Short-process metal powder continuous preparation system and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a short-process metal powder continuous preparation system and a preparation method thereof.The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system comprises a smelting device, the smelting device comprises a box body, the box body is provided with a smelting rotation cavity, the smelting rotation cavity is provided with a feeding port and a discharging port, a smelting furnace, a heat preservation furnace and a material guiding piece are arranged in the smelting rotation cavity, and the smelting furnace is used for smelting materials to be in a liquid state; the volume of the smelting furnace is larger than that of the heat preserving furnace, the material guiding piece has a working state and an avoiding state which are oppositely arranged, and when the material guiding piece is in the working state, the material guiding piece can conduct the smelting furnace and the heat preserving furnace; the gas atomization equipment is used for changing the liquid material into powder; and the collecting equipment is arranged at the downstream of the water-cooling atomizing chamber and is used for collecting the powdery materials. By means of the technical scheme, the problems that in the vacuum induction melting gas atomization powder manufacturing technology in the prior art, when quantitative raw materials are smelted, the number of heat times is large, and the smelting efficiency is low can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of metal powder preparation, and in particular to a short-process metal powder continuous preparation system and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Metal additive manufacturing (AM), a revolutionary manufacturing method, has become a key trend in the current manufacturing industry due to its ability to significantly reduce material waste, effectively lower costs, significantly shorten product development cycles, and improve production efficiency, while also meeting the needs of personalized customization. Vacuum induction melting gas atomization (VIGA) is a key process and development direction for the large-scale production of high-performance spherical metal powders for AM due to its advantages such as low base material requirements, high fine powder yield, and wide alloy compatibility. The metal powders produced using this technology have low O, N, and H content, and a wide range of controllable powder size distribution.

[0003] However, the existing vacuum induction melting gas atomization powder making process, due to the different shapes and sizes of raw materials, results in the loading amount each time being lower than the optimal capacity set by the melting equipment, so that more furnaces are required to melt the same amount of material. This not only reduces the melting efficiency, but also increases the energy consumption and cost of the powder making process. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a short-process metal powder continuous preparation system and preparation method thereof, so as to solve the problems in the prior art of vacuum induction melting gas atomization powder making process, that is, more furnaces are required when melting a fixed amount of raw materials and the melting efficiency is low.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a short-process metal powder continuous preparation system is provided, which includes: a smelting device, including a box body, the box body has a melting chamber, the melting chamber has a feed port and a discharge port, a smelting furnace, a holding furnace and a material guide are arranged in the melting chamber, the smelting furnace is used to melt the material into a liquid state, the volume of the smelting furnace is larger than the volume of the holding furnace, the material guide is located between the smelting furnace and the holding furnace, the material guide has a relatively set working state and an avoidance state, when the material guide is in the working state, the material guide can connect the smelting furnace and the holding furnace so that the material in the smelting furnace enters the holding furnace; an aerosolization device is arranged downstream of the smelting device, the aerosolization device is used to change the liquid material into powder, the aerosolization device includes an aerosol spray plate and a water-cooled atomization chamber connected in sequence, the aerosol spray plate is connected to the discharge port of the smelting chamber; a collecting device is arranged downstream of the water-cooled atomization chamber and connected to the water-cooled atomization chamber, the collecting device is used to collect powdered material.

[0006] Furthermore, the smelting furnace and the holding furnace are respectively connected to the box body for rotation, and the rotation axis of the smelting furnace and the rotation axis of the holding furnace are both at an angle to the vertical direction. The smelting furnace has a first material port, and the holding furnace has a second material port, and the height of the first material port is higher than the height of the second material port.

[0007] Furthermore, the material guide part includes a driving part and a material guide part. The material guide part is rotatably connected to the box body. The material guide part can conduct the smelting furnace and the insulation furnace. The driving part is drivably connected to the material guide part to adjust the rotation angle of the material guide part, thereby driving the material guide part to switch between the working state and the avoidance state.

[0008] Furthermore, the material guide member includes: a material guide trough, located in the melting chamber, the material guide trough is rotatably connected to the box body through a rotating shaft, the rotation axis of the material guide trough has an angle with the vertical direction, the material guide trough has a feed end and a discharge end, the feed end is arranged corresponding to the first material port, and the discharge end is arranged corresponding to the second material port, and the material guide trough forms a material guide part; a driving member, which is passed through the box body, the driving member has a driving end, the driving end is drivingly connected to the discharge end, the driving end can move relative to the box body to adjust the rotation angle of the material guide trough, the moving direction of the driving end has an angle with the horizontal direction, and the driving member forms a driving part; when the material guide member is in a working state, the driving member drives the feed end away from the driving member and can be connected with the first material port, and the discharge end can be connected with the second material port; when the material guide member is in an avoidance state, the driving member drives the feed end close to the driving member.

[0009] Furthermore, the smelting device also includes a baffle assembly, at least part of the baffle assembly is arranged in the melting and transfer chamber, the baffle assembly can separate the melting and transfer chamber into two independent melting chambers and a transition chamber, the melting chamber is connected to the feed port, and the transition chamber is connected to the discharge port, the baffle assembly can move relative to the box to separate or connect the melting chamber and the transition chamber, when the material guide is in an avoidance state, the material guide can avoid the baffle assembly; the smelting furnace is arranged in the smelting chamber, the insulation furnace is arranged in the transition chamber, and the material guide is arranged in the melting and transfer chamber, when the material guide is in a working state, the baffle assembly connects the smelting chamber and the transition chamber; when the material guide is in an avoidance state, the baffle assembly isolates the smelting chamber and the transition chamber.

