Thermal forming cooling system and method for manufacturing workpiece

Abstract

The invention discloses a thermal forming cooling system and a method for manufacturing workpieces, the thermal forming cooling system comprises a thermal forming device and a cooling device, the cooling device comprises a first cooling assembly, a first conveying assembly, a second conveying assembly and a transfer assembly, and the first cooling assembly outputs a first cooling medium and forms a vertically downward cooling channel; the first conveying assembly comprises a bearing seat, a plurality of sets of positioning parts which are arranged side by side and used for fixing workpieces are arranged on the bearing seat, and the bearing seat can reciprocate in the first direction and is provided with a first position for entering the cooling channel and a second position for exiting from the cooling channel; the second conveying assembly comprises a conveying belt capable of moving in the second direction. The transferring assembly is used for transferring the workpieces, the number of the first cooling assemblies is reduced, the size of the first conveying assembly is reduced, the layout of all the devices is more flexible, the transferring time difference is utilized for cooling, and the cooling efficiency is higher.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of cooling equipment, and more particularly to a thermoforming cooling system and a method for manufacturing workpieces. Background Art

[0002] Existing cooling equipment, especially equipment for cooling injection-molded parts, for example, the patent document with the publication number CN207917781U discloses an air-cooled conveyor belt, including a conveyor belt and a plurality of blowers arranged side by side along the conveying direction of the conveyor belt for cooling preforms multiple times. The plurality of blowers result in the need to correspondingly extend the length of the conveyor belt, making the entire device longer and not conducive to space layout. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a thermoforming cooling system with better cooling effect and more flexible space layout.

[0004] The thermoforming cooling system provided by this application includes a thermoforming device for workpiece forming and a cooling device for immediately cooling the workpiece. The cooling device includes:

[0005] A first cooling component that outputs a first cooling medium and forms a vertically downward cooling channel;

[0006] A first conveying component, including a carrier seat, on which multiple groups of positioning parts arranged side by side for fixing the workpiece are provided. The carrier seat can reciprocate along a first direction, having a first position for entering the cooling channel and a second position for exiting the cooling channel;

[0007] A second conveying component for transferring the cooled workpiece, including a conveyor belt that can move along a second direction;

[0008] A transfer component for transferring a group of the workpieces from the thermoforming device to the carrier seat, and for transferring a group of the workpieces from the carrier seat to the conveyor belt.

[0009] The following also provides several optional ways, which are not additional limitations to the above overall solution, but only further supplements or preferences. Without technical or logical contradictions, each optional way can be combined with the above overall solution alone, or multiple optional ways can be combined with each other.

[0010] Optionally, the conveyor belt passes through the cooling channel.

[0011] Optionally, both the first direction and the second direction are horizontal and parallel.

[0012] Optionally, the conveyor belt is located below the carrier seat.

[0013] Optionally, the second transfer component has a feeding area and a discharging area, and the second position is arranged close to the feeding area.

[0014] Optionally, the grouped positioning parts are arranged along a third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0015] Optionally, the bearing seat has a horizontal mounting surface, and the positioning part protrudes relative to the mounting surface.

[0016] Optionally, the positioning part has a cavity and an exhaust hole communicating with the cavity, and the cavity is connected to the second cooling component through a pipeline.

[0017] Optionally, a plurality of spaced-apart supporting parts are arranged around each positioning part, the supporting parts protrude relative to the mounting surface and are lower than the positioning part.

[0018] The present application also provides a method for manufacturing a workpiece by using the thermoforming cooling system as described in any one of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0019] Step S100, the transfer component transfers a group of workpieces from the thermoforming device to a group of idle positioning parts on the bearing seat; if the bearing seat is full, the transfer component transfers the group of workpieces with the longest cooling time to the conveyor belt;

[0020] Step S200, the bearing seat reciprocates between the first position and the second position to cool the workpieces on the bearing seat;

[0021] Repeat steps S100 - S200.

