A continuous microtube precision machining system and machining method

Abstract

This invention discloses a continuous microtube precision machining system and method. The machining system includes a base, and a feeding and conveying assembly, a discharging assembly, a forming assembly, and a detection assembly supported on the base. The forming assembly includes a continuous worktable and a forming structure. The continuous worktable has multiple fixing holes for accommodating microtubes. The projection of the forming structure on the continuous worktable intersects with the running path of the fixing holes, and the forming structure reciprocates toward the continuous worktable to form the microtubes accommodated in the fixing holes. The feeding and conveying assembly is used to convey the microtubes into the fixing holes of the forming assembly. The discharging assembly is used to collect the formed microtubes in the fixing holes. The detection assembly is used to detect the position and orientation of the microtubes in at least one of the material box, the feeding and conveying assembly, and the fixing holes. This invention, in a highly efficient continuous machining system and method, ensures the forming accuracy of microtubes and reduces damage during the forming process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of microtube processing technology, specifically relating to a continuous microtube precision processing system and processing method. Background Technology

[0002] Nickel microtubes, with their outstanding corrosion resistance, good conductivity, and excellent biocompatibility, have become a core material for high-purity gas / liquid delivery pipelines in semiconductor manufacturing, precision fluid channels in medical puncture devices (such as insulin pump catheters and neurointerventional guidewires), and micro fuel pipelines for rocket engines and pressure sensors in satellite attitude control systems in the aerospace field. These applications place stringent requirements on the reliability of the connections and seals at the tube ends. For example, leakage at the end of a nickel microtube in semiconductor processes can lead to wafer contamination; poor sealing in medical devices can cause drug leakage or infection risks; and aerospace pipelines must withstand extreme conditions such as high pressure (≥10MPa) and vibration. Therefore, end-capping processes are essential for achieving shape adaptation and performance enhancement.

[0003] Currently, common end-forming processes are divided into hot pressing and cold pressing, both of which have certain limitations. For hot pressing, the mold or tube needs to be heated simultaneously. Although this can improve the room temperature plasticity of nickel tubes, the high temperature can cause abnormal grain growth. For example, nickel tubes with an initial grain size of about 5-10μm can increase to an average grain size of 20-30μm after hot pressing, resulting in a 15%-20% decrease in room temperature tensile strength and a nearly 30% reduction in fatigue life. At the same time, the energy consumption of the heating system accounts for 25%-30% of the total process cost, making it significantly less economical than the cold pressing process. Traditional cold pressing mainly uses a single tapered indenter for one-time compression. However, due to the limited cold plasticity of nickel tubes (elongation is usually <30%), stress concentration is prone to occur during deformation. For example, this is particularly prominent in thin-walled tubes with a wall thickness of ≤0.3mm. When the outer material is deformed inward by radial compression, microcracks often occur because the circumferential tensile stress exceeds the material's strength limit. Uneven stress on the material can also form annular wrinkles on the inner side of the taper, resulting in roundness errors exceeding the standard requirements and failing to meet the needs of precision assembly.

[0004] In addition, the positioning mechanism of existing cold pressing molds generally adopts rigid V-blocks or three-jaw chucks. Improper control of clamping force can easily leave scratches on the outer surface of nickel tubes. Moreover, the size of the clamps is fixed, and they need to be customized and replaced when adapting to nickel tubes with different outer diameters or wall thicknesses. Each changeover and debugging takes a long time, which seriously restricts the production efficiency and versatility of multi-specification orders.

[0005] For example, patent CN102689235B discloses a multi-station pipe end processing equipment, including a base and a tool holder. The tool holder includes a vertically arranged fixed plate and a tool disc rotatably connected to the fixed plate, with multiple tools mounted circumferentially on the tool disc. A pipe clamping device is also provided in front of the tool holder on the base. This device includes a worktable with at least two working positions, each with a mold and a cavity. A main drive device is also provided on the frame to drive the tool holder to move linearly towards or away from the worktable. Compared with existing technologies, this equipment can install multiple tools with different functions at once, and tool changes can be achieved simply by rotating the tool disc, eliminating the hassle of changing tools after each processing step, saving tool change time, and improving processing efficiency. The multi-station worktable in front of the tool holder allows for simultaneous processing of multiple pipes, improving equipment utilization and meeting the requirements of integrated processing. However, this method uses a clamping mechanism for the pipe fittings, and after multiple machining operations, scratches are more likely to appear; furthermore, the clamping method is not suitable for microtubes with thinner walls. In addition, this solution cannot achieve continuous processing of the pipe fittings, requiring disassembly and replacement after each processing, making it less suitable for actual production.

[0006] For example, patent CN103056690A discloses a quick-change tooling that can flexibly open and quickly load and unload steel pipes and adapt to steel pipes of different sizes. This effectively solves the problem of rapid clamping and disassembly for continuous batch processing of steel pipe blank end faces, and further realizes the processing of multiple specifications of steel pipe end faces on a single workbench. The provided quick-change tooling for processing multiple specifications of steel pipe end faces includes a V-shaped support base mounted on the workbench, pressure plate columns and clamping rods respectively mounted on the left and right ends of the V-shaped support base. The pressure plate columns are fixed on the V-shaped support base, and the clamping rods are connected to the V-shaped support base via pins. An upper pressure plate is also horizontally arranged on the upper part of the pressure plate columns and clamping rods. A V-shaped pressure block is provided below the upper pressure plate. The left end of the upper pressure plate is connected to the pressure plate columns via pins. A strip groove is provided at the upper end of the clamping rod, and a clamping nut is provided at the top of the clamping rod. Although this solution can fix pipes of different sizes, it still uses conventional clamping methods to fix the pipes, which not only easily causes scratches on the pipes, but also makes it impossible to achieve continuous processing of the pipes.

