Gantry welding workstation

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of welding equipment, and discloses a gantry welding workstation which comprises a welding platform, X-axis supports parallel to the X-axis direction are arranged on the two sides of the welding platform correspondingly, a portal frame is slidably installed on the X-axis supports, the welding platform is located on the inner side of the portal frame, and two independent welding assemblies are arranged at the top of the portal frame; the welding assembly comprises a supporting arm capable of moving in the Y-axis direction, the supporting arm is slidably connected with the portal frame, and a welding robot is installed at the lower end of the supporting arm. Under the driving of the portal frame and the supporting arm, the welding robot can move in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction so as to weld products on the welding platform, the work station is suitable for the repeated welding process with the simple welding process and multiple welding accessories, the work station is simple in structure and reasonable in layout, the welding robot can move in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in the space, and the welding efficiency is improved. And the stability and accuracy of welding work are ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding equipment technology, and more specifically to a gantry welding workstation. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, some products have simple welding processes but require too many accessories to be welded. For example, heating discs require tie rods to be riveted and fixed in place before being welded step by step. This results in a large number of tie rods to be welded, repetitive work, and multiple tie rods to be welded on both sides.

[0003] In the existing technology, there is no dedicated automated production line for welding heated discs. The process is mostly done manually, which makes the welding manufacturing process of heated discs cumbersome, with no standard or normative operation, and a lot of manual operation or intervention, which is not conducive to achieving intelligent manufacturing. Moreover, in the traditional welding process, it is impossible to guarantee the welding quality, which affects the overall production efficiency, and it is also easy to cause injury to workers, resulting in increased costs.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a gantry welding workstation to improve the welding accuracy and safety stability of such products. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a gantry welding workstation. The product to be welded is placed on the welding platform. The gantry can move along the X-axis support and the support arm can move along the Y-axis, thereby driving the welding robot to weld the product on the welding platform. Through the optimized configuration of space and time, the product production efficiency and quality accuracy are improved, making it better suitable for this type of welding production.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A gantry welding workstation includes a welding platform. X-axis supports parallel to the X-axis direction are provided on both sides of the welding platform. A gantry frame is slidably mounted on the X-axis supports. The welding platform is located inside the gantry frame. Two independent welding assemblies are provided on the top of the gantry frame. Each welding assembly includes a support arm that can move along the Y-axis direction. The support arm is slidably connected to the gantry frame, and a welding robot is mounted on the lower end of the support arm.

[0007] Optionally, the welding robot includes a central link rotatably connected to the arm, one side of the central link is connected to a connecting rod that can rotate longitudinally relative to the arm, a support rod that can rotate longitudinally relative to the connecting rod is mounted on the connecting rod, and a welding head is connected to the end of the support rod.

[0008] Optionally, a first motor and a second motor, perpendicular to each other, are fixedly installed on the central connecting member. The output end of the first motor is connected to the support arm, and the output end of the second motor is connected to the connecting rod.

[0009] Optionally, a third motor is fixedly installed on the support rod. The third motor is parallel to the second motor, and the output end of the third motor is connected to the connecting rod.

[0010] Optionally, the gantry includes two columns parallel to the Z-axis direction. The lower ends of the two columns are slidably connected to the X-axis support via an X-axis drive assembly. The upper ends of the two columns are fixedly connected via a crossbeam, and the support arm is slidably connected to the crossbeam via a Y-axis drive assembly.

[0011] Optionally, the Y-axis drive assembly includes a mounting plate, one side of which is slidably connected to the crossbeam and the other side is fixedly connected to the support arm, and the support arm is parallel to the Z-axis direction.

[0012] Optionally, an X-axis guide rail is fixedly installed on the top of the X-axis support, the X-axis drive assembly is slidably installed on the X-axis guide rail, and an outwardly protruding stop block is provided at the end of the X-axis guide rail.

