Rotary clamp and four-axis machining device

Abstract

The invention discloses a rotary clamp and a four-axis machining device. The rotary clamp comprises a bottom plate, connecting flanges vertically arranged at the two ends of the bottom plate, a magnetic attraction positioning mechanism and a pressing positioning mechanism, wherein the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism and the pressing positioning mechanism are arranged on the bottom plate. The magnetic attraction positioning mechanism is arranged in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the connecting flange, and the downward pressing positioning mechanism is arranged on one side of the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism. After a workpiece is attracted and positioned by the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism, the pressing positioning mechanism presses downwards in the direction perpendicular to the bottom plate to clamp the workpiece. According to the rotary clamp, the four-axis machining device can complete multi-face machining through one-time clamping, meanwhile, the adaptability to the size and the shape of a workpiece is good, and the structure is simple.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of machining equipment technology, and in particular to a rotary fixture and a four-axis machining device. Background Technology

[0002] In machining operations, adding rotary axis fixtures to traditional three-axis machine tools creates four-axis machine tools to reduce the number of clamping operations, improve machining accuracy and production efficiency, and expand the machining capabilities of the machine tool. However, existing rotary axis fixtures have poor adaptability to the size or shape of workpieces. When used for machining complex, multi-faceted workpieces such as irregularly shaped parts or parts with multi-angle features, complex positioning fixtures need to be customized, resulting in a complex overall structure.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a rotary fixture with good adaptability to workpieces and a simple structure, and a four-axis machining device equipped with the rotary fixture. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a rotary fixture and a four-axis machining device; the rotary fixture enables the four-axis machining device to complete multi-face machining in one clamping while having good adaptability to the size and shape of the workpiece and a simple structure.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a rotary clamp, characterized in that it includes a base plate, connecting flanges perpendicularly disposed at both ends of the base plate, and a magnetic attraction positioning mechanism and a pressing positioning mechanism disposed on the base plate; the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism is disposed in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the connecting flanges, and the pressing positioning mechanism is disposed on one side of the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism; after the workpiece is attracted and positioned by the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism, the pressing positioning mechanism presses down in a direction perpendicular to the base plate to clamp the workpiece.

[0006] Optionally, the magnetic positioning mechanism includes an electromagnet sheet embedded in the top surface of the base plate and a process block suction cup detachably connected to the top surface of the base plate.

[0007] Optionally, the magnetic positioning mechanism further includes a limiting pin assembly disposed on the base plate and passing through the process block suction cup; the top surface of the process block suction cup forms a positioning surface for directly supporting the workpiece, and the limiting pin assembly includes a limiting pin that is perpendicular to the plane of the base plate and protrudes from the positioning surface, and the limiting pin is at least disposed in the transfer area of ​​the process block suction cup.

[0008] Optionally, the limiting pin is located in the corner area of ​​the process block suction cup; the limiting pin is fixedly connected to the base plate; or, the limiting pin assembly further includes a lifting drive component located on the back of the base plate, the limiting pin is located at the lifting end of the lifting drive component and moves along a direction perpendicular to the base plate under the drive of the lifting drive component.

[0009] Optionally, the pressing and positioning mechanism includes a lifting and rotating drive assembly vertically disposed on the plane of the base plate and a gripper vertically disposed on the drive end of the lifting and rotating drive assembly; when the gripper rotates around the central axis of the lifting and rotating drive assembly to be radially parallel to the connecting flange, the end of the gripper away from the lifting and rotating drive assembly extends to the side area of ​​the process block suction cup.

[0010] Optionally, the gripper includes a gripper body connected to the lifting and rotating drive assembly and a flexible connecting layer disposed on the side of the gripper facing the base plate.

[0011] Optionally, the base plate is offset from the central axis of the connecting flange, and the rotating clamp further includes a connecting block disposed on the connecting flange, with the end of the base plate connected to the connecting block.

[0012] Optionally, the connecting flanges located at both ends of the base plate are coaxially arranged, and each connecting flange has a concentric ring in its central area. A rotating bearing is provided inside the concentric ring, and the concentric rings on the two connecting flanges are coaxially arranged.

