Hanging jig, manufacturing method and automatic hanging system

Abstract

The invention discloses a hanging jig, a manufacturing method and an automatic hanging system, and relates to the technical field of electroplating product hanging equipment, and the hanging jig comprises a jig main body and a plurality of hanging needles; the hanging needle is integrally formed on the jig main body, has a tip shape and is used for being inserted into a hanging hole position of an electroplated product; wherein the jig main body and the plurality of hanging needles on the jig main body are manufactured by a metal plate through a cutting process. As all the structural characteristics are simultaneously formed based on the same digital model in the same processing procedure, accumulative errors caused by respective processing and reassembling of a plurality of parts are fundamentally eliminated, so that the electroplating product can be automatically and quickly mounted, and the production efficiency is improved. Therefore, the production efficiency is improved, the cost is reduced, and the product quality consistency is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electroplating product hanging equipment, and in particular to a hanging fixture, manufacturing method and automatic hanging system. Background Technology

[0002] In the electroplating process, electroplated products need to be suspended on racks for plating. Traditional hanging methods rely entirely on manual operation: the operator holds the hanging pin with their right hand, pulls it open, and simultaneously holds the electroplated product in their left hand, visually aligning the pin with the hanging hole on the product. Then, the operator releases the pin, allowing it to insert into the hole. This manual hanging method is inefficient, labor-intensive, and cannot meet the demands of large-scale production. Furthermore, manual alignment is susceptible to fatigue and subjective factors, resulting in poor product quality consistency.

[0003] To overcome the shortcomings of manual hanging, the field has attempted to use automated equipment for hanging. However, existing automated hanging fixtures are often complex in structure, expensive, and lack sufficient relative positional accuracy of the hanging pins. For example, some fixtures use separate hanging pins or mechanical assembly methods, but the relative positional error between the hanging pins is large, leading to difficulty in alignment and low reliability during automated hanging. Therefore, there is an urgent need in the field for a hanging fixture with a simple structure, low cost, and high pin positional accuracy to achieve efficient and stable automated hanging of electroplated products. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hanging fixture, a manufacturing method, and an automatic hanging system to solve the problems existing in the prior art, and to help realize the automatic and rapid hanging of electroplated products, thereby improving production efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring product quality consistency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following solution: This invention provides a hanging fixture, comprising: a fixture body and a plurality of hanging pins; the hanging pins are integrally formed on the fixture body and have a pointed shape for insertion into the hanging holes of electroplated products; wherein, the fixture body and the plurality of hanging pins thereon are made from a single metal sheet by a cutting process.

[0006] Preferably, the cutting process is laser cutting.

[0007] Preferably, the plurality of hanging pins are divided into multiple groups of hanging pins; each group of hanging pins has two hanging pins, the two hanging pins are arranged opposite each other and the gap between them is smaller than the size of the hanging hole of the electroplated product, and the clamping force is provided by the elastic deformation of the metal plate itself to clamp the electroplated product.

[0008] Preferably, the fixture body is provided with multiple pin holes, each pin hole corresponding to a pin, for opening the pin by inserting a pin through an automated device and applying force.

[0009] Preferably, the fixture body is further provided with at least two positioning holes for cooperating with the positioning mechanism of the automated equipment to position the upper fixture.

[0010] Preferably, the metal sheet is stainless steel with a thickness of 0.4 mm.

[0011] Preferably, the number of hanging pins is 10 to 12.

[0012] Preferably, the pin hole is located at the root of the pin and is used to open the pin by applying radial force through a pin to cause elastic deformation.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the hanging fixture as described above, wherein the fixture body and multiple hanging pins are manufactured from a metal plate by a cutting process.

[0014] The present invention also provides an automatic hanging system for electroplated products, including automated equipment and the hanging fixture as described above.

