CNC tool clamp for liquid cooling server copper bar

Abstract

The invention discloses a liquid cooling server copper bar CNC tool clamp, and belongs to the field of machining clamps. The clamp comprises a supporting seat, a lateral positioning assembly, a plurality of independent pressing units and an axial positioning driving part. The lateral positioning assembly forms a placing groove with two open ends on the supporting seat, and a thermal expansion gap is reserved on the groove side. The multiple pressing units are arranged along the groove, and each pressing unit comprises a pressing block with a temperature sensor and a rotary pressing air cylinder for driving the pressing block to rotationally press or lift. And the axial positioning driving piece drives the positioning plate to push the copper bar to an axial reference surface formed by the end surfaces of the reinforcing plates. The control system independently controls the lower pressing block corresponding to the local overheating area to be lifted up to release pressure according to signals of the temperature sensor, and other point positions are kept compressed. Through adaptive axial positioning, lateral gap reserving and local pressure release based on temperature feedback, machining thermal deformation is actively managed, meanwhile, automatic feeding and discharging of a mechanical arm are facilitated through the structure with the openings in the two ends, and the copper bar machining precision, stability and production efficiency are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of machining fixture technology, and in particular to a CNC tooling fixture for a liquid-cooled server copper busbar. Background Technology

[0002] As a key conductor component in power transmission and distribution systems, copper busbars are increasingly demanded for high-precision and high-efficiency CNC machining, including processes such as punching, milling, and cutting. In automated production lines, to achieve high production efficiency of several to tens of pieces per minute, robotic arms are commonly used in conjunction with specialized pneumatic clamps for automatic loading, unloading, and clamping.

[0003] However, copper has a high coefficient of linear expansion, approximately 17 × 10⁻ 6 At temperatures of 400°C, the machined copper busbars face severe challenges due to thermal deformation. Thermal deformation originates from two main sources: firstly, the machining heat source, where the instantaneous heat generated by friction and shearing between the tool and the material can raise local temperatures above 400°C; secondly, the conductive heat source, where the fixture body continuously absorbs heat from the workpiece during high-speed machining, accumulating heat and becoming a stable heat source platform. The combined effect of these heat sources causes significant thermal expansion of the clamped copper busbars during operation. The unidirectional expansion can easily exceed 0.5 mm, even reaching 1 mm, for typical dimensions, severely limiting the achievement of accuracy requirements of ±0.1 mm or even higher.

[0004] Currently, mainstream copper busbar clamps in the industry generally adopt an axial (length direction) and four-way rigid positioning and clamping design to cope with cutting forces and ensure positioning. That is, baffles or positioning blocks are installed around the copper busbar, including at both ends along its length, for limiting movement, supplemented by a top clamping mechanism. This design has the following fundamental flaws: Impeding thermal expansion induces internal stress and deformation: When a copper busbar is heated, its length-direction expansion linearly superimposes along the axial direction, resulting in the maximum total expansion. A rigid barrier structure completely suppresses this natural expansion trend, forcing the expansion energy to be converted into enormous compressive stress within the material. This not only leads to unpredictable and complex deformations such as bowing and warping of the copper busbar, but also causes secondary springback of the workpiece dimensions after processing and stress release, resulting in loss of precision control.

[0005] Exacerbating thermal coupling problems: In continuous processing, as the overall temperature of the fixture and workpiece rises, the expansion force of the rigidly constrained copper busbar continues to act on the positioning baffle, which may cause micro-movement of the positioning element, datum drift, abnormal fluctuation of clamping force, or even damage to the equipment, seriously undermining the stability and reliability of the processing system.

[0006] Unable to adapt to localized high temperatures: In processes such as drilling that generate concentrated high temperatures, the material in the high-temperature area will soften and expand strongly first. If the clamping block above this area remains under strong pressure, it will force the expanded material to flow into the already processed or yet-to-be-processed hole, resulting in hole wall deformation, hole diameter shrinkage, or irregular shape, which seriously affects the assembly and electrical conductivity of the connector.

[0007] The automated process is lengthy and inefficient: For robotic arms to automatically load and unload materials, the baffles at both ends along the length direction create physical interference, forcing the robotic arm to perform extremely precise placement actions rather than efficient insertion actions. This not only increases the complexity of robot programming and debugging but also prolongs the clamping time for a single piece, which is inconsistent with the goal of high production efficiency.

