L-shaped displacement device and method for steel structure machining
The L-shaped support frame and hydraulically driven turning device enable safe, efficient, and unmanned turning of steel structure components, solving the safety risks and low efficiency problems of traditional turning methods, meeting the precision and cycle time requirements of automated welding, and reducing equipment costs and maintenance expenses.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511041579.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-28
AI Technical Summary
The component turning process in steel structure manufacturing has problems such as high safety risks, low efficiency and poor versatility, making it difficult to meet the continuous and controllable posture requirements of automated welding robots.
The device employs an L-shaped support frame and a hydraulically driven turning device. The paired L-shaped support frames and hydraulic rods enable the component to rotate 90°. Combined with servo motor-driven conveyor rollers and chain gear sets, it achieves precise positioning and continuous rotation of the component. The servo motor-driven conveyor rollers and chain gear sets enable the component to rotate 90° automatically. Photoelectric or mechanical limit switches ensure precise stopping.
It enables unmanned operation of component flipping, reduces safety risks, improves flipping efficiency, meets the posture accuracy and cycle time requirements of robot welding, reduces equipment costs and maintenance expenses, and improves the automation rate of the production line.
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Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the field of steel structure manufacturing, in particular to a L-shaped displacement device and method for steel structure processing. BACKGROUND
[0002] With the in-depth implementation of the national intelligent factory policy, the steel structure manufacturing field is undergoing a transformation from manual operation to automated production. According to the "2025 Steel Structure Industry Market Analysis Report", the market size of China's steel structure has exceeded 200 billion yuan in 2024, and is expected to reach 250 billion yuan in 2025, with an annual growth rate of 15% in demand for automated processing equipment. However, the key process of component turning and displacement still has significant technical bottlenecks, which restricts the improvement of the overall automation rate.
[0003] Safety and quality risks of traditional manual turning In steel structure factories, H-shaped and box-shaped components are 20-40 meters long and weigh 15-80 tons. Currently, semi-mechanized turning is commonly used, which involves "crane + hook / chain + manual command". This process relies on multiple people to coordinate, and the components are in a free swinging state in the air, which can easily lead to the following risks: Collision: When turning, the flange or partition plate collides with the platform or cradle, causing the bevel edge of the groove to be damaged and the base material to be depressed; Deformation: Single-point lifting generates additional torque, and thin-walled box sections are prone to local warping; Personal injury: chain slippage, crane sudden stop, or command error can cause the component to suddenly drop, accounting for 27% of steel structure workshop accidents in the past three years.
[0004] New requirements for continuous and controllable component posture for "automated welding" To respond to the national intelligent manufacturing policy, more and more factories are introducing automatic welding robots (gantry or inverted). The robot requires: The welding seam is always in the boat-shaped or flat-welding position, with an attitude error of ≤2°; The same component needs to be continuously welded on 4-6 different surfaces without manual turning in between; The beat production requires single-turning time ≤3 min.
[0005] Traditional crane turning takes 10-15 minutes and requires manual repositioning, which becomes a bottleneck for robot production lines.
[0006] Limitations of existing mechanical displacement equipment 3.1 C-shaped chuck displacement machine Advantages: 360° continuous rotation, high positioning accuracy; Disadvantages: It requires simultaneous clamping at both ends and has poor adaptability to components of different lengths and cross-sectional heights; The chuck opening size is fixed, and the chuck jaws need to be replaced when the flange width changes by more than 50 mm. The equipment is heavy, has high procurement costs (approximately 1.2 million yuan for a single 45-ton unit), and is complex to maintain.
[0007] 3.2 Chain-type tilting table A 90° rotation is achieved through differential rotation of multiple chains, but the rotation center changes with the size of the component, and the robot cannot plan the trajectory in advance. The chain makes hard contact with the base material, which can easily scratch the paint coating.
[0008] 3.3 Roller conveyor + hydraulic jacking combination It can only tilt in one direction from 0° to 90° and cannot return to its original position; The arrangement of jacking points is limited by the position of component partitions, resulting in poor versatility.