[0022] In the thermoforming cooling system of the present application, the bearing seat reciprocates to receive and cool the workpieces. Each group of workpieces undergoes multiple coolings during the reciprocating movement, improving the cooling effect. Moreover, the number of the first cooling devices can be correspondingly reduced, making the volume of the first transfer component smaller and the spatial layout of the entire system more flexible. Description of the Drawings

[0023] Figure 1 It is a layout schematic diagram of the thermoforming cooling system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 It is Figure 1 the front view of the cooling device in

[0025] Figure 3 It is the front view of the bearing seat when it is switched to the first position according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4Structural view of the carrier seat when it is unloaded according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 Structural view of the carrier seat when it is fully loaded according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 Schematic process diagram of manufacturing a workpiece by the thermoforming cooling system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] The descriptions of the reference numerals in the figures are as follows:

[0030] 10. Thermoforming equipment; 100. Workpiece; 110. Top wall; 120. Side wall;

[0031] 20. Cooling equipment; 200. First cooling component; 210. First bracket; 220. Cooling channel;

[0032] 300. First conveying component; 310. Carrier seat; 3101. Mounting surface; 311. Positioning portion; 3111. Exhaust hole; 312. Support plate; 313. Supporting portion; 320. Second bracket;

[0033] 400. Second conveying component; 410. Third bracket; 420. Conveyor belt; 421. Feeding area; 422. Discharging area; 500. Transfer component. Detailed implementation manners

[0034] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0035] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may also be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "disposed on" another component, it can be directly disposed on the other component or there may be an intermediate component at the same time.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this application belongs. The terms used in the specification of this application herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0037] In this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity or order of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0038] Referring to Figures 1 to 3 , the thermoforming cooling system of this application includes a thermoforming device 10 for workpiece forming and a cooling device 20 for immediately cooling the workpiece. In one embodiment, the thermoforming device 10 is an injection molding machine, and the corresponding workpiece 100 to be formed is an injection molded part.

[0039] The cooling device 20 includes a first cooling component 200, a first conveying component 300, a second conveying component 400, and a transfer component 500. The first cooling component 200 is installed on a first bracket 210 and can output a first cooling medium to form a vertically downward cooling channel 220. In one embodiment, the first cooling component 200 includes a cooling fan, and the output first cooling medium is cold air.

[0040] The first conveying component 300 includes a carrier 310. The carrier 310 can reciprocate in a first direction and has a first position to enter the cooling channel 220 and a second position to exit the cooling channel 220. Multiple groups of positioning parts 311 are arranged on the carrier 310. The positioning parts 311 are used to fix the workpiece 100 and restrict the workpiece 100 from moving relative to the carrier 310 when the carrier 310 reciprocates.

[0041] Since there is a time difference between the transfer of adjacent two groups of workpieces 100 to the carrier 310, therefore, each time the carrier 310 receives a group of workpieces 100 from the thermoforming device 10 at the second position, subsequently, the carrier 310 slides to the first position to cool all the workpieces on the carrier 310. After staying for a certain period of time, the carrier 310 switches to the second position to wait for the next group of workpieces 100. By using the time difference to cool the workpieces 100, the cooling efficiency is improved, and the number of the first cooling components is reduced. Correspondingly, the length of the first conveying component 300 is reduced, making the spatial arrangement between various devices more flexible. For example, referring to Figure 1 , the first conveying component 300 and the thermoforming device 10 are arranged side by side.

[0042] In one embodiment, the first conveying component 300 includes a second bracket 320. The carrier 310 is slidably installed on the second bracket 320 and reciprocates. The first cooling component 200 is located above the first conveying component 300.

[0043] Referring toFigure 4 and Figure 5 In one embodiment, the bearing seat 310 has a horizontal mounting surface 3101. Specifically, the bearing seat 310 includes a plate-shaped support plate 312, which is slidably mounted on the second bracket 320, and the upper surface of the support plate 312 is the mounting surface 3101. The positioning portion 311 is protruding relative to the mounting surface 3101, and there is a matching relationship between the workpiece 100 and the positioning portion 311 at least in the horizontal direction, such as a clearance fit, which is used to limit the relative movement of the workpiece 100 in the horizontal direction.

[0044] In some embodiments, the positioning portion 311 and the support plate 312 are integrally formed or separately connected.