[0013] Optionally, the welding platform includes a base frame located inside the gantry, on which a turntable is rotatably mounted, and the axis of the turntable is parallel to the Z-axis direction.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) In this invention, the welding robot can move along the X-axis and Y-axis directions under the drive of the gantry and the support arm, thereby welding the products on the welding platform. It is suitable for repetitive welding processes with simple welding procedures and many welding accessories. The workstation has a simple structure and reasonable layout. The welding robot can move along the X-axis and Y-axis directions in space, ensuring the stability and accuracy of the welding work. (2) In this invention, there are two welding components on the gantry frame that are independent of each other, so that the workstation has two workstations and can simultaneously carry out two identical or different welding processes. For work such as hot disc welding process which is simple and has too many welding accessories, it can greatly reduce production time, reduce personnel participation, improve production efficiency, greatly improve the precision of welded parts, significantly improve welding quality, reduce rework and scrap, and improve competitiveness. (3) Regarding the above welding robot, its welding head can be adjusted along the height under the coordinated drive of the connecting rod and the support rod, thereby enhancing the compatibility of the workstation and enabling it to adapt to products of different sizes and models; (4) In this invention, the turntable of the welding workstation can rotate relative to the base frame around the Z-axis, thereby driving the product on it to rotate circumferentially. In cooperation with the welding robot, it can realize welding of more complex processes, ensure welding quality, and improve welding efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gantry welding workstation in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the gantry structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the welding robot in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the welding robot from another perspective in an embodiment of the present invention; The components are as follows: 1. Base frame; 2. Turntable; 3. X-axis support; 4. Gantry frame; 401. Column; 402. Crossbeam; 5. Support arm; 6. Welding robot; 601. Connecting rod; 602. Support rod; 603. Welding head; 604. First motor; 605. Second motor; 606. Third motor; 607. Central connector; 7. Y-axis drive assembly; 8. X-axis drive assembly; 9. Stop block. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, which are only used to illustrate the basic structure of the present invention and therefore only show the components relevant to the present invention.

[0017] Example 1, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a gantry welding workstation includes a welding platform, an X-axis support 3, a gantry frame 4, and a welding assembly. Two X-axis supports 3 are provided, symmetrically distributed on the left and right sides of the welding platform. The two lower ends of the gantry frame 4 are slidably connected to the corresponding X-axis supports 3, so that the welding platform is located inside the gantry frame 4, and the welding assembly is installed on the top of the gantry frame 4 and can move along the Y-axis direction.

[0018] The welding assembly includes a support arm 5, which is slidably connected to a gantry frame 4 and can move along the Y-axis. A welding robot 6 for welding products is mounted on the lower end of the support arm 5. Driven by the gantry frame 4 and the support arm 5, the welding robot 6 can move along the X and Y axes to weld products on the welding platform. This is suitable for repetitive welding processes with simple welding procedures and many welding accessories. The workstation has a simple structure and reasonable layout. The welding robot 6 can move in space along the X and Y axes, ensuring the stability and accuracy of the welding work.

[0019] As described above, the gantry 4 includes two columns 401 and one crossbeam 402. The two columns 401 are parallel to the Z-axis and symmetrically distributed on both sides of the welding platform. The crossbeam 402 is parallel to the Y-axis and located above the welding platform. The lower ends of the two columns 401 are slidably connected to the X-axis support 3 through the X-axis drive assembly 8, and the upper ends of the two columns 401 are fixedly connected through the crossbeam 402. The support arm 5 is slidably connected to the crossbeam 402 through the Y-axis drive assembly 7.

[0020] The X-axis support 3 is parallel to the X-axis direction. Under the action of the X-axis drive assembly 8, the two columns 401 of the gantry 4 drive the crossbeam 402, the Y-axis drive assembly 7, and the welding assembly to slide along the X-axis direction. Under the action of the Y-axis drive assembly 7, the support arm 5 can drive the welding robot 6 to slide along the Y-axis direction. Based on this, the welding robot 6 can translate along the X-axis and Y-axis directions in space, thereby completing the welding work on the product.

[0021] The Y-axis drive assembly 7 includes a mounting plate, a rack, and a gear. The rack is parallel to the Y-axis direction and is fixedly mounted on the front side of the crossbeam 402. The gear is mounted on the mounting plate by rotating via an X-axis servo motor, and the rack and gear mesh with each other.

[0022] Specifically, one side of the mounting plate is slidably connected to the crossbeam 402, and the other side is fixedly connected to the support arm 5, with the support arm 5 parallel to the Z-axis direction; the X-axis servo motor is fixedly mounted on the mounting plate, and the gear is mounted on the output end of the X-axis servo motor. When the X-axis servo motor drives the gear to rotate, based on the meshing relationship, the mounting plate can drive the support arm 5 to translate along the Y-axis direction.