[0009] In summary, the industry urgently needs an automatic turning device that is "simple in structure, low in cost, compatible with multiple specifications, and can be matched with the robot's rhythm," which can completely eliminate the risks of manual turning and can be seamlessly integrated into existing automated welding production lines. Summary of the Invention
[0010] This invention aims to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide an L-shaped displacement device and method for steel structure processing, addressing the problems of high safety risks, low efficiency, and poor versatility of traditional manual or chuck-type turning methods.
[0011] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention is implemented as follows: An L-shaped displacement device for steel structure fabrication, characterized in that it comprises: Base; The L-shaped support frame, which is hinged to the base, can flip back and forth between a horizontal and an upright position; A conveying mechanism mounted on an L-shaped support frame is used to move components longitudinally along the support frame; A drive mechanism located between the base and the L-shaped support frame is used to drive the L-shaped support frame to rotate. Among them, two or more sets of the aforementioned turning devices are arranged in pairs to work together to complete the 90° turning action of the component.
[0012] The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing is characterized in that: The L-shaped support frame includes an L-shaped support right arm and an L-shaped support left arm, and the L-shaped support frame is hinged to the base via a horizontal shaft; The transmission mechanism includes several conveying rollers arranged along the length of the two arms of the L-shaped support frame, used to support and longitudinally convey H-shaped or box-shaped components; The drive mechanism includes at least two sets of hydraulic rods, an electric motor, and a chain gear set. The hydraulic rods are respectively connected to the L-shaped support frame and the base, and are used to drive the L-shaped support frame to rotate around the shaft. The electric motor and the chain gear set are mounted on the L-shaped support frame and are used to drive the conveyor roller to rotate. Two sets of displacement devices are used in pairs to simultaneously complete a 90° turning motion at both ends of the component.
[0013] The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing is characterized in that: the L-shaped support frame is an integral welded structure or an integral cast structure, and the included angle between the right arm and the left arm of the L-shaped support is 90°.
[0014] The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing is characterized in that: the conveying roller is a rubber-coated roller or a steel roller, the axis of which is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the component, and all conveying rollers rotate synchronously through a chain gear set.
[0015] The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing is characterized in that: the hydraulic rod is a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, which is controlled by a proportional valve to realize the stopping and speed-changing rotation of the L-shaped support frame at any angle.
[0016] The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing is characterized in that it further includes photoelectric or mechanical limit switches for detecting the 0° horizontal position and 90° vertical position of the L-shaped support frame, so as to realize the automatic stop of the flipping action.
[0017] The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing is characterized in that: the base is provided with height-adjustable support legs or wheels to adapt to different ground elevations and production line layouts.
[0018] The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing is characterized in that: the motor is a servo motor and is connected to the factory MES system to automatically call the corresponding flipping program after the component size is identified.
[0019] The method for turning over steel structure components using the L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing is characterized by the following steps: S1 Place both ends of the component on the L-shaped support frame of the two sets of L-shaped displacement devices respectively; S2 Start the motor to drive the conveyor roller to rotate, so that the component moves longitudinally until it is completely in contact with the left arm of the L-shaped bracket; S3 controls the extension and retraction of the hydraulic rod, causing the L-shaped load-bearing frame to rotate synchronously 90° around the axis rod, thus completing the component flipping; S4 reverses the hydraulic rod or restarts the motor to reset the component or send it to the next work station.
[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: As can be seen from the above technical solution, this application provides an L-shaped displacement device and method for steel structure processing. Traditional overhead crane-hook turning relies on multiple people coordinating and directing, resulting in large swings of components in the air and high-risk scenarios such as chain slippage, collision with the jig frame, and personnel crushing. This device achieves 90° automatic turning through paired L-shaped support frames and hydraulic drive. The entire process does not require personnel to approach the bottom of the component, eliminating the need for high-altitude command and manual chain pulling, and the probability of serious injury accidents approaches zero. At the same time, it reduces the number of workers required for the turning process from 4-5 people to 1 person on duty, reducing labor intensity by more than 80%.
