of the sample preparation process, reducing labor intensity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform provided by the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chuck storage unit provided by the present invention;

[0040] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the chuck and sample clamping tooling provided by the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic grinding and polishing unit provided by the present invention;

[0042] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the corrosion drying and conveying unit provided by the present invention;

[0043] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic dripping system of polishing liquid provided by the present invention;

[0044] Figure 7 This is a flow chart of a full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation method provided by the present invention;

[0045] Figure 8 This is the metallographic microstructure diagram finally obtained after preparation using Example 1 of the present invention.

[0046] Among them, 1 is the chuck storage unit, 1-1 is the chassis, 1-2 is the rotating table, 1-3 is the sample chuck, 1-3-1 is the top screw, 1-4 is the servo motor, 1-5 is the sample clamping fixture, 1-5-1 is the chassis, and 1-5-2 is the elbow clamp; 2 is the fully automatic grinding and polishing unit, 2-1 is the workbench, 2-2 is the grinding and polishing head, 2-3 is the grinding and polishing station, 2-3-1 is the rough grinding station, 2-3-2 is the fine grinding station, 2-3-3 is the rough polishing station, 2-3-4 is the fine polishing station, 2-4 is the circulating water cooling system, 2-4-1 is the water tank, 2-4-2 is the circulating water pump, 2-4-3 is the outlet pipe, 2-5 is the polishing station, Optical liquid automatic dripping system, 2-5-1 is automatic liquid adding arm, 2-5-2 is peristaltic pump, 2-5-1 is glass bottle, 2-5-4 is magnetic stirring device, 2-6 is sample cleaning station, 2-8 is visual evaluation system, 2-9 is bracket; 3 is corrosion drying and transmission unit, 3-1 is conveyor belt, 3-2-1 is etching table, 3-2-2 is automatic slide table, 3-2-3 is drying table, 3-3 is three-claw truss, 3-4 is flip clamp truss, 4 is operation control unit, 5 is transmission unit, 5-1 is truss, 5-2 is truss robot arm, 5-3 is slide rail, 5-4 is clamp, 6 is sample. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0048] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention; the terms "first", "second", and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance; in addition, 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 or a detachable connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal communication of two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0049] See also Figure 1The present invention discloses a full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform, including a chuck storage unit 1, a fully automatic grinding and polishing unit 2, a corrosion drying and conveying unit 3, an operation control unit 4 and a conveying unit 5. The chuck storage unit 1 is on one side of the fully automatic grinding and polishing unit 2, the corrosion drying and conveying unit 3 is on the other side of the fully automatic grinding and polishing unit 2, and the conveying unit 5 is above the chuck storage unit 1, the fully automatic grinding and polishing unit 2 and the corrosion drying and conveying unit 3.

[0050] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments of the present invention, the chuck storage unit 1 includes a chassis 1-1, a rotating table 1-2, a sample chuck 1-3, and a servo motor 1-4.

[0051] Furthermore, the turntable 1-2 is assembled on the top of the chassis 1-1; the servo motor 1-4 is installed inside the chassis 1-1, and the power output end of the servo motor 1-4 is connected to the lower end of the turntable 1-2, and the servo motor 1-4 is used to drive the turntable 1-2 to rotate, and the rotation angle is precise; the turntable 1-2 is fixedly provided with a plurality of sample chucks, preferably, the sample chucks are placed on the table of the turntable 1-2 according to the 12 o'clock position mark, and 12 sample chucks can be stored at one time. The sample chuck 1-3 has 3-9 cavities, one of which is equipped with a sample 6. Multiple metallographic samples can be clamped at one time. The horizontal cross section of each cavity is a "water drop shape", that is, the width of the cross section changes gradually, and one end is larger than the other end. A top screw 1-3-1 is installed in each cavity, so that when the sample 6 is installed in the cavity, one end is against the end with a smaller cavity, and the other end is fixed by the top screw 1-3-1. Preferably, the cavities on the sample chuck 1-3 are equally divided around the circumference of the sample chuck 1-3 on the upper surface of the sample chuck 1-3. A top screw 1-3-1 is installed on the outside of the chuck to fix the sample inside the cavity.

