Preparation device for spherical metal powder

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation device for spherical metal powder, and belongs to the technical field of spherical metal powder. The device comprises a smelting area used for smelting metal raw materials to obtain melt and comprising a smelting area shell, a smelting mechanism and a drainage mechanism, and the smelting mechanism and the drainage mechanism are arranged in the smelting area shell; the smelting mechanism can turn over to pour melt into one end of the drainage mechanism, and the other end of the drainage mechanism is arranged in the settling tower; the settling area is used for settling the melt to obtain spherical metal powder and comprises a settling tower and a rotating roller which is arranged in the settling tower and can rotate; the rotating roller is arranged right below the other end of the drainage mechanism, and a preset distance is formed between the rotating roller and the drainage mechanism; wherein the rotating roller comprises a cylindrical base body and a plurality of crushing nets which surround the periphery of the cylindrical base body at equal intervals, and a plurality of circular through holes are distributed in the surfaces of the crushing nets in an array mode; and the collecting area is used for collecting the spherical metal powder.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of spherical metal powder, and particularly relates to a device for preparing spherical metal powder. Background Art

[0002] In the modern industrial field, spherical metal powder is widely used in many key industries such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, electronic information, and biomedicine. For example, in the aerospace field, spherical metal powder is used to manufacture key components of aircraft engines. Due to its good fluidity and filling properties, complex-structured and high-performance components can be manufactured through additive manufacturing technology.

[0003] Currently, common methods for preparing spherical metal powder include gas atomization method, plasma rotating electrode method, etc. The equipment of the gas atomization method usually consists of a melting device, an atomization device, and a collection device. In the melting device, the metal raw material is heated to a molten state, and then it is atomized into tiny droplets by high-pressure gas. The droplets cool and solidify during flight to form spherical metal powder. The equipment of the plasma rotating electrode method uses plasma to melt a high-speed rotating metal electrode, and the centrifugal force causes the melted metal to break away from the electrode and form spherical powder. However, these methods are all restricted by the equipment structure and have some deficiencies. For example, in the equipment of the gas atomization method: on the one hand, it is difficult to control the flow rate and pressure of high-pressure gas, and small fluctuations will lead to uneven particle size distribution of the powder. On the other hand, during the gas atomization process, it is easy to form hollow powder, which affects the purity and performance of the powder. For the equipment of the plasma rotating electrode method: the equipment structure is complex, the manufacturing cost is high, and the maintenance difficulty is large. The rotational speed control accuracy of the rotating electrode is extremely high, and unstable rotational speed will cause large differences in powder particle size. Moreover, this method has a large loss of electrode material, increasing the production cost. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention proposes a device for preparing spherical metal powder, which uses a rotating roller to crush and spheroidize the powder, can prepare spherical metal powder with different particle sizes, has high compactness of spherical powder, uniform particle size distribution, and few hollow powders. At the same time, it reduces the equipment cost and maintenance difficulty, improves the production efficiency, and meets the growing demand of various industries for high-quality spherical metal powder.

[0005] The present invention proposes a device for preparing spherical metal powder, which successively includes from top to bottom: a melting zone, a sedimentation zone, and a collection zone;

[0006] The melting zone is used for melting metal raw materials to obtain a melt, and includes: a melting zone housing and a melting mechanism and a drainage mechanism arranged in the melting zone housing; the melting mechanism can be flipped to pour the melt into one end of the drainage mechanism, and the other end of the drainage mechanism is arranged in the sedimentation tower;

[0007] The sedimentation area is used for sedimenting the melt to obtain spherical metal powder, and includes: a sedimentation tower and a rotatable roller arranged in the sedimentation tower; the roller is arranged directly below the other end of the diversion mechanism and at a preset distance from the diversion mechanism; wherein, the roller includes a cylindrical base body and a plurality of equally spaced crushing meshes surrounding the outer periphery of the cylindrical base body, and a plurality of circular through holes are arrayed on the surface of the crushing mesh;

[0008] The collection area is used for collecting the spherical metal powder and includes a material tank, and the material tank is arranged directly below the sedimentation tower and communicated with the sedimentation tower;

[0009] The metal raw material is melted into a melt in the melting mechanism, the melt is poured into the diversion mechanism, the melt enters the sedimentation tower through the diversion mechanism, and is crushed into spherical droplets under the action of the rotating roller, and the spherical droplets settle and solidify into spherical metal powder under the action of gravity and then fall into the material tank.

