Full-automatic cutting device and method for polystyrene foam particles

Abstract

The invention discloses a full-automatic cutting device and method for polystyrene foam particles, and relates to the technical field of polystyrene foam cutting. The cutting device comprises a refrigeration box body, a cutting assembly and a feeding assembly; the cutting assembly and the feeding assembly are both arranged in the refrigeration box body; the cutting assembly comprises a pelletizing mechanism, a material box and a material pushing mechanism, the material box comprises a plurality of rows of material grooves formed in the vertical direction, and foaming rubber strips are placed in the material grooves; the pushing mechanism comprises a plurality of push rods and a linear module, the push rods can move in the vertical direction and can be connected with the bottoms of the multiple rows of material grooves in a one-to-one correspondence and insertion mode, and the linear module can drive the multiple rows of push rods to move in the length direction of the material grooves so as to push the foaming rubber strips in the multiple rows of material grooves; the grain cutting mechanism is correspondingly arranged at the position of the discharging port and used for conducting grain cutting on the foaming rubber strips extending out of the discharging port by a certain length to form foaming rubber particles. High-precision and high-efficiency cutting can be achieved, the energy consumption performance is optimized, and the machining process is safer and more environmentally friendly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of expanding foam cutting technology, and in particular to a fully automatic expanding foam granule cutting device and method. Background Technology

[0002] The widespread use of expanded polystyrene in industries such as packaging, construction, and model making is due to its excellent lightweight, cushioning, and thermal insulation properties.

[0003] However, the technological bottleneck in the cutting and processing of expanded polystyrene foam—namely, how to achieve efficient, precise, and environmentally friendly cutting—has not yet been effectively overcome. Current mainstream methods all have inherent drawbacks: hot wire cutting consumes a lot of energy, easily generates molten material and VOCs, and has poor environmental adaptability; mechanical blade cutting produces a lot of dust and debris, leading to waste and pollution, rapid tool wear, and weak ability to process complex curved surfaces; laser cutting is costly, carries the risk of smoke / combustion, is ineffective with thick / dense materials, and raises safety concerns. Faced with these challenges, the industry urgently needs a new cutting technology with superior overall performance. This technology must significantly optimize energy consumption, avoid dust and harmful emissions, and ensure the safety and environmental friendliness of the processing process while ensuring high-precision and high-efficiency cutting of complex shapes.

[0004] In view of the problems of the prior art, those skilled in the art urgently need a fully automatic cutting device and method for expanding foam granules. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a fully automatic cutting device and method for expanding foam granules, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art, achieve high-precision and high-efficiency cutting, optimize energy consumption, and make the processing safer and more environmentally friendly.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution:

[0007] This invention provides a fully automatic cutting device for expanded polystyrene (EPS) granules, comprising a refrigeration chamber, a cutting assembly, and a feeding assembly. Both the cutting assembly and the feeding assembly are housed within the refrigeration chamber. The cutting assembly includes a pelletizing mechanism, a feed hopper, and a pushing mechanism. The feed hopper comprises multiple rows of vertically arranged feed slots, each containing EPS strips. The pushing mechanism includes multiple push rods and a linear module. The push rods are movable vertically and can be inserted into the bottom of the feed slots one-to-one. The linear module drives the push rods to move along the length of the feed slots to push the EPS strips within them. One end of the feed hopper is a discharge port, and the pelletizing mechanism is positioned at the discharge port to cut the EPS strips extending a certain length from the discharge port into EPS granules. The feeding assembly includes a conveyor belt located below the pelletizing mechanism to transport the EPS granules.

[0008] In some embodiments, the pushing mechanism further includes a first cylinder, a first locking block, a second locking block, and a pushing housing; the first cylinder and the pushing housing are both disposed on the slider of the linear module, and the first locking block and the second locking block are both disposed inside the pushing housing; one end of the first locking block is connected to the piston rod of the first cylinder, and the other end is provided with a first inclined surface; one end of the second locking block is provided with a second inclined surface, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are adapted to fit together; one end of each of the plurality of push rods is connected to the top of the second locking block, and the other end of each push rod extends upward through the top wall of the pushing housing; the extension of the piston rod of the first cylinder can drive the first locking block to move horizontally and drive the second locking block and the plurality of push rods to move in a vertically upward direction; the retraction of the piston rod of the first cylinder can drive the first locking block to return to the initial position, and the second locking block and the plurality of push rods can move in a vertically downward direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the pushing mechanism further includes a spring, at least one of the push rods is fitted with the spring, and the two ends of the spring abut against the top of the second locking block and the inner top wall of the pushing housing, respectively; the first cylinder can drive the second locking block to move vertically upward and compress the spring; when the piston rod of the first cylinder is in the retracted state, the elastic force of the spring can cause the second locking block and the plurality of push rods to move in a vertically downward direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, the pelletizing mechanism includes a second cylinder, a clamp, and a cutter; the clamp is connected to the piston rod of the second cylinder and is used to hold the cutter; an anvil is provided at the discharge port of the hopper, and one end of the cutter is positioned opposite to the anvil.

