Self-adaptive cutting clamp for sealing strip with metal framework

Abstract

The invention discloses a self-adaptive cutting clamp for a sealing strip with a metal framework, and relates to the technical field of tool clamps. The clamp comprises a base assembly, a guide assembly, a sample bearing assembly and a self-adaptive clamping assembly. The sample bearing assembly is installed on the guide assembly in a sliding mode and locked at different cutting positions through the positioning mechanism. The self-adaptive clamping assembly comprises an overturning pressing plate, a first swinging pressing plate and a second swinging pressing plate, and when the overturning pressing plate is closed, the first swinging pressing plate is driven to move and is matched with the second swinging pressing plate to convert vertical locking force into normal clamping force for the sealing strip sample. Through self-adaptive fitting and normal clamping, extrusion deformation of the metal framework in the cutting process is effectively prevented, the authenticity of the size of a section sample is guaranteed, and meanwhile, the cutting sampling efficiency and universality are remarkably improved by combining the guiding indexing function.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive parts testing tools, specifically to an adaptive cutting fixture for a metal skeleton sealing strip. Background Technology

[0002] Automotive sealing strips are a crucial component of automotive body parts systems, and their performance directly impacts key parameters such as the vehicle's sealing performance, sound insulation, and door closing force. When evaluating the performance of automotive sealing strips, in addition to physical performance tests such as compressive load testing, the inspection of the sealing strip's cross-sectional geometry is a commonly used and vital evaluation method. Through precise cross-sectional projection evaluation, combined with other experimental data, a comprehensive assessment of the sealing strip's performance can be achieved.

[0003] In existing automotive sealing strip products, a type of composite structure sealing strip with an internally embedded metal skeleton is widely used to maintain the stability of the cross-sectional geometry and provide sufficient support. The metal skeleton inside these sealing strips is typically thin, often only around 0.5 mm thick. Before performing cross-sectional geometric projection evaluation, the sealing strip must first be physically cut to prepare a standard cross-sectional sample.

[0004] However, currently, the preparation of cross-sectional samples of such sealing strips with metal skeletons mainly employs traditional cutting methods, such as cutting with an abrasive wheel cutter or directly cutting with hand shears. Due to the extremely thinness and limited rigidity of the metal skeleton, these traditional cutting methods have significant drawbacks: 1) Traditional clamping and cutting methods often apply large Z-axis (vertical) extrusion or shearing forces to the cutting surface, causing the internal thin-walled metal skeleton to be squeezed, bent or collapsed during the cutting process.

[0005] 2) Once the metal skeleton deforms, the geometry of the sample will change, failing to accurately reflect the cross-sectional structure of the sealing strip in its natural state. Evaluation data based on the cross-sectional geometry of the deformed sample will lose accuracy, leading to misjudgments of the overall performance of the sealing strip.

[0006] In summary, in order to solve the problem that existing technologies easily cause skeleton deformation and lead to inaccurate test results when cutting metal skeleton sealing strips, it is urgent to develop a special cutting fixture that can adapt to the shape of the sealing strip and effectively protect the metal skeleton from deformation during the cutting process. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes an adaptive cutting fixture for a metal-framed sealing strip, comprising: Base assembly; A guide assembly, which is mounted on the base assembly; A sample carrying assembly includes a clamp seat, a slider seat assembly, and a pressure plate seat. The clamp seat is mounted on the guide assembly and is locked in different positions by the guide assembly. The slider seat assembly is mounted on the clamp seat, and a pressure plate seat is mounted above the second end of the slider seat assembly. An adaptive clamping assembly includes a flipping pressure plate, a first swinging pressure plate, and a second swinging pressure plate. The first end of the flipping pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first swinging pressure plate, and the second end of the flipping pressure plate is rotatably connected to the pressure plate seat. The second swinging pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first end of the slider seat assembly. The flipping pressure plate drives the first swinging pressure plate to move. When the flipping pressure plate closes, the first swinging pressure plate adaptively conforms to the upper surface of the sealing strip sample as the flipping pressure plate closes. The second swinging pressure plate adaptively conforms to the lower surface of the sealing strip sample.