[0052] For further information, see Figure 3 The sample 6 is installed in the sample chuck 1-3 through the sample clamping tool 1-5. The sample clamping tool 1-5 is a circular plate structure, and its diameter is larger than the diameter of the sample chuck 1-3. The sample clamping tool 1-5 includes a chassis 1-5-1 and an elbow clamp 1-5-2. The elbow clamp 1-5-2 is equally divided around the circumference of the chassis 1-5-1, and the elbow clamp 1-5-2 is used to fix a single sample. When installing the sample 6, the sample chuck 1-3 is installed on the sample clamping tool 1-5, and the elbow clamp 1-5-2 clamps the edge of the sample chuck 1-3. This allows the sample to be installed in the cavity of the sample chuck 1-3.

[0053] See also Figure 4In some embodiments of the present invention, the fully automatic grinding and polishing unit 2 includes a workbench 2-1, a grinding and polishing head 2-2, a grinding and polishing station 2-3, a circulating water cooling system 2-4, an automatic polishing liquid dripping system 2-5, a sample cleaning station 2-6, a visual evaluation system 2-8 and a bracket 2-9.

[0054] Furthermore, the workbench 2-1 is a box structure, the upper surface is the working surface, and the interior is a cavity, which can be installed with other auxiliary equipment. The upper frame of the workbench 2-1 is equipped with a bracket 2-9, and a plurality of grinding and polishing heads 2-2 are installed at the lower end of the bracket 2-9; from one side to the other side of the workbench 2-1, the upper surface of the workbench 2-1 is provided with a grinding and polishing station 2-3 and a sample cleaning station 2-6, and a visual evaluation system 2-8 is also installed on the workbench 2-1, and a circulating water cooling system 2-4 is arranged behind the workbench 2-1.

[0055] Furthermore, the grinding and polishing head 2-2 is driven by a built-in motor with a power of 1.0-1.5KW to realize self-rotation, and the speed adjustment range is 20-300r / min, and forward and reverse rotation are optional; the grinding and polishing head 2-2 is pneumatically moved up and down and loaded, the moving distance is 100-150mm, and the maximum loading force can reach 300N; at the same time, the grinding and polishing head 2-2 and the chuck 1-3 can be flexibly connected. The grinding disc granularity or the polishing agent granularity used in the grinding and polishing head 2-2 at different stations are different.

[0056] Furthermore, the grinding and polishing station 2-3 includes a rough grinding station 2-3-1, a fine grinding station 2-3-2, a rough polishing station 2-3-3 and a fine polishing station 2-3-4. Each grinding and polishing station 2-3 and a sample cleaning station 2-6 are equipped with a water outlet pipe 2-4-3. A grinding and polishing head 2-2 is arranged above each grinding and polishing station 2-3. Each grinding and polishing head 2-2 is equipped with an automatic polishing liquid dripping system 2-5. The rough grinding station 2-3-1, the fine grinding station 2-3-2 and the rough polishing station 2-3-3 are installed in sequence. A sample cleaning station 2-6 is arranged between the rough polishing station 2-3-3 and the fine polishing station 2-3-4. The above four grinding and polishing stations are driven by motors with a power of 1.5KW-2.5KW, and the speed adjustment range is 50-600r / min. The corresponding motors are all installed in the box. Among them, the rough grinding station 2-3-1 uses a magnetic diamond grinding disc with a diameter of 300mm and a particle size range of 220#-400#; the fine grinding station 2-3-2 uses a magnetic diamond grinding disc with a diameter of 300mm and a particle size range of 800#-1000#; the rough polishing station 2-3-3 uses a magnetic metallographic polishing disc with a diameter of 300mm and a 3μm diamond suspension polishing agent; the fine polishing station 2-3-4 uses a magnetic metallographic polishing disc with a diameter of 300mm and a 1μm diamond suspension polishing agent or other polishing fluid (replaceable).