[0021] The automatic welding robot requires a weld posture error of ≤2° and a cycle time of ≤3 minutes. This device uses a servo motor and chain gear set to drive the conveyor rollers, which can accurately position the component to the robot's arc starting point; the double-acting hydraulic cylinder, in conjunction with the proportional valve, allows for stepless speed regulation between 0-90° and arbitrary angle stops, enabling the robot to continuously complete four main welds at the same workstation; the turning action takes ≤90 seconds, reducing the overall line cycle time by 50%, and meeting the annual production capacity requirement of 60,000 tons for the intelligent production line.
[0022] Compared to C-type chuck positioners, which require changing the chuck jaws and are sensitive to cross-sectional width, this device consists of only four main parts: a base, an L-shaped support frame, a roller conveyor, and a hydraulic cylinder, without any special fixtures. The L-shaped frame opening size covers H-type / box-type components with a height of 200-1200 mm and a length of 6-40 m, without any tooling switching. Routine maintenance only requires lubricating the chain and hydraulic seals, and the annual maintenance cost is less than 20% of that of a chuck positioner of the same tonnage.
[0023] Each unit occupies 2.5 m × 2 m and can be arranged in parallel or in series. The base is equipped with adjustable support legs and wheels, enabling production line changeovers or relocations to be completed within 10 minutes. Compared to overhead cranes requiring more than 12 m of hoisting space for turning over, this increases workshop area utilization by 30%, providing a feasible solution for the intelligent transformation of old factory buildings.
[0024] The same set of equipment can achieve 0°-90°-0° reciprocating motion, 0°-90°-180° continuous rotation, and horizontal conveying function through program switching, meeting the needs of multiple processes such as assembly, welding, straightening, and painting; steel structure companies can reuse the equipment in new production lines or technical renovation projects, shortening the equipment depreciation cycle from 5 years to 3 years, and the investment payback period is less than 18 months. Attached Figure Description
[0025] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.
[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the component flipping. Detailed Implementation
[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection claimed in this application.
[0028] Example 1 like Figure 1 , 2 As shown: An L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing, including a device base 1; An L-shaped support frame is formed by fixing the right arm 5 of the L-shaped bracket and the left arm 6 of the L-shaped bracket together. The frame is hinged to the equipment base 1 by a horizontal shaft 8 so that it can swing back and forth between 0° and 90°. At least two sets of hydraulic rods 2 are respectively connected to the L-shaped support frame and the equipment base 1, and are used to drive the L-shaped support frame to rotate around the shaft rod 8; Several conveying rollers 4 are arranged along the length of the two arms of the L-shaped support frame to support and longitudinally convey H-shaped or box-shaped components; The electric motor 7 and the chain gear set 3 are mounted on the L-shaped support frame and are used to drive the conveyor roller 4 to rotate. The two sets of L-shaped displacement devices are used in pairs to simultaneously complete a 90° turning motion at both ends of the component.
[0029] Furthermore, The L-shaped support frame is an integral welded structure or an integral cast structure, and the included angle between the right arm and the left arm of the L-shaped support is 90°.
[0030] The conveyor rollers are rubber-coated rollers or steel rollers, with their axes perpendicular to the conveying direction of the components, and all conveyor rollers rotate synchronously through a chain gear set.
[0031] The hydraulic rod is a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, which is controlled by a proportional valve to enable the L-shaped support frame to stop and rotate at any angle.
[0032] It also includes photoelectric or mechanical limit switches to detect the 0° horizontal position and 90° vertical position of the L-shaped support frame, so as to automatically stop the flipping action.
[0033] The base is equipped with height-adjustable legs or wheels to adapt to different ground elevations and production line layouts.
[0034] The electric motor is a servo motor and is connected to the factory's MES system to automatically call the corresponding flipping program after the component size is identified.
[0035] Its specific implementation method is as follows: Step 1: Place the component on the right arm of the L-shaped bracket manually or using intelligent equipment; Step 2: The motor starts and drives the conveyor roller to rotate through the chain gear set, which in turn drives the component to move parallel to the left arm of the L-shaped bracket until the component is in contact with the left arm of the L-shaped bracket of both sets of L-shaped positioning devices, and then the motor is turned off. Step 3: The hydraulic rod ② connected to the right arm of the L-shaped bracket extends, while the hydraulic rod connected to the left arm of the L-shaped bracket extends and retracts, causing the L-structure formed by the two rods to slowly rotate around the axis until it stops after rotating 90°. At this point, the component's flipping action is achieved.