[0015] The present invention achieves the following technical effects compared to the prior art: This invention, through the technical means of "one-piece metal sheet" and "integrated forming of the cutting process," directly brings several key beneficial effects: First, since all structural features (including the relative positions of the hanging pins, hanging pin holes, and positioning holes) are formed simultaneously in the same processing step based on the same digital model (such as CAD drawings), the cumulative errors caused by processing and reassembling multiple parts separately are fundamentally eliminated. Therefore, the relative positional accuracy between the hanging pins depends only on the positioning accuracy of the cutting equipment (such as laser cutting equipment), and the accuracy of modern laser cutting machines can reach the micrometer level, which ensures that the spacing and position of all hanging pins have extremely high consistency and accuracy. This extremely high positional accuracy allows the robotic arm of the automated equipment to accurately align with the hanging pins with the same path and posture during each hanging operation, thereby solving the technical problems of difficult alignment and low reliability of automated hanging caused by hanging pin position deviations in the prior art, laying a solid foundation for achieving stable and efficient automated hanging. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the hanging fixture provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the hanging fixture with the product attached, provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 The front view; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a set of hanging pins after one of the hanging pins is opened under the action of external force. In the diagram: 1- Fixture body; 2- Hanging pin; 3- Hanging pin hole; 4- Positioning hole; 5- Extension rod; 100- Product. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hanging fixture, a manufacturing method, and an automatic hanging system to solve the problems existing in the prior art, and to help realize the automatic and rapid hanging of electroplated products, thereby improving production efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring product quality consistency.

[0020] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0021] The following is combined Figures 1 to 4 The following describes embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] Example 1 The present invention provides a hanging fixture, comprising: a fixture body 1 and a plurality of hanging pins 2; the hanging pins 2 are integrally formed on the fixture body 1, and the hanging pins 2 have a pointed shape for inserting into the hanging hole of the electroplated product; wherein, the fixture body 1 and the plurality of hanging pins 2 thereon are made from a metal plate by a cutting process.

[0023] This invention, through the technical means of "one-piece metal sheet" and "integrated forming of the cutting process," directly brings several key beneficial effects: First, since all structural features (including the relative positions of the hanging pins 2, the hanging pin holes 3, and the positioning holes 4) are formed simultaneously in the same processing step based on the same digital model (such as CAD drawings), the cumulative errors caused by the separate processing and reassembly of multiple parts are fundamentally eliminated. Therefore, the relative positional accuracy between each hanging pin 2 depends only on the positioning accuracy of the cutting equipment (such as laser cutting equipment), and the accuracy of modern laser cutting machines can reach the micrometer level, which ensures that the spacing and position of all hanging pins 2 have extremely high consistency and accuracy. This extremely high positional accuracy allows the robotic arm of the automated equipment to accurately align with the hanging pins 2 with the same path and posture during each hanging operation, thereby solving the technical problems of difficult alignment and low reliability of automated hanging caused by the positional deviation of the hanging pins 2 in the prior art, laying a solid foundation for achieving stable and efficient automated hanging.

[0024] In some embodiments, the cutting process is laser cutting. Laser cutting utilizes a high-energy-density laser beam to non-contactly melt the material, thereby achieving cutting. This characteristic brings multiple advantages: non-contact processing avoids mechanical stress, preventing deformation of thin materials (e.g., 0.4mm) during processing and ensuring the flatness of the fixture; the small laser beam spot and narrow kerf enable the processing of complex-shaped, finely detailed pin tips 2 and tiny pin holes 3, which is crucial for achieving precise insertion and automated opening and closing; simultaneously, laser cutting is fast and requires no mold, making it particularly suitable for scenarios like this one, where the structure is relatively uniform but the fixture design may need frequent changes depending on the product model, achieving highly efficient and low-cost flexible production.

[0025] While laser cutting is the preferred option, in some cases where cost is more critical or material thickness varies, fine stamping dies can be used for mass production, or wire cutting can be used during the prototyping stage.

[0026] In some embodiments, the multiple hanging pins 2 are divided into multiple groups of hanging pins 2; each group of hanging pins 2 has two hanging pins 2, the two hanging pins 2 are arranged opposite each other and the gap between them is smaller than the size of the hanging hole of the electroplated product, and the clamping force is provided by the elastic deformation of the metal plate itself to clamp the electroplated product.