[0057] For further information, see Figure 4 The circulating water cooling system 2-4 includes a water tank 2-4-1, a circulating water pump 2-4-2, and a water outlet pipe 2-4-3. Water is stored in the water tank 2-4-1. The water outlet pipe 2-4-3 on each grinding and polishing station 2-3 is connected to the water tank 2-4-1. The circulating water pump 2-4-2 is used to pump the water in the water tank 2-4-1 into the water outlet pipe 2-4-3. The volume of the water tank 2-4-1 is 30-50L. The water outlet flow rate can be adjusted by the circulating water pump 2-4-2, and the adjustment range is 0-15L / min. The circulating water cooling system is installed on the coarse grinding station and the fine grinding station respectively. When the sample is undergoing coarse grinding and fine grinding processes, the water outlet pipe 2-4-3 will continuously provide a certain flow of cooling water to prevent the sample surface from being affected by heat during the preparation process and causing structural changes, and collect grinding particles.

[0058] For further information, see Figure 6 The automatic dripping system 2-5 for polishing liquid includes an automatic liquid adding arm 2-5-1, a peristaltic pump 2-5-2, a glass bottle 2-5-3 and a magnetic stirring device 2-5-4. The two automatic liquid adding arms 2-5-1 are respectively connected to the two glass bottles 2-5-3 and inserted into the glass bottles 2-5-3. The two glass bottles 2-5-3 are respectively filled with water and polishing liquid. A magnetic stirring device 2-5-4 is placed in each glass bottle 2-5-3. There are two dripping holes on the outer end of each automatic liquid adding arm 2-5-1. One of the holes will drip out the polishing liquid; the other hole will drip out water. The peristaltic pump 2-5-2 can adjust the liquid dripping speed of the two dripping holes, and the adjustment range is 0-300ml / min. The glass bottles 2-5-3 are two glass bottles with a volume of 500ml-1000ml, which store diamond suspension polishing agent and water respectively. The bottom of the glass bottle storing the diamond suspension polishing agent is equipped with the magnetic stirring device 2-5-4 to keep the abrasive in the suspension in a uniform distribution state. The polishing liquid automatic dripping system is installed on the rough polishing station and the fine polishing station respectively. When the sample is subjected to the rough polishing and fine polishing processes, the flow rate control of the polishing liquid automatic dripping system is adjusted, and the two small holes on the automatic liquid adding arm drip out the polishing liquid and water at different flow rates.

[0059] Furthermore, the sample cleaning station 2-6 is located between the rough polishing station 2-3-3 and the fine polishing station 2-3-4, and ultrasonic waves are used to clean the sample between the rough polishing and the fine polishing. The cleaning station uses a high-power industrial vibration head and has a heating mode, which can quickly remove the polishing medium on the metallographic sample after polishing to avoid affecting the next process.

[0060] For further information, see Figure 4The visual evaluation system 2-8 includes a camera 2-8-1, an annular coaxial light illuminating device 2-8-2 and an image processing module. The camera 2-8-1 is lower than the upper surface of the workbench 2-1. The outer periphery of the camera 2-8-1 is provided with a circle of annular coaxial light illuminating device. The camera 2-8-1 and the image processing module are electrically connected by signals. The camera 2-8-1 has an autofocus function and is used to scan and shoot the image of the polished metallographic sample. The annular coaxial light illuminating device 2-8-2 is used to provide lighting to ensure that the sample image taken is clear and without shadows. After receiving the sample image taken by the camera, the image processing module 2-8-3 performs binarization on the image and compares it with the binarized image of the polished sample. If scratches are still found on the surface of the sample, the image processing module 2-8-3 sends an instruction to the operation control unit 4 to continue the fine polishing process.

