Multi-valve multi-needle rapid alignment structure and method

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of equipment alignment, and particularly discloses a multi-valve multi-needle rapid alignment structure which comprises a lifting guide device, a supporting plate module and a calibration block. The upper surface of an upper cavity plate of the vacuum cavity is fixed with the bottom of the lifting guide device; a needle replacement area is formed between the lower surface of the vacuum cavity lower cavity plate and the upper surface of the supporting plate module; the lower surface of the supporting plate module is fixed to the moving end of the three-axis moving platform. A calibration block is placed in the needle replacement area; the Z-direction height calibration module is used for performing Z-direction height calibration on a needle when the needle is replaced; the lifting guide device is fixed with the fixing device and is used for supporting and guiding the vertical movement of the fixing device; the locking piece comprises a locking support and a fixing screw. The locking bracket is fixed on the upper surface of the upper cavity plate; the fixing screw penetrates through a through hole of the locking bracket and is tightly pressed with the fitting structure; the device is mainly used for rapidly and accurately aligning the needle head of the valve body, so that the position is rapidly approved and production is rapidly recovered after needle replacement maintenance is rapidly achieved; and meanwhile, the device can be suitable for alignment of other similar operation tools.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of equipment calibration, and in particular relates to a multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure and method. Background Technology

[0002] In the electronics manufacturing industry, dispensing is widely used in key processes such as chip packaging, battery sealing, and structural bonding. With increasing automation, multi-valve, multi-needle dispensing equipment has become the mainstream configuration to meet the demands of multi-station, high-cycle production. However, needles are prone to clogging, wear, or contamination during long-term use, requiring periodic replacement. After replacing a needle, its position must be precisely calibrated to ensure its Z-axis height aligns with the XY reference, preventing quality defects such as dispensing misalignment, leakage, overflow, or component collision.

[0003] Currently, the industry commonly uses a manual adjustment method for needle calibration: operators visually observe and manually adjust the height of each valve body to roughly align the needle tip with the support plate or reference surface. This method has the following significant drawbacks: 1. Risk of needle collision: During the adjustment process, the needle may directly collide with the reference surface, causing the needle to bend, deform or even break, resulting in material waste and equipment downtime.

[0004] 2. Insufficient calibration accuracy: To avoid collisions, operators usually dare not fully align the needle with the reference surface, making it difficult to eliminate calibration gaps, which affects dispensing consistency and process stability.

[0005] 3. Low efficiency: Multiple valves need to be adjusted one by one, which takes a long time. When replacing all needles, a single calibration can take more than 10 minutes, which seriously affects the equipment uptime (OEE) and the overall line UPH (output per hour).

[0006] 4. Reliance on human experience: Calibration quality is greatly affected by the skill level of the operators, making it difficult to achieve standardized and regulated operations, which is not conducive to the traceability and consistency control of the production process.

[0007] 5. Although some high-end equipment attempts to introduce laser height measurement or machine vision systems for automatic calibration, such solutions are costly and still have problems such as technical complexity and maintenance difficulties in multi-needle synchronous calibration.

[0008] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment method and structure that is simple in structure, convenient in operation, safe and reliable, high in precision and controllable in cost, in order to solve the technical problems of needle collision, low precision and poor efficiency in the existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method and structure for rapid alignment of multiple valves and needles, overcoming the shortcomings of existing needle calibration processes such as susceptibility to collisions, low calibration accuracy, poor operational efficiency, and reliance on manual experience. By designing a dedicated calibration fixture and a liftable valve body fixing structure, combined with the precise control of a three-axis motion platform, rapid, high-precision, and damage-free needle alignment is achieved, significantly improving equipment maintenance efficiency and production stability.

[0010] The first technical solution provided by this invention is as follows: A multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure includes: a lifting guide device, a tray module, and a calibration block on the vacuum chamber fixing bracket; the upper surface of the upper cavity plate of the vacuum chamber is fixed to the bottom of the lifting guide device; a needle replacement area is formed between the lower surface of the lower cavity plate of the vacuum chamber and the upper surface of the tray module; the lower surface of the tray module is fixed to the moving end of a three-axis motion platform. A calibration block is placed in the needle replacement area to perform Z-axis height calibration of the needle when replacing it. The lifting guide device is fixed to the fixing device and is used to support and guide the vertical movement of the fixing device. The locking component includes a locking bracket and a fixing screw; the locking bracket is fixed to the upper surface of the upper cavity plate, and the fixing screw passes through the through hole of the locking bracket and is pressed against the fitting structure.