[0011] In some embodiments, the feeding mechanism includes a belt conveyor, a hopper, and a vacuum conveyor; the belt conveyor includes the conveyor belt, the inlet of the hopper is located below one end of the conveyor belt for collecting the foamed rubber particles falling from the conveyor belt, and the outlet of the hopper is connected to the vacuum conveyor; the vacuum conveyor is used to convey the foamed rubber particles to an end effector for filling.

[0012] In some embodiments, the feeding mechanism further includes a third cylinder; the number of funnels is at least two, and the outlet of each funnel is connected to the corresponding vacuum conveyor; the multiple rows of material troughs have different widths for placing foam strips of different specifications; the third cylinder can drive at least two of the funnels to move to a position below one end of the conveyor belt for collecting foam particles of the corresponding size.

[0013] In some embodiments, a refrigeration assembly and a temperature sensor are also included; the refrigeration assembly includes an evaporator disposed within the refrigeration chamber, and the temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature within the refrigeration chamber; the side walls of the refrigeration chamber are made of thermal insulation material.

[0014] In some embodiments, a baffle and a baffle are also included; the baffle is provided at the discharge port of the material box, and the baffle is provided on both sides of the conveyor belt.

[0015] In some embodiments, a waste bin is also included; the waste bin is located below the other end of the conveyor belt.

[0016] This invention also provides a fully automatic cutting method for expanding foam granules, based on the aforementioned fully automatic cutting device for expanding foam granules, comprising the following steps: Step S1, placing multiple expanding foam strips vertically stacked in multiple rows of material slots in the material cassette; Step S2, moving one end of multiple push rods vertically upward and inserting them one-to-one with the multiple rows of material slots; Step S3, controlling a linear module to drive the multiple push rods to move along the length of the material slots, the multiple push rods pushing the expanding foam strips located in the lower layer of the multiple rows of material slots to the outlet extending out of the material cassette, and so on. In step S4, after the multiple push rods completely push the lower layer of foam strips out of the discharge port, the multiple push rods are moved a certain distance in a vertically downward direction, and the upper layer of foam strips located in the multiple rows of material troughs fall down; in step S5, the linear module is controlled to drive the multiple push rods back to the initial position; in step S6, steps S2 to S5 are repeated.

[0017] The present invention achieves the following technical effects compared to the prior art:

[0018] The fully automatic foam granule cutting device and method of the present invention has multiple rows of vertically arranged material grooves on the material hopper, which can place multiple foam strips into the corresponding material grooves. Then, a linear module drives multiple push rods to push the foam strips. The granulation mechanism cuts the foam strips of a specified length extending from the discharge port. The cut foam granules are conveyed by a feeding component. Thus, the present invention can achieve high-precision and high-efficiency cutting by pushing multiple strips into granules at the same time with multiple push rods driven by the linear module, and optimizes energy consumption. Furthermore, the cutting component and the feeding component of the present invention are both set in a refrigeration chamber. The sealed refrigeration chamber can avoid dust and harmful emissions, making the processing safer and more environmentally friendly. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the fully automatic foam granule cutting device in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the fully automatic foam granule cutting device without the frame and refrigeration box in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the material box in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a second schematic diagram of the material box structure in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the material pushing mechanism in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the pelletizing mechanism in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the pusher housing structure in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the pusher mechanism without the pusher housing in some embodiments of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the frame and the refrigeration housing in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 1-Refrigeration box; 2-Material box; 3-Foaming strip; 4-Linear module; 5-Push rod; 6-First cylinder; 7-First clamping block; 8-Second clamping block; 9-Pushing housing; 10-Spring; 11-Second cylinder; 12-Clamp; 13-Cutting tool; 14-Cutting board; 15-Belt conveyor; 16-Conveyor belt; 17-Function funnel; 18-Vacuum conveyor; 19-Third cylinder; 20-Evaporator; 21-Baffle cover; 22-Baffle plate; 23-Waste box; 24-Frame. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] The purpose of this invention is to provide a fully automatic cutting device and method for expanding foam granules, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art, achieve high-precision and high-efficiency cutting, optimize energy consumption, and make the processing safer and more environmentally friendly.

