Positioning and forming process of soft busbar

Abstract

The invention discloses a positioning and forming process of a soft busbar, and relates to the technical field of conductor manufacturing processes and equipment, and the positioning and forming process comprises the following steps: S1, placing and preliminarily positioning; s2, center positioning and clamping: driving a lifting plate through an electric push rod, synchronously driving four positioning columns to radially move through a connecting rod mechanism, and inserting and clamping positioning holes of the soft busbar to realize self-adaptive center positioning; s3, lateral clamping and fixing: driving a bidirectional threaded rod through a driving motor to enable four clamping columns to synchronously clamp the soft busbar from two sides; and S4, pressing and forming: after double positioning and clamping, driving the upper die to press and form an S shape and the like. The device comprises a base, a metal positioning block, an upper metal pressing block, a center positioning mechanism, a lateral clamping mechanism and a controller. According to the multi-point positioning and clamping mechanism with center and lateral cooperation, the problem that the soft busbar is prone to displacement, wrinkling and deformation in the stamping process is effectively solved, and the forming precision, consistency and production efficiency are remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of conductor manufacturing technology and equipment, specifically to a positioning and forming process for a flexible busbar. Background Technology

[0002] Flexible busbars, also known as laminated insulated flexible busbars or flexible busbars, are conductive components composed of multiple layers of anti-corona-effect flat thin copper conductors, with the outer layer coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) insulation through an extrusion process. The conductors use T2 soft copper strips (bare copper or tin-plated copper are optional). Flexible busbars have a wide range of applications, including power substations, motor control centers, electrical control cabinets, power generation equipment, industrial machinery, ships and marine equipment, electric vehicle charging equipment, solar and wind power systems, the construction industry, and metallurgy and mining.

[0003] A search revealed prior art publication number CN105268841A, which discloses a busbar trunking flexible connector forming mechanism. This mechanism includes a mold, a press to drive the mold, and a horizontal platform. The mold comprises upper and lower matching parts. The upper part of the mold includes an arc-shaped forming blade located in the middle and weld scar protection grooves symmetrically distributed on both sides of the blade. The lower part of the mold includes grooves matching the arc-shaped forming blade of the upper part and weld scar protection grooves symmetrically distributed on both sides of the grooves. The mechanism also includes a calibration platform, a hook-shaped positioning device, and a lateral positioning device, all fixed to the horizontal platform. This invention effectively avoids weld cracking, reduces interphase burrs, and improves product quality during the processing and forming of busbar flexible connectors. However, existing technologies primarily target busbar connectors with relatively rigid structures, focusing on weld seams and burr prevention in their positioning and damage prevention designs. These technologies cannot effectively address the unique challenges faced by flexible busbars composed of multiple layers of thin copper sheets during stamping. Due to their soft material and layered structure, they are highly susceptible to overall displacement, localized wrinkling, and even inter-foil misalignment and deformation under stamping stress. Traditional positioning and clamping methods struggle to achieve comprehensive, stable, and adaptive fixation of the flexible busbar, resulting in poor dimensional accuracy of the formed product, reduced conductive cross-section due to wrinkles, decreased mechanical properties and fatigue life, ultimately affecting product quality and reliability.

[0004] Therefore, based on the above-mentioned search and combined with existing technologies, a positioning and forming process for soft busbars is proposed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a positioning and forming process for a soft busbar to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A positioning and forming process for a flexible busbar includes the following steps: S1: Placement and initial positioning: Place the flexible busbar body with positioning holes on the metal positioning block, so that the positioning holes correspond to the top of the clamping plate; S2: Center positioning and clamping: Drive the electric push rod to move, which in turn moves the lifting plate. Through the four connecting rods, the four sliding blocks are driven to move radially along the sliding rod, so that the positioning pin fixed on the sliding block is inserted into and clamps the inner wall of the positioning hole of the soft busbar body, thus completing the initial center positioning of the soft busbar. S3: Lateral clamping and fixing: Start the drive motor to drive the threaded rod to rotate, so that the two drive blocks move towards each other, and then drive the four clamping columns to clamp the soft busbar body from both sides through the connecting plate; S4: Compression forming: After the center and lateral positioning are completed, the control cylinder drives the upper metal pressure block to move down and cooperate with the metal positioning block to press and form the positioned soft busbar body.

[0007] Preferably, in step S2, the electric push rod is driven by a controller, and the lifting plate moves up and down in the irregular groove, thereby precisely adjusting the radial position of the four positioning columns to adapt to positioning holes of different specifications.