[0061] See also Figure 1 It can be seen that the upper end of the bracket 2-9 is equipped with a transmission unit 5, which includes a truss 5-1 and a truss manipulator 5-2. The length of the truss 5-1 is longer than that of the bracket 2-9. One end of the truss 5-1 is above the chuck storage unit 1, and the other end of the truss 5-1 is above the corrosion drying and transmission unit 3. A slide rail 5-3 is provided on the truss 5-1 along the length direction. The upper end of the truss manipulator 5-2 is slidably connected to the slide rail 5-3. The truss manipulator 5-2 can move along the slide rail 5-3 to the top of the chuck storage unit 1 and the top of the corrosion drying and transmission unit 3. A rotating shaft is provided at the lower end of the truss manipulator 5-2, and the rotating shaft is connected to two clamps 5-4 with connected ends and the same structure. The two clamps 5-4 are arranged in mirror symmetry with the counter-rotating shaft as the Z axis. The horizontal center lines of the two clamps 5-4 are the same. The two clamps 5-4 are clamp A and clamp B. The two clamps 5-4 can rotate horizontally 180° around the rotating shaft and interchange positions to alternately grasp the chuck to improve efficiency. The two clamps are provided with three working positions, namely position A, position B and position C. Position A is above any one of the rough grinding station 2-3-1, fine grinding station 2-3-2, rough polishing station 2-3-3 and fine polishing station 2-3-4. When the sample needs to be moved to any of the above four stations, it is only necessary to move and adjust the position of the truss manipulator 5-2, and at the same time make any one of the clamps above the above stations to perform sampling or layout operations; position B is above the visual evaluation system 2-8; when When the sample needs to be placed at position A, position B or on the conveyor belt 3-1, the horizontal center lines of jaws A and B are perpendicular to the length direction of the workbench 2-1; when the sample needs to be placed on the chuck storage unit 1, the truss manipulator 5-2 is at one end of the truss 5-1, and the shaft rotates 90° at the same time. The horizontal center lines of the two jaws are parallel to the length direction of the workbench 2-1, and one jaw is above a station on the chuck storage unit 1 where the sample chuck 1-3 is placed, and can move downward to grab the sample chuck.

[0062] Furthermore, the truss manipulator 2-7 adopts gear rack transmission, is equipped with a high-precision grating ruler, has high repeat positioning accuracy, and has a maximum moving speed of 0.6M / s.

[0063] See also Figure 5 In some embodiments of the present invention, the corrosion drying and conveying unit 3 includes a conveyor belt 3-1, an etching and drying station 3-2, a three-claw truss 3-3, and a flip clamp truss 3-4.

[0064] Furthermore, the conveyor belt 3-1 is made of an aluminum profile frame with a width of 250-350mm; one end of the conveyor belt 3-1 is below the truss 5-1, so that the truss manipulator 5-2 can move to the top of the conveyor belt 3-1 and place the sample chuck 1-3 on the conveyor belt 3-1. One side of the conveyor belt 3-1 is the dipping and drying station 3-2, and a three-claw truss 3-3 and a flip-claw truss 3-4 are arranged above the conveyor belt 3-1. The three-claw truss 3-3 and the flip-claw truss 3-4 both span the conveyor belt 3-1 and the dipping and drying station 3-2, so that the two trusses can transfer the sample chuck 1-3 between the conveyor belt 3-1 and the dipping and drying station 3-2. A clamp is installed on the three-claw truss 3-3 through a mechanical arm, which can move the sample chuck transmitted by the conveyor belt to the dipping and drying station, and a flip-claw is connected to the flip-claw truss 3-4 through a mechanical arm. The etching and drying station 3-2 is sequentially provided with an etching table 3-2-1, an automatic slide 3-2-2 and a drying table 3-2-3. Specifically, the automatic slide 3-2-2 is arranged on the side of the conveyor belt 3-1 bracket and can move along the side of the conveyor belt 3-1 bracket. The three-claw truss and the rotating clamp truss use a screw linear module, equipped with a high-precision grating ruler, and have high repeatability positioning accuracy. The maximum operating speed is 0.6M / s. The rotating clamp can rotate up and down 180°. After grabbing the chuck, the chuck can be flipped 180° so that the polished surface faces upward, which is convenient for the next step of detection.

[0065] The operation control unit 4 is mainly used to control various actions in the chuck storage unit 1, the fully automatic grinding and polishing unit 2, the corrosion drying and conveying unit 3 and the transmission unit 5 during the sample preparation process, such as setting the chassis speed, working time, pressure size, automatic working head steering, water switch, grinding and polishing speed, polishing liquid loading type, polishing liquid loading flow rate, etching time and other operations, and sending control signals to related workstations.

[0066] See also Figure 7 The full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation method described in the present invention specifically includes the following steps:

[0067] Step 1, grinding the sample: In order to obtain a flat inspection surface, the cut metallographic sample is first ground on a grinder or a grinding machine. During the grinding process, the sample must be cooled with water to prevent the sample from undergoing structural changes due to heat.