[0033] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] This invention provides a fully automatic cutting device for expanding foam granules, such as... Figures 1 to 10 As shown, it includes a refrigeration housing 1, a cutting assembly, and a feeding assembly. Figure 1 To better visualize the internal structure of the refrigeration chamber 1, its top cover was removed. Both the cutting assembly and the feeding assembly are located within the refrigeration chamber 1. The cutting assembly includes a pelletizing mechanism, a feed hopper 2, and a pushing mechanism. The feed hopper 2 comprises multiple vertically arranged feed slots, each containing expanding foam strips 3. The pushing mechanism includes multiple push rods 5 and a linear module 4. The push rods 5 can move vertically and engage with the bottom of the feed slots, while the linear module 4 drives the push rods 5 along the length of the feed slots to push the expanding foam strips 3 within them. One end of the feed hopper 2 is a discharge port, and the pelletizing mechanism is positioned at the discharge port to pelletize the expanding foam strips 3 extending a certain length from the discharge port. The feeding assembly includes a conveyor belt 16, located below the pelletizing mechanism, for conveying the expanding foam granules.

[0035] It should be noted that the present invention can cut foamed rubber granules of a specified length as needed; the cutting module consists of three parts: a pelletizing mechanism, a material box 2, and a pushing mechanism; the entire cutting module is placed inside a refrigeration chamber 1, maintaining a constant low-temperature environment of 0-4℃; in this embodiment of the invention, four different specifications of rubber strips are placed into the material box 2, and the pushing mechanism pushes the rubber strips towards the pelletizing mechanism. After moving a specified length, the pelletizing mechanism cuts the foamed rubber strips 3 into granules. Furthermore, those skilled in the art can specifically set the number of material slots included in the material box 2 and the specifications and quantity of the foamed rubber strips 3 placed therein; the present invention does not specifically limit these aspects.

[0036] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 and Figure 9As shown, the pushing mechanism also includes a first cylinder 6, a first locking block 7, a second locking block 8, and a pushing housing 9; wherein the first cylinder 6 and the pushing housing 9 are both disposed on the slider of the linear module 4, and the first locking block 7 and the second locking block 8 are both disposed inside the pushing housing 9.

[0037] One end of the first locking block 7 is connected to the piston rod of the first cylinder 6, and the other end is provided with a first inclined surface. One end of the second locking block 8 is provided with a second inclined surface, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are adapted and fitted together. One end of each of the plurality of push rods 5 is connected to the top of the second locking block 8, and the other end of each push rod extends upward through the top wall of the pusher housing 9. Figure 8 As shown, a through hole is provided on the top of the pusher housing 9 for the pusher rod 5 to pass through.

[0038] The piston rod of the first cylinder 6 extends, which can drive the first locking block 7 to move horizontally and drive the second locking block 8 and multiple push rods 5 to move vertically upward; the piston rod of the first cylinder 6 retracts, which can drive the first locking block 7 back to the initial position, and the second locking block 8 and multiple push rods 5 can move vertically downward.

[0039] In some embodiments, such as Figure 9 As shown, the pushing mechanism also includes a spring 10. At least one push rod 5 is fitted with a spring 10, and the two ends of the spring 10 abut against the top of the second locking block 8 and the inner top wall of the pushing housing 9, respectively. The first cylinder 6 can drive the second locking block 8 to move vertically upward and compress the spring 10; and when the piston rod of the first cylinder 6 is in the retracted state, the elastic force of the spring 10 can cause the second locking block 8 and the plurality of push rods 5 to move in the vertically downward direction.

[0040] It should be noted that, in order to accurately control the cutting length of the foam strip 3, the pushing mechanism of the present invention uses a linear module 4 as a power source to drive the push rod 5 to complete the pushing action; the first cylinder 6 drives the first clamping block 7 to move, thereby realizing the lifting function of the second clamping block 8 and multiple push rods 5.

[0041] Push rod 5 rises: During the material pushing operation, the first cylinder 6 extends and pushes the first locking block 7 to raise the second locking block 8 and push rod 5 to a position flush with the bottom foam strip 3. The spring 10 is compressed, and at this time the push rod 5 can push the foam strip 3 forward.

[0042] Push rod 5 descends: After the cutting is completed, the first cylinder 6 retracts, the spring 10 returns to its original position, and the push rod 5 descends; this facilitates the fall of the upper foam strip 3, while ensuring that the push rod 5 can smoothly return to its original position.