[0011] Preferably, the fitting structure is the output pipe of the valve body; the fixing screw passes through the through hole and presses against the pipe wall of the output pipe.

[0012] Preferably, the sealing module is fixed to the upper surface of the upper cavity plate of the vacuum chamber; the valve body is fixed to one side of the fixed back plate; one end of the needle is fixed to the end of the output tube on the valve body, and the other end of the needle extends through the sealing module and the vacuum chamber toward the support plate module.

[0013] Preferably, the lifting guide device includes a guide plate, a slider, and an adjustment structure; the bottom of the guide plate is fixed to the upper surface of the upper cavity plate of the vacuum chamber, one side of the slider slides on a linear guide rail on the guide plate, and the other side of the slider is fixed to the other side of the fixing back plate of the fixing device; the adjustment structure is installed on one side of the slider.

[0014] Preferably, the adjustment structure includes a first support rod, a second support rod, and a spring; one end of the first support rod is fixed to one side of the slider, the other end of the first support rod is fixed to one end of the spring, the other end of the spring is fixed to one end of the second support rod, and the other end of the second support rod is inserted into a pre-set fixing hole in the guide plate.

[0015] Preferably, the fixing holes are arranged vertically on the guide plate, and the depth of the fixing holes matches the length of the other end of the second support rod.

[0016] Preferably, the calibration block is a long strip calibration block or a single valve calibration block. Long strip calibration block: used to simultaneously calibrate the Z-axis height of multiple needles when changing multiple needles; the long strip calibration block is a rectangular block with a high-precision ground surface on its upper surface, with a flatness better than ±5μm, which can simultaneously support the valve body corresponding to multiple needles, ensuring that all needles are aligned under the same reference; Single-valve calibration block: used to perform Z-axis height calibration of a single needle when replacing a single needle; the single-valve calibration block is a small block that only covers the calibration area of ​​a single needle, which facilitates local operation and avoids interfering with other needles that are working normally.

[0017] The second technical solution of the present invention: A rapid alignment and calibration method for multiple valves and multiple needles includes a calibration mode with single needle replacement and a calibration mode with multiple needle replacement. Calibration mode for single needle replacement: Tighten the fixing screw by hand to disengage it from the corresponding mating structure; Place the single valve calibration block on the tray module and position it below the corresponding needle; The three-axis motion platform is controlled to rise, and the valve body is lifted to the reference height by a single valve calibration block; Tighten the hand-tightening fixing screw to complete the single needle alignment calibration.

[0018] Calibration mode with multiple needle replacements; When multiple needles need to be replaced after the equipment is shut down: Loosen all fixing screws to disengage them from the corresponding mating structure, thus freeing the fixing device. Place the long calibration block on the tray module, covering the calibration area of ​​all needles; The control three-axis motion platform drives the pallet module and the long strip calibration block to rise along the Z-axis, and stops when all valve bodies are synchronously lifted to the same height by the long strip calibration block. Tighten all hand-tightening fixing screws to complete the batch alignment of all needles in the Z-axis height.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages when using the above-described solution: 1) Completely avoid needle collision: The passive alignment method of raising the valve body by the calibration block ensures that the needle is always under force and will not actively collide with the reference surface, thus fundamentally eliminating needle damage and extending the needle's service life.

[0020] 2) High calibration accuracy: All needles are aligned on the same high-precision calibration block surface to ensure Z-axis height consistency, eliminate manual adjustment errors, and improve the repeatability and reliability of the dispensing process.

[0021] 3) Significantly improved operating efficiency: Simultaneous alignment of multiple needles requires only one lifting operation, reducing calibration time from more than 10 minutes to less than 1 minute, greatly reducing equipment downtime, and effectively improving uptime and overall line UPH.

[0022] 4) Reduce needle wear, lower downtime costs, and improve production efficiency, bringing considerable economic benefits to enterprises.

