An integrated tube blank sealing and piercing device for hot gas expansion forming

Abstract

The application provides an integrated pipe blank sealing and punching device for hot gas expansion forming, which is characterized by the following: the heating, sealing and punching links of the device are comprehensively improved in view of the problems of poor pipe blank heating uniformity and serious raw material waste in the prior art, the length of the reserved waste area and the raw material waste can be effectively reduced, the production cost can be greatly reduced while the quality of subsequent hot gas expansion forming is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of hot gas expansion forming technology for metal pipe fittings, and specifically relates to an integrated tube blank sealing punching device for hot gas expansion forming. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in the hot gas expansion forming process of metal tube blanks, punching operations are required at both ends of the tube blank. The resulting positioning holes can meet the positioning needs of subsequent processes. Specifically, the tube blank is first rapidly heated using methods such as contact resistance heating. Then, positioning holes are machined using a punch in the pre-reserved scrap area at both ends of the tube blank, closer to the middle section of the tube blank than the sealing pusher. However, resistance heating often results in excessively high temperatures in the middle area of ​​the tube blank and low temperatures at both ends, affecting the material's plastic deformation properties and subsequent forming quality. Due to the lower end temperature, greater punching force is often required during punching, making burrs and localized dents more likely to occur. Because the pre-reserved scrap area itself has limited structural strength and lacks internal support, the impact force can cause large-scale tube wall dents and deformations. Therefore, the scrap area must be of sufficient length to avoid damage to the effective tube section ends, which would affect the bulging quality. Furthermore, if the scrap material falling after punching enters the effective tube section due to failure to clean it up in time, it will result in wasted time and the scrapping of the entire tube blank. These issues have led to higher production costs for hot gas expansion fittings. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, and in response to the technical problems existing in this field, the present invention provides an integrated tube blank sealing punching device for hot gas expansion forming, including a furnace heating system, a hot gas expansion mold, a pusher and a punch;

[0004] The furnace heating system has a heat source and a heating furnace cavity, which is used to uniformly heat the tube blank to be processed placed in the heating furnace cavity;

[0005] The hot gas expansion die has a die cavity for accommodating the tube blank to be processed; the pusher is set on the hot gas expansion die at both ends of the tube blank to be processed, and is used to push into the reserved scrap area at both ends of the tube blank to seal the inner cavity of the tube blank; when performing the punching operation, the pusher also acts as a rigid support for the core mold inside the reserved scrap area, and the pusher has a scrap cavity inside for accommodating the scrap material that falls off during punching; the punch is set on the hot gas expansion die on the sides of both ends of the die cavity, and is used to perform the punching operation on the reserved scrap area.

[0006] Furthermore, the pusher head is equipped with a waste discharge component, which is used to discharge the punching waste from the waste chamber of the pusher head after the hot gas expansion process ends and the pusher head withdraws from the end of the tube blank.

[0007] Furthermore, the waste discharge component specifically adopts a spring assembly ejection method, which can be compressed when the pusher head is pushed into the reserved waste area, and is instantly released to eject the punching waste when the pusher head is withdrawn.

[0008] Furthermore, the heat source of the furnace heating system specifically adopts resistance heating wire or induction heating coil.

[0009] Furthermore, the furnace heating system is integrated with the hot gas expansion mold, and the mold cavity is also used as a heating furnace cavity.

[0010] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method for sealing and punching tube blanks for hot gas expansion forming, specifically including the following steps:

[0011] Step 1: Use a furnace heating system to uniformly heat the tube blank to be processed;

[0012] Step 2: Place the heated tube blank into the cavity of the hot air expansion mold, and push the pusher into both ends of the tube blank and seal it;

[0013] Step 3: Use a punch to punch holes in the reserved scrap areas at both ends of the tube blank. During the process, the pusher also acts as a rigid support for the core mold inside the reserved scrap area. The punching scrap falls into the scrap cavity inside the pusher.

[0014] Step 4: After the hot expansion process is completed, the pusher head is withdrawn to release the seal, and the punching waste material in the waste material chamber is discharged at the same time.

[0015] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a hot gas expansion forming process apparatus, which includes the above-mentioned integrated tube blank sealing punching device for hot gas expansion forming.

[0016] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a hot gas expansion forming process, which includes the above-mentioned tube blank sealing punching method for hot gas expansion forming.

[0017] The integrated tube blank sealing and punching device for hot gas expansion forming provided by the present invention addresses the problems of poor uniformity of tube blank heating and serious waste of raw materials in the prior art. It has made comprehensive improvements to the heating, sealing and punching process of the equipment, which can effectively reduce the length of the reserved waste area and the waste of raw materials. While ensuring the quality of subsequent hot gas expansion forming, it can significantly reduce production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sealing and processing methods in the hot gas expansion process.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the existing tube blank end punching and sealing methods;

[0020] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the punching and sealing structure of the device provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solution of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. 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.

[0022] Figure 1 This illustrates the molds and sealing methods used in conventional hot air expansion processes. Figure 2 The existing technology uses a punch and pusher assembly at the end of the tube blank. It can be seen that the reserved scrap area corresponding to the punching position is in a suspended state. Due to the lack of good structural support, obvious local depressions and large-scale tube wall deformation will occur after punching. Therefore, the existing technology needs to reserve a considerable length of scrap area to avoid the impact of punching operation on the effective tube section corresponding to the product, resulting in serious waste of raw materials.