[0013] Optionally, the rotary fixture further includes a detection mechanism, which includes a pressure sensor for detecting the clamping force on the workpiece surface of the gripper and a displacement sensor for detecting the displacement of the workpiece; the pressure sensor is installed in the contact area between the gripper and the workpiece, and the displacement sensor is installed on the base plate.

[0014] Secondly, the present invention provides a four-axis machining apparatus, the four-axis machining apparatus including the rotary fixture described above.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention include at least the following: The rotary fixture of the present invention includes a magnetic suction positioning mechanism and a pressing positioning mechanism. When in use, the magnetic suction positioning mechanism magnetically positions the workpiece without the need for a specific positioning fixture. The simple magnetic suction positioning structure can position complex multi-faceted workpieces such as irregularly shaped parts and multi-angle feature parts, so that the four-axis machining device can complete multi-faceted machining in one clamping while having good adaptability to the size and shape of the workpiece and a simple structure. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the first angle of the rotating clamp of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the second angle of the rotating clamp of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is an assembly drawing of the base plate of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the limiting pin assembly of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the downward positioning mechanism of the present invention.

[0021] Among them, 1-base plate, 2-connecting flange, 3-magnetic positioning mechanism, 31-electromagnetic sheet, 32-process block suction cup, 33-limit pin assembly, 331-limit pin, 332-lifting drive component, 333-adapter component, 334-connecting column, 4-pressing positioning mechanism, 41-lifting and rotating drive assembly, 42-gripper, 421-gripper body, 422-flexible connecting layer, 5-connecting block, 6-concentric ring, 7-rotating bearing. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 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.

[0023] When a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component present.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0025] In this invention, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated.

[0026] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a rotating clamp, see [link to previous document]. Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, it includes a base plate 1, connecting flanges 2 perpendicularly disposed at both ends of the base plate 1, and a magnetic positioning mechanism 3 and a pressing positioning mechanism 4 disposed on the base plate 1; the magnetic positioning mechanism 3 is disposed in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the connecting flanges 2, and the pressing positioning mechanism 4 is disposed on one side of the magnetic positioning mechanism 3; after the workpiece is attracted and positioned by the magnetic positioning mechanism 3, the pressing positioning mechanism 4 presses down in a direction perpendicular to the base plate 1 to clamp the workpiece.

[0027] The rotary fixture of this invention includes a magnetic positioning mechanism 3 and a pressing positioning mechanism 4. In use, the magnetic positioning mechanism 3 magnetically positions the workpiece, eliminating the need for specific positioning fixtures. This simple magnetic positioning structure allows for the positioning of complex, multi-faceted workpieces such as irregularly shaped parts and parts with multi-angle features. This enables the four-axis machining device to complete multi-faceted machining in a single setup, while maintaining good adaptability to the size and shape of the workpiece and a simple structure. It should be noted that in this invention, "direction top" refers to the direction facing the workpiece when the rotary fixture has a workpiece on it, and "direction bottom" refers to the direction away from the workpiece when the rotary fixture has a workpiece on it.

[0028] See Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the magnetic positioning mechanism 3 includes an electromagnet 31 embedded in the top surface of the base plate 1 and a process block suction cup 32 detachably connected to the top surface of the base plate 1. In the magnetic positioning mechanism 3 of this invention, the process block suction cup 32 and the electromagnet 31 are designed separately. The process block suction cup 32 forms a magnetically conductive block independent of the electromagnet 31, which can be replaced and adjusted according to the size or shape of the workpiece during use. It supports quick replacement of different clamping modules, is compatible with various workpiece types, and improves the adaptability of the rotary fixture to workpieces. The electromagnet 31 is embedded in the base plate 1, allowing for unified wiring.