[0010] For the device for preparing spherical metal powder according to the present invention, the central axis of the diversion mechanism is perpendicular to the central axis of the roller.

[0011] For the device for preparing spherical metal powder according to the present invention, the roller is connected to a motor located outside the sedimentation tower through a rotating shaft.

[0012] For the device for preparing spherical metal powder according to the present invention, the center point of the end face of the end of the diversion mechanism located in the sedimentation tower and the center point of the side surface of the roller are on the same vertical line.

[0013] For the device for preparing spherical metal powder according to the present invention, a heating mechanism is sleeved outside the diversion mechanism.

[0014] For the device for preparing spherical metal powder according to the present invention, the diversion mechanism includes: a tundish and a diversion tube;

[0015] The tundish is arranged in the melting area housing, one end of the diversion tube is connected to the tundish, and the other end of the diversion tube is arranged in the sedimentation tower.

[0016] For the device for preparing spherical metal powder according to the present invention, the diversion tube is a vertical through tube.

[0017] For the device for preparing spherical metal powder according to the present invention, the melting area further includes a feeding bin arranged on the melting area housing, and the feeding bin is communicated with the melting mechanism.

[0018] For the device for preparing spherical metal powder according to the present invention, the melting area further includes: a first vacuum interface and a first protective gas inlet both arranged on the melting area housing.

[0019] For the preparation device of spherical metal powder according to the present invention, the sedimentation area further includes: a second vacuum interface and a second protective gas inlet, both of which are arranged on the sedimentation tower housing.

[0020] The solution proposed by the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0021] The device of the present invention uses a rotating roller to crush and spheroidize the powder, and can prepare spherical metal powders with different particle sizes. The spherical powders have high density, uniform particle size distribution, and few hollow powders. At the same time, the equipment cost and maintenance difficulty are reduced, the production efficiency is improved, and the growing demand for high-quality spherical metal powders in various industries is met.

[0022] In addition, the size, distribution, and sphericity of the metal powder can be adjusted by adjusting the rotating speed of the rotating roller and the distance between the drainage mechanism and the rotating roller in the device of the present invention.

[0023] In addition, the device of the present invention is simple and easy to operate, has a short process flow, and strong operability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a preparation device of spherical metal powder in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 For Figure 1 the structural diagram of the rotating roller in the middle.

[0027] In the figure, 1 - first vacuum interface, 2 - melting mechanism, 3 - first protective gas inlet, 4 - feeding bin, 5 - melting area, 6 - tundish heating mechanism, 7 - tundish, 8 - drainage pipe, 9 - drainage pipe heating mechanism, 10 - motor, 11 - rotating shaft, 12 - rotating roller, 13 - second protective gas inlet, 14 - sedimentation tower, 15 - material tank, 16 - second vacuum interface, 17 - cylindrical substrate, 18 - crushing mesh. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Apparently, the described embodiments are only a part rather than all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0029] This embodiment provides a device for preparing spherical metal powder. As Figure 1 shown, the device sequentially includes, from top to bottom: a melting zone 5, a sedimentation zone, and a collection zone.

[0030] The melting zone 5 is used for melting metal raw materials to obtain a melt, and includes: a melting zone housing and a melting mechanism 2 and a diversion mechanism provided in the melting zone housing; the melting mechanism 2 can be turned over to pour the melt into one end of the diversion mechanism, and the other end of the diversion mechanism is arranged in a sedimentation tower 14.