[0023] The integrated tube blank sealing punching device for hot gas expansion forming provided by this invention, such as... Figure 3 As shown, it includes a furnace heating system, a hot gas expansion mold, a pusher, and a punch;

[0024] The furnace heating system has a heat source and a heating furnace cavity, which is used to uniformly heat the tube blank to be processed placed in the heating furnace cavity;

[0025] The hot gas expansion mold has a mold cavity for accommodating the tube blank to be processed; pushers are positioned on the hot gas expansion mold at both ends of the tube blank to push it into the reserved scrap areas at both ends of the tube blank to seal the inner cavity of the tube blank; during the punching operation, the pushers also act as a rigid support for the core mold inside the reserved scrap areas, and the pushers have a scrap cavity inside to accommodate the scrap material falling out during punching; punches are positioned on the hot gas expansion mold on the sides at both ends of the mold cavity to perform punching operations on the reserved scrap areas. By integrating the tube blank sealing and punching core mold functions into the pusher in the above device, this application can effectively eliminate local depressions, burrs, and tube wall deformation caused by punching, which is beneficial to the tube blank positioning accuracy and the final hot gas expansion forming accuracy and quality.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pusher head is provided with a waste discharge assembly for discharging punching waste from the waste chamber of the pusher head after the pusher head withdraws from the end of the tube blank at the end of the hot gas expansion process.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the waste discharge assembly specifically employs a spring-loaded ejection method. It is compressed when the pusher is inserted into the reserved waste area and instantly released when the pusher retracts, ejecting the punching waste. Alternatively, a simpler discharge method can be used, where the pusher rotates out to allow the punching waste to fall out of the waste chamber. Regardless of the method, the present invention automates the discharge of punching waste and the cleaning of the blank to be processed, thereby significantly improving batch production efficiency.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the heat source of the furnace heating system is specifically a resistance heating wire or an induction heating coil.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the furnace heating system and the hot gas expansion mold are integrated into one unit, and the mold cavity is also used as a heating furnace cavity.

[0030] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method for sealing and punching tube blanks for hot gas expansion forming, specifically including the following steps:

[0031] Step 1: Use a furnace heating system to uniformly heat the tube blank to be processed;

[0032] Step 2: Place the heated tube blank into the cavity of the hot air expansion mold, and push the pusher into both ends of the tube blank and seal it;

[0033] Step 3: Use a punch to punch holes in the reserved scrap areas at both ends of the tube blank. During the process, the pusher also acts as a rigid support for the core mold inside the reserved scrap area. The punching scrap falls into the scrap cavity inside the pusher.

[0034] Step 4: After the hot expansion process is completed, the pusher head is withdrawn to release the seal, and the punching waste material in the waste material chamber is discharged at the same time.

[0035] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a hot gas expansion forming process apparatus, which includes the above-mentioned integrated tube blank sealing punching device for hot gas expansion forming.

[0036] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a hot gas expansion forming process, which includes the above-mentioned tube blank sealing punching method for hot gas expansion forming.

[0037] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for 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 the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] 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 can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0039] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the embodiments of the present invention does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An integrated tube blank sealing punching device for hot gas expansion forming, characterized in that: This includes a furnace heating system, hot gas expansion molds, pushers, and punches; The furnace heating system has a heat source and a heating furnace cavity, which is used to uniformly heat the tube blank to be processed placed in the heating furnace cavity; The hot gas expansion mold has a mold cavity to accommodate the tube blank to be processed; the furnace heating system is integrated with the hot gas expansion mold, and the mold cavity is also used as a heating furnace cavity; The pusher head is positioned at both ends of the tube blank to be processed on the hot air expansion mold. It is used to push the tube blank into the reserved scrap area at both ends to seal the inner cavity of the tube blank. During the punching operation, the pusher head also acts as a rigid support for the core mold inside the reserved scrap area. The pusher head has a scrap cavity for accommodating the scrap material that falls during punching. The pusher head is equipped with a scrap discharge component, which is used to discharge the punching scrap material from the scrap cavity of the pusher head after the hot air expansion process ends and the pusher head is withdrawn from the end of the tube blank. The scrap discharge component adopts a spring assembly ejection method. It can be compressed when the pusher head is pushed into the reserved scrap area and is released instantaneously when the pusher head is withdrawn to eject the punching scrap material. The punch head is positioned on the sides of both ends of the mold cavity on the hot air expansion mold and is used to perform punching operations on the reserved scrap area.

2. The integrated tube blank sealing punching device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The heat source for the furnace heating system is either a resistance heating wire or an induction heating coil.

3. A method for sealing and punching tube blanks for hot gas expansion forming, characterized in that: This is achieved using the integrated tube blank sealing punching device as described in claim 1 or 2, and the method specifically includes the following steps: Step 1: Use a furnace heating system to uniformly heat the tube blank to be processed; Step 2: Place the heated tube blank into the cavity of the hot air expansion mold, and push the pusher into both ends of the tube blank and seal it; Step 3: Use a punch to punch holes in the reserved scrap areas at both ends of the tube blank. During the process, the pusher also acts as a rigid support for the core mold inside the reserved scrap area. The punching scrap falls into the scrap cavity inside the pusher. Step 4: After the hot expansion process is completed, the pusher head is withdrawn to release the seal, and the punching waste material in the waste material chamber is discharged at the same time.

4. A hot gas expansion forming process equipment, characterized in that: The device includes an integrated tube blank sealing punching device for hot gas expansion forming as described in claim 1 or 2.

5. A hot gas expansion forming process, characterized in that: The method includes the tube blank sealing punching method for hot gas expansion forming as described in claim 3.

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