[0068] Step 2, sample clamping: place the sample chuck 1-3 on the chassis 1-5-1, press and fix it with the elbow clamp 1-5-2, put multiple metallographic specimens into the cavity of the sample chuck 1-3, press the upper end surface of the metallographic specimen to ensure that its polished surface is in close contact with the chassis 1-5-1, and use the top screw 1-3-1 to press the side of the metallographic specimen to ensure that the specimen is fixed. At this time, the inspection surfaces of the multiple metallographic specimens on the sample chuck 1-3 are on the same plane. Remove the sample chuck 1-3 from the sample clamping tooling, and place the clamped sample chuck 1-3 on the rotating table 1-2 of the chuck storage unit according to the 12 o'clock position mark. 12 chucks can be stored at one time.

[0069] Step 3, set parameters: operate the control unit to set the chassis speed, working time, pressure, automatic working head direction, water switch, grinding and polishing speed, polishing liquid loading type, polishing liquid loading flow rate, etching time and other parameters during the sample preparation process. You can also select the previously set parameters. Then start the automatic sample preparation switch.

[0070] Step 4, rough grinding of the sample: Jaw A in the jaws 5-4 grabs a chuck (numbered 1#) and clamps it to the grinding disc head of the rough grinding station 2-3-1. At this time, the grinding head 2-2 starts to rotate forward and moves downward to load. The grinding disc of the rough grinding station is reversed, and the sample of the 1# chuck is rough ground. At the same time, the water cooling system is started to cool the sample being prepared. While the 1# chuck is rough ground, the jaw A in the jaws 5-4 grabs a new sample chuck (numbered 2#) and waits.

[0071] Step 5, fine grinding of the sample: After about 3-5 minutes, the jaw B of the truss manipulator takes out the rough-ground 1# chuck, and then the jaw A of the manipulator clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the rough grinding station for rough grinding. The jaw B of the truss manipulator moves to the fine grinding station and clamps the 1# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the fine grinding station. At this time, the grinding disc head of the fine grinding station starts to rotate forward and moves downward for loading. The grinding disc of the fine grinding station reverses, and the sample of the 1# chuck is finely ground. At the same time, the water cooling system is started to cool the sample being prepared.

[0072] Step 6, rough polishing of the sample: After about 3-5 minutes, the jaw A of the truss manipulator takes out the rough-ground 2# chuck. Then the truss manipulator moves to the fine grinding station, and the jaw B first takes out the fine-ground 1# chuck, and then the jaw A clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the fine grinding station for fine grinding. Then the jaw B of the truss manipulator moves to the rough polishing station and clamps the 1# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the rough polishing station. At this time, the grinding disc head of the rough polishing station starts to rotate forward and moves downward to load. The polishing disc of the rough polishing station reverses, and the sample of the 1# chuck is rough polished. At the same time, the two drip holes of the polishing drip system of the rough polishing station flow out 3μm diamond suspension polishing agent and cooling water respectively.

[0073] Step 7, sample cleaning: After about 3-5 minutes, the gripper A of the truss robot takes out the finely ground 2# chuck. Then the truss robot moves to the rough polishing station, and the gripper B first takes out the rough polished 1# chuck, and then the gripper A clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the rough polishing station for rough polishing. Subsequently, the gripper B of the truss robot moves to the cleaning station and clamps the 1# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the cleaning station. At this time, the grinding disc head of the cleaning station moves downward into the ultrasonic cleaning tank to ultrasonically clean the 1# chuck sample. After cleaning for 3-5 minutes, the grinding disc head of the cleaning station moves upward and rotates to dry the sample.

[0074] Step 8, fine polishing of the sample: The jaw A of the truss manipulator takes out the rough-polished 2# chuck. Then the truss manipulator moves to the cleaning station, and the jaw B first takes out the cleaned 1# chuck, and then the jaw A clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the cleaning station for cleaning. Subsequently, the jaw B of the truss manipulator moves to the fine polishing station and clamps the 1# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the fine polishing station. At this time, the grinding disc head of the fine polishing station starts to rotate forward and moves downward for loading. The polishing disc of the fine polishing station reverses, and the sample of the 1# chuck is finely polished. At the same time, the two drip holes of the polishing drip system of the rough polishing station flow out 1μm diamond suspension polishing agent and cooling water respectively.

