GDC casting automatic production line and production process

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of aluminum alloy casting automatic production equipment, in particular to a GDC casting automatic production line and a production technology.The GDC casting automatic production line comprises a melting mechanism, a casting mechanism, a semi-finished product conveying mechanism, a casting deburring mechanism, a casting cutting mechanism and a finished product output mechanism; a first grabbing mechanism is arranged between the melting mechanism and the casting mechanism; the starting end of the finished product conveying mechanism is located below a part taking station of the casting mechanism, and the tail end of the finished product conveying mechanism extends to the position nearby the casting deburring mechanism. A casting cooling system is further arranged on the other side of the tail end of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism; through cooperation of all the mechanisms, full-process automatic operation of aluminum alloy castings from molten aluminum dissolution, GDC casting, casting head cutting-off to deburring is achieved; on one hand, operators are liberated from severe environments with high temperature, high dust and high noise, the number of operators is reduced, and the labor cost is reduced; on the other hand, operation cycle is shortened, and production efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of aluminum alloy casting automation production equipment, in particular to a GDC casting automation production line and production process, which is suitable for GDC casting, runner cutting and deburring integrated automation production of various aluminum alloy castings. BACKGROUND

[0002] The gravity die casting (GDC) casting process is a commonly used process for aluminum alloy casting production. The traditional GDC casting production line mainly consists of three core processes: casting, cutting, and deburring. In the casting process, an operator needs to hold a ladle to scoop aluminum liquid from a melting furnace and then manually pour it into a mold cavity, relying on the gravity of the metal liquid to complete the casting process. The castings after casting are first stored in a container, and then transferred to the cutting process when the number reaches the standard. The operator then places the castings into the cutting machine to remove the runner. Finally, the operator removes the burrs on the mold line and completes the appearance correction.

[0003] However, the traditional production line has many significant defects: (1) In terms of safety and health: manual scooping and pouring of high-temperature aluminum liquid is labor-intensive and prone to burns and other safety accidents. The cutting and deburring processes also produce a large amount of dust and strong noise, which seriously harm the physical health of the operators; (2) In terms of production efficiency: long-term manual operation can lead to fatigue and decreased operational coordination. The replacement of molds and fixtures during model switching is time-consuming, making it difficult to meet large-scale and high-efficiency production demands. Additionally, high labor costs significantly increase production burdens; (3) In terms of product quality: the production line has a low degree of automation, lacks effective real-time detection, monitoring, and feedback mechanisms, and cannot dynamically monitor and adjust cutting parameters and product quality. This can lead to waste and defective products, and the inability to achieve single-piece flow production can easily result in large quantities of defective products, severely restricting the stability and consistency of product quality. SUMMARY

[0004] To solve the technical defects mentioned in the background, the present application aims to provide a GDC casting automation production line and production process to address the low degree of automation, poor working environment, insufficient production efficiency, and unstable product quality of traditional GDC casting production lines. It also aims to achieve full-process automation from aluminum liquid melting, casting, cooling, cutting, deburring to finished product output, improve production efficiency, and reduce labor intensity and production costs.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purposes, the present application adopts the following technical solutions: A GDC casting automated production line includes a melting mechanism, a casting mechanism, a semi-finished product conveying mechanism, a casting deburring mechanism, a casting cutting mechanism, and a finished product output mechanism. A dust removal mechanism is connected to one side of the melting mechanism to extract and purify the smoke and particulate matter generated during the aluminum molten refining process under negative pressure; a first gripping mechanism is provided between the melting mechanism and the casting mechanism; the starting end of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism is located below the part taking station of the casting mechanism, and the end extends to the vicinity of the casting deburring mechanism to receive and horizontally convey the castings; a casting cooling system is also provided on the other side of the end of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism. The casting deburring mechanism includes a machine tool, a tooling fixture mounted on the machine tool for fixing and clamping the casting, and a rotary grinding assembly for grinding and removing chips. A three-axis feed mechanism that moves along the X, Y, and Z axes is connected between the tooling fixture and the rotary grinding assembly. The rotary grinding assembly is located directly above the tooling fixture, and a cleaning assembly is provided on one side of the rotary grinding assembly for cleaning the waste chips generated during casting grinding. The casting cutting mechanism includes a cutting worktable, a cutting robot located on one side of the cutting worktable, and a tool magazine assembly located on one side of the cutting robot. The cutting worktable is provided with a positioning fixture for clamping the casting. A multi-angle adjustment assembly is connected between the bottom of the positioning fixture and the cutting worktable to drive the positioning fixture to achieve multi-angle rotation and tilt adjustment. The tool magazine assembly is located on one side of the cutting robot and is used to store cutting tools of different specifications. It also includes a second gripping mechanism, which is adapted to transfer products between the casting cooling system, the casting deburring mechanism, the casting cutting mechanism and the finished product output mechanism, so that the castings produced after casting can sequentially complete the cooling, deburring and cutting processes.

[0006] Preferably, the rotary grinding assembly includes a fixed bracket, a grinding spindle, and a grinding head. The grinding spindle is fixedly mounted on the fixed bracket, and one end of the fixed bracket is slidably connected to the Z-axis feed mechanism. The grinding head is detachably connected to the grinding spindle, and the grinding head is drivenly connected to the output end of the grinding spindle.