[0045] After being placed on the support seat 310, the workpiece 100 has an inner surface facing the positioning portion 311 and an outer surface opposite thereto, wherein the first cooling medium delivered by the first cooling assembly 200 directly contacts the outer surface of the workpiece 100. In one embodiment, the positioning portion 311 has a cavity and an exhaust hole 3111 communicating with the cavity, and the cavity is connected to the second cooling assembly through a pipeline, and the second cooling assembly can deliver the second cooling medium to the pipeline, and the second cooling medium contacts the inner surface of the workpiece 100 through the exhaust hole 3111, thereby improving the cooling effect and cooling efficiency.

[0046] In one embodiment, the second cooling component is, for example, a fan, and the corresponding second cooling medium is low-temperature air.

[0047] In some embodiments, the positioning parts 311 in the same group share the same pipeline, and the positioning parts 311 in different groups share the same pipeline or are independent of each other.

[0048] In one embodiment, a plurality of spaced support portions 313 are provided around each positioning portion 311, the support portion 311 protrudes relative to the mounting surface 3101 and is lower than the positioning portion 311, and the support portion 313 is lower than the positioning portion 311, so that the workpiece 100 can cooperate with the positioning portion 311 in the horizontal direction. A gap is formed between adjacent support portions 313, and the gap is used for the second cooling medium to be discharged, thereby reducing the amount of vertical runout of the workpiece 100 relative to the positioning portion 311.

[0049] In some embodiments, the support portion 313 and the positioning portion 311 are integrally formed or separately connected.

[0050] In the illustration, the bottom of the workpiece 100 is square and includes a top wall 110 and side walls 120. The corresponding positioning portion 311 is a round block, and the supporting portion 313 is a block structure and is arranged around the positioning portion 311. Under the action of gravity, the bottom of the side wall 120 abuts against the supporting portion 313, and the side wall 120 and the positioning portion 311 are in clearance fit. It should be noted that the output pressure of the second cooling assembly cannot be too large to avoid blowing the workpiece 100 away from the positioning portion 311.

[0051] In one embodiment, the grouped positioning portions 311 are arranged along a third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction, so that the cooling time of each workpiece 100 in each group is the same.

[0052] The second transfer assembly 400 is used to transfer the cooled workpiece 100, and it includes a third bracket 410 and a conveyor belt 420 arranged on the third bracket 410 and movable along the second direction.

[0053] In one embodiment, both the first direction and the second direction are horizontal and parallel. In some embodiments, the second transfer assembly 400 and the first transfer assembly 300 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, or as Figure 2 shown, the second transfer assembly 400 and the first transfer assembly 300 are arranged vertically at intervals, that is, the conveyor belt 420 is located below the carrier seat 310, and the structure is more compact.

[0054] In one embodiment, the conveyor belt 420 passes through the cooling channel 220, so that the workpiece 100 can be cooled again during the transfer process. Combining the foregoing, the conveyor belt 420 is located below the carrier seat 310, and the corresponding second bracket 320 includes two horizontally parallel slide rails, and the carrier seat 310 is slidably installed between the two slide rails. The first cooling medium can be conveyed to the conveyor belt 420 through the space between the two slide rails.

[0055] In one embodiment, during the period when the workpiece 100 just enters the cooling channel 220 and exits the cooling channel 220 on the conveyor belt 420, the carrier seat 310 is in the second position.

[0056] Refer back to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the transfer assembly 500 is used to transfer the grouped workpieces 100 from the thermoforming equipment to the carrier seat 310, and to transfer the grouped workpieces 100 from the carrier seat 310 to the conveyor belt 420. The workpiece of the present application is an appearance part, such as the outer shell of a lipstick tube. To avoid fingerprints on the outer shell or damage during transfer. The transfer assembly 500 is a robotic arm, and the robot is equipped with a suction cup, and the suction cup can generate negative pressure to adsorb the workpiece 100 and perform transfer operations on it.

[0057] In one embodiment, the transfer assembly 500 is disposed between the thermoforming device 10 and the first transfer assembly 300.

[0058] Referring to Figure 2 , in one embodiment, the second transfer assembly 400 has a feeding area 421 and a discharging area 422. When the carrier 310 is in the second position, it is disposed close to the feeding area 421 to reduce the distance during transfer, thereby facilitating the arrangement of the transfer assembly 500. The feeding area 421 and the discharging area 422 are located on both sides of the first cooling assembly 200.