[0008] Preferably, in step S3, the threaded rod is provided with two sections of threads with opposite directions of rotation to ensure that the two drive blocks can move synchronously in opposite directions or in opposite directions.

[0009] Preferably, in step S3, the lateral clamping and fixing operation is performed after the center positioning clamping operation in step S2. The lateral clamping force and the center positioning clamping force work together to ensure that the soft busbar body is in a completely stable state before compression molding.

[0010] Preferably, in step S4, the stamping process involves stamping the soft busbar body into a preset S-shape.

[0011] Preferably, the controller is configured to automatically execute the operation instructions of steps S2, S3 and S4 in a preset sequence.

[0012] Preferably, the present invention also provides a positioning and forming device for implementing the positioning and forming process of a flexible busbar as described in any one of the above claims, comprising: a base, wherein a metal positioning block is fixedly installed on the top surface of the base for supporting the flexible busbar body; an upper metal pressure block, disposed above the metal positioning block and driven by a cylinder to move up and down, for cooperating with the metal positioning block to press and form; a center positioning mechanism, comprising a fixed column, a clamping plate, four sliding blocks slidably disposed on the clamping plate and a positioning column fixed thereon, and a lifting plate driven by an electric push rod and connected to each sliding block by a connecting rod, for achieving radial adaptive center positioning by inserting the positioning column into the positioning hole of the flexible busbar body; a lateral clamping mechanism, comprising a moving groove, a clamping column, a connecting groove, and a connecting plate disposed in the metal positioning block, wherein a bidirectional threaded rod driven by a drive motor and a drive block meshing with the threaded rod move in the drive groove, for driving the clamping column to clamp the flexible busbar body from both sides; and a controller, electrically connected to the electric push rod, the drive motor and the cylinder, for controlling the sequential operation of each component.

[0013] Preferably, in the central positioning mechanism, the clamping plate has a sliding groove, and the sliding block is installed in the sliding groove by a sliding rod; the fixed column has an irregular groove inside, the lifting plate is located in the circular part of the irregular groove, one end of the connecting rod is hinged to the lifting plate, and the other end passes through the rectangular part of the irregular groove and is hinged to the bottom of the sliding block.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. In this invention, high-precision center positioning is achieved by radially adaptively clamping the pre-machined positioning holes with four positioning pins, fundamentally ensuring the product's positional reference. Subsequently, the four clamping pins apply balanced clamping forces from both sides, complementing the center positioning force and ensuring that the soft busbar does not move or twist in any direction during the stamping process. This dual locking mechanism effectively prevents dimensional deviations caused by displacement and foil wrinkling and deformation caused by local stress concentration, resulting in stamped S-shaped or other shapes with accurate dimensions and smooth contours, significantly improving product consistency and yield.

[0015] 2. In this invention, the radial position of the four positioning pins can be infinitely adjusted by a central positioning mechanism, thereby adapting to positioning holes of different diameters; the lateral clamping mechanism, driven by a bidirectional threaded rod, can also adapt to flexible busbars of different widths. This design allows the same device to quickly adapt to various specifications of flexible busbar products, greatly improving equipment utilization and production flexibility, and reducing the tooling adjustment time and cost required for product changeovers;

[0016] 3. By integrating a PLC or industrial computer as the controller, the entire process (S2 center positioning and clamping, S3 lateral clamping and fixing, S4 pressing and forming) can be executed automatically in sequence according to a preset program. Operators only need to load and unload parts, significantly reducing labor intensity and the risk of human error. The automated process ensures that each product undergoes completely consistent processing, maintains a stable production cycle, significantly improves production efficiency, and reduces direct contact between operators and stamping equipment, thus enhancing operational safety. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the front structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rear structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the metal positioning block of the present invention; Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the central positioning mechanism of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the clamping disk of the present invention; Figure 7 For the present invention Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle; Figure 8 For the present invention Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point B; Figure 9 For the present invention Figure 4 Enlarged structural diagram at point C.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Base; 2. Metal positioning block; 3. Upper metal pressure block; 4. Controller; 5. Flexible busbar body; 6. Positioning hole; 7. Fixing post; 8. Clamping plate; 9. Sliding groove; 10. Sliding rod; 11. Sliding block; 12. Positioning post; 13. Irregular groove; 14. Electric push rod; 15. Lifting plate; 16. Connecting rod; 17. Moving groove; 18. Clamping post; 19. Connecting groove; 20. Connecting plate; 21. Drive groove; 22. Threaded rod; 23. Drive block; 24. Drive motor. Detailed Implementation

[0019] 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.