[0007] Preferably, the cleaning assembly includes multiple air nozzles, a chip conveyor, and a collection box. The air nozzles are distributed around the periphery of the grinding spindle, and each air nozzle is connected to an air pump via an air pipe. The chip conveyor is located on one side of the rotating grinding assembly and has multiple suction holes, which are connected to the collection box via pipes.

[0008] Preferably, the cutting workbench includes a frame and protective covers on both sides of the frame; the frame is provided with a feeding trough for discharging cutting waste and aluminum casting workpieces, and a material separating component is provided below the feeding trough for separating waste chips and castings; the protective cover is provided with a dust discharge port, which is connected to a dust removal mechanism through a pipe.

[0009] Preferably, the multi-angle adjustment component includes a rotary table, a U-shaped base plate disposed at the bottom of the rotary table, and an indexing plate for driving the U-shaped base plate to rotate. The rotary table is fixed on the U-shaped base plate and has a built-in rotary motor. The two sides of the U-shaped base plate are rotatably connected to the indexing plate. The indexing plate is fixed on the cutting worktable by a mounting bracket, and a servo motor is driven to one end of the indexing plate.

[0010] Preferably, the casting mechanism includes an upper mold assembly, a lower mold assembly, and a mold closing drive assembly. The upper mold assembly and the lower mold assembly are connected by guide columns. Both the upper mold assembly and the lower mold assembly have built-in heating rod channels and cooling water channels, and are circulated and temperature controlled by connecting to an external mold temperature controller. The mold closing drive assembly is driven to the upper mold assembly and the lower mold assembly, and is used to drive the upper mold assembly and the lower mold assembly to close and complete the die casting.

[0011] Preferably, the dust removal mechanism includes a dust removal hood, a dust suction pipe, and a purification component. The dust removal hood is positioned above the furnace opening of the melting mechanism, and one end of the dust suction pipe is connected to the dust removal hood, while the other end is connected to the purification component.

[0012] Preferably, the casting cooling system is an air-cooled circulating cooling mechanism, including a cooling chamber for storing castings, a circulating fan connected to the cooling chamber, and a temperature control component for adjusting the cooling temperature. The inlet and outlet of the cooling chamber are both equipped with guide rails adapted to the first gripping mechanism. The temperature control component is installed in the cooling chamber and is electrically connected to the circulating fan.

[0013] Preferably, the first gripping mechanism and the second gripping mechanism have the same structure, both including a transfer robotic arm and multi-specification adaptable grippers. The transfer robotic arm is a six-axis articulated robot, and the base of the transfer robotic arm is fixed to the foundation or frame by bolts. The multi-specification adaptable grippers are detachably connected to the execution end of the transfer robotic arm, and the gripping end of the multi-specification adaptable grippers is covered with an anti-slip and wear-resistant buffer pad.

[0014] A production process for an automated GDC casting production line includes the following steps: S1. Production Parameter Preset: The core process parameters of the production line are preset through the intelligent control system. The core process parameters include the aluminum melting temperature of the melting mechanism (720-750℃), the mold preheating temperature of the casting mechanism (180-220℃), the cooling temperature of the casting cooling system (40-60℃), the grinding speed of the casting deburring mechanism (1500-3000r / min), and the cutting pressure of the casting cutting mechanism (0.3-0.5MPa). S2. Aluminum liquid melting and dust removal: The melting mechanism is started to heat the aluminum alloy ingot to 720-750℃ to melt it into aluminum liquid. At the same time, the GBF refining process is started to introduce high-purity nitrogen into the aluminum liquid to remove gas and slag. During this process, the dust removal mechanism is running simultaneously to extract the smoke and dust and aluminum slag particles generated by aluminum liquid refining to the purification component for purification treatment. S3. Casting and semi-finished product conveying: The first gripping mechanism drives the pouring ladle to scoop a quantitative amount of aluminum liquid from the melting mechanism and transfer it to the casting mechanism to inject it into the mold cavity. After the casting solidifies and forms, the first gripping mechanism switches the grippers to grab the casting and transfer it to the positioning component of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism. The semi-finished product conveying mechanism then completes the horizontal conveying of the casting. S4. Casting cooling: The second gripping mechanism grips the casting from the end of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism and transfers it to the cooling chamber of the casting cooling system. After the casting temperature drops to 40-60℃, the second gripping mechanism removes the cooled casting from the cooling chamber. S5. Deburring of castings: The second gripping mechanism transfers the cooled castings to the tooling fixture of the casting deburring mechanism for clamping. The X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis feed mechanisms of the casting deburring mechanism are linked to adjust the relative position of the castings and the rotary grinding component. The rotary grinding component grinds the burrs on the castings, while the cleaning component collects the grinding waste at the same time. After all the burrs are removed, the second gripping mechanism picks up the castings and removes them. S6. Casting Cutting: The second gripping mechanism transfers the deburred casting to the positioning fixture of the casting cutting mechanism for clamping. The multi-angle adjustment component drives the positioning fixture to rotate and flip, adjusting the casting gate and riser to the appropriate cutting angle. The cutting robot grabs the corresponding cutting tool from the tool magazine component and precisely cuts the casting gate and riser. The cutting waste falls through the feeding chute to the sorting component to achieve the classification and recycling of waste chips and large pieces of waste. S7. Finished Product Output: The second gripping mechanism grips the qualified castings after the gating and riser cutting is completed and transfers them to the finished product output mechanism. The finished product output mechanism then transfers the castings to the warehouse for temporary storage, completing the overall production process.