[0007] Therefore, how to provide a micro-nickel tube cold pressing and sealing mold that can achieve high precision, low damage, and multi-specification adaptability is an urgent problem to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a continuous microtube precision machining system and method, which ensures the forming accuracy of microtubes and reduces damage during the forming process in a highly efficient continuous machining system.

[0009] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a continuous microtube precision machining system, including a base, and a feeding and conveying assembly, a discharging assembly, a forming assembly and a detection assembly supported on the base;

[0010] The molding assembly includes a continuous worktable and a molding structure. The continuous worktable has multiple fixing holes for accommodating microtubes. The projection of the molding structure on the continuous worktable intersects with the running path of the fixing holes, and the molding structure reciprocates toward the continuous worktable to mold the microtubes contained in the fixing holes.

[0011] The feeding and conveying assembly is used to transport the microtubes into the fixing holes of the molding assembly;

[0012] The feeding assembly is used to collect the microtubes formed inside the fixing holes;

[0013] The detection component is used to detect the pose of the microtube in at least one of the following: in the material box, in the feeding and conveying assembly, or in the fixing hole.

[0014] Furthermore, the continuous workstation includes a workstation turntable, with multiple fixing holes spaced circumferentially on the workstation turntable. Each fixing hole can rotate and switch between a feeding station corresponding to the feeding conveyor assembly, a forming station corresponding to the forming structure, and a unloading station corresponding to the unloading assembly.

[0015] Furthermore, the feeding and conveying assembly includes a transfer structure and a feeding structure corresponding to the feeding station;

[0016] The transfer structure is used to pick up and transfer the microtubes to be formed from the material box to the feeding structure;

[0017] The feeding structure includes a feeding seat, a feeding top plate, and a feeding drive. The feeding seat is provided with a guide groove for accommodating microtubes. The projection of the guide groove on the station turntable intersects with the running path of the fixed hole. The feeding drive is connected to the feeding top plate and drives the feeding top plate to reciprocate along the guide groove, pushing the microtube to be formed into the fixed hole of the feeding station along the guide groove.

[0018] Furthermore, the detection components include a feeding detection structure, which includes an upper image acquisition component and a lower image acquisition component;

[0019] The image acquisition component is used to detect at least one of the following: the pose of the microtube in the material box, the pose of the microtube in the guide groove, and the pose of the microtube in the fixing hole.

[0020] The lower image acquisition component is located on the transport path of the transport structure and is used to detect the size of the microtube and the pose of the microtube in the transport structure.

[0021] Furthermore, the upper image acquisition component includes a first image acquisition device, a second image acquisition device, and a third image acquisition device; the first image acquisition device is used to detect the pose of the microtube in the material box, the second image acquisition device is used to detect the pose of the microtube in the guide groove, and the third image acquisition device is used to detect the pose of the microtube in the fixing hole.

[0022] Furthermore, the first image acquisition device is fixed to the base by a bracket, and the first image acquisition device can move along the bracket to cover the entire area of ​​the material box.

[0023] Furthermore, the second image acquisition device can be integrated with the transfer structure, or it can be set up separately and correspond to the conduit groove, for example, fixed to the base by a bracket.

[0024] Furthermore, the third image acquisition device is set up to correspond with the fixing hole of the feeding station.

[0025] Furthermore, the molding structure includes a closing module and a molding drive structure, wherein the closing module has a front closing mold and a rear closing mold;

[0026] The front and rear end molds are respectively located on both sides of the station turntable, and the end of the front mold is provided with a closing groove.

[0027] The forming drive structure drives the closing mold to move toward or away from the fixing hole, so as to hold the microtube against the fixing hole to a predetermined depth from the tail end to the mouth end;

[0028] The forming drive structure drives the closing front mold to move toward or away from the fixing hole, so as to close and form the microtube from the opening to the tail.

[0029] Furthermore, along the running direction of the continuous workstation, at least two sets of closing modules are provided, each set of closing modules corresponding to a fixing hole. Different closing modules have different depths and / or side tilt angles in the closing grooves of the closing front mold, so as to continuously and progressively close and form the microtube.

[0030] Furthermore, two or three sets of closing modules can be set. Considering the space occupied and the high precision requirements of the equipment, the number of closing modules should not be too many, just enough to meet the cycle intervals of feeding, unloading, and staged closing forming.

[0031] Furthermore, the workstation turntable is provided with multiple mounting slots and detachable molding blocks in the mounting slots at circumferential intervals, and the molding blocks are provided with at least one fixing hole.

[0032] A transition carrier is detachably provided inside the fixing hole, and the transition carrier has a through hole for a microtube of a preset size to pass through.