[0020] In one typical implementation of this application, please refer to Figures 1-9 As shown, the present invention provides a positioning and forming device for a flexible busbar. This device is the basis for realizing the positioning and forming process of a flexible busbar according to the present invention. The positioning and forming device for a flexible busbar includes a base 1, a metal positioning block 2, an upper metal pressure block 3, a controller 4, a central positioning mechanism and a lateral clamping mechanism.

[0021] The base 1 serves as the supporting foundation for the entire device, and a metal positioning block 2 is bolted to its top surface. Above the metal positioning block 2 is an upper metal pressure block 3, the top surface of which is connected to the output end of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder (not fully shown in the figure) via a connector, driving its vertical lifting motion. A controller 4 is fixedly mounted on the front side wall of the metal positioning block 2 via a mounting bracket. This controller 4 can be a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or an industrial computer, and it stores the control program internally. The space between the metal positioning block 2 and the upper metal pressure block 3 is used to place the flexible busbar body 5 to be processed. To ensure positioning accuracy, positioning holes 6 are pre-punched into the flexible busbar body 5 before processing.

[0022] The center positioning mechanism is used to accurately center and clamp the flexible busbar body 5, and includes: a fixing post 7, which is vertically fixed to the center area of ​​the top surface of the metal positioning block 2 by welding or bolt connection.

[0023] Clamping disc 8. The clamping disc 8 is fixedly installed on the top of the fixed column 7. Four radial sliding grooves 9 are evenly opened on its top surface along the circumferential direction.

[0024] Each sliding groove 9 has a sliding rod 10 fixedly installed inside it. Each sliding rod 10 is fitted with a sliding block 11 that can slide along it. A positioning post 12 is vertically fixedly installed on the top surface of each sliding block 11. These four positioning posts 12 are used to cooperate with the positioning holes 6 on the flexible busbar body 5.

[0025] The fixed column 7 has an irregularly shaped groove 13 inside, which consists of a central circular groove and four outwardly radiating rectangular grooves. An electric push rod 14 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the irregularly shaped groove 13. A lifting plate 15 is slidably installed inside the circular groove, and the bottom surface of the lifting plate 15 is fixedly connected to the output end of the electric push rod 14. Four connecting rods 16 are rotatably connected to the top surface of the lifting plate 15 via hinges. The other end of each connecting rod 16 passes through a rectangular groove and is rotatably connected to the bottom surface of the corresponding sliding block 11 via hinges.

[0026] Based on the above features, the flexible busbar body 5 of different specifications can be initially fixed. Specifically, the flexible busbar body 5 is placed on the top surface of the metal positioning block 2, so that the positioning hole 6 is in the clamping plate 8. Then, the operator uses the controller 4 to raise or lower the electric push rod 14, so that the lifting plate 15 slides in the irregular groove 13. When the lifting plate 15 slides, the four connecting rods 16 on the lifting plate 15 will drive the four sliding blocks 11 to move in the clamping plate 8, so that the positioning post 12 on the top surface of the sliding block 11 clamps and fixes the inner wall of the positioning hole 6 of different specifications, thereby achieving the initial fixation of the flexible busbar body 5.

[0027] The lateral clamping mechanism is used to clamp the soft busbar body 5 from both sides to prevent it from moving laterally during the stamping process. It includes: the interior of the metal positioning block 2, and two moving slots 17 symmetrically opened relative to the central positioning mechanism. Each moving slot 17 is provided with two slidable clamping posts 18.

[0028] The two movable slots 17 have a connecting slot 19 on their adjacent sidewalls, allowing the two movable slots 17 to communicate with each other. The two clamping posts 18 located in different movable slots 17 but on the same side are fixedly connected by a connecting plate 20 that can slide within the connecting slot 19.

[0029] A drive groove 21 is formed at the center of the connecting groove 19. A threaded rod 22 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the drive groove 21 via a bearing. The middle section of the threaded rod 22 is smooth, and its two ends are machined with two sections of threads with opposite directions of rotation. Each section of thread has a drive block 23 screwed on it. The top surfaces of the two drive blocks 23 are fixedly connected to the bottom surfaces of the two connecting plates 20, respectively.

[0030] The rear sidewall of the metal positioning block 2 is fixedly mounted with a drive motor 24 via a mounting base. The output shaft of the drive motor 24 is connected to one end of the threaded rod 22 to drive it to rotate in both directions.