[0010] Furthermore, the smelting device also includes two stirring pieces, which are respectively arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the smelting furnace and the holding furnace. The stirring pieces are arranged through the box body and can move and rotate relative to the box body in a vertical direction to stir the material.

[0011] Furthermore, the smelting device also includes a tundish, which is arranged in the transition chamber, one end of the tundish can be connected to the insulation furnace, and the other end of the tundish is connected to the discharge port.

[0012] Furthermore, the collecting equipment includes: a cyclone classifying device and a collecting device, which are arranged downstream of the water-cooled atomizing chamber, the cyclone classifying device is connected to the water-cooled atomizing chamber, the cyclone classifying device is used to separate the gas from the powdered material, the collecting device is connected to the cyclone classifying device, and the collecting device is used to collect the powdered material; a dust removal device, which is arranged downstream of the cyclone classifying device and connected to the cyclone classifying device, and the dust removal device is used to filter impurities in the gas; a fan, which is arranged downstream of the dust removal device and connected thereto.

[0013] Furthermore, the short-process metal powder continuous preparation system also includes: a vacuum device, which is arranged upstream of the smelting device and connected to the smelting device, and the vacuum device is used to vacuum the smelting chamber of the smelting device; a gas supply device, which is arranged upstream of the smelting device and connected to the smelting device, and the gas supply device is used to provide inert gas into the smelting device.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a preparation method is provided. The preparation method is applied to the above-mentioned short-process metal powder continuous preparation system, and the preparation method comprises the following steps:

[0015] Step 1: Add materials into the smelting furnace from the feed port, and drive the baffle assembly to connect the smelting chamber and the transition chamber;

[0016] Step 2: Start the smelting furnace, holding furnace and tundish, and wait for the material in the smelting furnace to melt into liquid;

[0017] Step 3: driving the discharge end of the guide chute to communicate with the second inlet of the holding furnace through a driving member, and rotating the smelting furnace until the first inlet of the smelting furnace communicates with the feed end of the guide chute;

[0018] Step 4: After the material in the holding furnace reaches a preset amount, the driving member drives the material guide member to switch to the avoidance state, and rotates the holding furnace until the holding furnace is connected to the tundish;

[0019] Step 5: Start the atomization equipment, and use the atomization spray plate to impact the liquid material supplied from the tundish into a mist state, and then enter the water-cooled atomization chamber to cool and solidify into a powder state. Start the cyclone classifier, dust removal device and fan;

[0020] At the same time, the driving member drives the discharge end of the guide chute to communicate with the second material port of the holding furnace, and rotates the smelting furnace until the first material port of the smelting furnace is connected with the feed end of the guide chute;

[0021] Step 6: After all the materials in the smelting furnace are poured into the holding furnace, the baffle assembly is driven to isolate the smelting chamber and the transition chamber.

[0022] Furthermore, before step 6, the process further includes: repeating steps 3 and 4 until all the materials in the smelting furnace are transferred to the holding furnace.

[0023] Furthermore, before step one, the process also includes: turning on the vacuum device to evacuate the melting chamber of the smelting device until the absolute pressure reaches below 20 Pa; and turning on the gas supply device to fill the melting chamber with inert gas to a standard atmospheric pressure.

[0024] According to the technical solution of the present invention, the material is melted into a liquid state by a smelting furnace, and then the molten liquid material is transferred from the smelting furnace to a holding furnace by a material guide, and then the liquid material is atomized into a solid powder material by an atomizing device, and finally the powder material is collected by a collecting device. A dual-furnace structure of a smelting furnace and a holding furnace is adopted. After the material in the smelting furnace is melted, it can directly enter the holding furnace through the material guide. Compared with the prior art in which the material is directly smelted in the holding furnace and then directly passed into the atomizing spray plate, the loading capacity of the holding furnace is limited, and a fixed amount of material can only be smelted by opening the furnace multiple times. The present application sets the volume of the smelting furnace to be larger than that of the holding furnace, which can increase the single smelting volume, reduce the number of furnace openings, reduce energy consumption, and avoid the large product quality differences easily caused by multiple batches of production, thereby improving the stability and consistency of the quality of the powdered material finally obtained, and in combination with the material guide, it can realize continuous feeding to the atomizing device, thereby improving production efficiency and reducing production costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this application, are intended to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are intended to explain the present invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0026] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the structure of the short-process metal powder continuous preparation system provided by the present invention is shown;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the structure of the material guide member in the smelting device provided by the present invention when it is switched to a working state;

[0028] Figure 3 The figure shows a structural schematic diagram of the material guide member in the smelting device provided by the present invention when it is in an avoidance state.