[0031] Specifically, the melting mechanism 2 is an intermediate frequency induction melting mechanism.

[0032] The sedimentation zone is used for sedimenting the melt to obtain spherical metal powder, and includes: a sedimentation tower 14 and a rotatable roller 12 provided in the sedimentation tower 14; the roller 12 is arranged directly below the other end of the diversion mechanism and at a preset distance from the diversion mechanism; wherein, as Figure 2 shown, the roller 12 includes a cylindrical base body 17 and a plurality of equally spaced breaking meshes 18 surrounding the outer periphery of the cylindrical base body 17, and a plurality of circular through holes are arrayed on the surface of the breaking mesh.

[0033] Preferably, the number of the breaking meshes 18 is 6 - 8.

[0034] Specifically, the breaking mesh 18 and the cylindrical base body 17 are detachably connected, and the particle size of the spherical metal powder is adjusted by adjusting the size of the circular through holes of the breaking mesh.

[0035] The collection zone is used for collecting the spherical metal powder, and includes a material tank 15, and the material tank 15 is arranged directly below the sedimentation tower 14 and communicated with the sedimentation tower 14.

[0036] The metal raw materials are melted into a melt in the melting mechanism 2, the melt is poured into the diversion mechanism, the melt enters the sedimentation tower 14 through the diversion mechanism, and is crushed into spherical droplets under the action of the rotating roller, and the spherical droplets settle and solidify into spherical metal powder under gravity and then fall into the material tank 15.

[0037] In some embodiments, the central axis of the drainage mechanism is perpendicular to the central axis of the roller 12.

[0038] In some embodiments, the roller 12 is connected to a motor 10 located outside the sedimentation tower through a rotating shaft 11.

[0039] Specifically, a dynamic seal is adopted at the contact position between the rotating shaft 11 and the shell of the sedimentation tower 14 to enable the up-and-down movement of the rotating shaft 11, thereby driving the roller 12 to approach or move away from the drainage mechanism.

[0040] Specifically, the adjustable distance of the roller 12 up and down is 50 cm, and the particle size of the spherical metal powder is adjusted by adjusting the distance between the roller 12 and the drainage mechanism.

[0041] Specifically, the rotation speed of the roller 12 is controlled by the motor 10, and the size, distribution and sphericity of the metal powder are adjusted by adjusting the rotation speed of the roller.

[0042] In some embodiments, the center point of the end face of the end of the drainage mechanism located inside the sedimentation tower 14 and the center point of the side face of the roller 12 are on the same vertical line.

[0043] In some embodiments, a heating mechanism 6, 9 is sleeved outside the drainage mechanism to ensure that the melt will not solidify.

[0044] In some embodiments, the drainage mechanism includes: a tundish 7 and a drainage pipe 8;

[0045] The tundish 7 is arranged inside the shell of the smelting area, one end of the drainage pipe 8 is connected to the tundish 7, and the other end of the drainage pipe 8 is arranged inside the sedimentation tower 14.

[0046] Specifically, the tundish 7 is used to store the melt (i.e., the melted metal).

[0047] In some embodiments, the drainage pipe 8 is a vertical through pipe.

[0048] In some embodiments, heating mechanisms 6, 9 are sleeved outside both the tundish 7 and the drainage pipe 8 to ensure that the melt will not solidify.

[0049] Specifically, a tundish heating mechanism 6 is sleeved outside the tundish 7, and a drainage pipe heating mechanism 9 is sleeved outside the drainage pipe 8.

[0050] In some embodiments, the smelting area 5 further includes a feeding bin 4 arranged on the shell of the smelting area, and the feeding bin 4 is communicated with the smelting mechanism 2.

[0051] Specifically, continuous raw material feeding can be carried out through the feeding bin 4.

[0052] In some embodiments, the melting zone 5 further includes: a first vacuum interface 1 and a first protective gas inlet 3, both of which are arranged on the melting zone housing.