[0008] In summary, the rigid constraint design of existing copper busbar clamps essentially fights against the physical laws of thermal expansion, which is the core bottleneck leading to unstable machining accuracy, low yield, and inefficient automated processes. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an innovative copper busbar clamp solution that can proactively adapt to, guide, and manage thermal expansion while simultaneously meeting the requirements of high rigidity, high precision, and high production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a CNC fixture for liquid-cooled server copper busbars.

[0010] A CNC fixture for a liquid-cooled server copper busbar includes a support base; a lateral positioning assembly mounted on the support base for enclosing and forming at least one placement groove extending along the length direction to accommodate and constrain the position of the copper busbar in the width direction; a plurality of independently controllable clamping units spaced apart along the length direction of the placement groove, each clamping unit including a rotary pressing cylinder and a pressing block driven by the cylinder, the pressing block being configured to move above the placement groove and apply a vertically downward clamping force to the copper busbar in the groove, or to rotate away to release the clamping of the copper busbar at that position; and an axial positioning drive unit disposed on the support base and adjacent to one end of the placement groove for driving a positioning plate to move along the length direction of the copper busbar to push the copper busbar against a fixed axial reference surface.

[0011] Compared with existing technologies, by adopting the above technical solution, this fixture achieves adaptable clamping of copper busbars through multiple independently controllable clamping units and a placement slot structure with open ends. On the one hand, multiple clamping points ensure sufficient clamping force to resist cutting forces; on the other hand, the single-end positioning along the length direction reserves space for the thermal expansion of the copper busbar, avoiding internal stress and deformation caused by rigid constraints. Simultaneously, the independent clamping units provide a basis for subsequent localized thermal management, and combined with automated loading and unloading interfaces, the overall system achieves high-precision, high-efficiency processing that can adapt to thermal deformation.

[0012] Furthermore, the lateral positioning component includes a first side baffle and a second side baffle arranged in parallel, with the placement groove formed between them.

[0013] Compared with existing technologies, the parallel side baffle structure, achieved by adopting the above technical solution, is simple and reliable. It effectively constrains the copper busbar in the width direction, preventing lateral movement or twisting during processing and providing a fundamental guarantee for processing accuracy. This open slot structure also facilitates the insertion and removal of the copper busbar.

[0014] Furthermore, the placement groove has an open structure at both ends in the length direction, forming a feeding port for inserting the copper busbar and a positioning port for extending the positioning plate, respectively.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the above-mentioned technical solution eliminates the physical interference of end baffles in the length direction by adopting the design with openings at both ends. The loading port allows the robot to perform efficient direct insertion along a predetermined trajectory, simplifying the automatic loading path and program; the positioning port provides space for the movement of the positioning plate, enabling axial positioning, which together simplifies the automation process and improves production efficiency.

[0016] Furthermore, a gap is pre-set between the first side baffle and the second side baffle and the side of the copper busbar placed in the placement groove to accommodate the expansion of the copper busbar in the width direction after it is heated.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, the pre-set gap, achieved by adopting the above technical solution, is a key design feature that actively adapts to the laws of thermophysics. It allows the copper busbar to expand freely in the width direction after being heated, avoiding the additional stress generated by lateral compression. This effectively prevents deformations such as bowing and warping of the workpiece caused by constraints in the width direction, thus improving the stability of the processing dimensions.

[0018] Furthermore, at least one reinforcing plate is fixed between the first side baffle and the second side baffle, and the reinforcing plate divides the placement slot into a first placement slot and a second placement slot side by side.

[0019] Compared with existing technologies, by adopting the above technical solution, the reinforcing plate not only enhances the rigidity and stability of the entire lateral positioning assembly, but also divides the placement slot into multiple parallel slots. This enables simultaneous processing at two or more stations, improves processing efficiency after a single clamping, and is suitable for mass production scenarios.

[0020] Furthermore, the axial positioning drive is a positioning cylinder, which drives the positioning plate to face the positioning port, and the end of the advancement stroke of the positioning plate is configured to abut against the end face of the reinforcing plate, thereby jointly forming the axial reference surface.