[0033] The molding structure of this invention, through the cooperation of the closing mold and the transition carrier, can limit the microtube according to the size of the microtube to be molded, avoiding radial deformation of the microtube during the closing molding of the closing mold, and avoiding scratches caused by axial movement. Furthermore, the transition carrier can be easily disassembled and replaced according to the size differences of different batches of microtubes to be molded, ensuring that the through-hole size meets the limit requirements, thus improving the applicability of the processing system.

[0034] Furthermore, the detection component also includes a material unloading detection structure, which corresponds to the detection station located between the forming station and the material unloading station. The material unloading detection structure is used to detect the forming result of the microtube that has been formed in the fixed hole that has run to the detection station.

[0035] Furthermore, the feeding assembly includes a blowing component and a collection box located on both sides of the station turntable. The blowing component delivers feeding gas toward the fixing hole to blow the microtube out of the fixing hole and into the collection box.

[0036] The unloading station includes a good product unloading station and a defective product unloading station. The good product unloading station is equipped with a good product blowing component and a good product collection box, while the defective product unloading station is equipped with a defective product blowing component and a defective product collection box.

[0037] Good and defective blown parts are opened / closed based on the detection results of the material feeding inspection structure.

[0038] Secondly, the present invention also provides a microtube precision machining method using the continuous microtube precision machining system described above, comprising the following steps:

[0039] S1. The feeding and conveying assembly delivers the microtube to be formed in the material box to the fixing hole of the forming assembly. The detection assembly performs position detection on at least one of the microtubes in the material box, the feeding and conveying assembly, and the fixing hole.

[0040] S2. The forming structure reciprocates toward the continuous worktable to form microtubes contained in the fixed holes one by one.

[0041] S3, the continuous workstation transports the formed microtubes to the unloading assembly for collection.

[0042] The continuous microtube precision machining system and method provided by this invention have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0043] (1) Through the feeding and conveying assembly, unloading assembly, forming assembly and detection assembly, a continuous integrated process of conveying, processing and collecting microtubes can be realized, thereby improving the processing efficiency of microtubes. In addition, through the cooperation of the fixing holes and forming structure in the forming assembly, radial limiting, axial precise positioning and non-destructive continuous step forming of microtubes can be realized. This can effectively avoid the problem of scratches left on the surface of microtubes caused by direct clamping of existing fixtures. It also helps to reduce the situation where stress concentration occurs during the closing forming process, which may lead to failure to meet the closing accuracy requirements.

[0044] (2) By using the upper and lower image acquisition components of the feeding and detection structure, along with the transfer structure and the feeding structure, the microtube can be accurately fed into the fixed hole, and the microtube's posture in the fixed hole can meet the predetermined requirements.

[0045] (3) Through the cooperation of the closing module, transition carrier and fixing hole, the microtube can be effectively fixed with high precision in all directions, avoiding problems such as scratches on the surface of the microtube; and the cooperation between the closing front mold and the closing rear mold can ensure the precise processing of the microtube; the replaceable design of the transition carrier further improves the versatility of the processing system, and can be applied to microtubes with different diameters and different processing requirements. Attached Figure Description

[0046] Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a continuous microtube precision machining system provided by the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a continuous microtube precision machining system provided in a certain embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 3 For the present invention Figure 2 A magnified view of a portion of the image;

[0049] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the continuous microtube precision machining system provided in one embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0050] Figure 5 A front view of a continuous microtube precision machining system provided in a certain embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 6 For the present invention Figure 5 A magnified view of a portion of the image;

[0052] Figure 7 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of the structure of the pre-forming die entering the fixing hole before molding and processing, according to a certain embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 8This is an enlarged schematic diagram of the microtube processing structure provided by the pre-drilling mold in a certain embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a microtube structure processed according to a certain embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 10 A side view of a continuous microtube precision machining system provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 11 This is a top view of a continuous microtube precision machining system provided in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1-base, 2-feeding and conveying assembly, 21-transfer structure, 22-feeding structure, 221-feeding seat, 2211-guide channel, 222-feeding top plate, 223-feeding drive component, 3-unloading assembly, 31-blowing component, 32-collecting box, 4-forming assembly, 41-continuous workstation, 411-fixing hole, 412-workstation turntable, 4121-installation slot, 4122-forming block, 4123-transition carrier, 4124-ring limiting component, 42-forming structure, 421-closing module, 4211-closing front mold, 4212-closing rear mold, 4213-closing groove, 422-forming drive structure, 5-detection assembly, 51-feeding detection structure, 511-first image acquisition device, 512-lower image acquisition assembly, 52-feeding detection structure, 60-microtube. Detailed Implementation

[0058] To better understand the above technical solutions, a detailed description of the solutions will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0059] The terminology used in the embodiments of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in the embodiments of this invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms, and “multiple” generally includes at least two unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0060] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that an article or device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such an article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the article or device that includes said element.

[0061] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a continuous microtube precision machining system, including a base 1, and a feeding and conveying assembly 2, a discharging assembly 3, a forming assembly 4 and a detection assembly 5 supported on the base 1;

[0062] The molding component 4 includes a continuous worktable 41 and a molding structure 42. The continuous worktable 41 is provided with a plurality of fixing holes 411 for accommodating microtubes 60. The projection of the molding structure 42 on the continuous worktable 41 intersects with the running path of the fixing holes 411, and the molding structure 42 reciprocates toward the continuous worktable 41 to mold the microtubes 60 accommodated in the fixing holes 411.