[0053] Specifically, the first vacuum interface 1 is used to connect to a vacuum system to evacuate the melting zone; the first protective gas inlet 3 is used to connect to a protective gas to fill the melting zone with the protective gas.

[0054] In some embodiments, the sedimentation zone further includes: a second vacuum interface 16 and a second protective gas inlet 13, both of which are arranged on the sedimentation tower housing.

[0055] Specifically, the second vacuum interface 16 is used to connect to a vacuum system to evacuate the sedimentation zone; the second protective gas inlet 13 is used to connect to a protective gas to fill the sedimentation zone with the protective gas.

[0056] In this embodiment, by providing a vacuum interface and a protective gas inlet in both the melting zone and the sedimentation zone, it is possible to meet the requirement that easily oxidizable metals can be melted and sedimented under a vacuum state or the protection of a protective gas. In addition, evacuating the sedimentation zone can also accelerate the solidification of the melt into metal powder.

[0057] In summary, the solution proposed by the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0058] The device of the present invention uses a rotating roller to crush and spheroidize powders, and can prepare spherical metal powders with different particle sizes. The spherical powders have high density, uniform particle size distribution, and few hollow powders. At the same time, it reduces the equipment cost and maintenance difficulty, improves the production efficiency, and meets the growing demand for high-quality spherical metal powders in various industries.

[0059] In addition, the size, distribution, and sphericity of the metal powder can be adjusted by adjusting the rotating speed of the rotating roller and the distance between the drainage mechanism and the rotating roller in the device of the present invention.

[0060] In addition, the device of the present invention is simple and easy to operate, has a short process flow, and strong operability.

[0061] The above embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. 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. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for preparing spherical metal powder, characterized in that: The device comprises, from top to bottom, a smelting area, a settling area and a collecting area; The smelting zone is used to smelt metal raw materials to obtain a melt, and includes: a smelting zone shell and a smelting mechanism and a drainage mechanism arranged in the smelting zone shell; the smelting mechanism can be turned over to pour the melt into one end of the drainage mechanism, and the other end of the drainage mechanism is arranged in a settling tower; The settling zone is used to settle the melt to obtain spherical metal powder, and includes: a settling tower and a rotatable roller arranged in the settling tower; the roller is arranged directly below the other end of the drainage mechanism and at a preset distance from the drainage mechanism; wherein the roller includes a cylindrical base and a plurality of equally spaced crushing nets surrounding the outer periphery of the cylindrical base, and a plurality of circular through holes are distributed in an array on the surface of the crushing net; The collecting area is used to collect the spherical metal powder, and includes a material tank, which is arranged directly below the settling tower and is connected to the settling tower; The metal raw material is melted into a melt in the smelting mechanism, and the melt is poured into the drainage mechanism. The melt enters the settling tower through the drainage mechanism and is crushed into spherical droplets under the action of the rotating rollers. The spherical droplets settle under gravity, solidify into spherical metal powders, and then fall into the material tank.

2. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The central axis of the drainage mechanism is perpendicular to the central axis of the rotating roller.

3. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating roller is connected to a motor located outside the settling tower via a rotating shaft.

4. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center point of the end surface of one end of the drainage mechanism located in the settling tower is on the same vertical line as the center point of the side surface of the rotating roller.

5. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer layer of the drainage mechanism is covered with a heating mechanism.

6. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drainage mechanism comprises: a tundish and a drainage pipe; The tundish is arranged in the shell of the smelting zone, one end of the drainage pipe is connected to the tundish, and the other end of the drainage pipe is arranged in the settling tower.

7. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 6, characterized in that: The drainage tube is a vertical through tube.

8. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smelting zone further comprises a charging bin arranged on the shell of the smelting zone, and the charging bin is communicated with the smelting mechanism.

9. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smelting zone further comprises: a first vacuum interface and a first protective gas inlet both arranged on the shell of the smelting zone.

10. The device for preparing spherical metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The settling area further comprises: a second vacuum interface and a second protective gas inlet, both of which are arranged on the settling tower shell.

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