[0075] Step 9, sample inspection: After about 3-5 minutes, the gripper A of the truss robot takes out the cleaned 2# chuck. Then the truss robot moves to the fine polishing station, and the gripper B first takes out the fine polished 1# chuck, and then the gripper A clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the fine polishing station for fine polishing. Subsequently, the gripper B of the truss robot moves to the visual evaluation station for taking pictures and inspection. When the image processing module believes that the sample surface of the 1# chuck is in a mirror state and has no scratches, execute step 10. When the image processing module believes that there are scratches on the sample surface of the 1# chuck, wait for 3-5 minutes and then execute the fine polishing procedure in step 8.

[0076] Step 10, etching, cleaning and drying: The gripper B of the truss manipulator grabs the sample chuck 1# and places it on the conveyor belt 3-1. The conveyor belt 3-1 moves the sample chuck 1# to the three-claw truss position. The three-claw truss gripper places the chuck 1# in the corrosion tank containing the metallographic etching solution for about 3-10s. Then, the chuck 1# is grabbed and placed on the automatic slide 3-2-2, and the slide moves the chuck 1# to the station of the drying station 3-2-3. The drying station performs ultrasonic cleaning and drying on the sample.

[0077] Table 1 Comparison between the present invention and manual sample preparation

[0078]

[0079] Embodiment 1:

[0080] The present invention is applied to prepare a batch of metallographic specimens of X80 PSL2 straight seam submerged arc welded pipes with a specification of Φ1219×27.5mm, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0081] Step 1, grinding the sample: First, grind the 12 cut metallographic samples on a grinder. During the grinding process, water must be used to cool the sample to prevent the sample from undergoing structural changes due to heat.

[0082] Step 2, sample clamping: Place the chuck on the base, press and fix it with an elbow clamp, and place 12 metallographic specimens into the two chuck cavities respectively. Press the upper end surface of the metallographic specimen to ensure that its polished surface is close to the base, and use a top screw to tighten the side of the metallographic specimen to ensure that the specimen is fixed. At this time, the inspection surface of the metallographic specimen on the chuck is on the same plane. Place the clamped sample chucks (numbered 1#, 2#) at the 0 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions on the rotating table of the chuck storage unit.

[0083] Step 3, set parameters: operate the control unit, set the grinding and polishing head speed to 50r / min, the loading pressure to 100N, and the grinding and polishing head rotation mode to forward; set the grinding and polishing station speed to 300r / min, the grinding and polishing station rotation mode to reverse, the flow rate of circulating cooling water to 0.5L / min, and the grinding and polishing time to 5min; set the polishing liquid flow rate of the polishing drip system to 2ml / min, and the water flow rate of the polishing drip system to 5ml / min; set the etching time to 10s. Start the automatic sample preparation switch.

[0084] Step 4, rough grinding of the sample: The rough grinding station uses a magnetic diamond grinding disc with a diameter of 300mm and a particle size of 220#. The gripper A of the truss manipulator grabs a 1# chuck and clamps it on the grinding disc head of the rough grinding station. At this time, the grinding disc head starts to rotate forward and moves downward to load. The grinding disc of the rough grinding station is reversed, and the sample of the 1# chuck is rough ground. At the same time, the water cooling system is started to cool the sample being prepared. While the 1# chuck is rough ground, the gripper A of the truss manipulator grabs a 2# sample chuck and waits.

[0085] Step 5, fine grinding of the sample: The fine grinding station uses a magnetic diamond grinding disc with a diameter of 300mm and a particle size of 800#. After 5 minutes, the jaw B of the truss manipulator takes out the rough-ground 1# chuck, and then the jaw A of the manipulator clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the rough grinding station for rough grinding. The jaw B of the truss manipulator moves to the fine grinding station and clamps the 1# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the fine grinding station. At this time, the grinding disc head of the fine grinding station starts to rotate forward and moves downward for loading. The grinding disc of the fine grinding station reverses, and the sample of the 1# chuck is finely ground. At the same time, the water cooling system is started to cool the sample being prepared.