[0043] The second block 8 has four push rods 5, which enable the feeding mechanism to simultaneously push four different specifications of rubber strips to complete the pelletizing process, ensuring pelletizing efficiency.

[0044] Furthermore, the linear module 4 of this invention can be an open-type ball screw linear module, equipped with guide rails and sliders, with bearings used to fix both ends of the screw to improve stability. The first cylinder 6 can be a single-rod double-acting cylinder.

[0045] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the pelletizing mechanism includes a second cylinder 11, a clamp 12, and a cutter 13; wherein, the clamp 12 is connected to the piston rod of the second cylinder 11, and the clamp 12 is used to hold the cutter 13; an anvil 14 is provided at the discharge port of the material box 2, and one end of the cutter 13 is positioned opposite to the anvil 14.

[0046] It should be noted that the foam cutting process of this invention is a short-stroke, high-speed impact process, and the instantaneous explosive force of the cylinder is significantly better than that of the motor drive. The second cylinder 11 can be a cylinder with a guide rod. This cylinder with a guide rod has high non-rotational accuracy and can withstand a large deflection torque. The end plate does not need to be equipped with a linear guide rail to achieve high repeatability accuracy.

[0047] Furthermore, the cylinder selection can be based on the required cutting force of the expanding foam. Due to the special physical properties of expanding foam, it is necessary to cut it at low temperature to prevent the cut foam from sticking together.

[0048] Cutting tests revealed that when the temperature of the expanded polystyrene board is below 0℃, the expanded polystyrene particles are prone to breakage after cutting, therefore cutting below 0℃ is not suitable. In actual tests, within the range of 0℃ to 4℃, the cut surface of the expanded polystyrene board is relatively smooth, the expanded polystyrene particles are intact, and the particles are not easily stuck together.

[0049] The formula for calculating the thrust generated by the second cylinder 11 is as follows:

[0050] F = πD 2 P / 4;

[0051] In the above formula, D is the piston diameter of the second cylinder 11, and P is the air supply pressure.

[0052] Calculate the maximum shear cross-sectional area A of foamed rubber strip 3 based on the dimensions of various different specifications of rubber strips.

[0053] The thrust of the second cylinder 11 needs to be sufficient to enable the cutter 13 to cut the foam strip 3 with the largest cross-sectional size.

[0054] Furthermore, when cutting foam, experimental tests indicate that a solid-piece tool made of cemented carbide, such as tungsten steel, is suitable for cutting tool 13 due to its combination of high hardness, wear resistance, and moderate toughness. Ordinary high-speed steel tools are prone to rapid wear, resulting in rough cuts; while cemented carbide effectively resists abrasion, maintains a sharp cutting edge, and ensures a smooth and dimensionally stable cut surface. In addition, the solid-piece structure avoids the risk of chipping associated with welded tools. Combined with a reasonable cutting edge design, such as a large rake angle to reduce cutting resistance and a surface coating, it can significantly improve the stability of continuous operation and meet the requirements for long-term, high-efficiency operation in a closed, refrigerated environment.

[0055] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the feeding mechanism includes a belt conveyor 15, a hopper 17, and a vacuum conveyor 18; wherein, the belt conveyor 15 includes a conveyor belt 16, the inlet of the hopper 17 is located below one end of the conveyor belt 16 for collecting the foamed rubber particles falling from the conveyor belt 16, and the outlet of the hopper 17 is connected to the vacuum conveyor 18; the vacuum conveyor 18 is used to convey the foamed rubber particles to the end effector for filling.

[0056] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the feeding mechanism also includes a third cylinder 19; the number of funnels 17 is at least two, and the outlet of each funnel 17 is connected to a corresponding vacuum conveyor 18; the width of the multiple rows of material troughs is different to hold foam strips 3 of different specifications; the third cylinder 19 can drive at least two funnels 17 to move to a position below one end of the conveyor belt 16 to collect foam particles of the corresponding size. The outer diameter of the multiple push rods 5 of the present invention is adapted to the width of the multiple rows of material troughs.

[0057] In some embodiments, a waste bin 23 is also included; the waste bin 23 is disposed below the other end of the conveyor belt 16.

[0058] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, it also includes a baffle 21 and a baffle 22; a baffle 21 is provided at the discharge port of the material box 2, and baffles 22 are provided on both sides of the conveyor belt 16.