[0029] The above drawings include the following reference numerals:

[0030] 01, smelting device; 10, box; 101, melting chamber; 1011, smelting chamber; 1012, transition chamber;

[0031] 20. Melting furnace; 30. Holding furnace; 40. Material guide; 41. Material guide chute; 411. Feed end; 412. Discharge end; 42. Driving member; 421. Driving end; 50. Baffle assembly; 60. Stirring member; 61. Temperature measuring member; 70. Tundish;

[0032] 02. Atomizing spray disc; 03. Water-cooled atomizing chamber; 04. Cyclone classifying device; 05. Dust removal device; 06. Fan; 07. Air supply device; 08. Collection device; 09. Vacuum device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present invention and its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a short-process continuous metal powder production system that utilizes a vacuum induction melting gas atomization (VIGA) process. This short-process continuous metal powder production system includes a melting device 01, a gas atomization device, and a collection device. The melting device 01 comprises a housing 10, which includes a melting chamber 101 with a feed inlet and a discharge inlet. The housing 10 has sealed doors on the left and right sides, and a lid above, which can be opened and closed independently. Observation windows are also provided on the side walls, allowing operators to observe the interior of the melting chamber 101. The melting chamber 101 is provided with a smelting furnace 20, a holding furnace 30 and a material guide 40. The smelting furnace 20 is used to melt the material into a liquid state. The volume of the smelting furnace 20 is larger than that of the holding furnace 30. The material guide 40 is located between the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30. The material guide 40 has a relatively set working state and a avoidance state. When the material guide 40 is in the working state, the material guide 40 can conduct the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30, so that the material in the smelting furnace 20 enters the holding furnace 30. When the material guide 40 is in the avoidance state, the material guide 40 can disconnect the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30. The gas atomization device is arranged downstream of the smelting device 01. The gas atomization device is used to process the liquid material into a powder. The gas atomization device includes a gas atomization spray plate 02 and a water-cooled atomization chamber 03 connected in sequence. The gas atomization spray plate 02 is connected to the discharge port of the melting chamber 101. The gas atomization spray plate 02 can impact the liquid material into a fine mist droplet state through a high-pressure airflow. The water-cooled atomization chamber 03 can cool and solidify the material in the fine mist droplet state into a fine powder state. The collection device is arranged downstream of the water-cooled atomization chamber 03 and is connected to the water-cooled atomization chamber 03. The collection device is used to collect the powdered material.

[0035] Among them, the water-cooled atomization chamber 03 is a double-layer water-cooled structure, with an observation window set on the top and a camera installed to observe the atomization of the material. The smelting furnace 20 is specifically a 200kg-level crucible, and the holding furnace 30 is specifically a 100kg-level crucible. The smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30 are both provided with heating coils to ensure the temperature in the furnace body. The heating temperature during operation should be controlled within 960±50℃-1700±50℃, and is selected according to the type of material. A heating element can also be provided on the material guide 40 to prevent partial solidification of the material during flow. The material can be an iron-based alloy, a nickel-based alloy, a cobalt-based alloy, an aluminum-based alloy, a copper-based alloy, an aluminum alloy, a high-temperature alloy, stainless steel, mold steel, copper alloy, etc. The raw materials of the material are ingredients or master alloys, etc. Among them, the gas atomization equipment is in the prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0036] In other embodiments, the volumes of the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30 are not limited and can be selected and adjusted according to actual needs.

[0037] In one embodiment of the present application, the initial material in the melting furnace 20 is a metal raw material. Taking into account the burn-off amount of volatile elements, the required raw materials (pure metals and master alloys) are weighed according to the designed composition and content, and then placed in the melting furnace 20 to be melted into a molten alloy. The initial material can also be a metal masterbatch, which is first melted into an ingot according to the designed composition and content, and then placed in the melting furnace 20 in the form of an alloy ingot to be melted into a molten alloy.

[0038] In other embodiments of the present application, raw aluminum liquid from the electrolytic aluminum industry is transferred to a smelting furnace 20 via a tundish. Taking into account the burn-off of volatile elements, the required raw materials are weighed and added according to their component content. The aluminum component in the alloy powder preparation process is obtained by melting aluminum ingots, which are cast from raw aluminum liquid obtained by molten salt electrolysis. This solution transfers the raw aluminum liquid into the smelting furnace 20 and utilizes the heat of the raw aluminum liquid itself for smelting. This not only improves energy utilization, but also, since the aluminum liquid is already liquid, reduces melting and heating time, thereby improving preparation efficiency.

[0039] In another embodiment of the present application, there is an alloying production line in the electrolytic aluminum industry chain, that is, the electrolytic aluminum liquid is introduced into high-grade and low-grade smelting furnaces, and the target alloyed melt comes out of the low-grade furnace. In this way, the smelting furnace 20 can be replaced with a low-grade furnace, and then the target alloyed melt is guided to the holding furnace 30 through the guide piece 40 for subsequent processes.

[0040] By applying the technical solution of the present invention, the material is melted into a liquid state by the melting furnace 20, and then the molten liquid material is transferred from the melting furnace 20 to the holding furnace 30 by using the material guide 40, and then the liquid material is atomized into a solid powder material by the gas atomization equipment, and finally the powder material is collected by the collection equipment. A dual-furnace structure of a melting furnace 20 and a holding furnace 30 is adopted. After the material in the melting furnace 20 is melted, it can directly enter the holding furnace 30 through the material guide 40. Compared with the prior art in which the material is directly melted in the holding furnace and then directly passed into the atomization spray plate, the loading capacity of the holding furnace 30 is limited, and a fixed amount of material can only be melted by multiple furnace openings. The present application sets the volume of the melting furnace 20 to be larger than the volume of the holding furnace 30, which can increase the single melting amount, reduce the number of furnace openings, reduce energy consumption, and avoid large product quality differences that are easily caused by multiple batches of production, thereby improving the stability and consistency of the quality of the powdered material finally obtained, and cooperating with the material guide 40 to achieve continuous feeding to the atomization equipment, thereby improving production efficiency and reducing production costs.