[0086] Step 6, rough polishing of the sample: After 5 minutes, the jaw A of the truss manipulator takes out the rough-ground 2# chuck. Then the truss manipulator moves to the fine grinding station, and the jaw B first takes out the fine-ground 1# chuck, and then the jaw A clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the fine grinding station for fine grinding. Then the jaw B of the truss manipulator moves to the rough polishing station and clamps the 1# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the rough polishing station. At this time, the grinding disc head of the rough polishing station starts to rotate forward and moves downward to load. The polishing disc of the rough polishing station reverses, and the sample of the 1# chuck is rough polished. At the same time, the two drip holes of the polishing drip system of the rough polishing station flow out 3μm diamond suspension polishing agent and cooling water respectively.

[0087] Step 7, sample cleaning: After 5 minutes, the gripper A of the truss robot takes out the finely ground 2# chuck. Then the truss robot moves to the rough polishing station, and the gripper B first takes out the rough polished 1# chuck, and then the gripper A clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the rough polishing station for rough polishing. Subsequently, the gripper B of the truss robot moves to the cleaning station and clamps the 1# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the cleaning station. At this time, the grinding disc head of the cleaning station moves downward into the ultrasonic cleaning tank to ultrasonically clean the 1# chuck sample. After cleaning for 4 minutes, the grinding disc head of the cleaning station moves upward and rotates to dry the sample for 1 minute.

[0088] Step 8, fine polishing of the sample: The jaw A of the truss manipulator takes out the rough-polished 2# chuck. Then the truss manipulator moves to the cleaning station, and the jaw B first takes out the cleaned 1# chuck, and then the jaw A clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the cleaning station for cleaning. Subsequently, the jaw B of the truss manipulator moves to the fine polishing station and clamps the 1# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the fine polishing station. At this time, the grinding disc head of the fine polishing station starts to rotate forward and moves downward for loading. The polishing disc of the fine polishing station reverses, and the sample of the 1# chuck is finely polished. At the same time, the two drip holes of the polishing drip system of the rough polishing station flow out 1μm diamond suspension polishing agent and cooling water respectively.

[0089] Step 9, sample inspection: 5 minutes later, the gripper A of the truss manipulator takes out the cleaned 2# chuck. Then the truss manipulator moves to the fine polishing station, and the gripper B first takes out the fine polished 1# chuck, and then the gripper A clamps the 2# chuck onto the grinding disc head of the fine polishing station for fine polishing. Subsequently, the gripper B of the truss manipulator moves to the visual evaluation station to take pictures and inspect the 1# chuck sample. The image processing module finds that the sample surface of the 1# chuck is in a mirror state and has no scratches, and executes step 10.

[0090] Step 10, etching and drying: The gripper B of the truss manipulator grabs the 1# chuck sample and places it on the conveyor belt 3-1. The conveyor belt 3-1 moves the sample chuck to the position of the three-claw truss 3-3. The gripper of the three-claw truss 3-3 places the 1# chuck in the corrosion tank containing 4% nitric acid alcohol solution for about 10 seconds. Then grab the 1# chuck and place it on the automatic slide 3-2-2, and the automatic slide 3-2-2 moves the 1# chuck to the drying table 3-2-3. The drying station performs ultrasonic cleaning and drying on the sample.

[0091] Observe the microstructure of the metallographic sample under a metallographic microscope at 500 times magnification. The metallographic photos are as follows Figure 8 shown.