[0059] It should be noted that the feeding module of this invention conveys the pre-cut foam granules at a certain speed and direction, providing a stable supply of filling material for the foam granule filling module. In practical applications, the honeycomb core is hexagonal with various specifications, corresponding to the filling of foam granules of different sizes, requiring the feeding module to have the ability to supply granules of multiple sizes. The feeding module consists of a small belt conveyor 15, a vacuum conveyor 18, and a funnel 17. The cut foam granules first fall into the belt conveyor 15, which then feeds them into the vacuum conveyor 18, and then through an air pipe into the end effector system to fill the honeycomb core.

[0060] One end of the belt conveyor 15 has two funnels 17, and each funnel 17 is connected to a corresponding vacuum conveyor 18. For different specifications of foam granules, the funnel 17 is driven to move laterally by the third cylinder 19 to ensure that the foam granules can enter the corresponding vacuum conveyor 18.

[0061] The feeding module process is as follows:

[0062] The cut foam granules fall into the belt conveyor 15 under the obstruction of the baffle 21;

[0063] The belt conveyor 15 transports the foamed rubber granules toward the vacuum conveyor 18.

[0064] The third cylinder 19 drives the funnel 17 to align with the belt conveyor 15;

[0065] The expanding foam granules are delivered to the filling nozzle via a connecting pipe connected to the vacuum conveyor 18;

[0066] After a piece of expanding foam is cut, the unqualified part of the tail section of the expanding foam strip 3, if its length is shorter than the required length, is sent to the waste box 23.

[0067] Furthermore, after the foamed rubber strip 3 of this invention is granulated by the cutting module, it needs to be orderly conveyed to the air circuit system and sprayed out through the filling nozzle. The belt conveyor 15 has reliable and efficient transmission, low vibration and noise during operation, extremely low material breakage rate, simple structure, convenient maintenance, and significantly reduced power consumption compared to other conveying methods. Therefore, this invention uses the belt conveyor 15 to convey the foamed rubber granules to the air circuit system.

[0068] Belt conveyor 15 uses a conveyor belt as its load-bearing and traction component. A drive unit drives a transmission drum, and the friction between the drum and the conveyor belt keeps the belt running continuously, thus conveying materials. In terms of drive method, belt conveyor 15 is typically driven by an electric motor, which transmits power to the drum through a reducer. The electric motor can be a speed-regulating motor or a stepper motor. Speed-regulating motors have a wide adjustment range, large size, low precision, and low torque, but require a reducer. Stepper motors, on the other hand, can control the single-pass transmission distance, are small in size, have high precision, and high torque, and are typically used in precision conveyors. The manufacturing process of belt conveyor 15 is mature, and its performance is simple and stable.

[0069] Furthermore, the conveyor belt 16 of this invention is made of high-strength composite material, which has strong ductility and long service life.

[0070] The main design parameter of belt conveyor 15 is the tension F required when conveying materials, and then the driving torque T is calculated based on the diameter of the drive wheel. The simplified calculation formula for the tension required by belt conveyor 15 is as follows.

[0071] F = k(μmg + 1 / 3μmg + ma);

[0072] T = Fr;

[0073] Where k is the safety factor, μmg is the frictional force between the belt and the idler, 1 / 3μmg is the resistance generated by the simplified belt tension, ma is the driving force for the belt and material acceleration, and r is the distance from the point of application of the driving force to the center of the pulley, which is approximately equal to the pulley radius.

[0074] Furthermore, the foamed granules are conveyed to the buffer funnel 17 via belt conveyor 15, and then enter the pneumatic system for further conveying. This process utilizes a vacuum conveyor 18 to transport the foamed granules into the pneumatic system. When compressed air enters the annular high-pressure chamber of the vacuum conveyor 18, it is ejected at high speed to the right through the internal physical structure. This high-speed airflow creates a high negative pressure zone at the inlet due to the "Venturi effect," drawing the foamed granules into the high-pressure airflow. The granules are then moved to the right along with the compressed air and conveyed to the filling tube, where they fill the honeycomb core cells. The start and stop of the foamed granule conveying are controlled by a solenoid valve, and the conveying speed is controlled by adjusting the compressed air pressure.

[0075] Furthermore, the feeding module needs to drive the funnel 17 to move, so that different foaming granules can accurately fall into the corresponding funnel 17. The two-point positioning and movement mode is suitable for cylinder drive. The cylinder load only includes the two pairs of funnels and the vacuum conveyor, and the load is relatively small. Therefore, the third cylinder 19 can be a magnetic couple rodless cylinder.