[0008] In one embodiment, the guiding assembly includes a fixed guide, a movable guide, and a positioning mechanism. The fixed guide is mounted on the base assembly, the movable guide is slidably connected to the fixed guide, the positioning mechanism locks the movable guide at different positions on the fixed guide, and the clamp seat is mounted on the movable guide and moves synchronously with the movable guide.

[0009] In one embodiment, the positioning mechanism is configured to lock the moving guide at a first cutting position and a second cutting position, the first cutting position and the second cutting position being distributed along the cutting direction, and the distance between them corresponding to the required thickness of the sealing strip sample slice.

[0010] In one embodiment, the fixed guide is a second dovetail guide plate, the movable guide is a first dovetail guide plate, and the positioning mechanism is a spring indexing pin.

[0011] In one embodiment, the slider assembly includes a first slider seat and a second slider seat, the second slider seat is mounted on the clamp seat, a first end of the second slider seat is detachably connected to a second end of the first slider seat, a pressure plate seat is mounted above the second end of the second slider seat, and a second swing pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first end of the first slider seat.

[0012] In one embodiment, a locking component is further included, one end of which is disposed within the second slider seat, and the other end of which is located above the flip-over pressure plate. The locking component is used to lock the flip-over pressure plate in a closed state.

[0013] In one embodiment, a limit adjustment mechanism is further included, one end of which is disposed inside the second slider seat, and the other end of which is used to abut against the bottom of the flip plate to limit the downward pressure limit position of the flip plate.

[0014] In one embodiment, the sample carrying assembly further includes a first T-shaped block, and the second slider seat is positioned and fixedly mounted on the fixture seat via the first T-shaped block.

[0015] In one embodiment, the top surface of the first slider seat is provided with a contoured support groove that matches the bottom contour of the sealing strip sample.

[0016] In one embodiment, the base assembly includes a base and four second T-shaped blocks, which are respectively installed below the four corners of the base.

[0017] The adaptive cutting fixture for a metal skeleton sealing strip according to the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1) This invention employs an adaptive clamping assembly, creatively transforming the traditional Z-axis (vertical) clamping force into a normal clamping force conforming to the sealing strip's surface. This design significantly increases the clamping contact area, greatly improving clamping stability and force, ensuring the reliability of the cutting process, and effectively preventing crushing deformation of the metal skeleton and excessive compression deformation of the rubber area caused by force concentration, thus guaranteeing the authenticity of the cross-sectional sample.

[0018] 2) This invention adopts a modular sample support component design. On the one hand, through adaptive support design, the deformation of most general-purpose parts can be controlled within a small elastic deformation range, meeting the vast majority of cutting requirements and possessing extremely high versatility; on the other hand, for special or high-precision irregularly shaped sealing strips, users can customize and replace specific shaped support blocks, sacrificing some versatility in exchange for ultimate anti-deformation capability, flexibly adapting to diverse testing scenarios.

[0019] 3) This invention features a hole positioning and dovetail-guided moving mechanism, enabling a single clamping and two-cutting operation mode. Operators can quickly obtain sample slices of the required thickness via the guiding movement without needing to perform secondary clamping or repeated tool adjustments. This not only significantly improves cutting efficiency but also eliminates positioning errors introduced by secondary clamping, ensuring the consistency and accuracy of slice thickness.

[0020] 4) To address the issue of fixtures occupying a large worktable area and requiring frequent disassembly and assembly, this invention employs a base fixing method with edge positioning and standard T-block locking. This design is compatible with various standard T-slots on the worktables of cutting machines on the market, enabling rapid positioning and locking without complex adjustments, greatly improving the efficiency of fixture disassembly, assembly, and line changing. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an adaptive cutting fixture with a metal skeleton sealing strip according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A structural diagram from another angle.