[0063] The feeding and conveying assembly 2 is used to convey the microtube 60 into the fixing hole 411 of the molding assembly 4;

[0064] The feeding assembly 3 is used to collect the microtubes 60 formed in the fixing hole 411;

[0065] The detection component 5 is used to detect the position of at least one of the microtube 60 in the material box, the feeding and conveying component 2, and the fixing hole 411.

[0066] The continuous workstation 41 may include a workstation turntable 412, with multiple fixing holes 411 spaced circumferentially around the turntable 412. Each fixing hole 411 rotates and switches between a feeding station corresponding to the feeding conveyor component 2, a forming station corresponding to the forming structure 42, and a unloading station corresponding to the unloading component 3. This invention achieves cyclic switching between multiple workstations through the workstation turntable 412, which can improve the efficiency of microtube 60 processing and forming, and reduce space occupancy. The fixing holes 411 on the workstation turntable 412 can be grouped, with each group having at least one fixing hole 411. Preferably, the fixing holes 411 in multiple groups are equally spaced, ensuring that multiple workstations can simultaneously perform feeding, forming, inspection, and unloading while the workstation turntable 412 rotates, thus improving the forming efficiency of the microtube 60. In addition, the rotation drive method of the workstation turntable 412 can be determined according to the requirements. For example, it can be driven by a servo motor with the shaft fixed; or it can be driven by setting a ring rack on the workstation turntable 412 and cooperating with gears. Among them, the rotation drive method is more common. It is only necessary to ensure that the workstation turntable 412 can rotate. The specific structure for implementing the rotation is not limited and is not shown in the figure.

[0067] like Figures 2 to 5As shown, the feeding and conveying assembly 2 may include a transfer structure 21 and a feeding structure 22 corresponding to the feeding station; the transfer structure 21 is used to pick up and transfer the microtube 60 to be formed from the material box to the feeding structure 22; the feeding structure 22 includes a feeding seat 221, a feeding top plate 222 and a feeding drive 223. The feeding seat 221 is provided with a guide groove 2211 for accommodating the microtube 60. The projection of the guide groove 2211 on the station turntable 412 intersects with the running path of the fixing hole 411. The feeding drive 223 is connected to the feeding top plate 222 and drives the feeding top plate 222 to reciprocate along the guide groove 2211, pushing the microtube 60 to be formed into the fixing hole 411 of the feeding station along the guide groove 2211. The transfer structure 21 may include an adsorption head and a transfer drive mechanism. The transfer drive mechanism may include a transfer drive device for adjusting the three-dimensional spatial position and attitude of the adsorption head. For example, the transfer drive device can achieve the three-dimensional spatial position adjustment of the adsorption head by using motors and tracks that drive along three axes respectively. A motor that drives the adsorption head to rotate can also be provided (a single motor or multiple motors can be used; the specific choice can be determined according to the actual scenario requirements). The feeding detection structure 51 and the transfer structure 21 cooperate to realize the suction, posture adjustment, and transfer of the microtube 60, transferring the microtube 60 from the material box to the guide groove 2211 of the feeding structure 22 for feeding. Specifically, the feeding structure 22 acts on the feeding top plate 222 through the feeding drive component 223, causing the feeding top plate 222 to push the microtube 60 in the guide groove 2211 into the fixing hole 411 along the guide groove 2211, thus completing the feeding of the microtube 60. Furthermore, in addition to the feeding drive 223 that drives the feeding top plate 222, the feeding structure 22 may also include a transverse drive that drives the feeding seat 221, the feeding top plate 222, and the feeding drive 223 to move laterally (in the direction parallel to the station turntable 412). This allows for alignment of the guide groove 2211 with the fixing hole 411, ensuring precise feeding of the microtube 60. Additionally, multiple guide grooves 2211 on the feeding seat 221 can be arranged side-by-side, with different groove widths and depths to accommodate different microtube 60 feeding sizes. Specifically, when feeding microtubes 60 of different sizes, the transverse drive can adjust the correspondence between the guide groove 2211 and the fixing hole 411, ensuring the required guide groove 2211 matches the fixing hole 411 to complete the feeding of the corresponding size microtube 60. Furthermore, the feed seat 221 can also be equipped with a guide groove 2211 with the same parameters to realize the feeding of multiple microtubes 60, or to achieve the purpose of main backup. The specific choice can be determined according to the actual application scenario.

[0068] like Figures 1 to 4As shown, the detection component 5 includes a loading detection structure 51, which comprises an upper image acquisition component and a lower image acquisition component 512. The upper image acquisition component consists of multiple acquisition devices, including a first image acquisition device 511 for detecting the pose of the microtube 60 in the material box, a second image acquisition device for detecting the pose of the microtube 60 in the guide groove 2211, and a third image acquisition device for detecting the pose of the microtube 60 in the fixing hole 411. The lower image acquisition component 512 is located on the transfer path of the transfer structure 21 and is used to detect the size of the microtube 60 and its pose in the transfer structure 21. Both the upper and lower image acquisition components 512 can be industrial cameras. After image acquisition, image recognition is performed at the back end to perform position positioning and pose recognition of the microtube 60. This image recognition process uses conventional recognition methods, which only need to meet the requirements of position positioning and pose recognition, and the specific recognition method is not limited. The lower image acquisition component 512 can be additionally equipped with a lens on its top for protection. At the same time, it can also magnify the microtube 60 conveyed by the feeding and conveying component 2, thereby improving the image acquisition clarity of the lower image acquisition component 512 and realizing high-precision size and pose detection of the microtube 60.

