Cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coil

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of production and processing equipment of color-coated aluminum coils, in particular to a cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils, which comprises a plasma nozzle main body sleeved on an outer nozzle, a nozzle with a circulation spiral generator is arranged at the lower end of the outer nozzle, and a preheating port with a spiral preheating channel is arranged on the periphery of the nozzle. A cooling device comprising a cooling circulation cavity and a cooling opening is arranged on the periphery of the preheating opening, and a heat insulation layer is further arranged in the outer nozzle. During working, a barrier is firstly built during cooling, a coating is softened by preheating airflow, focused arc cutting is performed, and slag is purged by spiral airflow. The coating damage rate and the heat affected zone are reduced, a notch is smooth and free of impurities, follow-up repair is not needed, and therefore the machining efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of production and processing equipment technology for color-coated aluminum coils, and specifically to a cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils. Background Technology

[0002] The information disclosed in the background section of this invention is intended only to enhance the understanding of the overall background of the invention and is not necessarily to be construed as an admission or in any way implying that such information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art.

[0003] Color-coated aluminum coils, as a type of metal coil with an organic coating (such as polyester or fluorocarbon coating), are widely used in building decoration, appliance housings, and other fields. Their cutting process requires both efficient cutting of the metal substrate and protection of the surface coating's integrity. However, existing plasma arc cutting technology, due to the lack of coating pretreatment structure in the current plasma cutting head, easily leads to coating combustion and the generation of toxic fumes when the high-temperature plasma arc directly acts on the color-coated coating. Furthermore, residual impurities after combustion affect the smoothness of the cut, and the high temperature causes the coating within 5-8mm of the cut to peel off due to thermal aging, resulting in severe damage to the coating. In addition, due to the high thermal conductivity of aluminum, the existing plasma arc energy is dispersed, and the heat diffusion range is wide during cutting, resulting in discoloration and blistering of the coating around the cut, and the width of the heat-affected zone is generally large, exceeding 1mm, resulting in an excessively large heat-affected zone. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a specialized cutting head with targeted improvements for cutting color-coated aluminum coils. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils, which aims to solve the problems of coating burning damage and large heat-affected zone in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils includes a plasma nozzle body, which is fitted onto an outer nozzle; The lower end of the outer nozzle is provided with a nozzle adapted to the outlet end of the plasma nozzle body. A circulating spiral generator is provided inside the nozzle to make the plasma gas form a spiral airflow and enhance the arc focusing effect. The external nozzle is also provided with multiple evenly distributed preheating ports around the nozzle opening. Each preheating port is connected to a preheating airflow through a corresponding preheating channel to soften the color coating and expose the color-coated aluminum coil substrate. A cooling device is also provided around the preheating port, and the preheating device is used to control the range of the preheating area.

[0006] Preferably, the cooling device includes a cooling circulation cavity and a cooling airflow interface communicating with it, wherein the cooling circulation cavity has multiple downward-facing cooling ports.

[0007] Preferably, the preheating port is connected to the annular preheating airflow main channel through a corresponding preheating airflow branch, and the annular preheating airflow main channel is provided with a preheating airflow interface; the preheating airflow branch is a spiral airflow channel.

[0008] Preferably, the outer nozzle has a heat insulation layer on the inner side of the preheating airflow channel to protect the plasma nozzle body.

[0009] Preferably, the circulating spiral generator includes multiple spiral guide plates for generating spiral airflow.

[0010] The present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: This invention effectively solves the technical problems of easy combustion and severe damage to the coating when cutting color-coated aluminum coils with existing plasma cutting heads. By using multiple evenly distributed preheating ports around the outer nozzle orifice and utilizing the preheating airflow delivered by the preheating channel, the temperature is controlled between the softening point and ignition point of the color coating. This gently softens the color coating around the cutting point, avoiding combustion caused by direct contact between the high-temperature plasma arc and the unsoftened coating, effectively reducing the generation of toxic fumes. At the same time, the softened coating has no carbonized residue. Combined with the high-speed spiral airflow generated by the circulating spiral generator to blow away the cutting slag, it ensures that there are no impurities adhering to the cut, significantly reducing the damage rate of the color coating. No subsequent coating repair process is required, greatly reducing processing costs.