[0015] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. This invention integrates a melting mechanism, a casting mechanism, a semi-finished product conveying mechanism, a casting cooling system, a casting deburring mechanism, a casting cutting mechanism, a finished product output mechanism, as well as a first gripping mechanism and a second gripping mechanism, to construct a complete automated production system from aluminum melt melting, automatic casting, casting conveying, cooling, deburring, cutting to finished product output. On the one hand, it liberates operators from harsh environments of high temperature, high dust, and high noise, reducing the number of operators and lowering labor costs; on the other hand, it shortens the operation cycle and improves production efficiency; at the same time, it establishes a sound quality monitoring and feedback mechanism to ensure product quality stability.

[0016] 2. This invention achieves standardized operation throughout the entire casting production process by precisely controlling key process parameters such as melting temperature, nitrogen flow rate, grinding speed, and cutting pressure, combined with an automated gripping and conveying system. This effectively avoids random errors caused by manual operation and significantly improves the product qualification rate. In addition, the production line adopts a modular design, with each mechanism unit operating independently and working in synergy. Molds, tooling fixtures, and cutting tools can be quickly changed according to different casting specifications, greatly shortening the changeover time and meeting the flexible production needs of small batches and multiple varieties. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall layout of the GDC casting automated production line of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a top view of the GDC casting automated production line of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the deburring mechanism for castings in this invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal component structure of the casting deburring machine in this invention; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Enlarged view of the structure at point a; Figure 6 This is an overall assembly drawing of the casting cutting mechanism in this invention; Figure 7 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the casting cutting mechanism in this invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the casting mechanism in this invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first gripping mechanism and the second gripping mechanism in this invention; Figure 10 This is a flowchart of the automated production process of GDC casting in this invention.

[0018] Explanation of the reference numerals in the figure: 1. Melting mechanism; 2. Casting mechanism; 21. Upper mold assembly; 22. Lower mold assembly; 23. Mold closing drive assembly; 24. Guide pillar; 3. Semi-finished product conveying mechanism; 4. Deburring mechanism for castings; 41. Machine tool; 42. Tooling fixture; 43. Rotary grinding assembly; 431. Fixed bracket; 432. Grinding spindle; 433. Grinding head; 44. Three-axis feed mechanism; 441. X-axis feed mechanism; 442. Y-axis feed mechanism; 443. Z-axis feed mechanism; 45. Cleaning assembly; 451. Air nozzle; 452. Chip conveyor; 453. Collection box; 5. Casting cutting mechanism; 51. Cutting worktable; 511. Frame; 5111. Feed chute; 512. Protective cover; 5121. Dust exhaust port; 52. Cutting robot; 521. Base; 522. Multi-axis drive arm; 523. Cutting tool; 524. Connecting seat; 53. Tool magazine assembly; 531. Tool magazine frame; 532. Tool holder seat; 533. Snap-fit ​​assembly; 54. Positioning fixture; 55. Multi-angle adjustment assembly; 551. Rotary table; 552. U-shaped base plate; 553. Indexing plate; 554. Mounting bracket; 555. Servo motor; 56. Material distribution assembly; 6. Dust removal mechanism; 61. Dust removal hood; 62. Suction pipe; 63. Purification components; 7. First grasping mechanism; 8. Second gripping mechanism; 81. Transfer robotic arm; 82. Gripper; 9. Casting cooling system; 10. Finished product output mechanism; 11. Intelligent control system. Detailed Implementation

[0019] 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. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] Those skilled in the art should understand that, in the disclosure of this invention, the terms "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this 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. Therefore, the above terms should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0021] In the description of this invention, the use of terms such as "a number" means one or more, with "more than" meaning two or more. Terms like "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while terms like "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of terms like "first," "second," and "third" is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, the number of indicated technical features, or the sequential relationship between indicated technical features.

[0022] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1-10 The present invention will provide a more detailed description of an embodiment of an automated GDC casting production line and production process.

[0023] A GDC casting automated production line, such as Figure 1 , 2 As shown, it includes a melting mechanism 1, a casting mechanism 2, a semi-finished product conveying mechanism 3, a casting deburring mechanism 4, a casting cutting mechanism 5, and a finished product output mechanism 10.

[0024] The melting mechanism 1 is responsible for melting the aluminum liquid and purifying the smelting fumes through the dust removal mechanism 6; the casting mechanism 2 realizes automatic mold closing, aluminum liquid pouring, and casting forming, and precisely controls the mold temperature through the mold temperature controller; the first gripping mechanism 7 transfers the cast parts to the semi-finished product conveying mechanism 3, which then transports them to the casting cooling system 9 for air cooling; the cooled casting parts are transferred to the casting deburring mechanism 4 by the second gripping mechanism 8, which drives the relative movement of the tooling fixture 42 and the rotary grinding assembly 43 through the X, Y, and Z three-axis feed mechanism 44, and works with the cleaning assembly 45 to remove burrs. The waste chips are automatically ground to remove burrs from the castings. After deburring, the castings are transferred by the second gripping mechanism 8 to the casting cutting mechanism 5. The cutting robot 52 selects a suitable tool from the tool magazine assembly 53 according to the casting requirements. With the cooperation of the multi-angle adjustment assembly 55 driving the positioning fixture 54 to achieve multi-posture adjustment of the casting, the precise cutting of the gating and riser is completed. The waste chips and dust generated during the cutting process are separated by the material distribution assembly 56 and treated by the dust removal mechanism 6. Finally, the finished castings after cutting are transferred by the second gripping mechanism 8 to the finished product output mechanism 10, realizing the unmanned and continuous operation of the entire GDC casting production process.