[0069] like Figures 5 to 9 As shown, when the microtube 60 in the fixing hole 411 is formed by the forming structure 42, in order to facilitate the fixing and forming of the microtube 60, the forming structure 42 includes a closing module 421 and a forming drive structure 422. The closing module 421 has a closing front mold 4211 and a closing rear mold 4212. The closing front mold 4211 and the closing rear mold 4212 are respectively located on both sides of the station turntable 412. The end of the closing front mold 4211 is provided with a closing groove 4213. The cross-section of the closing groove 4213 can be determined according to actual needs, for example, it can be a V-shape, trapezoidal shape, etc. Preferably, a transition carrier 4123 is detachably provided inside the fixing hole 411. The transition carrier 4123 has a through hole for the microtube 60 of a preset size to pass through. The cooperation of the closing module 421, the transition carrier 4123 and the fixing hole 411 effectively achieves radial limiting and axial precise positioning of the microtube 60, avoiding the problem of scratches left on the surface of the microtube 60 due to improper clamping force control in the prior art, and is conducive to improving the versatility of the processing system.

[0070] The forming drive structure 422 drives the closing rear mold 4212 to move toward or away from the fixing hole 411, so as to hold the microtube 60 against the fixing hole 411 to a predetermined depth from the tail to the opening of the microtube 60; the forming drive structure 422 drives the closing front mold 4211 to move toward or away from the fixing hole 411, so as to close and form the microtube 60 from the opening to the tail. Specifically, the forming drive structure 422 includes a first forming drive device and a second forming drive device. The driving end of the first forming drive device is fixed to the closing rear mold 4212 to drive the closing rear mold 4212, and the driving end of the second forming drive device is fixed to the closing front mold 4211 to drive the closing front mold 4211.

[0071] In practical applications, a pre-forming inspection station is included between the forming station and the feeding station. An image acquisition device can be added to the pre-forming inspection station to acquire images within the fixing hole 411 of the pre-forming inspection station, determining whether the microtube 60 has been fed and whether the feeding meets the requirements. In addition, when the upper image acquisition component and / or the lower image acquisition component 512 detect the pose of the microtube 60, the length of the microtube 60 can also be detected simultaneously. This ensures that when the forming drive structure 422 drives the closing mold 4212 to support the microtube 60, the length of the microtube 60 in the fixing hole 411 meets the predetermined requirements, thereby improving the closing accuracy of the microtube 60. Using the upper and lower image acquisition components 512 to detect the length of the microtube 60 simultaneously ensures the accuracy of the microtube 60 length detection. The molding structure 42, through the cooperation of the front mold 4211, the rear mold 4212, and the fixing hole 411, can limit the microtube 60, prevent the microtube 60 from undergoing radial deformation when the front mold 4211 performs the closing molding, and prevent scratches caused by the movement of the microtube 60 axis.

[0072] Furthermore, based on continuous feeding, forming, unloading, and detection and control at each stage, the forming structure 42 includes various specific forming methods. On the one hand, the forming structure 42 can adopt a step-by-step compression and closing at the same position to achieve synchronous closing at multiple positions. For example, at least two sets of closing modules 421 are provided, each closing module 421 corresponding to a fixing hole 411; the parameters and dimensions of each closing module 421 are the same, and it is driven by the forming drive structure 422 to achieve synchronous closing of multiple microtubes 60; during closing, in order to avoid damage to the microtubes 60 in one closing, multiple progressive closing can be adopted, that is, the movement distance of the mold 4211 before closing is larger than that of the previous one, and the progressive closing achieves step-by-step compression of the microtubes 60 to complete the closing of the microtubes 60. On the other hand, the forming structure 42 can adopt a step-by-step compression and closing method that integrates multiple operating positions. That is, based on setting at least two closing modules 421, the closing grooves 4213 of the closing front molds 4211 corresponding to different closing modules 421 are set to have different depths and / or side tilt angles. The closing of the microtube 60 is achieved by step-by-step compression of the same microtube 60 through the closing modules 421 in multiple positions. That is, the microtube 60 is driven by the station turntable 412 to rotate to different positions to achieve different degrees of closing until the predetermined closing target is reached. Among them, the depth and / or side tilt angle of the closing grooves 4213 corresponding to the multiple closing front molds 4211 change monotonically along the rotation direction of the station turntable 412 (for example, the side tilt angle of the closing groove 4213 decreases monotonically, and its side refers to the inner side wall of the closing groove 4213 near the groove opening), so as to achieve step-by-step closing of the same microtube 60 at different positions. Furthermore, the closing grooves 4213 corresponding to multiple closing front dies 4211 can also be the same, but the dimensions of each closing stage are fixed. Compared with the first method, which takes a long time to continuously form at one position and has idle time at the loading and unloading stations, the second method can ensure that the microtube 60 has a consistent cycle time at each operating position, resulting in a lower overall idle rate of the processing system and higher continuous production efficiency.