[0011] This invention significantly reduces the heat-affected zone during cutting. By using a circulating spiral generator inside the nozzle, the plasma gas forms a high-speed spiral airflow and generates radial compression force on the plasma arc, forcing the arc to focus into a thinner arc column. This increases the arc energy density while reducing the effective range, thus reducing heat diffusion at the source. Combined with the cooling device around the preheating port, a ring-shaped cooling barrier is formed, effectively enveloping the preheating area and preventing the preheating heat from being transferred to the outer coating. This keeps the overall width of the heat-affected zone within a set range, preventing discoloration and blistering of the coating around the cut due to heat diffusion. This ensures the integrity of the coating on the surface of the color-coated aluminum coil and meets the requirements for coating appearance in fields such as architectural decoration and appliance housings.

[0012] This invention features a compact structure and high integration. Through the integrated design of the external nozzle, the preheating port, preheating channel, cooling device, circulating spiral generator, and heat insulation layer are integrated into the same external nozzle, eliminating the need for separate preheating and cooling mechanisms. This facilitates quick installation and adaptation with production line robotic arms via a quick-release structure, demonstrating strong adaptability. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the top structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention.

[0014] The attached figures are labeled as follows: 100. Plasma nozzle body; 200. External nozzle; 210. Preheating port; 211. Preheating airflow branch channel; 212. Annular preheating airflow main channel; 213. Preheating airflow interface; 220. Nozzle; 221. Circulating spiral generator; 230. Heat insulation layer; 300. Cooling device; 310. Cooling port; 311. Cooling circulation cavity; 312. Cooling airflow interface. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0016] Figures 1 to 3 A cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils is presented, including a plasma nozzle body 100. The plasma nozzle body 100 generates a plasma arc that can be used to cut the color-coated aluminum coil and is an energy output source. This structure can be achieved using existing technology and is not the design focus of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand this, and it will not be elaborated further here.

[0017] The plasma nozzle body 100 is mounted on the outer nozzle 200. The outer nozzle 200 not only protects the plasma nozzle body 100, but more importantly, it integrates preheating and cooling functions into a single cutting head. This solves the dilemma of traditional cutting heads either damaging the coating or creating a large heat-affected zone. The details are as follows: The lower end of the external nozzle 200 is provided with a nozzle 220 adapted to the outlet end of the plasma nozzle body 100. A circulating spiral generator 221 is disposed within the nozzle 220. The specific structure of the circulating spiral generator 221 may include multiple spiral guide plates for generating spiral airflow, which are used to form a high-speed spiral airflow from the plasma gas, such as an argon-hydrogen mixture. When the airflow is ejected along the axial direction of the nozzle 220, it generates a radial compression force on the plasma arc, forcing the arc to focus into a finer arc column, thus enhancing the arc focusing effect. The focused arc energy density is significantly improved, acting only on a very small area of ​​the aluminum substrate during cutting, avoiding energy dispersion that leads to a large-scale heating phenomenon around the cut, reducing the width of the heat-affected zone from the source. In addition, the spiral airflow also has a purging effect, promptly blowing away the aluminum slag generated during cutting, preventing slag from adhering to the coating or substrate, and improving the smoothness of the cut.

[0018] To address the issue of direct combustion of the coating, the external nozzle 200 is further equipped with multiple evenly distributed preheating ports 210 around the nozzle 220. Each preheating port 210 is connected to a preheating airflow through a corresponding preheating channel to soften the colored coating and expose the colored aluminum coil substrate. This prevents combustion and carbonization caused by direct contact between the plasma arc and the unsoftened coating during cutting.