[0027] This embodiment cleverly utilizes the elastic mechanical principles of metallic materials through a configuration design of "two hanging pins 2 arranged opposite each other" and "the gap being smaller than the size of the hanging hole". When the hanging hole of the electroplated product is forcibly fitted into the pair of hanging pins 2, the hanging pins 2 will be subjected to radial force from the wall of the hanging hole, forcing them to elastically open outward. Since the hanging pins 2 and the fixture body 1 are integrally formed, this opening force will cause slight elastic deformation at the base of the hanging pins 2 and the connected plate area. According to Hooke's Law, within the elastic limit, the material will generate a restoring force that attempts to return to its original shape. This restoring force manifests as the clamping force of the pair of hanging pins 2 continuously and uniformly clamping the electroplated product inward. This adaptive elastic clamping scheme requires no additional springs or clamping components, has an extremely simple structure, yet can provide a stable and reliable clamping force for products 100 with different dimensional tolerances, while avoiding surface damage to the product 100 that may be caused by rigid clamping.

[0028] The clamping mechanism is not limited to a pair of hanging pins 2. In another alternative, three hanging pins 2 arranged in an equilateral triangle can be used to clamp a circular hanging hole, or a flexible C-ring structure can be used to surround and clamp the product 100.

[0029] In some embodiments, the fixture body 1 has multiple pin holes 3, each corresponding to a pin 2, for insertion and force application by a pin of an automated device to open the pin 2. The design of the pin holes 3 is key to achieving automated operation. During automatic hanging, the pin of the automated device can be precisely inserted into these pin holes 3. By driving the pin in a specific direction (e.g., outward) through the control system, the pin applies a force to the sidewall of the pin hole 3. This force creates a torque, forcing the pin 2 to undergo a controllable and larger elastic deformation around its root where it connects to the fixture body 1, thereby achieving the "open" state. This process is purely mechanical, reliable, and has high repeatability. The presence of the pin holes 3 efficiently and reliably converts the linearly driven force of the automated device into the required rotational or opening motion of the pin 2, making the entire opening and closing action precise and controllable, and creating the necessary space for the robot to place the product.

[0030] In some embodiments, the fixture body 1 is further provided with at least two positioning holes 4 for cooperating with the positioning mechanism of the automated equipment to position the upper fixture.

[0031] On high-speed automated production lines, the fixture itself needs to be positioned quickly and accurately. The positioning hole 4 in this embodiment can cooperate with the positioning pins (positioning mechanisms) on the automated conveyor line or the hanging station. Through a "one-face, two-pin" or similar principle, the positioning hole 4 ensures that each time the fixture is transported to the hanging station, its spatial position (including X, Y coordinates and rotation angle) in the entire coordinate system is fixed and unique. This eliminates any slight displacement or deflection of the fixture within the clamp, thereby ensuring that all actuators of the automated equipment (such as the robotic arm and the pins of the hanging pin 2) can achieve precise alignment with the hanging pin 2 and hanging pin hole 3 on the fixture every time, fundamentally guaranteeing the consistency and success rate of the entire automated hanging process.

[0032] The positioning method is not limited to a circular hole. The positioning feature can also be designed as a V-groove that mates with a cylindrical pin, or a rectangular contour notch that mates with a corresponding positioning block. Any method that can achieve the purpose of restricting degrees of freedom and precise positioning is acceptable.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a positioning pin and a positioning hole 4 are used to position the fixture body 1, and a pin is used to cooperate with the hanging pin hole 3 to open the hanging pin 2. Because the pin structure has good positioning accuracy, the positions of the fixture body 1 and the hanging pin 2 are more precise during implementation, and it is beneficial to accurately control the opening range of the hanging pin 2. This further facilitates automated hanging.

[0034] In some embodiments, the metal sheet is stainless steel with a thickness of 0.4 mm.