[0076] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, it also includes a refrigeration component and a temperature sensor; wherein, the refrigeration component includes an evaporator 20, and the evaporator 20 is disposed inside the refrigeration chamber 1, and the temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature inside the refrigeration chamber 1; and the side wall of the refrigeration chamber 1 is made of thermal insulation material.

[0077] It should be noted that the refrigeration system is an important auxiliary component in the cutting equipment. Its function is to maintain the temperature of the cutting area of ​​the foam adhesive within a reasonable range, ensuring that the foam adhesive is in a processable state. This invention places the cutting module and the feeding module within the same frame, utilizing only a single refrigeration source.

[0078] In heat exchange calculations, refrigeration equipment is similar to a furnace enclosure. When designing a refrigeration system, the most important indicator is its cooling capacity. Cooling capacity measures the rate at which a refrigeration system lowers the temperature per unit time. The formula for calculating cooling capacity is:

[0079] Q = Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4;

[0080] In the above formula, Q1 is the heat transferred from the building envelope; Q2 is the heat released by the sealing strips and internal equipment; Q3 is the heat consumed by ventilation; and Q4 is the heat equivalent of motor operation.

[0081] In this invention, the heat conduction of the building envelope is a single-layer flat wall type, and the formula for calculating the heat transfer is:

[0082] Q1=λA(t w -t n ) / b;

[0083] In the above formula, K is the thermal conductivity of the enclosure material, A is the external surface area, and t w The ambient temperature is calculated based on the highest ambient temperature in the factory where the equipment is located. n The design temperature is calculated based on the suitable temperature obtained from the foam colloid cutting test.

[0084] The formula for calculating the heat dissipation of the rubber strip and the metal parts inside the equipment is as follows:

[0085] Q2=[M(t w -t n )c1+G1(t w -t n )c2+G2(t w -t n )c3] / 8 / 3600;

[0086] In the above formula, M is the total mass of expanding foam cut in one day, and c1 is the specific heat capacity of the expanding foam. G1 is the total mass of the internal moving parts, and c2 is the specific heat capacity of the aluminum alloy. G2 is the total mass of the stainless steel panel and upper frame of the vibration isolation platform, and c3 is the specific heat capacity of the stainless steel. w For ambient temperature, t n The temperature after the equipment has been cooled.

[0087] Since the condenser radiator is installed inside the frame, the heat loss from ventilation Q3 mainly occurs when adding foam boards, which is relatively small and can be ignored.

[0088] The heat consumption of internal heating components, Q4, includes the electric motor inside the equipment and the fan motor inside the cooling unit.

[0089] Adding up the heat consumption of each component mentioned above yields the minimum cooling capacity Q required by the equipment. Considering that all calculations above are based on an average of 8 hours per day and neglect heat loss when replenishing the expanding foam board, and the need to quickly lower the temperature of the expanding foam to the cutting temperature upon its initial placement inside the equipment, a significant power increase is necessary to meet this requirement within a short period. It should be noted that in actual operation, the equipment does not always operate at full capacity; high power is only required during startup and after each addition of new expanding foam.

[0090] Furthermore, the enclosed space of the cutting equipment of this invention is equivalent to a small cold storage, requiring long-term maintenance of low temperatures. To reduce energy consumption, it is necessary to install insulating enclosure materials. This invention selects polystyrene, a high-insulation material with a thermal conductivity of only 0.08 W / (m·K), widely used in insulation materials, foam plastics, and thermal insulation materials, offering excellent insulation performance. Since the bottom frame of the equipment is constructed using aluminum alloy, large pieces of polystyrene cannot be installed; therefore, it is constructed from spliced ​​insulation panels, with the joints sealed using a special sealant.

[0091] Furthermore, the frame 24 of this invention, as the core structural unit of the adhesive supply system, provides a rigid and stable supporting foundation for the entire system. It precisely constrains the spatial relationships and movement trajectories, ensuring the structural stability, motion accuracy, and long-term reliability of the equipment during operation. Simultaneously, the modular frame 24 facilitates standardized manufacturing, convenient installation and commissioning, and subsequent maintenance and upgrades, serving as a fundamental platform for ensuring the systemic functionality and overall performance optimization of the equipment.

[0092] The frame 24 uses 4040 aluminum profiles and corner locking scheme; this scheme achieves customized high-precision structure with standardized components, combining advanced technology and economic efficiency.