[0031] The controller 4 is electrically connected to the electric push rod 14, the drive motor 24 and the cylinder that drives the upper metal pressure block 3 via a cable, and is used to control their action sequence according to preset logic; Based on the above features, the two side walls of the flexible busbar body 5 of different specifications can be clamped. Specifically, when the operator starts the drive motor 24 through the controller 4, the threaded rod 22 connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 24 rotates. When the threaded rod 22 rotates, the two drive blocks 23 on the threaded rod 22 move closer to each other, and the connecting plate 20 connected to the two drive blocks 23 moves closer synchronously, so that the four clamping columns 18 fix the two side walls of the flexible busbar body 5. Then, the operator starts the cylinder through the controller 4, so that the upper metal pressure block 3 moves down.

[0032] The positioning and forming process of the flexible busbar described in this invention, based on the above-mentioned device, includes the following steps: S1: Placement and initial positioning. The operator places the pre-machined flexible busbar body 5 with positioning holes 6 on the top surface of the metal positioning block 2 and manually adjusts its position so that the positioning holes 6 on the flexible busbar body 5 are roughly aligned with the center area of ​​the clamping plate 8 located below it.

[0033] S2: Center positioning and clamping. The operator initiates control commands via controller 4. Controller 4 first controls the extension or retraction of the electric push rod 14, driving the lifting plate 15 to move vertically up and down within the circular groove of the irregular groove 13. The movement of the lifting plate 15 is converted into the synchronous radial movement (converging towards the center or spreading outward) of four sliding blocks 11 on their respective sliding rods 10 via four connecting rods 16. By precisely controlling the stroke of the electric push rod 14, the four positioning pins 12 can be precisely inserted into the positioning holes 6 of the flexible busbar body 5, and tightly pressed against the inner wall of the positioning holes 6 by radial force, thereby completing the precise center positioning and initial clamping of the flexible busbar body 5. This design can adapt to positioning holes 6 of different diameters, and has strong versatility.

[0034] S3: Lateral clamping and fixing. After center positioning is completed, controller 4 then starts drive motor 24. Drive motor 24 drives threaded rod 22 to rotate. Since the two threads on threaded rod 22 have opposite directions of rotation, the two drive blocks 23 will move synchronously towards each other (or away from each other) under the thread drive. During the towards-each-other movement, the two drive blocks 23 drive the four clamping columns 18 to approach from both sides of the flexible busbar body 5 simultaneously through the two connecting plates 20, and finally apply clamping force to firmly fix it. This step ensures that the flexible busbar will not slip laterally during the subsequent stamping process. The lateral clamping operation is performed after center positioning clamping. The two clamping forces work together to keep the flexible busbar body 5 in a completely stable state before pressing and forming.

[0035] S4: Compression molding. After the center positioning and lateral clamping are confirmed, the controller 4 finally controls the cylinder driving the upper metal pressure block 3 to move downwards. The upper metal pressure block 3 cooperates with the metal positioning block 2 to press the firmly positioned flexible busbar body 5, causing it to undergo plastic deformation and form a preset shape (such as an S-shape or other required planar curve shape). After the pressing is completed, the cylinder drives the upper metal pressure block 3 back to its original position, then the drive motor 24 reverses to release the lateral clamping, and finally the electric push rod 14 moves to release the center positioning post 12, allowing the molded flexible busbar product to be removed.

[0036] Working principle: When in use, the device is in standby position, and the upper metal pressure block 3 is lifted to a high position by the cylinder; the positioning column 12 of the center positioning mechanism is in a retracted state (radial expansion) under the action of the electric push rod 14, and the clamping column 18 of the lateral clamping mechanism is in an open state under the action of the drive motor 24. For loading and alignment: the operator places the soft busbar body 5 with the pre-processed positioning hole 6 on the metal positioning block 2, and roughly aligns the positioning hole 6 with the center of the clamping plate 8 below.

[0037] The controller 4 first activates the electric push rod 14, pushing the lifting plate 15 upward. The lifting plate 15, via four connecting rods 16, converts the vertical motion into the synchronous radial inward movement of four sliding blocks 11 on the sliding rod 10. Each sliding block 11 drives its top positioning pin 12 to precisely insert into the positioning hole 6 of the flexible busbar, continuously applying radial pressure to tightly grip the inner wall of the positioning hole 13, completing the precise centering and initial fixation of the workpiece. This step ensures that all degrees of freedom of the workpiece in the horizontal plane are constrained.

[0038] After center positioning is completed, controller 4 then starts drive motor 24, which drives bidirectional threaded rod 22 to rotate. Since the threads rotate in opposite directions, the two drive blocks 23 move towards each other, driving the four clamping posts 18 on both sides to move closer synchronously through connecting plate 20, applying a balanced clamping force from both sides of the longest side of the workpiece. This step further constrains the workpiece, preventing it from slipping or warping slightly under the shearing force of subsequent stamping.