[0023] This invention is particularly suitable for automated production lines that require frequent needle replacements, and has broad application prospects and market value. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the alignment structure during multi-needle replacement in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the alignment structure during single needle replacement in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the adjustment structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the valve body module in an embodiment of the present invention; According to the above diagram: 1—fixing device, 2—lifting guide device, 3—fixing screw, 4—sealing module, 5—upper cavity plate, 6—long strip calibration block, 7—support plate module, 8—single valve calibration block, 9—needle, 11—fixed back plate, 12—valve body; 21—guide plate, 22—slider, 23—first support rod, 24—second support rod, 25—spring, 26—fixing hole. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more detailed description is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0027] It should be noted that when a component is described as being "fixed to" another component, it can be directly attached to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is described as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component. The terms "fixed," "integral," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only, and in the figures, structurally similar units are labeled with the same reference numerals.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention.

[0029] Example 1: As Figure 1-4 As shown: A multi-valve, multi-needle 9-point rapid alignment structure, comprising: The valve body 12 and the fixing device 1 are used to install multiple valve bodies 12 and can be raised and lowered as a whole along the Z-axis direction; The lifting guide device 2 includes a linear guide rail, which is used to support and guide the vertical movement of the valve body 12 and the fixing device 1 to ensure smooth movement without deviation. The fixing screw 3 is used to quickly lock the valve body 12 and the fixing device 1 after calibration to fix their position; The tray module 7 is used to support the product to be processed or the calibration block and is fixed on the three-axis motion platform. During calibration, a long strip calibration block 6 or a single valve calibration block 8 can be placed to calibrate the height of the needle 9. The tray module 7 is placed on the three-axis platform of the machine tool and positioned by a locating pin.

[0030] The sealing module 4 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper chamber plate 5 of the vacuum chamber; the valve body 12 is fixed to one side of the fixed back plate 11; one end of the needle 9 is fixed to the end of the output tube on the valve body 12, and the other end of the needle 9 passes through the sealing module 4 and extends from the vacuum chamber toward the support plate module 7; the sealing module 4 is installed outside the vacuum chamber and seals with the upper chamber plate 5 of the vacuum chamber to ensure a sealing effect under high vacuum. The entire vacuum chamber is not shown in the figure, only the upper chamber plate 5 of the vacuum chamber is shown, but this does not affect the specific functional description.

[0031] The long strip calibration block 6 is used to simultaneously calibrate the Z-axis height of multiple needles 9 when changing multiple needles 9; The single-valve calibration block 8 is used to perform Z-axis height calibration on a single needle 9 when changing a single needle 9.

[0032] The valve body 12 and the fixing device 1 are mounted on the linear guide rail of the lifting guide device 2 via the slider 22 assembly, and can slide freely in the Z-axis direction with low motion resistance and high repeatability.

[0033] The elongated calibration block 6 is a rectangular block with a high-precision ground surface on its upper surface. Its flatness is better than ±5μm. It can support the valve body 12 corresponding to multiple needles 9 at the same time, ensuring that all needles 9 are aligned under the same reference.

[0034] The single-valve calibration block 8 is a small block that only covers the calibration area of ​​a single needle 9, which facilitates local operation and avoids interfering with other needles 9 that are working normally.

[0035] Figure 1 The image shows a machine with 12 sets of valves and needles 9. There are 12 sets each of valve body 12, fixing device 1, lifting guide device 2, and sealing module 4; 3 sets of long strip calibration block 6; and 1 set of tray module 7. The number of needles 9 may vary depending on the actual configuration of different machines, but the overall principle remains the same.

[0036] Example 2: The lifting guide device 2 includes a guide plate 21, a slider 22, and an adjustment structure; the bottom of the guide plate 21 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper cavity plate 5 of the vacuum chamber, one side of the slider 22 slides on the linear guide rail on the guide plate 21, and the other side of the slider 22 is fixed to the other side of the fixing back plate 11 of the fixing device 1; the adjustment structure is installed on one side of the slider 22; the adjustment structure is provided with a first support rod 23, a second support rod 24, and a spring 25; one end of the first support rod 23 is fixed to one side of the slider 22, the other end of the first support rod 23 is fixed to one end of the spring 25, the other end of the spring 25 is fixed to one end of the second support rod 24, and the other end of the second support rod 24 is inserted into a preset fixing hole 26 in the guide plate 21; the fixing holes 26 are arranged vertically on the guide plate 21, and the depth of the fixing holes 26 matches the length of the other end of the second support rod 24.

[0037] It should be noted that, in order to accommodate the instability of power changes when the three-axis motion platform lifts the valve body 12, which could cause the fixed back plate 11 of the fixing device 1 to drive the slider 22 out of the working range of the linear guide rail on the guide plate 21 of the lifting guide device 2, an adjustment structure was added between the slider 22 and the guide plate 21. The spring 25 is fixed between the slider 22 and the guide plate 21 at both ends, which reduces the probability of the fixed back plate 11 detaching from the lifting guide device 2 and ensures the stability of the equipment operation.