[0059] Referring to Figure 6 , the present application also provides a method for manufacturing a workpiece. This method uses the thermoforming cooling system of any embodiment of the present application, and this method includes the following steps:

[0060] Step S100, the transfer assembly 500 transfers a set of workpieces 100 from the thermoforming device 10 to a set of idle positioning portions 311 on the carrier 310. During the transfer of this set of workpieces 100, the carrier 310 has been switched to the second position or is in the process of switching to the second position;

[0061] Step S200, after the carrier 310 receives the workpieces, it switches to the first position, and the first cooling assembly 200 cools the workpieces 100 on the carrier 310. After the cooling is completed, the carrier 310 switches to the second position and repeats steps S100 - S200, that is, the transfer assembly 500 transfers a new set of workpieces 100. After the carrier 310 receives this set of workpieces, it then switches to the first position for cooling.

[0062] In step S100, if the carrier 310 is full, the transfer assembly 500 transfers the set of workpieces 100 with the longest cooling time to the conveyor belt 420.

[0063] In one embodiment, the conveyor belt 420 passes through the cooling channel 220. The method includes step S300. The transfer assembly 500 transfers the set of workpieces 100 that have undergone the most cooling times from the carrier 310 to the conveyor belt 420. When this set of workpieces 100 enters and exits the cooling channel 220, the carrier 310 switches to the second position.

[0064] In the thermoforming cooling system of the present application, there is a time difference between the transfer of adjacent two sets of workpieces to the carrier. Therefore, each time the carrier receives a set of workpieces from the thermoforming device in the second position, subsequently, the carrier immediately slides and switches to the first position to cool all the workpieces on the carrier. After staying for a certain period of time, the carrier switches to the second position to wait for the next set of workpieces, which improves the cooling effect, reduces the number of the first cooling assemblies, correspondingly reduces the length of the first transfer assembly, and makes the spatial arrangement of each device more flexible.

[0065] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of concise description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as within the scope described in this specification. When the technical features in different embodiments are shown in the same drawing, it can be regarded that the drawing also discloses the combination examples of the respective embodiments involved at the same time.

[0066] The above embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation to the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several deformations and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A thermoforming cooling system, comprising a thermoforming device for forming a workpiece and a cooling device for instantly cooling the workpiece, characterized in that: The cooling device comprises: A first cooling component, wherein the first cooling component outputs a first cooling medium and forms a cooling channel extending vertically downward; A first conveying assembly includes a bearing seat, on which a plurality of positioning parts arranged side by side for fixing the workpiece are provided, and the bearing seat can reciprocate along a first direction and has a first position for entering the cooling channel and a second position for exiting the cooling channel; A second conveyor assembly, for transferring the cooled workpiece, comprising a conveyor belt movable in a second direction; A transfer assembly is used to transfer the group of workpieces from the thermoforming device to the carrier, and to transfer the group of workpieces from the carrier to the conveyor.

2. The hot forming cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveyor belt passes through the cooling channel.

3. The hot forming cooling system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first direction and the second direction are both horizontal and arranged in parallel.

4. The hot forming cooling system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The conveyor belt is located below the supporting seat.

5. The hot forming cooling system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second conveying assembly has a feeding area and a discharging area, and the second position is arranged close to the feeding area.

6. The hot forming cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The group of positioning portions are arranged along a third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

7. The hot forming cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bearing seat has a horizontal mounting surface, and the positioning portion is protruding relative to the mounting surface.

8. The hot forming cooling system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The positioning portion has a cavity and an exhaust hole communicating with the cavity, and the cavity is connected to the second cooling component through a pipeline.

9. The hot forming cooling system according to claim 8, characterized in that: A plurality of support portions arranged at intervals are arranged around each positioning portion, and the support portions protrude relative to the mounting surface and are lower than the positioning portion.

10. A method for manufacturing a workpiece using the hot forming cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: Step S100, the transfer assembly transfers a group of workpieces from the thermoforming device to a group of idle positioning parts in the support seat; if the support seat is fully loaded, the transfer assembly transfers a group of workpieces that have undergone the longest cooling time to the conveyor belt; Step S200, the support base reciprocates between the first position and the second position to cool the workpiece on the support base; Repeat steps S100 to S200.

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