[0023] The mounting plate is slidably connected to the crossbeam 402 via a Y-axis guide rail and a Y-axis slider. The Y-axis guide rail is fixedly installed on the upper and lower sides of the crossbeam 402. The mounting plate is sleeved on the crossbeam 402, and the Y-axis slider is fixedly connected to the mounting plate. At the same time, the Y-axis slider is slidably connected to the Y-axis guide rail, thereby realizing the sliding of the mounting plate on the crossbeam 402 along the Y-axis direction.

[0024] An X-axis guide rail is fixedly mounted on the top of the X-axis support 3. The X-axis drive assembly 8 includes a slide block, which is slidably mounted on the X-axis guide rail via an X-axis slider. The slide block also slides along the X-axis direction through a gear and rack transmission structure, the principle of which is the same as that of the Y-axis drive assembly 7, so it will not be described in detail here. That is, the X-axis drive assembly 8 is slidably mounted on the X-axis guide rail. The lower end of the column 401 is fixedly connected to the slide, and the two X-axis drive components 8 can move synchronously to ensure the stability of the gantry 4 sliding along the X-axis direction. The end of the X-axis guide rail is provided with an outwardly protruding stop block 9, which can interfere with the end face of the slide, thereby limiting its sliding within a specified range and preventing it from derailing.

[0025] like Figures 3-4 As shown, the welding robot 6 includes a central connector 607, a connecting rod 601, a support rod 602, and a welding head 603 connected in sequence. The central connector 607 is rotatably connected to the support arm 5. The connecting rod 601 can shift to one side of the central connector 607 and can rotate longitudinally relative to the support arm 5. The support rod 602 can rotate longitudinally relative to the connecting rod 601, and the welding head 603 is fixedly installed at the end of the support rod 602. The welding head 603 is used to weld accessories onto the product. Under the combined action of the central connector 607, connecting rod 601, and support rod 602, the welding head 603 can also rotate around the Z-axis and adjust its height along the Z-axis.

[0026] Both the connecting rod 601 and the support rod 602 can be rotated longitudinally relative to the support arm 5, which ensures that the welding head 603 can be adjusted in height while its welding direction remains unchanged, thereby enhancing the compatibility of the workstation and enabling it to adapt to products of different sizes and models.

[0027] Specifically, a first motor 604 and a second motor 605, which are perpendicular to each other, are fixedly installed on the central connector 607. The output end of the first motor 604 is connected to the support arm 5, and the output end of the second motor 605 is connected to the connecting rod 601. The axis of the first motor 604 is parallel to the Z-axis direction, thereby realizing the circumferential rotation function of the welding head 603. Under the drive of the second motor 605, the connecting rod 601 can realize the function of longitudinally flipping relative to the support arm 5.

[0028] Similarly, a third motor 606 is fixedly installed on the support rod 602. The axes of the third motor 606 and the second motor 605 are parallel to each other, and the output end of the third motor 606 is connected to the connecting rod 601. Under the drive of the third motor 606, the support rod 602 can achieve the function of longitudinally flipping relative to the connecting rod 601 and the support arm 5.

[0029] In addition, there are two welding assemblies on the top of the gantry 4. The two welding assemblies are independent of each other, which makes the workstation a dual-station unit. It can perform two identical or different welding processes at the same time. For tasks such as hot disc welding, which have simple processes and many welding accessories, it can greatly reduce production time, reduce personnel involvement, improve production efficiency, significantly improve the precision of welded parts, significantly improve welding quality, reduce rework and scrap, and enhance competitiveness.

[0030] Example 2: Based on Example 1, the present invention also proposes a specific structure for the welding platform.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the welding platform includes a base frame 1 and a turntable 2, both of which are located inside the gantry 4. The base frame 1 is horizontally fixed on the ground, and the turntable 2 is rotatably mounted on the base frame 1, with the axis of the turntable 2 parallel to the Z-axis direction.

[0032] Specifically, a rotary drive component is also installed on the base frame 1, such as an existing rotary indexing machine. The turntable 2 is fixedly installed at the output end of the rotary indexing machine, which drives the turntable 2 to rotate circumferentially. This allows the turntable 2 of the welding workstation to rotate relative to the base frame 1 around the Z-axis, thereby driving the products on it to rotate circumferentially. In cooperation with the welding robot 6, more complex welding processes can be achieved, ensuring welding quality and improving welding efficiency.

[0033] In addition, the turntable 2 has multiple positioning holes, which are evenly distributed on the end face of the turntable 2 and are parallel to the axis of the turntable 2. The positioning holes can not only position the product to be welded, but also allow for the avoidance of protruding parts of the product.