[0022] Figure Labels

[0023] 1. Flipping pressure plate; 2. First pin; 3. First swinging pressure plate; 4. Fixture seat; 5. Second swinging pressure plate; 6. First slider seat; 7. Second slider seat; 8. Screw; 9. Second pin; 10. First T-block; 11. Second T-block; 12. Key; 13. Through-hole handle; 14. First hex socket screw; 15. Pressure plate seat; 16. First dovetail guide plate; 17. Second dovetail guide plate; 18. Base; 19. Second hex socket screw; 20. Third pin; 21. Spacer; 22. Fourth pin; 23. Spring indexing pin; 24. Third hex socket screw; 25. Fourth hex socket screw; 26. Fifth pin. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0025] This invention proposes an adaptive cutting fixture for a metal-framed sealing strip, comprising a base assembly, a guide assembly, a sample carrying assembly, and an adaptive clamping assembly. The guide assembly is mounted on the base assembly. The sample carrying assembly includes a fixture seat, a slider seat assembly, and a pressure plate seat. The fixture seat is mounted on the guide assembly and is locked in different positions by the guide assembly. The slider seat assembly is mounted on the fixture seat, and a pressure plate seat is mounted above the second end of the slider seat assembly. The adaptive clamping assembly includes a flipping pressure plate, a first swinging pressure plate, and a second swinging pressure plate. The first end of the flipping pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first swinging pressure plate, and the second end of the flipping pressure plate is rotatably connected to the pressure plate seat. The second swinging pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first end of the slider seat assembly.

[0026] The flipping pressure plate drives the first swinging pressure plate to move. When the flipping pressure plate closes, the first swinging pressure plate adaptively fits the upper surface of the sealing strip sample as the flipping pressure plate closes. The second swinging pressure plate adaptively fits the lower surface of the sealing strip sample.

[0027] This invention achieves adaptive normal clamping of irregularly shaped sealing strips by using a floating design of a flipping pressure plate to drive the first swinging pressure plate, combined with the cooperation of a second swinging pressure plate. This solves the problem that traditional Z-axis vertical clamps are prone to causing deformation of the metal skeleton. At the same time, the modular design of the first slider seat allows one set of clamping seats to be adapted to multiple products, reducing tooling costs.

[0028] Furthermore, the guide assembly includes a fixed guide, a movable guide, and a positioning mechanism. The fixed guide is mounted on the base assembly, and the movable guide is slidably connected to the fixed guide. The positioning mechanism locks the movable guide at different positions on the fixed guide, and the clamp seat is mounted on the movable guide and moves synchronously with the movable guide.

[0029] The positioning mechanism is configured to lock the moving guide at a first cutting position and a second cutting position, respectively. The first cutting position and the second cutting position are distributed along the cutting direction, and the distance between them corresponds to the required thickness of the sealing strip sample slice.

[0030] Specifically, the fixed guide is the second dovetail guide plate, and the movable guide is the first dovetail guide plate; that is, the fixed guide and the movable guide form a set of dovetail guide plates, with the fixed guide serving as the mother plate and the movable guide serving as the male plate. The positioning mechanism is a spring indexing pin.

[0031] Furthermore, the slider assembly includes a first slider seat and a second slider seat. The second slider seat is mounted on the fixture seat. The first end of the second slider seat is detachably connected to the second end of the first slider seat. A pressure plate seat is mounted above the second end of the second slider seat. A second swing pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first end of the first slider seat.

[0032] Furthermore, the adaptive cutting fixture also includes a locking assembly, one end of which is disposed within the second slider seat, and the other end of which is located above the flip plate. The locking assembly is used to lock the flip plate in a closed state.

[0033] Furthermore, the adaptive cutting fixture also includes a limit adjustment mechanism. One end of the limit adjustment mechanism is located inside the second slider seat, and the other end of the limit adjustment mechanism is used to abut against the bottom of the flip plate to limit the downward pressure limit position of the flip plate.

[0034] Furthermore, the base assembly includes a base and four second T-shaped blocks, which are respectively installed below the four corners of the base.

[0035] Furthermore, the sample carrying assembly also includes a first T-shaped block, and the second slider seat is positioned and fixedly installed on the fixture seat through the first T-shaped block.