[0025] It should be noted that the semi-finished product conveying mechanism 3 and the finished product output mechanism 10 adopt belt conveyor lines. The anti-slip texture of the conveyor belt can prevent the castings from sliding during the conveying process. Visual inspection stations can also be added to the conveyor line as needed to conduct final spot checks on the appearance of the castings.

[0026] In this embodiment, as Figures 3-5As shown, the casting deburring mechanism 4 includes a machine tool 41, a tooling fixture 42 mounted on the machine tool 41 for fixing and clamping the casting, and a rotary grinding assembly 43 for grinding and removing chips. A three-axis feed mechanism 44 that moves along the X, Y, and Z axes is connected between the tooling fixture 42 and the rotary grinding assembly 43. The rotary grinding assembly 43 is located directly above the tooling fixture 42, and a cleaning assembly 45 is provided on one side of the rotary grinding assembly 43 for cleaning the waste chips generated during casting grinding.

[0027] Specifically, the rotary polishing assembly 43 includes a fixed bracket 431, a polishing spindle 432, and a polishing head 433. The polishing spindle 432 is fixedly mounted on the fixed bracket 431, and one end of the fixed bracket 431 is slidably connected to the Z-axis feed mechanism 443. The polishing head 433 is detachably connected to the polishing spindle 432, and the polishing head 433 is drively connected to the output end of the polishing spindle 432. The cleaning assembly 45 includes multiple air nozzles 451, a chip conveyor 452, and a collection box 453. The air nozzles 451 are distributed around the periphery of the polishing spindle 432, and the air nozzles 451 are connected to an air pump via air pipes. The chip conveyor 452 is located on one side of the rotary polishing assembly 43, and the chip conveyor 452 has multiple adsorption holes, which are connected to the collection box 453 via pipes. When deburring of the casting surface is required, the tooling fixture 42, driven by the three-axis feed mechanism 44, moves the casting towards the rotary grinding assembly 43, bringing the area to be ground into contact with the high-speed rotating grinding head 433. The grinding head 433 can be quickly replaced with different models according to the size and location of the burrs on the casting to ensure the grinding effect. During grinding, the air pump continuously supplies air to the air nozzles 451 through air pipes. Multiple air nozzles 451 blow away metal chips generated during grinding from different angles from the casting surface and grinding area, preventing chip accumulation from affecting grinding accuracy or causing secondary scratches on the casting surface. Simultaneously, the suction holes on the chip conveyor 452, under negative pressure, absorb most of the blown-away chips and transport them through pipes to the collection box 453 for centralized collection, preventing chip spillage and pollution of the working environment, and facilitating subsequent chip recycling and reuse.

[0028] In this embodiment, as Figure 4 As shown, the three-axis feed mechanism 44 includes an X-axis feed mechanism 441, a Y-axis feed mechanism 442, and a Z-axis feed mechanism 443. The X-axis feed mechanism 441 is slidably connected to the Y-axis feed mechanism 442 and is connected to the tooling fixture 42. The Z-axis feed mechanism 443 is located at the other end of the Y-axis feed mechanism 442 away from the X-axis feed mechanism 441 and is connected to the rotary grinding assembly 43.

[0029] Specifically, when moving and adjusting the positioning fixture, firstly, the Y-axis feed mechanism 442 drives the X-axis feed mechanism 441 and the tooling fixture 42 to move laterally along the machine tool 41, transferring the casting directly below the rotary grinding assembly 43; then, the X-axis feed mechanism 441 finely adjusts the longitudinal position of the casting, aligning the parting line burrs to be ground with the grinding head 433; finally, the Z-axis feed mechanism 443 drives the rotary grinding assembly 43 downward in the vertical direction, causing the grinding head 433 to contact the burr area of ​​the casting. The three-axis feed mechanism 44 is driven by a servo motor 555, and in conjunction with a high-precision ball screw and linear guide, it can achieve micron-level displacement adjustment of the tooling fixture 42 in the X, Y, and Z axes, ensuring precise and controllable relative position between the grinding head 433 and the casting, thereby guaranteeing the consistency and stability of burr removal.

[0030] In this embodiment, as Figure 6 , 7 As shown, the casting cutting mechanism 5 includes a cutting worktable 51, a cutting robot 52 located on one side of the cutting worktable 51, and a tool magazine assembly 53 located on one side of the cutting robot 52. The cutting worktable 51 is provided with a positioning fixture 54 for clamping the casting. A multi-angle adjustment assembly 55 is connected between the bottom of the positioning fixture 54 and the cutting worktable 51 to drive the positioning fixture 54 to achieve multi-angle rotation and tilt adjustment. The tool magazine assembly 53 is located on one side of the cutting robot 52 and is used to store cutting tools 523 of different specifications.

[0031] Specifically, the cutting workbench includes a frame 511 and protective covers 512 located on both sides of the frame 511; the frame 511 is provided with a feeding trough 5111 for discharging cutting waste and aluminum casting workpieces, and a material distribution component 56 is provided below the feeding trough 5111 for separating waste chips and castings; the protective cover 512 is provided with a dust discharge port 5121, which is connected to a dust removal mechanism 6 through a pipe for collecting and purifying the dust generated during the cutting process.