[0041] Specifically, the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30 are each rotatably connected to the housing 10. The rotation axes of the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30 are both angled with the vertical. The top of the smelting furnace 20 has a first inlet, and the top of the holding furnace 30 has a second inlet. The first inlet is higher than the second inlet, and the first and second inlets are used for feeding and discharging materials. The height difference between the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30 facilitates the natural flow of molten material under the action of gravity, allowing for smooth transfer from the smelting furnace 20 to the holding furnace 30, thus ensuring the stability and safety of the production process.

[0042] The material guide member 40 may be a guide plate, a guide groove, a guide tube or other structure capable of guiding the liquid.

[0043] In this embodiment, the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30 are connected to the side wall of the box body 10 through a rotating shaft. The rotating axis of the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30 extend in the horizontal direction and are perpendicular to the side wall where the rotating shaft is located.

[0044] The material guide 40 includes a drive unit and a guide unit. The guide unit is rotatably connected to the housing 10 and can conduct electricity between the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30. The drive unit is drivably connected to the guide unit to adjust the rotation angle of the guide unit, thereby driving the guide unit 40 to switch between the working state and the avoidance state. The linkage design of the drive unit and the guide unit realizes the automated control of the material transfer process, avoids the inaccuracy and potential safety risks of manual operation, ensures the precise transfer of materials between the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30, and improves production efficiency and operational safety. The design structure of the rotational connection is simple, which can improve the convenience and timeliness of the drive. When material guidance is required, the guide unit 40 is first driven to rotate to a predetermined angle so that it is connected to the holding furnace 30, and then the smelting furnace 20 is rotated to connect it to the guide unit.

[0045] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the material guide 40 includes a material guide trough 41 and a driving member 42. The material guide trough 41 is located within the melt-transfer chamber 101 and is rotatably connected to the housing 10 via a rotating shaft. The rotation axis of the material guide trough 41 is at an angle to the vertical direction. The material guide trough 41 has a feed end 411 and a discharge end 412. The feed end 411 is disposed correspondingly to the first material port, and the discharge end 412 is disposed correspondingly to the second material port. The material guide trough 41 forms a material guide portion. The driving member 42 is disposed on the housing 10 and has a driving end 421. The driving end 421 is rotatably connected to the discharge end 412. The driving end 421 can move relative to the housing 10 to adjust the rotation angle of the material guide trough 41. The moving direction of the driving end 421 is at an angle to the horizontal direction. The driving member 42 forms a driving portion. When the material guide 40 is in the operating state, the driving member 42 drives the feed end 411 away from the driving member 42 and enables communication with the first inlet. In this case, the feed end 411 is located below the first inlet of the smelting furnace 20. The discharge end 412 is able to communicate with the second inlet. In this case, the discharge end 412 is located above the second inlet of the holding furnace 30. When the material guide 40 is in the avoidance state, the driving member 42 drives the feed end 411 toward the driving member 42. The inclined configuration of the material guide chute 41 and its rotational connection with the rotating shaft allow the material to flow more smoothly from the first inlet of the smelting furnace 20 to the second inlet of the holding furnace 30, assisted by gravity.

[0046] At the same time, the rotation angle of the guide chute 41 is controlled by the driving member 42, and the guide chute 41 can be switched to the avoidance state when not in use. In this way, when the guide chute 41 is needed to guide flow, the driving member 42 drives the guide chute 41 to connect the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30; when diversion is not needed, the driving member 42 can drive the guide chute 41 to rotate and retract, thereby reducing the space occupied by the guide chute 41 in the non-working state and improving space utilization.

[0047] Specifically, the guide trough 41 is made of stainless steel on the outside and lined with graphite on the inside, so that the guide trough 41 has a heat-insulating effect to ensure that the materials can be smoothly transported to the heat-insulating furnace 30 .

[0048] Specifically, the driving member 42 is a hydraulic cylinder, which can be hingedly connected to one side of the discharge end 412, or hingedly connected to both sides of the discharge end 412 through connecting plates. In other embodiments, the driving member 42 can also be driven by components such as a cylinder and a screw motor.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, the smelting device 01 further includes a baffle assembly 50, at least part of which is disposed within the smelting-transfer chamber 101. The baffle assembly 50 is capable of dividing the smelting-transfer chamber 101 into two independent smelting chambers 1011 and transition chambers 1012. The smelting chamber 1011 is connected to the feed port, and the transition chamber 1012 is connected to the discharge port. The baffle assembly 50 is capable of moving vertically relative to the housing 10 to separate or connect the smelting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012. When the material guide 40 is in a retracted state, the material guide 40 can avoid the baffle assembly 50. The smelting furnace 20 is disposed within the smelting chamber 1011, the holding furnace 30 is disposed within the transition chamber 1012, and the material guide 40 is disposed within the smelting-transfer chamber 101. When the material guide 40 is in an operating state, the baffle assembly 50 moves away from the bottom surface of the housing 10 and to the top of the housing 10 to connect the smelting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012. When the material guide 40 is in the retracted state, it clears the baffle assembly 50, which moves toward the bottom of the housing 10 and abuts against it, isolating the smelting chamber 1011 from the transition chamber 1012. When the material guide 40 is in the operational state, the baffle assembly 50 connects the smelting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012, achieving efficient material transfer from the smelting furnace 20 to the holding furnace 30. Furthermore, when the material guide 40 is in the retracted state, the baffle assembly 50 isolates the two chambers, allowing the smelting furnace 20 to continue smelting operations while the holding furnace 30 begins feeding material. This prevents interference between the process flows within the smelting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012, thereby improving overall production efficiency and continuity.