[0038] Furthermore, multiple holes are provided in the fixing hole 26 and arranged vertically on the guide plate 21 to adjust the tension of the spring 25. When the other end of the second support rod 24 is inserted into the fixing hole 26 away from the first support rod 23, the tension of the spring 25 becomes stronger; conversely, the tension of the spring 25 becomes weaker.

[0039] The present invention also provides a rapid alignment method for multiple valves and multiple needles, including the following two operating modes: Mode 1: Simultaneous alignment of multiple needles (9), typically used when the machine is shut down for a period of time and then restarted, or when the entire set of needles (9) needs to be replaced periodically. The operation method and steps are as follows: Loosen the fixing screw 3 to release the fixing device 1 and put it in a free state; Place the long strip calibration block 6 on the tray module 7. The three-axis motion mechanism drives the long strip calibration block 6 and the tray module 7 to move to the designated calibration XY horizontal position, which allows the needle 9 to be above the long strip calibration block 6.

[0040] The three-axis motion platform is controlled to drive the tray module 7 and the long strip calibration block 6 to rise along the Z-axis until all the needles 9 to be calibrated are simultaneously lifted by the long strip calibration block 6; Tighten the fixing screw 3 to fix the fixing device 1 in the current position, and complete the batch alignment of the multi-needle head 9Z in height.

[0041] Mode 2: Single needle 9 alignment method, typically used in the production process when a single needle 9 malfunctions and needs to be replaced individually. The specific operation method is as follows: Loosen only the fixing screw 3 in the area where the corresponding problem needle 9 is located, so that the corresponding fixing device 1 can be released; Place the single valve calibration block 8 on the tray module 7 and position it precisely below the problematic needle 9; The control three-axis motion platform drives the pallet module 7 and the single valve calibration block 8 to rise until the valve body 12 corresponding to the problematic needle 9 is lifted to the reference height. Tighten the fixing screw 3 to complete the local alignment of the single needle tip 9Z in height.

[0042] Preferably, the method is applicable to various valve body types 12, such as plunger valves, single-component screw valves, two-component screw valves, and two-component dynamic mixing valves, and has good versatility and compatibility.

[0043] See Figure 1 This invention provides a multi-valve, multi-needle 9-speed alignment structure, taking a 12-valve dispensing machine as an example.

[0044] The valve body 12 and the fixing device 1 are mounted on the linear guide rail of the lifting guide device 2 via a slider 22, allowing them to slide freely along the Z-axis. The lifting guide device 2 ensures smooth and stable movement of the valve body 12 without wobbling. The fixing screws 3 are used to tighten the guide rail or fixing plate after calibration, achieving quick locking of the valve body 12 and the fixing device 1. The support plate module 7 is fixed to the three-axis motion platform, used to support the product to be processed or the calibration block, and achieves precise positioning through the locating pins.

[0045] Example 1: Simultaneous alignment of 9 multiple needles: When the equipment needs to be shut down and all 12 needles need to be replaced: Loosen all the hand-tightening fixing screws 3 to free the 12 valve bodies 12 and the fixing device 1; Place the long strip calibration block 6 on the tray module 7, covering the calibration area of ​​all 12 needles 9; The control three-axis motion platform drives the pallet module 7 and the long strip calibration block 6 to rise along the Z-axis, and stops when all valve bodies 12 are synchronously lifted to the same height by the long strip calibration block 6; Tighten all hand-tightening fixing screws 3 to complete the Z-axis height batch alignment of 12 needles 9.

[0046] Example 2: Single needle 9-position alignment: During the production process, needle number 5 (9) needs to be replaced separately due to blockage. Loosen only the fixing screw 3 corresponding to valve body 12 (number 5); Place the single valve calibration block 8 on the tray module 7 and position it precisely below the fifth needle 9; Control the three-axis motion platform to rise, lifting valve body 12 (number 5) to the reference height; Tighten the hand-tightening fixing screw 3 to complete the alignment of the single needle 9 without affecting the normal operation of other needles 9.

[0047] This invention has been successfully applied in the dispensing equipment of a mobile phone production line, reducing needle change and calibration time by 90%, needle wear by 80%, and increasing the overall line UPH by 5%, achieving significant technical and economic benefits.