[0021] Compared with existing technologies, the above-mentioned technical solution, which uses a positioning cylinder to drive the positioning plate, provides stable and reliable power. By using the end face of the reinforcing plate as an axial reference plane and the positioning plate as a push rod, an adaptable reference is formed. The positioning action involves pushing the copper busbar against this reference plane, rather than rigidly clamping it from both ends. This allows space for thermal expansion along the length of the copper busbar towards the other end, fundamentally solving the problem of axial thermal expansion being suppressed.

[0022] Furthermore, the bottom of the support base is constructed in an I-shape.

[0023] Compared with existing technologies, by adopting the above technical solutions, the I-shaped structure achieves lightweighting while ensuring the overall rigidity and strength of the support base, and improves its installation stability and vibration resistance on the workbench, providing a stable foundation platform for high-precision machining.

[0024] Furthermore, the cylinder body of each of the rotary pressing cylinders is installed below the placement slot, and its drive axis extends upward and is connected to the pressing block located above the placement slot.

[0025] Compared with existing technologies, by adopting the above technical solution and installing the cylinder body at the bottom, the structural layout is more compact, reducing the space occupied above the fixture, facilitating toolpath planning, and improving safety. The drive axis passes through the connecting lower pressure block, resulting in direct transmission and rapid action response, which is conducive to achieving rapid clamping and loosening.

[0026] Furthermore, each of the pressing blocks has at least one temperature sensor integrated on its pressing surface to detect the surface temperature of the corresponding copper busbar area below it in real time.

[0027] Compared with existing technologies, by adopting the above technical solution, the temperature sensor is integrated into the pressing surface of the lower pressure block, allowing it to closely contact or even contact the surface of the copper busbar, thus achieving real-time, in-situ, and accurate measurement of the temperature in the processing area. This provides a reliable data source for accurately sensing local overheating and triggering adaptive control.

[0028] Furthermore, it also includes a control system, which is connected to all the rotary pressing cylinders, the positioning cylinders, and each of the temperature sensors, and is configured to execute the following control logic: during the processing, it receives the detection data of each of the temperature sensors in real time; when the detection value of any sensor exceeds a preset temperature threshold, the control system independently controls the rotary pressing cylinder corresponding to that temperature area, drives its pressing block to rotate and lift, releases the pressure on that temperature area, while the pressing blocks at other points remain in a pressed state.

[0029] Compared with existing technologies, the control system achieves adaptive management of this fixture by adopting the above technical solution. By monitoring the temperature in real time and independently controlling the corresponding clamping points, it can dynamically respond to localized high heat generated during machining. When local overheating occurs, the pressure in that area is released in time, avoiding problems such as hole wall deformation caused by limited material softening and expansion, while other areas remain clamped, ensuring the overall stability of the workpiece. This control strategy of local release and overall stability is the key to actively managing thermal stress and ensuring high-precision machining.

[0030] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. Actively adapt to thermal deformation and improve machining accuracy: Through the reserved gap in the width direction, the axially adaptable reference positioning, and the local pressure dynamic release mechanism based on temperature sensing, this fixture can actively guide and accommodate the thermal expansion of the copper busbar, effectively avoiding internal stress, workpiece deformation and secondary springback caused by rigid constraints, thereby stably achieving machining accuracy requirements of ±0.1 mm or even higher.

[0031] 2. Supports high-efficiency automated production: The design of the slot with openings at both ends facilitates the robot arm to quickly insert and position materials along a predetermined trajectory, simplifying robot path and programming, shortening single-piece clamping time, and making it suitable for high-efficiency automated production lines.

[0032] 3. Ensure stable and reliable processing: The multi-point independent clamping and intelligent control system releases pressure only at specific points when local overheating occurs, while the remaining points remain firmly clamped. This solves the quality problems caused by local high temperature and ensures the overall rigidity and stability of the workpiece during processing, thereby improving the reliability of the production system and the product qualification rate. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Fig. 1 This is a perspective view of this embodiment, mainly showing its overall structure; Fig. 2 This is a partial view of this embodiment, mainly showing the lateral positioning component; Fig. 3 This is a partial view of this embodiment, mainly showing the clamping unit.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 100, support base; 11, first side baffle; 12, second side baffle; 13, reinforcing plate; 14, first placement slot; 15, second placement slot; 16, rotary pressing cylinder; 161, drive shaft; 17, pressing block; 171, temperature sensor; 21, positioning cylinder; 22, positioning port; 23, feeding port; 24, positioning plate. Detailed Implementation

[0035] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0036] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms center, longitudinal, transverse, length, width, thickness, front, back, left, right, upper, lower, axial, radial, vertical, horizontal, inner, and outer, indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms first and second are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as first or second may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0037] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms installation, connection, linking, fixing, etc., 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 communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0038] Reference Figs. 1-3 A CNC fixture for liquid-cooled server copper busbars includes a support base 100, a lateral positioning component, multiple independently controllable clamping units, and an axial positioning drive component. These components work together to achieve high-precision, high-efficiency, and adaptive thermal deformation clamping and processing of the copper busbars.