[0032] The multi-angle adjustment component 55 includes a rotary table 551, a U-shaped base plate 552 disposed at the bottom of the rotary table 551, and an indexing plate 553 for driving the U-shaped base plate 552 to rotate. The rotary table 551 is fixed on the U-shaped base plate 552 and has a built-in rotary motor. The two sides of the U-shaped base plate 552 are rotatably connected to the indexing plate 553. The indexing plate 553 is fixed on the cutting worktable by a mounting bracket 554, and a servo motor 555 is driven to one end of the indexing plate 553. The servo motor 555 drives the indexing plate 553 to rotate through a reducer, thereby driving the U-shaped base plate 552 and the rotary table 551 to achieve ±90° rotation adjustment. The rotary motor built into the rotary table 551 can drive the positioning fixture 54 to rotate horizontally by 360°. The two work together to achieve multi-angle posture adjustment of the casting in space, ensuring that the gating and riser are in the optimal cutting position.

[0033] In this embodiment, as Figure 6 As shown, the cutting robot 52 includes a base 521, a multi-axis drive arm 522, and a connecting seat 524. The multi-axis drive arm 522 is mounted on the base 521, and the connecting seat 524 is located at the end of the multi-axis drive arm 522. The connecting seat 524 has a built-in pneumatic gripper 82 for gripping the cutting tool. The tool magazine assembly 53 includes a tool magazine frame 531 and multiple tool holders 532 distributed circumferentially along the tool magazine frame 531. Each tool holder 532 has a cutting tool 523 of different specifications clamped on it. A tool identification chip adapted to the pneumatic gripper 82 is provided on one side of the tool holder 532. The cutting robot 52 automatically selects the corresponding tool through the identification chip.

[0034] Specifically, after the casting is placed in the positioning fixture 54 by the second gripping mechanism 8 and clamped, the multi-angle adjustment component 55 first flips the casting to a vertical position. The rotary table 551 drives the casting to rotate so that the axis of the gating gate is parallel to the feed direction of the cutting tool 523. The cutting robot 52 grabs the high-speed steel circular saw blade from the tool magazine component 53. The multi-axis transmission arm 522 drives the tool to cut the gating gate with a cutting pressure of 0.3-0.5MPa and a feed speed of 50-80mm / s. During the cutting process, the protective cover 512 draws metal dust to the dust removal mechanism 6 through the dust discharge port 5121. The large pieces of waste generated by cutting fall into the material distribution component 56 through the feeding chute 5111. In this embodiment, the material distribution component 56 uses vibrating screens of different mesh sizes. The vibrating screens separate the waste chips from the large pieces of waste. The waste chips fall into the collection box below, while the large pieces of waste slide into the waste bin through the guide plate.

[0035] In this embodiment, as Figure 8As shown, the casting mechanism 2 includes an upper mold assembly 21, a lower mold assembly 22, and a mold closing drive assembly 23. The upper mold assembly 21 and the lower mold assembly 22 are connected by guide pillars 24. Both the upper mold assembly 21 and the lower mold assembly 22 have built-in heating rod channels and cooling water channels, and the temperature is circulated and controlled by connecting to an external mold temperature controller. The mold closing drive assembly 23 is driven to the upper mold assembly 21 and the lower mold assembly 22, and is used to drive the upper mold assembly 21 and the lower mold assembly 22 to close and complete the die casting.

[0036] Specifically, the mold closing drive assembly 23 uses a servo electric cylinder as its power source. The end of its piston rod is fixedly connected to the top of the upper mold assembly 21. The servo electric cylinder is slidably connected to the mounting plate at the bottom of the lower mold assembly 22 through guide rods on both sides, ensuring that the parallelism error of the mold during the mold closing process does not exceed 0.05mm. Before mold closing, the mold temperature controller introduces high-temperature heat transfer oil into the upper mold assembly 21 and the lower mold assembly 22 through the heating rod channel to preheat the mold to 200-250℃, so as to avoid cold shuts or incomplete pouring defects in the casting due to the mold temperature being too low when the aluminum liquid is poured. After the aluminum liquid is poured, the mold temperature controller switches to the cooling water circulation mode. The cooling water quickly removes the heat from the mold through the cooling water channel, accelerates the solidification and forming of the casting, shortens the residence time of the casting in the mold, and improves production efficiency.

[0037] In this embodiment, as Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the dust removal mechanism 6 includes a dust removal hood 61 (not shown in the figure), a dust suction pipe 62, and a purification component 63. The dust removal hood 61 is installed above the furnace opening of the melting mechanism 1, and a negative pressure environment is formed by a negative pressure fan connected to the dust suction pipe 62 to extract the smoke, dust, aluminum slag particles and other materials generated during aluminum refining into the purification component 63.

[0038] Specifically, the purification component 63 adopts a two-stage purification structure of bag filter and activated carbon adsorption. The smoke and dust are first filtered by the bag filter to remove large particulate impurities, and then the fine dust and harmful gases are purified by activated carbon adsorption. The purified gas meets the emission standards, while the collected aluminum slag particles are temporarily stored in the dust collection box and cleaned up after accumulating to a certain amount. The entire melting process is dust-free.

[0039] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the casting cooling system 9 is an air-cooled circulating cooling mechanism, including a cooling chamber for storing castings, a circulating fan connected to the cooling chamber, and a temperature control component for adjusting the cooling temperature. The inlet and outlet of the cooling chamber are equipped with guide rails adapted to the first gripping mechanism 7. The temperature control component is installed in the cooling chamber and is electrically connected to the circulating fan.