[0029] See Figures 1 to 4As shown, the magnetic positioning mechanism 3 further includes a limiting pin assembly 33 disposed on the base plate 1 and passing through the process block suction cup 32; the top surface of the process block suction cup 32 forms a positioning surface for directly supporting the workpiece; the limiting pin assembly 33 includes a limiting pin 331 perpendicular to the plane of the base plate 1 and protruding from the positioning surface; the limiting pin 331 is at least disposed in the transition area of ​​the process block suction cup 32. The limiting pin assembly 33 provides an installation reference for the process block suction cup 32, ensuring the alignment accuracy of the process block suction cup 32 and the electromagnet plate 31, while also limiting the workpiece disposed on the positioning surface, ensuring the positioning accuracy of the workpiece and the precision of processing. Furthermore, the magnetic positioning mechanism 3 also includes a power supply control unit, which is electrically connected to the electromagnet 31. This control unit controls the energization and de-energization of the electromagnet 31, allowing magnetic force to be conducted sequentially through the electromagnet 31 and the process block suction cup 32 to the workpiece, thus achieving electromagnetic adsorption positioning of the workpiece. When energized, the workpiece is magnetically adsorbed and positioned; when de-energized, the workpiece can be unloaded.

[0030] Optionally, the number of electromagnet plates 31 is at least one, and the electromagnet plates 31 are arranged longitudinally along the base plate 1. The flatness of the positioning surface is ≤0.02mm; the surface roughness is Ra≤1.6μm.

[0031] The limiting pin 331 is located in the corner area of ​​the process block suction cup 32; the limiting pin 331 is fixedly connected to the base plate 1; or, the limiting pin assembly 33 further includes a lifting drive component 332 located on the back of the base plate 1, the limiting pin 331 is located at the lifting end of the lifting drive component 332 and moves along a direction perpendicular to the base plate 1 under the drive of the lifting drive component 332. The setting of the lifting drive component 332 enables the limiting pin 331 to be adjusted according to needs, improving the adjustability of the limiting pin assembly 33; the lifting and moving of the limiting pin 331 can also be adapted to workpieces of different heights and sizes, improving the limiting stability of the workpiece. In some specific embodiments, the limiting pins 331 located at the same end of the process block suction cup 32 are driven by the same lifting drive component 332. The limiting pin assembly 33 further includes an adapter 333 located at the driving end of the lifting drive component 332. The limiting pins 331 are mounted on the adapter 333 and driven by the lifting drive component 332. The telescopic end of the lifting drive component 332 faces the bottom surface of the base plate 1, and the lifting drive component 332 is connected to the bottom surface of the base plate 1 via a connecting post 334. In use, the lifting drive component 332 drives the adapter 333 to move closer to or away from the bottom surface of the base plate 1, causing the limiting pins 331 to move in a direction perpendicular to the base plate 1, thereby limiting the process block suction cup 32 and / or the workpiece, or unloading the workpiece and / or the process block suction cup 32. Pressure fluctuations during processing are ≤±5N, indicating clamping force stability.

[0032] In use, the limiting pin assembly 33 can perform preliminary positioning of the workpiece. After the workpiece is initially positioned on the positioning surface, the magnetic positioning mechanism 3 magnetically attracts the workpiece, and the pressing positioning mechanism 4 presses down and clamps the top surface of the workpiece for positioning.

[0033] See Figure 5As shown, the pressing and positioning mechanism 4 includes a lifting and rotating drive assembly 41 perpendicularly disposed on the plane of the base plate 1 and a gripper 42 perpendicularly disposed on the drive end of the lifting and rotating drive assembly 41. When the gripper 42 rotates around the central axis of the lifting and rotating drive assembly 41 to be radially parallel to the connecting flange 2, the end of the gripper 42 away from the lifting and rotating drive assembly 41 extends to the side area of ​​the process block suction cup 32. The length of the gripper 42 is not greater than the width of the process block suction cup 32, where the width refers to the extension length in the radially parallel direction to the connecting flange 2. In use, the gripper 42 can rotate closer to or away from the process block suction cup 32 under the drive of the lifting and rotating drive assembly 41. The gripper 42 can apply force to the workpiece or unload it as needed. It can cooperate with the magnetic suction positioning mechanism 3 to jointly position the workpiece, and can also release the workpiece when processing the area corresponding to the gripper 42, avoiding interference between the gripper 42 and the processing tool. Optionally, the number of the pressing and positioning mechanisms 4 is at least one. The pressing and positioning mechanism 4 can be used to press and position different areas of a single enlarged workpiece. When one of the pressing and positioning mechanisms 4 unloads the workpiece, the remaining pressing and positioning mechanisms 4 can still maintain the positioning of the workpiece. The pressing and positioning mechanism 4 can also be used to position multiple workpieces simultaneously, enabling the processing of multiple workpieces in one operation and improving processing efficiency.