[0035] Electroplating production lines operate in harsh environments, involving prolonged contact with chemicals such as acids, alkalis, and salts. This embodiment selects stainless steel (such as commonly used 304 or 316 stainless steel) as the fixture material primarily due to its excellent corrosion resistance. This ensures that the fixture will not rapidly rust, corrode, or degrade under long-term chemical corrosion and potential physical wear, thus guaranteeing a long service life and consistent dimensional stability. Furthermore, stainless steel possesses excellent elastic modulus and fatigue strength, enabling it to withstand the repeated, high-frequency opening and rebound of the hanging pins 2 during automated production. This avoids the problem of rapid weakening of clamping force or breakage of the hanging pins 2 due to metal fatigue, meeting the stringent durability requirements of large-scale industrial production.

[0036] Depending on the specific composition of the electroplating solution and cost considerations, more corrosion-resistant materials such as titanium alloys and nickel-based alloys can also be selected, or spring steel with a corrosion-resistant coating (such as polytetrafluoroethylene) can be used.

[0037] In some embodiments, the number of mounting pins 2 is 10 to 12. This range is set based on a comprehensive consideration of "production efficiency" and "fixture rigidity and size". On the one hand, the more mounting positions integrated on a fixture, the more products can be processed in a single operation, and the higher the theoretical production efficiency. However, on the other hand, if the number of mounting positions is too large (e.g., more than 15), the size of a single fixture will be too large. Under the same material thickness, the overall rigidity of a large-sized fixture body 1 will decrease, and it will be more prone to twisting and deformation when handled and subjected to external forces. This deformation will directly destroy the relative positional accuracy of all mounting pins 2, resulting in automated mounting failure. At the same time, an excessively large fixture is also not convenient for transmission and positioning on an automated production line. Therefore, the design of 10 to 12 mounting positions is an optimal solution to maximize the single mounting efficiency without affecting the overall structural stability and positional accuracy of the fixture, and is very suitable for the station layout and cycle time requirements of current mainstream electroplating production lines.

[0038] The specific number of mounting positions can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual size of the product and the layout of the production line. For example, for micro products, a fixture that can accommodate 20 mounting positions can be designed; for large products, a fixture that can accommodate only 4-6 mounting positions can be designed.

[0039] In some embodiments, the pin hole 3 is located at the root of the pin 2, that is, at the end of the pin 2 with a larger cross-sectional area, and is used to open the pin 2 by applying radial force through the pin to cause the pin 2 to elastically deform.

[0040] In some embodiments, one side of the fixture body 1 is integrally constructed with multiple sets of extension rods 5. Each set of extension rods 5 includes two oppositely arranged extension rods 5. Each set of extension rods 5 corresponds to a set of hanging pins 2, and the two hanging pins 2 in each set of hanging pins 2 are respectively fixed on the side of the set of extension rods 5 that are close to each other. Figure 1 As shown. In addition, the width of the extension rod 5 gradually narrows along the direction away from the fixture body 1, while the width of the end away from the fixture body 1, that is, the end connected to the hanging pin 2, becomes larger, and a hanging pin hole 3 is opened in the part where the width increases.

[0041] The purpose of gradually narrowing the width of the extension rod 5 along the direction away from the main body 1 is to improve the deformability of the extension rod 5, enabling it to deform according to a specific posture, such as... Figure 4 As shown.

[0042] In some embodiments, in order to reduce the consumption of electroplating chemicals, except for the needle tip of the fixture and the two ends of the entire fixture, other parts need to be coated with rubber. The two ends are exposed to be connected to electricity, and the needle tip is exposed to make electrical contact with the product 100 so that the product 100 becomes charged.

[0043] Example 2 The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the upper hanging fixture in Embodiment 1, wherein the fixture body 1 and a plurality of hanging pins 2 are manufactured on a metal plate by a cutting process.