[0050] When making powder in traditional VIGA equipment, the furnace cover is covered with vacuum and argon gas is replaced after the material is laid in the holding furnace 30. After the smelting is completed in the holding furnace 30, it is transferred to the atomizer for further atomization. However, the residual and migration of impurities in the metal raw material or metal masterbatch may cause blockage of the intermediate ladle, the draft tube or the atomizer, which may cause the atomization powder making to fail and increase the production cost of the powder material. The present application avoids the migration of impurities in the smelting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012 through the above-mentioned setting, and can effectively inhibit the migration of impurities in the raw materials to the transition chamber 1012 and the subsequent gas atomization spray plate and water-cooled atomization chamber, etc., so that the two chambers are independent of each other, reducing airflow disturbances and improving the stability of the preparation process.

[0051] Specifically, the baffle assembly 50 is a plug valve, the driving member 42 is disposed in the transition chamber 1012 , and the material guiding trough 41 is located in the transition chamber 1012 when the material guiding member 40 is in the avoidance state.

[0052] In other embodiments, the baffle assembly 50 may also include a driving cooperation between the baffle and a driving member, the baffle and the driving member are drivingly connected, the driving member controls the movement of the baffle relative to the box 10, and the driving member may be a cylinder, etc. The material guide 40 may also be disposed in the smelting chamber 1011.

[0053] The smelting device 01 further includes two stirring members 60 and two temperature measuring members 61. The two stirring members 60 are respectively arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30. The stirring members 60 are arranged through the housing 10 and can move and rotate vertically relative to the housing 10 to stir the materials. The two temperature measuring members 61 are respectively arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the smelting furnace 20 and the holding furnace 30. The temperature measuring members 61 are arranged through the housing 10 and can move and rotate vertically relative to the housing 10 to detect the temperature of the materials. The two stirring members 60 and the two temperature measuring members 61 can be driven and moved by components such as screw motors. The arrangement of the stirring members 60 ensures that the materials are fully and evenly stirred during the smelting and holding stages, effectively avoiding local overheating or agglomeration and ensuring uniform distribution of the materials. The temperature measuring element 61 can detect the material temperature in real time. The above design ensures that the melting and holding processes are carried out within the preset temperature range, avoids the impact of temperature fluctuations on powder properties, and ensures process stability and product batch consistency.

[0054] Specifically, the stirring element 60 may be a stirring rod, and the temperature measuring element 61 may be a temperature sensor.

[0055] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, smelting apparatus 01 also includes a tundish 70, which is disposed within transition chamber 1012. One end of tundish 70 is connected to the second inlet port, while the other end is connected to the discharge port. The tundish 70 is also connected to atomizing spray plate 02 via a flow control valve. Temperature regulation through tundish 70 allows for more precise control of the material state. It also provides an additional temperature stabilization step for the material flowing from holding furnace 30 to the discharge port, ensuring temperature uniformity and stability during transport. Specifically, the flow rate range for tundish 70 during material feeding is 5.0 kg / min to 7.0 kg / min.