[0034] Taking the welding of the heating disc as an example, the tie rod accessories need to be welded to both the front and back end faces. After the accessories on the front end face are welded, the heating disc is rotated 180 degrees longitudinally so that the front end face is facing down. At this time, the tie rod accessories that have been welded on it can be embedded in the corresponding positioning holes, which can not only achieve positioning, but also weld the back end face according to the same process, which significantly improves welding efficiency and quality.

[0035] Example 3: Based on Examples 1 and 2, the present invention also proposes a welding method for a gantry welding workstation, which uses the aforementioned gantry welding workstation.

[0036] A welding method using a gantry welding workstation includes the following steps: First, the product to be welded is placed on the welding platform. Then, the gantry welding workstation moves along the track or slide rail via the corresponding drive of each component for initial positioning. After positioning, the welding robot 6 begins welding the top side of the product based on the acquired data. Once the top side of the product is welded, the product is manually flipped so that the other side is facing up, at which point the welded accessories can be inserted into the corresponding positioning holes. The above process is then repeated to complete welding on this side. After both sides of the product are welded, the product is manually removed from the welding platform.

[0037] During the welding process, the X-axis drive assembly 8, Y-axis drive assembly 7, first motor 604, second motor 605, third motor 606, and turntable 2 cooperate with each other to ensure that the welding head 603 can accurately and quickly weld the accessories to the corresponding welding positions on the product. At the same time, since there are two welding stations, the same or different welding processes can be carried out simultaneously, thereby reducing production time, reducing personnel involvement, ensuring that the product welding meets the standards, and improving welding quality.

[0038] In addition, to further improve the positioning efficiency and welding quality of the workstation, existing visual recognition technology can be integrated into the workstation. That is, after the product is placed on the welding platform by the operator, the visual display system takes a picture and extracts product information with the assistance of the welding platform.

[0039] In summary, this invention proposes a gantry welding workstation that solves the problems of repetitive and cumbersome welding processes, excessive welding points, and high cost of manual welding caused by manual welding of heating discs. It ensures uniformity in weld size, shape, and penetration depth, guarantees standardized welding quality, and reduces the safety risks associated with manual welding.

[0040] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0041] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0042] Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0043] Based on the preferred embodiments of the present invention described above, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A gantry welding workstation, characterized in that: The system includes a welding platform with X-axis supports parallel to the X-axis direction on both sides. A gantry frame is slidably mounted on the X-axis supports. The welding platform is located inside the gantry frame. Two independent welding assemblies are provided on the top of the gantry frame. Each welding assembly includes a support arm that can move along the Y-axis direction. The support arm is slidably connected to the gantry frame, and a welding robot is mounted on the lower end of the support arm.

2. The gantry welding workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding robot includes a central connector that is rotatably connected to the arm. One side of the central connector is connected to a connecting rod that can rotate longitudinally relative to the arm. A support rod that can rotate longitudinally relative to the connecting rod is mounted on the connecting rod, and a welding head is connected to the end of the support rod.

3. The gantry welding workstation according to claim 2, characterized in that: A first motor and a second motor, perpendicular to each other, are fixedly installed on the central connecting member. The output end of the first motor is connected to the support arm, and the output end of the second motor is connected to the connecting rod.

4. The gantry welding workstation according to claim 3, characterized in that: A third motor is fixedly installed on the support rod. The third motor is parallel to the second motor, and the output end of the third motor is connected to the connecting rod.

5. The gantry welding workstation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gantry includes two columns parallel to the Z-axis. The lower ends of the two columns are slidably connected to the X-axis support via an X-axis drive assembly. The upper ends of the two columns are fixedly connected via a crossbeam, and the support arm is slidably connected to the crossbeam via a Y-axis drive assembly.

6. The gantry welding workstation according to claim 5, characterized in that: The Y-axis drive assembly includes a mounting plate, one side of which is slidably connected to the crossbeam and the other side is fixedly connected to the support arm, and the support arm is parallel to the Z-axis direction.

7. The gantry welding workstation according to claim 6, characterized in that: An X-axis guide rail is fixedly installed on the top of the X-axis support, the X-axis drive assembly is slidably installed on the X-axis guide rail, and an outwardly protruding stop block is provided at the end of the X-axis guide rail.

8. The gantry welding workstation according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that: The welding platform includes a base frame located inside the gantry frame, on which a turntable is rotatably mounted, and the axis of the turntable is parallel to the Z-axis direction.

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