[0040] Specifically, the cooling chamber is a sealed structure. The built-in temperature control component monitors the temperature inside the chamber in real time through thermocouples. When the temperature is higher than the preset threshold, the circulating fan is automatically started. Outside air enters the chamber after being filtered by a filter and exchanges heat with the casting to achieve rapid cooling of the casting. When the temperature is lower than the preset threshold, the temperature control component automatically shuts down the circulating fan to prevent stress cracks from forming in the casting due to overcooling.

[0041] In this embodiment, as Figure 1 , 2 As shown, the GDC casting automated production line also includes an intelligent control system 11. The intelligent control system 11 includes a human-machine interaction module, a parameter monitoring module, an equipment control module, and a data feedback module. The human-machine interaction module is used for the selection and setting of production machines and production equipment. The parameter monitoring module is used to collect the operating parameters and product quality data of each process of the production line in real time. The data feedback module is used to compare and analyze the collected parameter data with the preset process standards.

[0042] Specifically, when abnormal parameters or product quality deviations are detected, an early warning signal is automatically triggered and fed back to the equipment control module. The equipment control module dynamically adjusts the operating parameters of each mechanism based on the feedback information, such as the heating temperature of the melting furnace, the mold closing pressure of the casting mechanism 2, the cutting speed of the casting cutting mechanism 5, and the grinding path of the deburring mechanism, forming a closed-loop control system of monitoring first, feedback then adjustment.

[0043] The human-machine interface module uses a touchscreen, integrating functions such as parameter setting, status monitoring, fault diagnosis, and production report generation. Operators can use the touchscreen interface to start / stop the production line, modify process parameters, and input mold information. The screen displays the real-time operating status of each workstation's equipment, production progress, and key process parameter curves, allowing managers to intuitively grasp the production situation. The parameter monitoring module uses K-type thermocouples for temperature sensors, covering a temperature range of 0-1200℃, to monitor the temperature of molten aluminum in the melting furnace and the mold cavity temperature in real time. The pressure sensor is a high-precision strain gauge sensor used to monitor the clamping force during mold closing and the cutting force of the tool during cutting. The vision inspection component uses an industrial camera with a telecentric lens, employing deep learning algorithms to perform online detection of burr residue on the casting surface and the flatness of the cut section of the gating system. The data feedback module is equipped with an edge computing unit, which performs local preprocessing of the collected temperature, pressure, and image data before uploading it to the cloud management platform via industrial Ethernet.

[0044] like Figure 10 As shown, the production process of the GDC casting automated production line of the present invention includes the following steps: S1. Production Parameter Setting: Before officially starting the production line, the pre-setting of parameters must be completed through the supporting intelligent control system 11, including the aluminum melt melting temperature of the melting mechanism 1 (normally set to 720-750℃), the mold temperature of the casting mechanism 2 (preheated to 180-220℃), the cooling temperature of the casting cooling system 9 (set to 40-60℃), the grinding speed of the casting deburring mechanism 4 (set to 1500-3000r / min according to the casting material), and the cutting pressure of the casting cutting mechanism 5 (0.3-0.5MPa), etc.

[0045] S2. Aluminum Molten Metal Melting and Dust Removal: The melting mechanism 1 is started, and aluminum alloy ingots are put into the melting furnace. The heating components built into the melting furnace start working, and the furnace temperature is raised to the preset range of 720-750℃ by electric heating. After the ingots are completely melted into aluminum molten metal, the GBF refining process is started, and high-purity nitrogen is introduced into the aluminum molten metal to achieve degassing and slag removal. During this process, the dust removal mechanism 6 is started simultaneously to extract the smoke, dust, aluminum slag particles and other materials generated during aluminum molten metal refining into the purification component 63.

[0046] S3. Casting and Semi-finished Product Conveying: After the molten aluminum is refined, the first gripping mechanism 7 is activated. Its six-axis articulated transfer robotic arm 81 moves the pouring ladle to the furnace opening of the melting mechanism 1, accurately scooping a fixed amount of molten aluminum. Then, the robotic arm adjusts its posture through multi-joint linkage, transferring the molten aluminum to the pouring port of the casting mechanism 2, and slowly injecting the molten aluminum into the mold cavity. After the casting solidifies and forms in the mold, the mold closing drive component 23 drives the upper mold component 21 to move upward to open the mold. The first gripping mechanism 7 switches to multi-specification adaptive grippers 82, which extend into the mold cavity to accurately grip the formed casting, and then transfer it to the starting end of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism 3.

[0047] S4. Casting Cooling: After the casting is conveyed to the end by the semi-finished product conveying mechanism 3, the casting cooling system 9 on the other side is activated. The inlet guide rail of the cooling chamber opens, and the second gripping mechanism 8 grips the casting from the positioning component of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism 3 and places the casting into the cooling chamber along the guide rail. After the casting temperature drops to the range of 40-60℃, the outlet guide rail of the cooling chamber opens, and the second gripping mechanism 8 grips and removes the cooled casting for the next process.