[0056] like Figure 1As shown, the collection equipment includes a cyclone classifier 04, a collection device 08, a dust removal device 05, and a fan 06. The cyclone classifier 04 is located downstream of and connected to the water-cooled atomization chamber 03. The cyclone classifier 04 is used to separate gas from powdered material. The collection device 08 is connected to the lower powder outlet of the cyclone classifier 04 via a butterfly valve and is used to collect the powdered material. The cyclone classifier 04 uses the centrifugal force generated by the high-speed rotating airflow to separate gas from powdered material, improving the collection efficiency and purity of the powder. Dust removal device 05 is located downstream of cyclone classifier 04, with its air inlet connected to cyclone classifier 04. Dust removal device 05 is used to filter impurities from the gas, removing any fine powder and other impurities that may be present, protecting subsequent equipment from contamination. Dust removal device 05 utilizes chambered spray cleaning technology, with the spray pipes automatically controlled by electromagnetic pulse valves. Dust removal device 05 can be programmed to discharge dust and clean each column individually. Fan 06 is located downstream of and connected to dust removal device 05. The use of fan 06 helps maintain pressure balance within the pulverizing system, ensuring efficient cyclone classification and dust removal. Gas passing through cyclone classifier 04 passes through dust removal device 05 and is ultimately discharged through fan 06. Specifically, cyclone classifier 04 is a two-stage cyclone classifier. Specifically, the first-stage cyclone separator adopts a double-layer water-cooled structure, while the second-stage cyclone separator adopts a single-layer structure. Both the first-stage and second-stage cyclones are controlled by dual butterfly valves. The exhaust fan air volume is adjusted by a frequency converter, automatically separating the powders with secondary particle sizes of ≤15μm and >15μm, achieving online powder classification. This device is prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0057] Furthermore, the short-process metal powder continuous preparation system also includes a vacuum device 09 and a gas supply device 07. The vacuum device 09 is arranged upstream of the smelting device 01 and is connected to the smelting device 01. The vacuum device 09 is used to evacuate the melting chamber 101 of the smelting device 01. The vacuum device 09 can effectively remove oxygen and other harmful gases in the system, creating a clean low-oxygen environment, reducing the risk of metal oxidation, and ensuring the high purity and excellent performance of the powder. Specifically, the vacuum device uses two sliding valve pumps in parallel and two vacuum Roots pumps in series to prevent oil backflow from the sliding valve pump. An electromagnetic bleed shut-off valve is installed at the pump inlet and interlocked with the pump. When the pump is stopped, the valve isolates the pipeline from the pump and inflates the pump chamber to prevent pump oil backflow. The gas supply device 07 is arranged upstream of the smelting device 01 and is connected to the smelting device 01 and the water-cooled atomization chamber 03 at the same time. The gas supply device 07 is used to provide inert gas to the smelting device 01 and the water-cooled atomization chamber 03. The gas supply device 07 then provides the necessary inert gas, such as argon or helium, to the system. This gas not only acts as a protective atmosphere, preventing the metal powder from oxidizing due to contact with oxygen, but also allows the production of powdered materials with varying particle sizes by regulating the speed and pressure of the high-speed airflow. The gas supply device 07 can adjust the pressure in the air inlet pipe via a pressure reducing valve, providing the atomizing gas to the atomizing equipment at a corresponding pressure based on the atomization process parameters. This device is prior art and will not be elaborated on here.

[0058] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a preparation method is provided. The preparation method is applied to the above-mentioned short-process metal powder continuous preparation system, and the preparation method includes the following steps:

[0059] Step 1: Open the furnace cover, add materials into the smelting furnace 20 from the feed port, and move the baffle assembly 50 to connect the smelting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012;

[0060] Step 2: Start the smelting furnace 20, the holding furnace 30 and the tundish 70, and wait for the material in the smelting furnace 20 to melt into liquid;

[0061] Step 3: Drive the discharge end 412 of the guide chute 41 to communicate with the second inlet of the holding furnace 30 through the driving member 42, and rotate the smelting furnace 20 until the first inlet of the smelting furnace 20 communicates with the feed end 411 of the guide chute 41;

[0062] Step 4: After the material in the holding furnace 30 reaches a preset amount, the driving member 42 drives the material guide member 40 to switch to the avoidance state, and the holding furnace 30 is rotated until the holding furnace 30 is connected to the tundish 70. In this embodiment, the preset amount is the capacity of the holding furnace 30 fully filled with material;

[0063] Step 5: Start the atomization equipment. The liquid material supplied from the tundish 70 is impacted into a mist state through the atomization spray plate 02. The mist then enters the water-cooled atomization chamber 03 to cool and solidify into a powder state. Start the cyclone classifier 04, dust removal device 05 and fan 06.

[0064] At the same time, the driving member 42 drives the discharge end 412 of the guide chute 41 to communicate with the second inlet of the holding furnace 30, and rotates the smelting furnace 20 until the first inlet of the smelting furnace 20 communicates with the feed end 411 of the guide chute 41;

[0065] Step 6: After all the materials in the smelting furnace 20 are transferred into the holding furnace 30 , the baffle assembly 50 is moved to isolate the smelting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012 .

[0066] Furthermore, before step 6, the process also includes: repeating steps 3 and 4 until all the materials in the smelting furnace 20 are poured into the holding furnace 30. The material guide 40 is driven to the avoidance state, the baffle assembly 50 is moved to separate the smelting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012, the furnace cover of the smelting device 01 is opened, and materials are added to the smelting furnace 20 from the feed port. The furnace cover is then closed, and the next atomization and pulverizing cycle begins.

[0067] Furthermore, before step 1, the process also includes: turning on the vacuum device 09 to evacuate the melting chamber 101 of the smelting device 01 until the absolute pressure reaches below 20 Pa; and then turning on the gas supply device 07 to fill the melting chamber 101 with inert gas to a standard atmospheric pressure.

[0068] Step five specifically includes: after the atomizing spray disc 02 is started, the inert gas pressure is set to 4MPa-6MPa, at which time the liquid material enters a stable atomization state. The high-pressure inert gas passes through the atomizing spray disc 02 to form a high-speed, high-energy gas jet. The huge kinetic energy of the gas overcomes the surface tension and viscosity of the molten metal, tearing and breaking the continuous metal liquid flow into a large number of tiny metal droplets. The tiny metal droplets formed by atomization fly downward under the action of gravity. During the flight, the droplets violently exchange heat with a large amount of high-speed flowing cooling gas in the water-cooled atomizing chamber 03. The droplets solidify into solid spherical particles in a very short time, and a powdered material is obtained.