[0093] To accommodate different sizes of the honeycomb cores around the embedded parts in the honeycomb panel, the material cassette 2 adopts a magazine-style design. The cassette 2 can hold four different sizes of foam strips 3: 3×3mm, 4×4mm, 5×5mm, and 6×6mm. These four sizes of foam strips 3 are stacked, and after the lower strip is cut, the upper strip automatically falls under gravity, resulting in a simple and stable structure. The material cassette 2's outlet is equipped with a rigid anvil 14 to stabilize the material, ensure a smooth cut, guarantee good cutting results, ensure cutting accuracy, and protect the cutting tools and equipment.

[0094] The main type of expanding foam cut by this invention is J-47D, while also being compatible with similar expanding foams such as J-78D2. Based on the physical properties of expanding foam, it is viscous at room temperature and brittle at low temperatures, making it difficult to cut and requiring suitable cutting and storage temperatures. A low-temperature cutting environment ensures that the cut strips do not stick together due to stickiness, thus improving the yield rate of the cut strips. The ultimate goal of this invention is to cut expanding foam granules of different sizes.

[0095] The number of expanding foam strips required for filling honeycomb structural panels ranges from thousands to tens of thousands per batch, making foam cutting a high-volume, rapid production process. Furthermore, since the pull-out force of the embedded parts is affected by the filling effect of the foam strips, the height and volume of the foam particles directly impact the product's forming quality. The cutting module of this invention can precisely control the dimensional tolerances of individual foam strips, meeting production requirements. Moreover, this invention can prepare foam particles of different sizes, providing support for subsequent steps such as high-efficiency foam particle filling.

[0096] This invention also provides a fully automatic cutting method for expanding foam granules, based on the above-mentioned fully automatic cutting device for expanding foam granules, comprising the following steps:

[0097] Step S1: Place multiple foam strips 3 vertically in the multiple rows of material slots in the material box 2;

[0098] Step S2: Move one end of each of the multiple push rods 5 vertically upward and insert them into the multiple rows of material troughs one by one;

[0099] Step S3: Control the linear module 4 to drive multiple push rods 5 to move along the length of the material trough. The multiple push rods 5 push the foam strips 3 located in the lower layer of the multi-row material trough to the discharge port of the material box 2. At the same time, control the pelletizing mechanism to pelletize the foam strips 3 of a certain length extending from the discharge port to form foam particles. The foam particles fall onto the conveyor belt 16 of the feeding component for conveying.

[0100] Step S4: After the multiple push rods 5 completely push the lower layer of foam strip 3 out of the outlet, the multiple push rods 5 are moved a certain distance in the vertical downward direction, and the upper layer of foam strip 3 located in the multi-row material trough falls down.

[0101] Step S5: Control the linear module 4 to drive multiple push rods 5 back to the initial position;

[0102] Step S6: Repeat steps S2 to S5.

[0103] The specific operating procedure of the fully automatic foam granule cutting device of the present invention includes:

[0104] Preparation stage: The pelletizing mechanism and the feeding mechanism are in the initial position, the refrigeration module starts cooling, reaches and maintains the specified temperature; the worker puts the four different specifications of foam strips 3 into the material box 2;

[0105] Material pushing stage: The material pushing mechanism starts working. The first cylinder 6 pushes the first locking block 7 to raise the push rod 5, aligning the height of the push rod 5 with the bottom layer of expanding foam. The push rod 5 pushes the expanding foam strip 3 towards the discharge port. After reaching the predetermined position, the material pushing mechanism stops.

[0106] Pelletizing stage: After the feeding mechanism pushes the foamed rubber strip 3 to the predetermined position, the second cylinder 11 pushes down to drive the pelletizing blade 13 to press down and cut the foamed rubber strip 3 into pellets;

[0107] Pelletizing complete: After one pelletizing cycle, the action is repeated. When the bottom layer of rubber strip is cut, the first cylinder 6 retracts, the first clamping block 7 returns to its original position, and the push rod 5 descends. The pushing mechanism and cutting mechanism return to their initial positions, and the upper layer of rubber strip in the material box 2 falls.

[0108] The cut granules fall smoothly onto the conveyor under the action of the baffle 21, and the conveyor delivers the foam granules into the funnel 17. The two funnels 17 can be switched and aligned with the conveyor under the action of the third cylinder 19, so granules of different specifications can fall into different vacuum conveyors 18 through the funnels 17, and then fall into the actuator system through the air passage. The entire system is located in a sealed refrigeration chamber 1, and the frame of the refrigeration chamber 1 is composed of 4040 aluminum profiles and corner brackets.