[0073] The forming drive structure 422 includes a fixing head and a forming drive component. The fixing head is used to detachably fix the closing front mold 4211. The output end of the forming drive component is fixed to the fixing head and is used to drive the fixing head to move the closing front mold 4211 toward the fixing hole 411. When there are multiple fixing holes 411 in each group, multiple closing front molds 4211 can be fixed side by side and then detachably fixed to the fixing head to achieve simultaneous closing forming of microtubes 60 in multiple fixing holes 411. In another application scenario, the fixing head can also be adjusted to have a structure that fixes multiple closing front molds 4211 separately (for example, directly using a side-by-side fixing structure of multiple fixing heads). This can not only achieve simultaneous closing forming of multiple microtubes 60, but also facilitate the replacement of a certain closing front mold 4211, realize the quick replacement of damaged closing front molds 4211, or achieve simultaneous closing forming of microtubes 60 of different sizes. To further ensure the matching effect between the front mold 4211 and the fixed hole 411 located at the forming station, the forming structure 42 may also include a transverse drive, a transverse guide rail, and a transverse slider. The transverse guide rail is fixed to the base 1 along with the station turntable 412. The transverse slider is slidably mounted on the transverse guide rail. The front mold 4211 and the forming drive structure 422 are mounted on the transverse slider. The transverse drive is used to drive the transverse slider to slide back and forth on the transverse guide rail. This structure can realize the transverse movement of the front mold 4211, thereby ensuring the accurate alignment of the front mold 4211 and the fixed hole 411 and improving the forming accuracy of the front mold 4211 for the microtube 60.

[0074] Furthermore, the workstation turntable 412 is circumferentially spaced with multiple mounting slots 4121 and detachable forming blocks 4122 disposed within the mounting slots 4121. Each forming block 4122 has at least one fixing hole 411. The workstation turntable 412 is used to replace forming blocks 4122 with fixing holes 411 of different diameters to cooperate with the forming structure 42 in forming the ends of microtubes 60 of different diameters. A transition carrier 4123 is detachably disposed within the fixing hole 411, and the transition carrier 4123 has a through hole for microtubes 60 of a preset size to pass through. Each forming block 4122 corresponds to a set of fixing holes 411, and when one forming block 4122 is located at one workstation, each workstation has at least one corresponding forming block 4122, thus ensuring simultaneous processing at multiple workstations. The mounting groove 4121 on the workstation turntable 412 can be a T-shaped groove, and the corresponding forming block 4122 can be a convex block. The forming block 4122 is fixed to the mounting groove 4121 by bolts or other means, which can realize the detachable fixation of the forming block 4122 and the workstation turntable 412, thereby completing the end forming of microtubes 60 of different sizes. In order to avoid interference / collision between the forming block 4122 and the end forming mold 4211 when the end forming mold 4211 faces the fixing hole 411, which would cause damage to the end forming mold 4211 / forming block 4122, multiple grooves can be provided on the side of the forming block 4122 facing the end forming mold 4211. The grooves are matched with the position of the fixing hole 411. The grooves can be tapered grooves that taper towards the fixing hole 411 to achieve the effect of guiding and avoiding. In addition, the transition carrier 4123 in the fixing hole 411 can be disassembled and replaced with different sizes, thereby achieving the effect of fixing microtubes 60 of different sizes. Furthermore, by changing the transition carrier 4123 to adapt to the end-closing processing of microtubes 60 of different sizes, frequent replacement of fixing blocks for different fixing holes 411 can be avoided, thereby reducing the cost of the processing system while ensuring the end-closing processing of different microtubes 60. Specifically, an annular limiting groove is provided on the inner wall of the end of the fixing hole 411 near the end-closing mold 4212, and an annular limiting member 4124 is provided within the annular limiting groove. An annular mating groove matching the annular limiting member 4124 is provided on the outer side of the transition carrier 4123. Because the annular limiting member 4124 is simultaneously located within both the annular limiting groove and the annular mating groove, the transition carrier 4123 can be fixed, i.e., fixed to the fixing hole 411. Since the through holes of the transition carrier 4123 can have different diameters, different microtubes 60 can be fixed, and the end-closing mold 4212 helps to limit the microtubes 60. Finally, the end-closing mold 4211 performs the end-closing processing on the microtubes 60.

[0075] like Figure 5 , Figure 10 and Figure 11As shown, the detection component 5 of the present invention may further include a blanking detection structure 52, which corresponds to the detection station located between the forming station and the blanking station. The blanking detection structure 52 is used to detect the forming result of the microtube 60 in the fixing hole 411. The blanking detection structure 52 may include a blanking detection device, which is an industrial camera identical to the upper image acquisition component and the lower image acquisition component 512, enabling it to acquire images and determine whether the closed-formed microtube 60 meets predetermined requirements using an image detection algorithm. The image detection algorithm uses a conventional algorithm, requiring only the closed-formation recognition requirement. The material feeding detection structure 52 may also include a material feeding detection base on the base 1. The material feeding detection base is provided with a material feeding detection slide rail, a material feeding detection slider that slides with it, and a material feeding detection drive. The material feeding detection slider is provided with a material feeding detection device, and the material feeding detection slider is driven by the material feeding detection drive to move the material feeding detection device toward or away from the station turntable 412, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the image acquisition effect of the material feeding detection device and improving the detection accuracy of the closing forming.