[0048] S5. Deburring of castings: The second gripping mechanism 8 transfers the cooled castings to the tooling fixture 42 on the machine tool 41 of the casting deburring mechanism 4. The tooling fixture 42 precisely clamps and fixes the castings. Then, the casting deburring mechanism 4 starts, and its X-axis feed mechanism 441, Y-axis feed mechanism 442, and Z-axis feed mechanism 443 start working in tandem to move the castings to be processed to the corresponding position of the rotary grinding assembly 43. Then, the grinding spindle 432 of the rotary grinding assembly 43 drives the grinding head 433 to grind the burrs. During this process, the cleaning assembly 45 starts simultaneously to collect and process the waste chips generated during the grinding process, so as to avoid the accumulation of aluminum chips affecting the grinding accuracy or causing secondary scratches. After the burrs in that part are removed, the XYZ three-axis feed mechanism 44 is activated again to adjust the relative position of the casting and the grinding head 433. The burrs in the remaining parts of the casting are processed one by one. After all the deburring operations are completed, the tooling fixture 42 releases the casting, and the second gripping mechanism 8 grips and removes the casting.

[0049] S6. Casting Cutting Process: The second gripping mechanism 8 transfers the deburred casting to the cutting worktable 51 of the casting cutting mechanism 5. The casting is precisely placed in the positioning fixture 54, which then clamps and fixes the casting. Based on the position of the casting's gating and riser, the multi-angle adjustment component 55 is activated. Through rotation and flipping, the gating and riser are adjusted to a suitable angle for cutting, adapting to the cutting requirements of gating and risers in different orientations. After the angle adjustment is completed, the cutting robot 52 is activated. Its robotic arm first moves to the tool magazine component 53, and through the end-effector tool changer, it grabs a pre-specified cutting tool 523 from the tool magazine. Then, it moves to the cutting station and precisely cuts the casting's gating and riser according to a pre-specified trajectory. The waste generated during the cutting process and the waste from the gating and riser after cutting will fall into the material distribution component 56 below through the feeding chute 5111 on the frame 511. The material distribution component 56 adopts a vibrating screen structure, which can separate the fine aluminum chips from the large pieces of gating and riser waste and temporarily store them in different collection bins to achieve the classification and recycling of waste.

[0050] S7. Finished Product Output: After the casting has completed the cut-off of the gating riser, the second gripping mechanism 8 will grab the qualified casting from the cutting workbench 51 and transfer it to the finished product output mechanism 10. The finished product output mechanism 10 will then transfer it to the warehouse for temporary storage, thus completing the entire production process.

[0051] In summary, throughout the entire production process, the six-axis articulated robotic arms of the first gripping mechanism 7 and the second gripping mechanism 8 can achieve multi-directional, high-precision transfer operations. Their multi-specification adaptable grippers 82 can be quickly replaced according to the casting specifications, adapting to the production needs of different machine types. The positioning components of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism 3 and the finished product output mechanism 10 are flexibly adjustable, further enhancing the versatility of the production line. Simultaneously, the operating status of each mechanism can be monitored in real time through the intelligent control system 11. If parameters deviate from preset thresholds, the system will automatically issue an early warning and adjust the operating parameters, ensuring the stable and efficient operation of the production line. Compared to traditional manual production lines, its production efficiency is significantly improved, and the dimensional accuracy and appearance consistency of the products are significantly enhanced.

[0052] The embodiments described in this specific implementation are preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Identical components are represented by the same reference numerals. Therefore, all equivalent changes made to the structure, shape, and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An automated production line for GDC casting, characterized in that, It includes a melting mechanism, a casting mechanism, a semi-finished product conveying mechanism, a casting deburring mechanism, a casting cutting mechanism, and a finished product output mechanism; A dust removal mechanism is connected to one side of the melting mechanism to extract and purify the smoke and particulate matter generated during the aluminum molten refining process under negative pressure; a first gripping mechanism is provided between the melting mechanism and the casting mechanism; the starting end of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism is located below the part taking station of the casting mechanism, and the end extends to the vicinity of the casting deburring mechanism to receive and horizontally convey the castings; a casting cooling system is also provided on the other side of the end of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism. The casting deburring mechanism includes a machine tool, a tooling fixture mounted on the machine tool for fixing and clamping the casting, and a rotary grinding assembly for grinding and removing chips. A three-axis feed mechanism that moves along the X, Y, and Z axes is connected between the tooling fixture and the rotary grinding assembly. The rotary grinding assembly is located directly above the tooling fixture, and a cleaning assembly is provided on one side of the rotary grinding assembly for cleaning the waste chips generated during casting grinding. The casting cutting mechanism includes a cutting worktable, a cutting robot located on one side of the cutting worktable, and a tool magazine assembly located on one side of the cutting robot. The cutting worktable is provided with a positioning fixture for clamping the casting. A multi-angle adjustment assembly is connected between the bottom of the positioning fixture and the cutting worktable to drive the positioning fixture to achieve multi-angle rotation and tilt adjustment. The tool magazine assembly is located on one side of the cutting robot and is used to store cutting tools of different specifications. It also includes a second gripping mechanism, which is adapted to transfer products between the casting cooling system, the casting deburring mechanism, the casting cutting mechanism and the finished product output mechanism, so that the castings produced after casting can sequentially complete the cooling, deburring and cutting processes.

2. The GDC casting automated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotary grinding assembly includes a fixed bracket, a grinding spindle, and a grinding head. The grinding spindle is fixedly mounted on the fixed bracket, and one end of the fixed bracket is slidably connected to the Z-axis feed mechanism. The grinding head is detachably connected to the grinding spindle, and the grinding head is drivenly connected to the output end of the grinding spindle.