[0039] The support base 100 serves as the mounting base for the entire fixture. Its bottom is typically constructed in an I-beam shape to enhance overall rigidity and stability, facilitating installation and fixation on the CNC worktable.

[0040] A lateral positioning assembly is mounted on the support base 100 to enclose and form at least one placement groove extending along the length direction, so as to accommodate and constrain the position of the copper busbar in the width direction. The assembly mainly includes a first side baffle 11 and a second side baffle 12, which are arranged in parallel and form the placement groove between them.

[0041] Furthermore, at least one reinforcing plate 13 is fixed between the first side baffle 11 and the second side baffle 12. The reinforcing plate 13 is arranged along the length direction, dividing the placement slot into a first placement slot 14 and a second placement slot 15 arranged side by side, thereby realizing simultaneous processing at two workstations and improving production efficiency.

[0042] Specifically, a gap is pre-set between the first side baffle 11 and the second side baffle 12 and the side of the copper busbar placed in the placement groove. This gap is used to accommodate the expansion of the copper busbar in the width direction after being heated, to avoid lateral compression caused by thermal expansion, and to reduce internal stress and deformation.

[0043] The placement slot has an open structure at both ends along its length, forming a feeding port 23 and a positioning port 22, respectively. The feeding port 23 facilitates direct insertion feeding along a predetermined trajectory by a robot or automated equipment; the positioning port 22 is used for the insertion of the positioning plate 24 to push and position the copper busbar axially.

[0044] Multiple pressing units are arranged at intervals along the length of the placement groove. Each unit includes a rotating pressing cylinder 16 and a pressing block 17 driven by the cylinder.

[0045] Each rotary pressing cylinder 16 has its cylinder body mounted below the placement slot, and its drive shaft 161 extends upward and connects to a pressing block 17 located above the placement slot. The pressing block 17 is configured to move above the placement slot and apply a vertically downward pressing force to the copper busbars in the slot, and can also rotate away to release the pressing force on the copper busbars at that position.

[0046] At least one temperature sensor 171 is integrated on the pressing surface of each pressing block 17 for real-time detection of the surface temperature of the corresponding copper busbar area below it. The sensors are symmetrically arranged, corresponding to the first placement slot 14 and the second placement slot 15 respectively, to ensure the accuracy and real-time performance of temperature detection.

[0047] An axial positioning drive is mounted on the support base 100 and adjacent to one end of the placement groove. It drives a positioning plate 24 to move along the length of the copper busbar to push the copper busbar against a fixed axial reference surface. The drive is preferably a positioning cylinder 21, which drives the positioning plate 24 directly opposite the positioning port 22.

[0048] The end of the advance stroke of the positioning plate 24 is configured to abut against the end face of the reinforcing plate 13, thereby jointly forming an axial reference surface. This design achieves precise positioning along the length of the copper busbar while avoiding rigid obstruction of thermal expansion.

[0049] The control system is connected to all rotating pressing cylinders 16, positioning cylinders 21, and temperature sensors 171 for intelligent control. Its control logic includes: During the processing, the detection data of each temperature sensor 171 is received in real time. When the detection value of any sensor exceeds the preset temperature threshold, the control system independently controls the rotary pressing cylinder 16 corresponding to that temperature area, drives its pressing block 17 to rotate and lift, and releases the pressing of that area. The pressing blocks 17 at other points remain in a pressing state to ensure that the copper busbar as a whole is still firmly clamped.

[0050] The implementation principle of this application is as follows: Initial state: All pressure blocks 17 are rotated to a parallel suspended state, located above the reinforcing plate 13.

[0051] Material feeding stage: The robotic arm inserts the copper busbar directly into the placement slot from the feeding port 23 along a predetermined trajectory until one end protrudes from the positioning port 22.