[0076] After the microtube 60 is tested for its closing and forming effect, the microtubes 60 with different closing and forming effects can be collected by the feeding component 3. In practical applications, the feeding assembly 3 may include a blowing drive, a blowing element 31, and a collection box 32. The blowing drive is connected to the blowing element 31 and is used to deliver feeding gas towards the fixing hole 411 through the blowing element 31, so as to blow the microtube 60 out of the fixing hole 411 and into the collection box 32. The blowing element 31 and the collection box 32 are respectively located on both sides of the station turntable 412. The feeding station includes a good product feeding station and a defective product feeding station. The blowing element 31 includes a good product blowing element and a defective product blowing element respectively located at the good product feeding station and the defective product feeding station. The collection box 32 includes a good product collection box and a defective product collection box respectively located at the good product feeding station and the defective product feeding station. The good product discharge element and the defective product blowing element open / close according to the detection result of the feeding detection structure 52, so as to achieve different feeding of good microtubes 60 and defective microtubes 60. The spacing between the good product blowing component and the defective product blowing component matches the spacing between adjacent forming blocks 4122. In practical applications, the blowing drive component can be fixed to the base 1 via a blowing base, which includes an annular plate on which the good product blowing component and the defective product blowing component are fixed. The spacing between the good product collection box and the defective product collection box matches the distance between the projections of the good product blowing component and the defective product blowing component on the base 1. Furthermore, the collection box 32 also includes a collection guide, which is located above the good product collection box and the defective product collection box and cooperates with the blowing component 31. When the blowing component 31 blows out the microtube 60 that has completed its closing forming in the fixing hole 411, the microtube 60 enters the corresponding good product collection box or defective product collection box through the collection guide. The blowing time of the blowing component 31 can be determined based on the closing forming detection result of the unloading detection structure 52. For example, when the unloading detection structure 52 detects that the closing forming of the microtube 60 has reached the good product standard, the microtube 60 will be rotated to the good product unloading station by the station turntable 412, and the good product blowing component will blow air on it to unload it. Conversely, the bad product will be blown out by the bad product blowing component at the bad product unloading station. In addition, the unloading component 3 of the present invention can also be replaced by a suction collection method, that is, the microtube 60 precipitated in the fixing hole is collected separately by the suction component.

[0077] The present invention also provides a microtube precision machining method using the continuous microtube precision machining system described above, comprising the following steps:

[0078] S1. The feeding and conveying assembly 2 sends the microtube to be formed in the material box to the fixing hole 411 of the forming assembly 4. The detection assembly 5 performs position detection on at least one of the microtubes in the material box, the feeding and conveying assembly 2, and the fixing hole 411.

[0079] S2. The forming structure 42 reciprocates toward the continuous worktable 41 to form the microtubes contained in the fixed hole 411 one by one.

[0080] S3, the continuous workstation 41 transports the formed microtubes to the unloading component 3 for collection of the formed microtubes.

[0081] In practical applications, microtube precision machining methods can specifically include:

[0082] The first image acquisition device of the upper image acquisition component detects the position, orientation, and length of the microtubes inside the material box;

[0083] The transfer structure of the feeding and conveying component moves to the microtube position according to the detection results of the first image acquisition device, and adjusts its posture when picking up the microtube in order to pick up the microtube better and avoid the microtube from falling off.

[0084] During the process of transferring the microtube from the transfer structure to the feeding structure, the lower image acquisition component will perform pose detection on the microtube being transferred by the transfer structure to ensure that the microtube can be matched and placed in the guide tube groove when the transfer structure places the microtube in the feeding structure. This avoids situations where the microtube is not placed correctly and cannot be fed, or where the end of the microtube that needs to be formed is placed in the wrong direction.

[0085] The second image acquisition device of the image acquisition component above detects and determines whether the microtube to be formed is correctly placed in the guide groove;

[0086] After the microtube is correctly placed in the guide groove, the feeding drive unit drives the feeding top plate to push the microtube in the guide groove, so that it enters the through hole of the transition carrier of the fixed hole of the feed station of the station turntable, and achieves radial fixation. At this time, the third image acquisition device of the upper image acquisition component can be selected to detect and judge the position and posture of the microtube to be formed in the fixed hole.

[0087] After the microtube is positioned in the fixing hole and other stations have completed their processing, the station turntable will rotate at a preset rotation interval, so that the microtube to be formed will rotate to the forming station.

[0088] In the forming station, the forming drive structure drives the front and rear forming molds to cooperate in forming the microtube, specifically through stepwise compression forming at the same location or stepwise compression forming at multiple locations:

[0089] 7-1. Gradual compression and closing at the same location:

[0090] Two sets of closing modules are set along the running direction of the station turntable. Each closing module has the same parameter dimensions and each closing module corresponds to a fixed hole. The synchronous progressive closing of multiple microtubes is achieved by driving through the forming drive structure. That is, the movement distance of the closing mold is larger each time and it is compressed step by step to complete the closing of the microtube.

[0091] 7-2. Gradual compression and closing at multiple locations:

[0092] Three sets of closing modules are set along the running direction of the station turntable. The closing grooves of the closing front molds corresponding to different closing modules are set to have different depths and / or side tilt angles. The closing modules at multiple positions realize the step-by-step compression of the same microtube to complete the microtube closing. That is, the microtube rotates to different positions under the drive of the station turntable to achieve different degrees of closing until the predetermined closing target is reached.