[0034] In some embodiments, the lifting and rotating drive assembly 41 may be a linear rotary motor.

[0035] See Figure 5 As shown, the gripper 42 includes a gripper body 421 connected to the lifting and rotating drive assembly 41 and a flexible connecting layer 422 disposed on the side of the gripper 42 facing the base plate 1. The flexible connecting layer 422 is provided to prevent damage to the surface of the workpiece when the gripper 42 contacts the workpiece. At the same time, the gripper 42 can avoid close contact with the workpiece and adapt to the contour of irregular workpieces, ensuring stable clamping of the workpiece. Optionally, the flexible connecting layer 422 can be made of a high-friction coefficient elastic material such as polyurethane. In some embodiments, the side of the flexible connecting layer 422 facing the base plate 1 forms a contoured surface that matches the surface of the workpiece, so as to ensure stable connection between the gripper 42 and the workpiece, ensure stable clamping of the workpiece by the gripper 42, and improve the stable limiting of the workpiece by the pressing positioning mechanism 4. Optionally, the gripper body 421 is made of 40Cr steel and the surface is nitrided to a hardness of HRC50-55.

[0036] See Figures 1 to 3As shown, the base plate 1 is offset from the central axis of the connecting flange 2, and the rotating clamp also includes a connecting block 5 disposed on the connecting flange 2, with the end of the base plate 1 connected to the connecting block 5.

[0037] The connecting flanges 2 located at both ends of the base plate 1 are coaxially arranged. Each connecting flange 2 has a concentric ring 6 in its central area, and a rotating bearing 7 is installed within each concentric ring 6. The concentric rings 6 on the two connecting flanges 2 are coaxially arranged. The concentric rings 6 limit the axial direction of the rotary fixture when it is mounted on a four-axis machining center, ensuring that when the rotary fixture is connected to one of the A, B, or C axes of the four-axis machining center, it is parallel to the axis of the rotary drive spindle on the A, B, or C axis. This guarantees the coaxiality between the connecting flanges 2 and the rotary drive spindle, ensuring rotational stability and machining accuracy.

[0038] The rotary fixture further includes a detection mechanism, which comprises a pressure sensor for detecting the clamping force on the workpiece surface of the gripper 42, and a displacement sensor for detecting the displacement of the workpiece. The pressure sensor is mounted in the contact area between the gripper 42 and the workpiece, and the displacement sensor is mounted on the base plate 1. In some embodiments, the displacement sensor is a non-contact laser displacement sensor, mounted on the base plate 1, with its detection direction facing the clamped area of ​​the workpiece or the positioning reference surface. By integrating the pressure sensor and the displacement sensor, the clamping force and workpiece displacement are monitored in real time, and the clamping force is dynamically adjusted through closed-loop control to avoid overpressure or loosening.

[0039] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a four-axis machining device, the four-axis machining device including the rotary fixture as described above; the four-axis machining device further includes an A-axis drive module, a B-axis drive module, and a C-axis drive module; the rotary fixture is connected to one of the A-axis drive module, the B-axis drive module, or the C-axis drive module, and rotates under the drive of one of the A-axis drive module, the B-axis drive module, and the C-axis drive module.

[0040] The rotary fixture also includes a control system, which is electrically connected to the rotary fixture, the A-axis drive module, the B-axis drive module, and the C-axis drive module. The control system controls the A-axis drive module, B-axis drive module, and C-axis drive module to respectively execute A-axis driving actions, B-axis driving actions, or C-axis driving actions; or, one of the A-axis drive module, B-axis drive module, or C-axis drive module drives the rotation of the rotary fixture, causing the rotary fixture to rotate according to a preset rotation rhythm and the detection mechanism to perform the detection action on the workpiece. Taking the rotary fixture connected to the A-axis drive module as an example, the coaxiality of the rotary fixture of this invention when mated with the machine tool A-axis connecting flange is ≤0.01mm.