3. The GDC casting automated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning assembly includes multiple air nozzles, a chip conveyor, and a collection box. The air nozzles are distributed around the perimeter of the grinding spindle, and each air nozzle is connected to an air pump via an air pipe. The chip conveyor is located on one side of the rotating grinding assembly and has multiple suction holes, which are connected to the collection box via pipes.

4. The GDC casting automated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cutting workbench includes a frame and protective covers on both sides of the frame; the frame is provided with a feeding trough for discharging cutting waste and aluminum castings, and a material separating component is provided below the feeding trough for separating waste chips and castings; the protective cover is provided with a dust discharge port, which is connected to a dust removal mechanism through a pipe.

5. The GDC casting automated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-angle adjustment component includes a rotary table, a U-shaped base plate disposed at the bottom of the rotary table, and an indexing plate for driving the U-shaped base plate to rotate. The rotary table is fixed on the U-shaped base plate and has a built-in rotary motor. The two sides of the U-shaped base plate are rotatably connected to the indexing plate. The indexing plate is fixed on the cutting worktable by a mounting bracket, and a servo motor is driven to one end of the indexing plate.

6. The GDC casting automated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The casting mechanism includes an upper mold assembly, a lower mold assembly, and a mold closing drive assembly. The upper mold assembly and the lower mold assembly are connected by guide columns. Both the upper mold assembly and the lower mold assembly have built-in heating rod channels and cooling water channels, and are circulated and temperature controlled by connecting to an external mold temperature controller. The mold closing drive assembly is driven to the upper mold assembly and the lower mold assembly and is used to drive the upper mold assembly and the lower mold assembly to close and complete the die casting.

7. The GDC casting automated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dust removal mechanism includes a dust removal hood, a dust suction pipe, and a purification component. The dust removal hood is installed above the furnace opening of the melting mechanism. One end of the dust suction pipe is connected to the dust removal hood, and the other end is connected to the purification component.

8. The GDC casting automated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The casting cooling system is an air-cooled circulating cooling mechanism, including a cooling chamber for storing castings, a circulating fan connected to the cooling chamber, and a temperature control component for adjusting the cooling temperature. The inlet and outlet of the cooling chamber are equipped with guide rails adapted to the first gripping mechanism. The temperature control component is installed in the cooling chamber and is electrically connected to the circulating fan.

9. The GDC casting automated production line according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first gripping mechanism and the second gripping mechanism have the same structure, both including a transfer robotic arm and multi-specification adaptable grippers. The transfer robotic arm is a six-axis articulated robot, and the base of the transfer robotic arm is fixed to the foundation or frame by bolts. The multi-specification adaptable grippers are detachably connected to the execution end of the transfer robotic arm, and the gripping end of the multi-specification adaptable grippers is covered with an anti-slip and wear-resistant buffer pad.

10. A production process based on the GDC casting automated production line according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The following steps are included: S1. Production Parameter Preset: The core process parameters of the production line are preset through the intelligent control system. The core process parameters include the aluminum melting temperature of the melting mechanism (720-750℃), the mold preheating temperature of the casting mechanism (180-220℃), the cooling temperature of the casting cooling system (40-60℃), the grinding speed of the casting deburring mechanism (1500-3000r / min), and the cutting pressure of the casting cutting mechanism (0.3-0.5MPa). S2. Aluminum liquid melting and dust removal: The melting mechanism is started to heat the aluminum alloy ingot to 720-750℃ to melt it into aluminum liquid. At the same time, the GBF refining process is started to introduce high-purity nitrogen into the aluminum liquid to remove gas and slag. During this process, the dust removal mechanism is running simultaneously to extract the smoke and dust and aluminum slag particles generated by aluminum liquid refining to the purification component for purification treatment. S3. Casting and semi-finished product conveying: The first gripping mechanism drives the pouring ladle to scoop a quantitative amount of aluminum liquid from the melting mechanism and transfer it to the casting mechanism to inject it into the mold cavity. After the casting solidifies and forms, the first gripping mechanism switches the grippers to grab the casting and transfer it to the positioning component of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism. The semi-finished product conveying mechanism then completes the horizontal conveying of the casting. S4. Casting cooling: The second gripping mechanism grips the casting from the end of the semi-finished product conveying mechanism and transfers it to the cooling chamber of the casting cooling system. After the casting temperature drops to 40-60℃, the second gripping mechanism removes the cooled casting from the cooling chamber. S5. Deburring of castings: The second gripping mechanism transfers the cooled castings to the tooling fixture of the casting deburring mechanism for clamping. The X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis feed mechanisms of the casting deburring mechanism are linked to adjust the relative position of the castings and the rotary grinding component. The rotary grinding component grinds the burrs on the castings, while the cleaning component collects the grinding waste at the same time. After all the burrs are removed, the second gripping mechanism picks up the castings and removes them. S6. Casting Cutting: The second gripping mechanism transfers the deburred casting to the positioning fixture of the casting cutting mechanism for clamping. The multi-angle adjustment component drives the positioning fixture to rotate and flip, adjusting the casting gate and riser to the appropriate cutting angle. The cutting robot grabs the corresponding cutting tool from the tool magazine component and precisely cuts the casting gate and riser. The cutting waste falls through the feeding chute to the sorting component to achieve the classification and recycling of waste chips and large pieces of waste. S7. Finished Product Output: The second gripping mechanism grips the qualified castings after the gating and riser cutting is completed and transfers them to the finished product output mechanism, which then transfers the castings to the warehouse for temporary storage, completing the overall production process.

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