[0052] Positioning stage: Positioning cylinder 21 drives positioning plate 24 to push copper busbar into the placement groove until it is pressed against the end face of reinforcing plate 13, thus completing axial positioning.

[0053] Clamping stage: Each rotating pressing cylinder 16 drives the pressing block 17 to press down, realizing multi-point independent clamping of the copper busbar.

[0054] Processing and adaptive adjustment: Temperature sensor 171 monitors the temperature in real time during processing. If the local temperature exceeds the standard, the corresponding lower pressure block 17 will automatically lift to release the pressure and avoid thermal deformation.

[0055] Processing complete: All pressing blocks 17 are lifted, the robotic arm removes the copper busbar, and the process begins the next cycle.

[0056] The copper busbar width is constrained and a thermal expansion gap is reserved through the lateral positioning components and placement groove structure; real-time pressure release of local overheated areas is achieved through the multi-point independent clamping unit and temperature sensor 171, avoiding thermal stress accumulation and deformation; the open design at both ends and the axial positioning drive support efficient feeding method and precise positioning along a predetermined trajectory, adapting to the needs of high-efficiency automated production and helping to improve the processing accuracy and stability of the copper busbar.

[0057] It should be understood that although this specification is described according to various embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0058] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific illustrations of feasible embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid-cooled server copper bar (CNC) tooling fixture, characterized in that, The application relates to a copper bar pressing device, which comprises the following parts: a support base (100); a lateral positioning assembly installed on the support base (100) and used for forming at least one placement slot extending in the length direction to accommodate and restrict the position of a copper bar in the width direction; a plurality of independently controllable pressing units arranged at intervals along the length direction of the placement slot, each of the pressing units comprising a rotary downward pressing cylinder (16) and a downward pressing block (17) driven by the cylinder, the downward pressing block (17) being configured to be movable above the placement slot and to exert a vertical downward pressing force on the copper bar in the slot or to rotate away to release the pressing on the copper bar at the position; and an axial positioning driving member arranged on the support base (100) and adjacent to one end of the placement slot and used for driving a positioning plate (24) to move along the length direction of the copper bar so as to push the copper bar against a fixed axial reference surface. The lateral positioning assembly comprises first and second side baffles (11 and 12) arranged in parallel and forming the placement slot therebetween.

2. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 1, wherein, The placement slot is open at both ends in the length direction and forms a feeding opening (23) for the insertion of the copper bar and a positioning opening (22) for the extension of the positioning plate (24).

3. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 2, wherein, A gap for accommodating the width expansion of the copper bar after being heated is preset between the first and second side baffles (11 and 12) and the side surface of the copper bar placed in the placement slot.

4. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 2, wherein, At least one reinforcing plate (13) is fixed between the first and second side baffles (11 and 12) and separates the placement slot into first and second placement slots (14 and 15) arranged side by side.

5. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 2, wherein, The axial positioning driving member is a positioning cylinder (21) which drives the positioning plate (24) to face the positioning opening (22), and the end of the pushing stroke of the positioning plate (24) is configured to abut against the end surface of the reinforcing plate (13) to jointly form the axial reference surface.

6. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 5, wherein, The bottom of the support base (100) is configured as an I-shaped structure.

7. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 1, wherein, The cylinder body of each rotary downward pressing cylinder (16) is arranged below the placement slot, and the driving shaft (161) thereof penetrates upward and is connected with the downward pressing block (17) arranged above the placement slot.

8. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 1, wherein, At least one temperature sensor (171) is integrated on the pressing surface of each downward pressing block (17) and used for detecting the surface temperature of the corresponding copper bar region below in real time.

9. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 8, wherein, A control system is further included, which is signal-connected with all the rotary downward pressing cylinders (16), the positioning cylinder (21) and the temperature sensors (171) and is configured to execute the following control logic:

10. The liquid-cooled server copper bar CNC fixture clamp of claim 9, wherein, During the processing, the detection data of the temperature sensors (171) are received in real time; when the detection value of any sensor exceeds a preset temperature threshold value, the control system independently controls the rotary downward pressing cylinder (16) corresponding to the temperature region to drive the downward pressing block (17) thereof to rotate and lift to release the pressing on the temperature region, while the downward pressing blocks (17) of the remaining points remain in the pressing state. ​

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