[0039] After confirming that the workpiece has been securely clamped, the controller 4 controls the cylinder to drive the upper metal pressure block 3 to descend quickly and smoothly, engaging with the surface of the metal positioning block 2 to stamp the soft busbar, causing it to plastically deform into a preset S-shape. After forming, the upper metal pressure block 3 retracts, then the drive motor 24 reverses to release the lateral clamping, and finally the electric push rod 14 retracts to release the central positioning post 12, allowing the formed workpiece to be safely removed.

[0040] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A positioning and forming process for a flexible busbar, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: S1: Placement and initial positioning: Place the soft busbar body (5) with positioning holes (6) on the metal positioning block (2) so that the positioning holes (6) correspond to the upper part of the clamping plate (8); S2: Center positioning and clamping: Drive the electric push rod (14) to move, drive the lifting plate (15) to move, and drive the four sliding blocks (11) to move radially along the sliding rod (10) through the four connecting rods (16), so that the positioning pin (12) fixed on the sliding block (11) is inserted into and clamped on the inner wall of the positioning hole (6) of the soft busbar body (5), and complete the initial center positioning of the soft busbar; S3: Lateral clamping and fixing: Start the drive motor (24) to drive the threaded rod (22) to rotate, so that the two drive blocks (23) move towards each other, and then drive the four clamping columns (18) to clamp the soft busbar body (5) from both sides through the connecting plate (20). S4: Press forming: After the center and lateral positioning are completed, the control cylinder drives the upper metal pressure block (3) to move down and cooperate with the metal positioning block (2) to press the positioned soft busbar body (5) into shape.

2. The positioning and forming process of a flexible busbar according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, the electric push rod (14) is driven by the controller (4), and the lifting plate (15) moves up and down in the irregular groove (13) to precisely adjust the radial position of the four positioning columns (12) to adapt to positioning holes (6) of different specifications.

3. The positioning and forming process of a flexible busbar according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S3, the threaded rod (22) is provided with two threads with opposite directions to ensure that the two drive blocks (23) can move synchronously towards or away from each other.

4. The positioning and forming process of a flexible busbar according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S3, the lateral clamping and fixing operation is performed after the center positioning clamping operation in step S2. The lateral clamping force and the center positioning clamping force work together to ensure that the soft busbar body (5) is in a completely stable state before compression molding.

5. The positioning and forming process of a flexible busbar according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S4, the stamping process involves stamping the soft busbar body (5) into a preset S-shape.

6. The positioning and forming process of a flexible busbar according to claim 2, characterized in that: The controller (4) is configured to automatically execute the operation instructions of steps S2, S3 and S4 in a preset sequence.

7. A positioning and forming apparatus for implementing the positioning and forming process of a soft busbar according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, include: The base (1) has a metal positioning block (2) fixedly installed on its top surface to support the soft busbar body (5). The upper metal pressure block (3) is set above the metal positioning block (2) and is driven by a cylinder to lift and lower, and is used to cooperate with the metal positioning block (2) to press and form. The center positioning mechanism includes a fixed column (7), a clamping plate (8), four sliding blocks (11) slidably disposed on the clamping plate (8) and a positioning column (12) fixed thereon, and a lifting plate (15) driven by an electric push rod (14) and connected to each sliding block (11) via a connecting rod (16), for radial adaptive center positioning by inserting the positioning column (12) into the positioning hole (6) of the soft busbar body (5); The lateral clamping mechanism includes a moving groove (17), a clamping column (18), a connecting groove (19), and a connecting plate (20) disposed in the metal positioning block (2). A bidirectional threaded rod (22) driven by a drive motor (24) and a drive block (23) meshing with the threaded rod (22) move in the drive groove (21) to drive the clamping column (18) to clamp the soft busbar body (5) from both sides. The controller (4) is electrically connected to the electric push rod (14), the drive motor (24) and the cylinder, and is used to control the sequential operation of each component.

8. The positioning and forming device for a flexible busbar according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the central positioning mechanism, the clamping plate (8) is provided with a sliding groove (9), and the sliding block (11) is installed in the sliding groove (9) through the sliding rod (10); the fixed column (7) is provided with a shaped groove (13), the lifting plate (15) is located in the circular part of the shaped groove (13), one end of the connecting rod (16) is hinged to the lifting plate (15), and the other end passes through the rectangular part of the shaped groove (13) and is hinged to the bottom of the sliding block (11).

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