[0092] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform, characterized in that: The invention comprises a workbench (2-1), a chuck storage unit (1) is arranged on one side of the workbench (2-1), and a conveyor belt (3-1) is arranged on the other side of the workbench (2-1); a bracket (2-9) is arranged on the workbench (2-1), a truss (5-1) is arranged on the bracket (2-9), one side of the truss (5-1) is above the chuck storage unit (1), and the other side of the truss (5-1) is above the conveyor belt (3-1); A plurality of sample chucks (1-3) are placed on the chuck storage unit (1), and a plurality of samples (6) are placed in each sample chuck (1-3); A plurality of grinding and polishing heads (2-2) are arranged on the bracket (2-9); Along the direction from the chuck storage unit (1) to the conveyor belt (3-1), the workbench (2-1) is provided with a rough grinding station (2-3-1), a fine grinding station (2-3-2), a rough polishing station (2-3-3) and a fine polishing station (2-3-4) in sequence, and a grinding and polishing head (2-2) is provided above each station; the workbench (2-1) is also provided with a visual evaluation system (2-8); A dipping and drying station (3-2) is arranged on one side of the conveyor belt (3-1), and a three-claw truss (3-3) and a flip-claw truss (3-4) are arranged above the conveyor belt (3-1) and the dipping and drying station (3-2); The truss (5-1) is slidably connected to a truss manipulator (5-2), and the lower end of the truss manipulator (5-2) is connected to two mirror-image clamps (5-4), and the horizontal center lines of the two clamps (5-4) coincide with each other; the two clamps (5-4) can rotate around the truss manipulator (5-2); when any one of the clamps (5-4) rotates to position A, the any one of the clamps (5-4) is above a workstation; when any one of the clamps (5-4) rotates to position B, the any one of the clamps (5-4) is above the visual evaluation system (2-8); when the clamps (5-4) take samples from the chuck storage unit (1), the horizontal center lines of the two clamps (5-4) are parallel to the length direction of the workbench (2-1); The chuck storage unit (1), truss (5-1), conveyor belt (3-1), rough grinding station (2-3-1), fine grinding station (2-3-2), rough polishing station (2-3-3), fine polishing station (2-3-4), grinding and polishing head (2-2), visual evaluation system (2-8), dipping and drying station (3-2), three-claw truss (3-3), flip clamping claw truss (3-4), truss manipulator (5-2) and clamping claw (5-4) are commonly connected to an operation control unit (4).

2. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chuck storage unit (1) comprises a rotating table (1-2), the rotating table (1-2) is arranged on a chassis (1-1), a servo motor (1-4) is installed in the chassis (1-1), and the power output end of the servo motor (1-4) is connected to the bottom of the rotating table (1-2); the plurality of sample chucks (1-3) are equally spaced along the circumference of the rotating table (1-2).

3. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sample chuck (1-3) is provided with a plurality of cavities, each of which is provided with a sample (6), and each of which is provided with a top screw (1-3-1), wherein the top screw (1-3-1) abuts against one end of the sample (6).

4. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coarse grinding station (2-3-1), the fine grinding station (2-3-2), the coarse polishing station (2-3-3) and the fine polishing station (2-3-4) are all provided with water outlet pipes (2-4-3), and all the water outlet pipes (2-4-3) are connected to the water tank (2-4-1).

5. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two automatic liquid adding arms (2-5-1) are respectively arranged on the grinding and polishing heads (2-2) above the rough grinding station (2-3-1) and the fine grinding station (2-3-2), one automatic liquid adding arm (2-5-1) is filled with water, and the other automatic liquid adding arm (2-5-1) is filled with polishing liquid.

6. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sample cleaning station (2-6) is arranged between the rough polishing station (2-3-3) and the fine polishing station (2-3-4), and a water outlet pipe (2-4-3) is arranged on the sample cleaning station (2-6).

7. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visual evaluation system (2-8) comprises a camera (2-8-1), and an annular coaxial light illumination device (2-8-2) is arranged outside the camera (2-8-1).

8. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The truss (5-1) is provided with a slide rail (5-3), and the truss manipulator (5-2) and the slide rail (5-3) are slidably connected.

9. A full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dipping and drying station (3-2) is provided with an etching table (3-2-1), an automatic sliding table (3-2-2) and a drying table (3-2-3) in sequence.

10. A sample preparation method based on the full-process high-throughput metallographic sample preparation platform of claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1, mounting the sample grinding card in the sample chuck (1-3), and placing the sample chuck (1-3) on the chuck storage unit (1); Step 2, two clamping jaws in the clamping jaws (5-4) sequentially clamp a plurality of sample chucks (1-3) to different workstations, so that the plurality of sample chucks (1-3) are processed on the workbench (2-1) at the same time, and each sample chuck (1-3) sequentially passes through the rough grinding workstation (2-3-1), the fine grinding workstation (2-3-2), the rough polishing workstation (2-3-3) and the fine polishing workstation (2-3-4); Step 3, after the sample chuck (1-3) has been processed in the fine polishing station (2-3-4), it is photographed by the visual evaluation system (2-8) and then sent to the dipping and drying station (3-2); Step 4: the sample chuck (1-3) is etched, cleaned and dried in sequence at the immersion and drying station (3-2), and the sample preparation is completed.

Images