[0093] After the microtube has completed its closing and forming and other stations have completed their corresponding processing, the station turntable drives the closed microtube to the inspection station. At this time, the unloading and inspection structure will inspect the closed microtube and determine the unloading station of the microtube based on the inspection result (i.e., if the inspection result is good, it corresponds to the good product unloading station; otherwise, it corresponds to the defective product unloading station).

[0094] When the microtube is driven to the corresponding unloading station by the station turntable, it is collected by the blowing component and the collection box.

[0095] When the workstation turntable drives the microtube to rotate from one workstation to another adjacent workstation, another batch of microtubes will be fed at the feeding workstation simultaneously, thereby ensuring that the microtubes on the workstation turntable can achieve continuous feeding, forming, inspection and unloading integrated processing technology.

[0096] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including both the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the invention. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Thus, if these modifications and modifications of the invention fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, the invention is also intended to include these modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A continuous microtube precision machining system, characterized in that, Includes a base, and a feeding and conveying assembly, a discharging assembly, a forming assembly, and a detection assembly that support the base; The molding assembly includes a continuous worktable and a molding structure. The continuous worktable has multiple fixing holes for accommodating microtubes. The projection of the molding structure on the continuous worktable intersects with the running path of the fixing holes, and the molding structure reciprocates toward the continuous worktable to mold the microtubes contained in the fixing holes. The feeding and conveying assembly is used to transport the microtubes into the fixing holes of the molding assembly; The feeding assembly is used to collect the microtubes formed inside the fixing holes; The detection component is used to detect the pose of the microtube in at least one of the following: in the material box, in the feeding and conveying assembly, and in the fixing hole; The continuous workstation includes a workstation turntable, and multiple fixing holes are arranged circumferentially on the workstation turntable. Each fixing hole can rotate and switch between the feeding station corresponding to the feeding conveying component, the forming station corresponding to the forming structure, and the unloading station corresponding to the unloading component. A transition carrier is detachably provided inside the fixing hole, and the transition carrier has a through hole for a microtube of a preset size to pass through.

2. The continuous microtube precision machining system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding and conveying assembly includes a transfer structure and a feeding structure corresponding to the feeding station; The transfer structure is used to pick up and transfer the microtubes to be formed from the material box to the feeding structure; The feeding structure includes a feeding seat, a feeding top plate, and a feeding drive. The feeding seat is provided with a guide groove for accommodating microtubes. The projection of the guide groove on the station turntable intersects with the running path of the fixed hole. The feeding drive is connected to the feeding top plate and drives the feeding top plate to reciprocate along the guide groove, pushing the microtube to be formed into the fixed hole of the feeding station along the guide groove.

3. The continuous microtube precision machining system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The detection components include a feeding detection structure, which in turn includes an upper image acquisition component and a lower image acquisition component. The image acquisition component is used to detect at least one of the following: the pose of the microtube in the material box, the pose of the microtube in the guide groove, and the pose of the microtube in the fixing hole. The lower image acquisition component is located on the transport path of the transport structure and is used to detect the size of the microtube and the pose of the microtube in the transport structure.

4. The continuous microtube precision machining system as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The molding structure includes a closing module and a molding drive structure. The closing module has a front closing mold and a rear closing mold. The front and rear end molds are respectively located on both sides of the station turntable, and the end of the front mold is provided with a closing groove. The forming drive structure drives the closing mold to move toward or away from the fixing hole, so as to hold the microtube against the fixing hole to a predetermined depth from the tail end to the mouth end; The forming drive structure drives the closing front mold to move toward or away from the fixing hole, so as to close and form the microtube from the opening to the tail.

5. The continuous microtube precision machining system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Along the running direction of the continuous workstation, there are at least two sets of closing modules. Each set of closing modules corresponds to a fixing hole. Different closing modules have different depths and / or side tilt angles in the closing grooves of the closing front mold, so as to continuously and stepwise close the microtubes.

6. The continuous microtube precision machining system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The workstation turntable is provided with multiple mounting slots and detachable molding blocks in the mounting slots, and the molding blocks are provided with at least one fixing hole.

7. The continuous microtube precision machining system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The detection component also includes a material unloading detection structure, which corresponds to the detection station located between the forming station and the material unloading station. The material unloading detection structure is used to detect the forming result of the micro-tube that has been formed in the fixed hole of the detection station.

8. The continuous microtube precision machining system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The feeding assembly includes a blowing component and a collection box located on both sides of the station turntable. The blowing component delivers feeding gas toward the fixed hole to blow the microtube out of the fixed hole and into the collection box. The unloading station includes a good product unloading station and a defective product unloading station. The good product unloading station is equipped with a good product blowing component and a good product collection box, while the defective product unloading station is equipped with a defective product blowing component and a defective product collection box. Good and defective blown parts are opened / closed based on the detection results of the material feeding inspection structure.

9. A method for precision microtube machining using a continuous microtube precision machining system as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The feeding and conveying assembly delivers the microtube to be formed in the material box to the fixing hole of the forming assembly. The detection assembly performs position detection on at least one of the microtubes in the material box, the feeding and conveying assembly, and the fixing hole. S2. The forming structure reciprocates toward the continuous worktable to form microtubes contained in the fixed holes one by one. S3, the continuous workstation transports the formed microtubes to the unloading assembly for collection.

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