[0036] Furthermore, the top surface of the first slider seat is provided with a contoured support groove that matches the bottom contour of the sealing strip sample.

[0037] Example

[0038] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides an adaptive cutting fixture for a metal skeleton sealing strip.

[0039] The base assembly includes a base 18, with a second T-shaped block 11 installed at each of the four corners of the bottom of the base 18. In use, the second T-shaped block 11, in conjunction with the fifth pin 26 and the third hex socket screw 24, securely locks the entire base 18 into the T-slot of the worktable of the external cutting machine.

[0040] The bottom of the base 18 is also provided with a key 12, which is configured to be embedded in the T-shaped groove of the external cutting table to limit the installation angle of the base 18 relative to the cutting table, and ensure that the moving path of the guide component maintains a preset positional relationship with the cutting plane of the cutting machine, thereby ensuring the flatness of the cutting surface.

[0041] The guide assembly is located in a groove above the base 18 and consists of a fixed guide, a movable guide, and a positioning mechanism. The second dovetail guide plate 17 serves as the fixed guide and is locked to the base 18 by a first hexagonal screw 14. The first dovetail guide plate 16 serves as the movable guide and forms a dovetail groove sliding fit with the second dovetail guide plate 17. A spring indexing pin 23 is installed on the first dovetail guide plate 16 or its connected components. The guide assembly has pre-set positioning holes corresponding to the first and second cutting positions. The operator can precisely lock the movable guide in two different positions by pulling and releasing the spring indexing pin 23; the movement distance between the two positions strictly corresponds to the required sealing strip slice thickness. The guide assembly also includes a fourth pin 22, which is installed between the second dovetail guide plate 17 and the base 18 to assist in positioning or limit the travel of the second dovetail guide plate 17, ensuring the installation accuracy of the guide movement path.

[0042] The sample carrier assembly is mounted on the guide assembly and moves synchronously with the moving guide. Specifically, it includes: a clamp seat 4, a first slider seat 6, a second slider seat 7, and a pressure plate seat 15. The clamp seat 4 serves as the main carrier, and its bottom is fixedly connected to the first dovetail guide plate 16 via a fourth hexagonal screw 25. The second slider seat 7 is mounted above the clamp seat 4 and is positioned and locked by a first T-block 10 to ensure installation accuracy. The first slider seat 6 (i.e., the Z-slider seat) is a replaceable modular sub-seat, with its second end detachably snapped into the first end of the second slider seat 7. The top surface of the first slider seat 6 has a contoured support groove that matches the bottom profile of a specific type of sealing strip. When different specifications of sealing strips need to be cut, only the first slider seat 6 needs to be replaced. The pressure plate seat 15 is fixedly mounted above the second end of the second slider seat 7, serving as the hinge fulcrum of the clamping mechanism.

[0043] The adaptive clamping assembly includes: a flipping pressure plate 1, a first swinging pressure plate 3, and a second swinging pressure plate 5. The second end of the flipping pressure plate 1 is movably connected to the pressure plate base 15, allowing the flipping pressure plate 1 to flip up and down relative to the sample carrier assembly, switching between an open and closed position. The first swinging pressure plate 3 is movably connected to the first end of the flipping pressure plate 1 via a first pin 2. The first swinging pressure plate 3 can swing freely around the first pin 2. The second swinging pressure plate 5 is movably connected to the first end of the first slider base 6 via a third pin 20. Because it is mounted on the first slider base 6, when the first slider base is replaced, the second swinging pressure plate 5 is also replaced, thus achieving synchronous mold changing at the bottom of the clamping mechanism.

[0044] The locking assembly includes a second pin 9, a hinged screw 8, and a through-hole handle 13. The second pin 9 is fixed inside the second slider seat 7. One end of the hinged screw 8 is a through hole that passes through and is movably connected to the second pin 9. The other end of the hinged screw 8 is connected to the through-hole handle 13. The hinged screw 8 passes through the second slider seat 7 and the flip-over pressure plate 1. The through-hole handle 13 is located above the flip-over pressure plate 1. The external thread of the hinged screw 8 matches the internal thread of the through-hole handle 13. Tightening the through-hole handle 13 applies a locking force.