[0036] Example 2 32m box girder automatic tilting Component: A Q355B box girder with a span of 32m and a cross-section of 800×400×20mm, weighing approximately 28t.
[0037] Equipment: Two L-shaped displacement devices are arranged in pairs, with a center distance of 30m.
[0038] step: ① The crane lifts the beam onto the right arm of the two L-shaped support frames; ② The servo motor drives the roller conveyor to feed the beam into the left arm and into position in 15 seconds; ③ The proportional valve controls the double-acting hydraulic cylinder to rotate synchronously by 90° within 60 seconds, changing the box girder from "flat" to "upright"; ④ After the robot finishes welding the inner corner seam, it rotates 90° again to reset, with a total time of less than 3 minutes.
[0039] Results: Zero human intervention was required during the turning process, the end deflection was less than 2 mm, the first-pass yield of welds was 99%, and the output per shift increased from 4 to 10 welds.
[0040] In this embodiment, the entire turning process is unmanned, a 90° turn can be completed in 3 minutes, the end deflection is ≤2 mm, the first-pass yield rate of welds is 99%, the output per shift increases from 4 to 10, and the labor and risk are reduced to zero.
[0041] The above are merely embodiments provided in this application and are not intended to limit this application. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. However, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. An L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing, characterized in that, It includes: Base; The L-shaped support frame, which is hinged to the base, can flip back and forth between a horizontal and an upright position; A conveying mechanism mounted on an L-shaped support frame is used to move components longitudinally along the support frame; A drive mechanism located between the base and the L-shaped support frame is used to drive the L-shaped support frame to rotate. Among them, two or more sets of the aforementioned turning devices are arranged in pairs to work together to complete the 90° turning action of the component.
2. The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The L-shaped support frame includes an L-shaped support right arm and an L-shaped support left arm, and the L-shaped support frame is hinged to the base via a horizontal shaft; The transmission mechanism includes several conveying rollers arranged along the length of the two arms of the L-shaped support frame, used to support and longitudinally convey H-shaped or box-shaped components; The drive mechanism includes at least two sets of hydraulic rods, an electric motor, and a chain gear set. The hydraulic rods are respectively connected to the L-shaped support frame and the base, and are used to drive the L-shaped support frame to rotate around the shaft. The electric motor and the chain gear set are mounted on the L-shaped support frame and are used to drive the conveyor roller to rotate. Two sets of displacement devices are used in pairs to simultaneously complete a 90° turning motion at both ends of the component.
3. The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The L-shaped support frame is an integral welded structure or an integral cast structure, and the included angle between the right arm and the left arm of the L-shaped support is 90°.
4. The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conveyor rollers are rubber-coated rollers or steel rollers, with their axes perpendicular to the conveying direction of the components, and all conveyor rollers rotate synchronously through a chain gear set.
5. The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The hydraulic rod is a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, which is controlled by a proportional valve to enable the L-shaped support frame to stop and rotate at any angle.
6. The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: It also includes photoelectric or mechanical limit switches to detect the 0° horizontal position and 90° vertical position of the L-shaped support frame, so as to automatically stop the flipping action.
7. The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base is equipped with height-adjustable legs or wheels to adapt to different ground elevations and production line layouts.
8. The L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric motor is a servo motor and is connected to the factory's MES system to automatically call the corresponding flipping program after the component size is identified.
9. The method for turning over steel structure components using the L-shaped displacement device for steel structure processing according to claim 1, characterized in that... Includes the following steps: S1 Place both ends of the component on the L-shaped support frame of the two sets of L-shaped displacement devices respectively; S2 Start the motor to drive the conveyor roller to rotate, so that the component moves longitudinally until it is completely in contact with the left arm of the L-shaped bracket; S3 controls the extension and retraction of the hydraulic rod, causing the L-shaped load-bearing frame to rotate synchronously 90° around the axis rod, thus completing the component flipping; S4 reverses the hydraulic rod or restarts the motor to reset the component or send it to the next work station.