[0044] This manufacturing method achieves decisive benefits through the key technology of "one-time overall processing." Traditional jigs may require the separate manufacture of jig body 1, hanging pins 2, etc., followed by assembly. The assembly process inevitably introduces assembly errors, leading to a decrease in the final relative positional accuracy of each hanging pin 2. This method completely eliminates the "assembly" step. All functional structures (jag body 1, hanging pins 2, hanging pin holes 3, positioning holes 4) are simultaneously cut and shaped on the same processing equipment, based on the same digital coordinate system, in a single clamping and positioning operation. This means that the relative positional relationship between all structural elements is directly guaranteed by the positioning accuracy of the processing equipment (such as a laser cutting machine), rather than relying on the assembly skills of the workers. Since the positioning accuracy of high-precision CNC machine tools is far higher than that of manual assembly, this method fundamentally eliminates accumulated assembly errors, ensuring that the position of each hanging pin 2 and the correspondence between each hanging pin hole 3 and hanging pin 2 in the final product have extremely high consistency and accuracy. This is the cornerstone of the reliable automatic hanging capability of this invention. Furthermore, this method has extremely simple procedures, requires no assembly, significantly improves production efficiency, and reduces manufacturing costs.

[0045] There are several ways to achieve the "one-time integrated processing". The preferred method is CNC laser cutting because it combines high precision and high efficiency. However, in specific situations, CNC wire cutting or fine blanking dies, which can also achieve integrated processing, can also be used. When using fine blanking dies for mass production, although the dies need to be manufactured, once the dies are completed, the production efficiency is extremely high, and it can also achieve integrated molding without assembly, ensuring product precision and consistency.

[0046] Example 3 The present invention also provides an automatic hanging system for electroplated products, including automated equipment and the hanging fixture in Embodiment 1.

[0047] This embodiment integrates a high-precision mounting fixture with automated equipment into a complete system, generating a synergistic effect of "1+1>2". The high-precision integrated fixture ensures the positional reference of the mounting end, while the automated equipment provides stable, fast, and tireless execution capabilities. The combination of the two ultimately liberates manual labor from heavy, repetitive tasks with occupational health risks (exposure to chemicals). This system can work continuously at a speed far exceeding that of manual labor (e.g., mounting several products per second), unaffected by working hours, ambient light, or operator condition. This significantly improves production efficiency and reduces overall labor and management costs while ensuring extremely high product yield (close to 100%).

[0048] The automated equipment of this system can be implemented in various forms, such as a six-axis articulated robot or a simpler three-axis Cartesian coordinate robot; the drive source of the opening pin 2 can be electric, pneumatic or hydraulic.

[0049] Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

Claims

1. A hanging fixture, characterized by: Comprising: a jig body; a plurality of hanging needles integrally formed on the jig body, the hanging needles having a sharp head shape for insertion into a hanging hole of an electroplated product; wherein the jig body and the plurality of hanging needles thereon are made of a metal plate material through a cutting process.

2. The overhanging test fixture of claim 1, wherein: The cutting process is a laser cutting process.

3. The overhanging test fixture of claim 1, wherein: The plurality of hanging needles are divided into multiple groups; each group of hanging needles has two hanging needles, the two hanging needles are oppositely arranged and the gap between them is smaller than the size of the hanging hole of the electroplated product, and the elastic deformation of the metal plate material itself provides a clamping force to clamp the electroplated product.

4. The overhanging test fixture of claim 3, wherein: The jig body is provided with a plurality of hanging needle holes, each corresponding to a hanging needle, for insertion and application of force by a pin of an automatic equipment to open the hanging needle.

5. The overhanging handle according to claim 1, wherein: The jig body is also provided with at least two positioning holes for cooperation with a positioning mechanism of an automatic equipment to position the hanging jig.

6. The overhanging handle according to claim 1, wherein: The metal plate material is stainless steel with a thickness of 0.4mm.

7. The overhanging handle according to claim 1, wherein The number of hanging needles is 10 to 12.

8. The overhanging handle according to claim 4, wherein The hanging needle holes are located at the root of the hanging needles, for applying radial force by the pin to elastically deform the hanging needles to open them.

9. A method of manufacturing the hanging jig according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by, A metal plate material is used to make the jig body and the plurality of hanging needles thereon through a cutting process.

10. An automatic hanging system for electroplated products, comprising an automatic equipment and a hanging jig according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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