[0041] In some embodiments, the rotary fixture and the four-axis machining device of the present invention are applied to the side plate processing of new energy battery modules, wherein the four-axis machining device is a CNC machining device. The rotary fixture of the present invention can clamp side plates of different sizes and with different surface morphologies, and is suitable for processing multiple workpieces in one operation or for medium to large-sized complex multi-faceted machining scenarios in batch production. It is suitable for efficient and high-precision machining of complex multi-faceted workpieces, such as irregularly shaped side plates and side plates with multi-angle features.

[0042] The repeatability of the rotary fixture is ≤ ±0.005°; wherein, the repeatability refers to the angular deviation between the actual position and the target position when the rotary fixture is repeatedly positioned to the same target position in the four-axis machining device. In this invention, the repeatability of the rotary fixture does not exceed ±0.005 degrees, which is used to measure the stability and consistency of the system positioning, and the angular positioning accuracy is high.

[0043] The rotary fixture described in this invention reduces the number of clamping operations by more than 50% and shortens the processing cycle by 30%; closed-loop control ensures stable clamping force, and the processing accuracy can reach ±0.01mm; both processing efficiency and processing accuracy are improved. Multi-faceted positional error: ≤0.03mm (measured by coordinate measuring machine).

[0044] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0045] The above embodiments merely illustrate preferred implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A rotary clamp, characterized in that, It includes a base plate, connecting flanges perpendicularly disposed at both ends of the base plate, and a magnetic attraction positioning mechanism and a pressing positioning mechanism disposed on the base plate; the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism is disposed in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the connecting flange, and the pressing positioning mechanism is disposed on one side of the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism; after the workpiece is attracted and positioned by the magnetic attraction positioning mechanism, the pressing positioning mechanism presses down in a direction perpendicular to the base plate to clamp the workpiece.

2. The rotary clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The magnetic positioning mechanism includes an electromagnet sheet embedded in the top surface of the base plate and a process block suction cup detachably connected to the top surface of the base plate.

3. The rotary clamp according to claim 2, characterized in that, The magnetic positioning mechanism further includes a limiting pin assembly disposed on the base plate and passing through the process block suction cup; the top surface of the process block suction cup forms a positioning surface for directly supporting the workpiece, and the limiting pin assembly includes a limiting pin that is perpendicular to the plane of the base plate and protrudes from the positioning surface, and the limiting pin is at least disposed in the transfer area of ​​the process block suction cup.

4. The rotary clamp according to claim 3, characterized in that, The limiting pin is located in the corner area of ​​the process block suction cup; the limiting pin is fixedly connected to the base plate; or, the limiting pin assembly further includes a lifting drive component located on the back of the base plate, the limiting pin is located at the lifting end of the lifting drive component and moves along a direction perpendicular to the base plate under the drive of the lifting drive component.

5. The rotary clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pressing and positioning mechanism includes a lifting and rotating drive assembly vertically disposed on the plane of the base plate and a gripper vertically disposed on the drive end of the lifting and rotating drive assembly; when the gripper rotates around the central axis of the lifting and rotating drive assembly to be radially parallel to the connecting flange, the end of the gripper away from the lifting and rotating drive assembly extends to the side area of ​​the process block suction cup.

6. The rotary clamp according to claim 5, characterized in that, The gripper includes a gripper body connected to the lifting and rotating drive assembly and a flexible connecting layer disposed on the side of the gripper facing the base plate.

7. The rotary clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base plate is offset from the central axis of the connecting flange, and the rotating clamp also includes a connecting block disposed on the connecting flange, with the end of the base plate connected to the connecting block.

8. The rotary clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting flanges located at both ends of the base plate are coaxially arranged, and each connecting flange has a concentric ring in its central area. A rotating bearing is installed inside the concentric ring, and the concentric rings on the two connecting flanges are coaxially arranged.

9. The rotary clamp according to claim 5, characterized in that, The rotary fixture further includes a detection mechanism, which includes a pressure sensor for detecting the clamping force on the workpiece surface of the gripper and a displacement sensor for detecting the displacement of the workpiece; the pressure sensor is installed in the contact area between the gripper and the workpiece, and the displacement sensor is installed on the base plate.

10. A four-axis machining device, characterized in that, The four-axis machining apparatus includes the rotary fixture as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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