[0019] To address the issue of heat diffusion during preheating, a cooling device 300 is provided around the preheating port 210. This preheating device controls the preheating area to prevent heat from being transferred to the outer coating and further reduces the overall heat-affected zone.

[0020] The specific structure of the cooling device 300 is as follows: it includes a cooling circulation cavity 311 and a cooling airflow interface 312 communicating with it. The cooling circulation cavity 311 has multiple downward-facing cooling ports 310.

[0021] The preheating structure is as follows: the preheating port 210 is connected to the annular preheating airflow main channel 212 through the corresponding preheating airflow branch channel 211, and the annular preheating airflow main channel 212 is provided with a preheating airflow interface 213; the preheating airflow branch channel 211 is a spiral airflow channel.

[0022] In order to protect the working stability of the plasma nozzle body 100 and avoid the heat of the preheating airflow from interfering with the generation of the electric arc, the outer nozzle 200 is provided with a heat insulation layer 230 inside the preheating airflow branch 211.

[0023] The cutting head has a three-layer concentric structure from the center to the periphery, including the nozzle 220 and its circulating spiral generator 221 in the center layer, the preheating port 210 and its preheating channel in the middle layer, and the cooling device 300 in the outer layer.

[0024] The annular preheating zone of the preheating port 210 covers the coating to be softened around the cutting point, and the annular cooling zone of the cooling device 300 wraps around the preheating zone, forming a thermal barrier to prevent the preheating heat from escaping. The electric arc focused by the circulating spiral generator 221 acts on the substrate exposed after preheating. Without the obstruction of the coating, the cutting efficiency is improved and there are no burning impurities.

[0025] During operation, the cooling device 300 first forms a cooling barrier to define the thermal boundary for subsequent preheating and prevent heat diffusion in the early stages of preheating. Then, the preheating airflow simultaneously softens the coating to ensure that there is no complete coating barrier when the plasma arc contacts the substrate, thus preventing combustion. The electric arc focused by the circulating spiral generator 221 simultaneously cuts the substrate, the spiral airflow blows away the molten slag, and the cooling device 300 simultaneously controls the temperature. The three work together to achieve no combustion phenomenon, no impurities at the cut, and no blistering of the coating when cutting color-coated aluminum coils or sheets.

[0026] This cutting head forms a closed-loop synergy through spatial layout, timing synchronization, and energy matching. For example, the arc focusing of the circulating spiral generator 221 and the coating softening of the preheating port 210 work together, and the cooling device 300 and the thermal boundary control of the preheating port 210 work together to achieve the dual goals of efficient cutting and undamaged coating.

[0027] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0028] The terms "upper," "lower," "outer," "inner," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish relative positional relationships and are not necessarily qualitative. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0029] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils, comprising a plasma nozzle body, characterized in that: The plasma nozzle body is mounted on the outer nozzle; The lower end of the outer nozzle is provided with a nozzle adapted to the outlet end of the plasma nozzle body. A circulating spiral generator is provided inside the nozzle to make the plasma gas form a spiral airflow and enhance the arc focusing effect. The external nozzle is also provided with multiple evenly distributed preheating ports around the nozzle opening. Each preheating port is connected to a preheating airflow through a corresponding preheating channel to soften the color coating and expose the color-coated aluminum coil substrate. A cooling device is also provided around the preheating port, and the preheating device is used to control the range of the preheating area.

2. The cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling device includes a cooling circulation cavity and a cooling airflow interface communicating with it. The cooling circulation cavity has multiple downward-facing cooling ports.

3. The cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The preheating port is connected to the annular preheating airflow main channel through a corresponding preheating airflow branch channel, and the annular preheating airflow main channel is provided with a preheating airflow interface; the preheating airflow branch channel is a spiral airflow channel.

4. The cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The outer nozzle has a heat insulation layer inside the preheating airflow branch to protect the plasma nozzle body.

5. The cutting head for cutting color-coated aluminum coils as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The circulating spiral generator includes multiple spiral guide plates for generating spiral airflow.

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