[0048] It should be noted that the above-mentioned technical features can be combined with each other to form various embodiments not listed above, all of which are considered to be within the scope of this invention specification; and, for those skilled in the art, improvements or modifications can be made based on the above description, and all such improvements and modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure, comprising a vacuum chamber, wherein the vacuum chamber is fixed on a support; characterized in that: include: The system includes a lifting guide device, a tray module, and a calibration block; the upper surface of the upper cavity plate of the vacuum chamber is fixed to the bottom of the lifting guide device; a needle replacement area is formed between the lower surface of the lower cavity plate of the vacuum chamber and the upper surface of the tray module; the lower surface of the tray module is fixed to the moving end of the three-axis motion platform. A calibration block is placed in the needle replacement area to perform Z-axis height calibration of the needle when replacing it. The lifting guide device is fixed to the fixing device and is used to support and guide the vertical movement of the fixing device. The locking component includes a locking bracket and a fixing screw; the locking bracket is fixed to the upper surface of the upper cavity plate, and the fixing screw passes through the through hole of the locking bracket and is pressed against the fitting structure.

2. The multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that; The fitting structure is the output pipe of the valve body; the fixing screw passes through the through hole and presses against the pipe wall of the output pipe.

3. The multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that; The sealing module is fixed to the upper surface of the upper cavity plate of the vacuum chamber; the valve body is fixed to one side of the fixed back plate; one end of the needle is fixed to the end of the output tube on the valve body, and the other end of the needle extends through the sealing module and the vacuum chamber toward the support plate module.

4. The multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that; The lifting guide device includes a guide plate, a slider, and an adjustment structure; the bottom of the guide plate is fixed to the upper surface of the upper cavity plate of the vacuum cavity, one side of the slider slides on a linear guide rail on the guide plate, and the other side of the slider is fixed to the other side of the fixing back plate of the fixing device; the adjustment structure is installed on one side of the slider.

5. The multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure according to claim 4, characterized in that; The adjustment structure includes a first support rod, a second support rod, and a spring; one end of the first support rod is fixed to one side of the slider, the other end of the first support rod is fixed to one end of the spring, the other end of the spring is fixed to one end of the second support rod, and the other end of the second support rod is inserted into a pre-set fixing hole in the guide plate.

6. The multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure according to claim 5, characterized in that; The fixing holes are arranged vertically on the guide plate, and the depth of the fixing holes matches the length of the other end of the second support rod.

7. The multi-valve, multi-needle rapid alignment structure according to claim 1, characterized in that; The calibration block is either a long strip calibration block or a single valve calibration block. Long strip calibration block: used to simultaneously calibrate the Z-axis height of multiple needles when changing multiple needles; the long strip calibration block is a rectangular block with a high-precision ground surface on its upper surface, with a flatness better than ±5μm, which can simultaneously support the valve body corresponding to multiple needles, ensuring that all needles are aligned under the same reference; Single-valve calibration block: used to perform Z-axis height calibration of a single needle when replacing a single needle; the single-valve calibration block is a small block that only covers the calibration area of ​​a single needle, which facilitates local operation and avoids interfering with other needles that are working normally.

8. A rapid alignment and calibration method for multiple valves and multiple needles, characterized in that; This includes calibration modes for single needle replacement and calibration modes for multiple needle replacements. Calibration mode for single needle replacement: Tighten the fixing screw by hand to disengage it from the corresponding mating structure; Place the single valve calibration block on the tray module and position it below the corresponding needle; The three-axis motion platform is controlled to rise, and the valve body is lifted to the reference height by a single valve calibration block; Tighten the hand-tightening fixing screw to complete the single needle alignment calibration.

9. The rapid alignment and calibration method for multiple valves and multiple needles according to claim 8, characterized in that; Calibration mode with multiple needle replacements; When multiple needles need to be replaced after the equipment is shut down: Loosen all fixing screws to disengage them from the corresponding mating structure, thus freeing the fixing device. Place the long calibration block on the tray module, covering the calibration area of ​​all needles; The control three-axis motion platform drives the pallet module and the long strip calibration block to rise along the Z-axis, and stops when all valve bodies are synchronously lifted to the same height by the long strip calibration block. Tighten all hand-tightening fixing screws to complete the batch alignment of all needles in the Z-axis height.

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