[0109] Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

Claims

1. A fully automatic cutting device for expanding foam granules, characterized in that, Includes a refrigeration housing, a cutting assembly, and a feeding assembly; Both the cutting assembly and the feeding assembly are disposed inside the refrigeration chamber; The cutting assembly includes a pelletizing mechanism, a material bin, and a pushing mechanism. The material bin includes multiple rows of vertically arranged material slots, and the material slots are used to hold foam strips. The pushing mechanism includes multiple push rods and a linear module. The multiple push rods can move vertically and can be inserted into the bottom of the multiple rows of material slots one by one. The linear module can drive the multiple rows of push rods to move along the length of the material slots to push the foam strips in the multiple rows of material slots. One end of the material box is a discharge port, and the pelletizing mechanism is correspondingly set at the discharge port to pelletize the foam strip that extends a certain length out of the discharge port to form foam particles. The feeding assembly includes a conveyor belt located below the pelletizing mechanism for conveying the foamed rubber granules.

2. The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pushing mechanism also includes a first cylinder, a first locking block, a second locking block, and a pushing housing; The first cylinder and the pusher housing are both mounted on the slider of the linear module, and the first locking block and the second locking block are both mounted inside the pusher housing; One end of the first locking block is connected to the piston rod of the first cylinder, and the other end is provided with a first inclined surface. One end of the second locking block is provided with a second inclined surface, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are adapted to fit together. One end of each of the plurality of push rods is connected to the top of the second locking block, and the other end of each push rod extends upward through the top wall of the pusher housing; The piston rod of the first cylinder extends to move the first locking block horizontally and move the second locking block and the plurality of push rods vertically upward; the piston rod of the first cylinder retracts to return the first locking block to its initial position, and the second locking block and the plurality of push rods move vertically downward.

3. The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pushing mechanism also includes a spring, at least one of the push rods is fitted with the spring, and the two ends of the spring respectively abut against the top of the second locking block and the inner top wall of the pushing housing; The first cylinder can drive the second locking block to move vertically upward and compress the spring; When the piston rod of the first cylinder is in the retracted state, the elastic force of the spring enables the second locking block and the plurality of push rods to move in a vertically downward direction.

4. The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pelletizing mechanism includes a second cylinder, a clamp, and a cutting tool; The clamp is connected to the piston rod of the second cylinder, and the clamp is used to hold the cutting tool; An anvil is provided at the discharge port of the material box, and one end of the knife is positioned opposite to the anvil.

5. The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism includes a belt conveyor, a funnel, and a vacuum conveyor; The belt conveyor includes the conveyor belt, the inlet of the funnel is located below one end of the conveyor belt for collecting the foamed rubber particles falling from the conveyor belt, and the outlet of the funnel is connected to the vacuum conveyor. The vacuum conveyor is used to transport the foam granules to the end effector for filling.

6. The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism also includes a third cylinder; The number of funnels is at least two, and the outlet of each funnel is connected to the corresponding vacuum conveyor. The multiple rows of troughs have different widths to hold different sizes of the foam strips; the third cylinder can drive at least two funnels to move to a position below one end of the conveyor belt to collect the foam particles of the corresponding size.

7. The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes cooling components and temperature sensors; The refrigeration assembly includes an evaporator, which is disposed inside the refrigeration chamber, and the temperature sensor is used to measure the temperature inside the refrigeration chamber. The side walls of the refrigeration unit are made of thermal insulation material.

8. The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes baffles and baffles; The material box is provided with a baffle at the discharge port, and the conveyor belt is provided with baffles on both sides.

9. The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes waste bins; The waste box is located below the other end of the conveyor belt.

10. A fully automated method for cutting expanding foam granules, characterized in that, The fully automatic foam granule cutting device according to any one of claims 1-9 includes the following steps: Step S1: Place multiple foam strips vertically stacked in the multiple rows of material slots of the material box; Step S2: Move one end of the multiple push rods vertically upward and insert them into the multiple columns of material troughs one by one; Step S3: Control the linear module to drive multiple push rods to move along the length of the material trough. The multiple push rods push the foam strips located in the lower layer of the multiple rows of material troughs to the outlet of the material box. At the same time, control the pelletizing mechanism to pelletize the foam strips that extend a certain length from the outlet to form foam particles. The foam particles fall onto the conveyor belt of the feeding assembly for conveying. Step S4: After the multiple push rods completely push the lower layer of foam strips out of the discharge port, the multiple push rods are moved a certain distance in a vertically downward direction, and the upper layer of foam strips located in the multiple rows of material troughs fall down; Step S5: Control the linear module to drive the multiple push rods back to the initial position; Step S6: Repeat steps S2 to S5.

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