[0069] Before step 5, the process also includes evacuating the water-cooled atomizing chamber 03 by means of a vacuum device 09 and then filling the chamber with high-purity argon gas to a standard atmospheric pressure, thereby controlling the oxygen content in the water-cooled atomizing chamber 03 to be less than 10 ppm.

[0070] The technical solution provided by this application has the following advantages:

[0071] 1. Improvement in the overall quality of alloy powder. The equipment for traditional vacuum induction melting gas atomization powder making process requires the smelting furnace inside the equipment to carry out material distribution, vacuuming, argon replacement, smelting and refining. After completion, it is transferred from the smelting furnace to the tundish and atomized through the conduit to the atomizer. After the preparation of the powder material of the set quality is completed, it is necessary to open the furnace cover, re-distribute the material, vacuumize and replace the argon gas to prepare the next batch of powder material. The present application can directly feed the holding furnace 30 through the smelting furnace 20 without destroying the argon protective atmosphere, which can save gas washing time and thus reduce argon consumption. The atomization process is always in a stable argon protective atmosphere, which saves argon consumption and improves the stability of the preparation process. The powder material has a higher sphericity and a lower hollow powder rate;

[0072] 2. Batch stability. It can effectively control the composition of the alloy melt in the smelting furnace 20, thereby improving the uniformity and stability of the powder composition and the controllability of impurities. At the same time, it can effectively prevent impurities in the raw materials from migrating to the transition chamber 1012 and the subsequent gas atomization spray disk and water-cooled atomization chamber, thereby increasing service life;

[0073] 3. High timeliness in the development of new alloys. Traditional gas atomization equipment and its associated powder-making process require batch additions to reduce element volatilization, which increases argon consumption, increases R&D costs, and reduces timeliness. This application allows for the initial preparation of alloy mother liquor within the smelting furnace 20, resulting in high composition controllability, high flexibility, and high R&D timeliness.

[0074] 4. Realize continuous powder making in vacuum induction melting gas atomization powder making process. The melting chamber 1011 and the transition chamber 1012 are independent of each other, which can realize simultaneous melting and atomization, improve production efficiency, and effectively solve the problem of limited single output and inability to produce continuously due to limited crucible volume;

[0075] 5. High economic benefits. According to calculations, the powder production capacity of the powder production equipment provided by this application is approximately twice that of traditional VIGA aerosol powder production equipment in the same period of time, and the production cost per kilogram of powder is reduced by no less than 20%.

[0076] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0077] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention. At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to actual proportional relationships. The technology, methods and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, methods and equipment should be considered as a part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments can have different values. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in an accompanying drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0078] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention; the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0079] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature to other devices or features as shown in the figures. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figures. For example, if the device in the drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0080] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0081] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A short-process metal powder continuous preparation system, characterized in that: The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system includes: A smelting device (01) comprises a housing (10), wherein the housing (10) has a melting chamber (101), wherein the melting chamber (101) has a material inlet and a material outlet, wherein a smelting furnace (20), a holding furnace (30) and a material guide (40) are arranged in the smelting chamber (101), wherein the smelting furnace (20) is used to melt the material into a liquid state, wherein the volume of the smelting furnace (20) is greater than the volume of the holding furnace (30), wherein the material guide (40) is located between the smelting furnace (20) and the holding furnace (30), wherein the material guide (40) has a relatively set working state and an avoidance state, wherein when the material guide (40) is in the working state, the material guide (40) can conduct the smelting furnace (20) and the holding furnace (30), so that the material in the smelting furnace (20) enters the holding furnace (30); An atomizing device is provided downstream of the smelting device (01), and is used to convert the liquid material into powder. The atomizing device comprises an atomizing spray disc (02) and a water-cooled atomizing chamber (03) that are connected in sequence. The atomizing spray disc (02) is connected to the discharge port of the melting chamber (101); A collecting device is provided downstream of the water-cooled atomizing chamber (03) and is in communication with the water-cooled atomizing chamber (03), and the collecting device is used to collect the powdered material.

2. The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smelting furnace (20) and the holding furnace (30) are respectively connected to the box body (10) in a rotational manner. The rotation axis of the smelting furnace (20) and the rotation axis of the holding furnace (30) are both at an angle to the vertical direction. The smelting furnace (20) has a first material port, and the holding furnace (30) has a second material port. The height of the first material port is higher than that of the second material port.

3. The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The material guide member (40) includes a driving portion and a material guide portion, the material guide portion is rotatably connected to the box body (10), the material guide portion can conduct the smelting furnace (20) and the insulation furnace (30), and the driving portion is rotatably connected to the material guide portion to adjust the rotation angle of the material guide portion, thereby driving the material guide member (40) to switch between the working state and the avoidance state.

4. The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material guide member (40) comprises: A material guide trough (41) is located in the melting chamber (101), the material guide trough (41) is rotatably connected to the box body (10) via a rotating shaft, the rotation axis of the material guide trough (41) is at an angle to the vertical direction, the material guide trough (41) has a feed end (411) and a discharge end (412), the feed end (411) is arranged corresponding to the first material port, the discharge end (412) is arranged corresponding to the second material port, and the material guide trough (41) forms the material guide portion; A driving member (42) is provided on the box body (10), the driving member (42) having a driving end (421), the driving end (421) being drivingly connected to the discharge end (412), the driving end (421) being movable relative to the box body (10) to adjust the rotation angle of the guide trough (41), the moving direction of the driving end (421) forming an angle with the horizontal direction, and the driving member (42) forming the driving portion; When the material guide member (40) is in the working state, the driving member (42) drives the feed end (411) away from the driving member (42) and can be connected with the first material port, and the discharge end (412) can be connected with the second material port; when the material guide member (40) is in the avoidance state, the driving member (42) drives the feed end (411) close to the driving member (42).

5. The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smelting device (01) further includes a baffle assembly (50), at least a portion of the baffle assembly (50) is disposed in the smelting chamber (101), the baffle assembly (50) is capable of separating the smelting chamber (101) into two independent smelting chambers (1011) and a transition chamber (1012), the smelting chamber (1011) is connected to the feed port, and the transition chamber (1012) is connected to the discharge port, the baffle assembly (50) is capable of moving relative to the box (10) to separate or connect the smelting chamber (1011) and the transition chamber (1012), and when the material guide (40) is in the avoidance state, the material guide (40) is capable of avoiding the baffle assembly (50); The smelting furnace (20) is arranged in the smelting chamber (1011), the holding furnace (30) is arranged in the transition chamber (1012), and the material guide (40) is arranged in the melting and transfer chamber (101). When the material guide (40) is in the working state, the baffle assembly (50) connects the smelting chamber (1011) and the transition chamber (1012); when the material guide (40) is in the avoidance state, the baffle assembly (50) isolates the smelting chamber (1011) and the transition chamber (1012).

6. The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smelting device (01) further includes two stirring members (60), which are respectively arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the smelting furnace (20) and the holding furnace (30), and the stirring members (60) are arranged through the box body (10). The stirring members (60) can move and rotate relative to the box body (10) in a vertical direction to stir the material.

7. The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The smelting device (01) further includes a tundish (70), which is arranged in the transition chamber (1012), one end of the tundish (70) can be connected to the insulation furnace (30), and the other end of the tundish (70) is connected to the discharge port.

8. The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The collecting device comprises: A cyclone classifying device (04) and a collecting device (08) are arranged downstream of the water-cooled atomizing chamber (03), the cyclone classifying device (04) is communicated with the water-cooled atomizing chamber (03), the cyclone classifying device (04) is used to separate gas from the powdered material, and the collecting device (08) is communicated with the cyclone classifying device (04), and the collecting device (08) is used to collect the powdered material; a dust removal device (05), arranged downstream of the cyclone classifying device (04) and in communication with the cyclone classifying device (04), the dust removal device (05) being used to filter impurities in the gas; The fan (06) is arranged downstream of the dust removal device (05) and is in communication with the dust removal device (05).

9. The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The short-process metal powder continuous preparation system includes: A vacuum device (09) is provided upstream of the smelting device (01) and is in communication with the smelting device (01), wherein the vacuum device (09) is used to evacuate the smelting chamber (101) of the smelting device (01); A gas supply device (07) is provided upstream of the smelting device (01) and is in communication with the smelting device (01). The gas supply device (07) is used to provide inert gas into the smelting device (01).

10. A preparation method, characterized in that: The preparation method is applied to the short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the preparation method comprises the following steps: Step 1: Add material into the smelting furnace (20) from the feed port, and drive the baffle assembly (50) to connect the smelting chamber (1011) and the transition chamber (1012); Step 2: starting the smelting furnace (20), the holding furnace (30) and the tundish (70), and waiting for the material in the smelting furnace (20) to melt into a liquid state; Step 3: driving the discharge end (412) of the guide chute (41) to communicate with the second material port of the holding furnace (30) through the driving member (42), and rotating the smelting furnace (20) until the first material port of the smelting furnace (20) communicates with the feed end (411) of the guide chute (41); Step 4: After the material in the holding furnace (30) reaches a preset amount, the driving member (42) drives the material guide member (40) to switch to a avoidance state, and rotates the holding furnace (30) until the holding furnace (30) is connected to the tundish (70); Step 5: Start the atomization equipment, and use the atomization spray plate (02) to impact the liquid material supplied from the tundish (70) into a mist drop state, and then enter the water-cooled atomization chamber (03) to cool and solidify into a powder state, and start the cyclone classifier (04), dust removal device (05) and fan (06); Simultaneously, the driving member (42) drives the discharge end (412) of the guide chute (41) to communicate with the second material port of the holding furnace (30), and rotates the smelting furnace (20) until the first material port of the smelting furnace (20) communicates with the feed end (411) of the guide chute (41); Step 6: After all the materials in the smelting furnace (20) are poured into the holding furnace (30), the baffle assembly (50) is driven to isolate the smelting chamber (1011) and the transition chamber (1012).

11. The preparation method according to claim 10, characterized in that: The step six also includes: Repeat step three and step four until all the materials in the smelting furnace (20) are transferred into the holding furnace (30).

12. The preparation method according to claim 10, characterized in that The preparation method is applied to the short-process metal powder continuous preparation system according to claim 9, and before step 1, it also includes: The vacuum device (09) is turned on to evacuate the melting chamber (101) of the melting device (01) until the absolute pressure reaches below 20 Pa; The gas supply device (07) is turned on to fill the melting chamber (101) with inert gas to a standard atmospheric pressure.

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