[0045] To prevent excessive clamping from deforming the metal frame, a pad 21 is installed inside the second slider seat 7, and a second hexagon socket screw 19 (or adjusting stud) is provided on the pad. This screw is located below the rotation path of the flip plate 1. When the flip plate 1 is closed to a predetermined height, its bottom surface abuts against the second hexagon socket screw 19, thereby controlling the minimum closing gap through physical hard limiting.

[0046] The working principle and operation process of this embodiment are as follows: 1) Preparation Stage: Based on the specifications of the sealing strip to be cut, select the corresponding first slider seat 6 and its attached second swing pressure plate 5, and insert them into the second slider seat 7 and fix them in place. Adjust the height of the second hex socket screw 19 to set the optimal clamping stroke limit. Loosen the through hole handle 13, pry open the hinge screw 8, and lift the flip pressure plate 1. Place the sealing strip sample in the contour groove of the first slider seat 6.

[0047] 2) Adaptive Clamping: Press down the flipping pressure plate 1. At this time, the first swinging pressure plate 3, suspended at the front end of the flipping pressure plate, contacts the upper surface of the sealing strip. Since the first swinging pressure plate 3 can rotate around the first pin 2, it will automatically adjust its angle to fit the irregular upper surface of the sealing strip. At the same time, the downward pressure of the flipping pressure plate 1 is transmitted to the second swinging pressure plate 5 below through the sample, making it fit tightly against the lower part of the sample. This linkage structure converts the vertically downward locking force into a normal clamping force. With the help of the limiting mechanism, it ensures that the sealing strip does not loosen while avoiding the flattening or deformation of its internal metal skeleton due to the single force direction. Reset the hinge screw 8 and tighten the through hole handle 13 to complete the locking.

[0048] 3) Indexing and cutting: Lift the spring indexing pin 23, push the clamp seat 4 along the dovetail guide rail to the first cutting position, and release the indexing pin to lock it. Operate the cutting machine to make the first cut, removing the uneven part of the sealing strip end.

[0049] Lift the spring indexing pin 23 again, push the clamp seat 4 to the second cutting position and lock it. Perform the second cut.

[0050] At this point, the sealing strip sheet remaining in the slit between the first and second cutting positions is the cross-sectional projection test sample of the required standard thickness.

[0051] 4) Sampling: Release the handle, open the flip plate, and take out the cut sample.

[0052] The adaptive cutting fixture for a metal skeleton sealing strip according to the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1) This invention employs an adaptive clamping assembly, creatively transforming the traditional Z-axis (vertical) clamping force into a normal clamping force conforming to the sealing strip's surface. This design significantly increases the clamping contact area, greatly improving clamping stability and force, ensuring the reliability of the cutting process, and effectively preventing crushing deformation of the metal skeleton and excessive compression deformation of the rubber area caused by force concentration, thus guaranteeing the authenticity of the cross-sectional sample.

[0053] 2) This invention adopts a modular sample support component design. On the one hand, through adaptive support design, the deformation of most general-purpose parts can be controlled within a small elastic deformation range, meeting the vast majority of cutting requirements and possessing extremely high versatility; on the other hand, for special or high-precision irregularly shaped sealing strips, users can customize and replace specific shaped support blocks, sacrificing some versatility in exchange for ultimate anti-deformation capability, flexibly adapting to diverse testing scenarios.

[0054] 3) This invention features a hole positioning and dovetail-guided moving mechanism, enabling a single clamping and two-cutting operation mode. Operators can quickly obtain sample slices of the required thickness via the guiding movement without needing to perform secondary clamping or repeated tool adjustments. This not only significantly improves cutting efficiency but also eliminates positioning errors introduced by secondary clamping, ensuring the consistency and accuracy of slice thickness.

[0055] 4) To address the issue of fixtures occupying a large worktable area and requiring frequent disassembly and assembly, this invention employs a base fixing method with edge positioning and standard T-block locking. This design is compatible with various standard T-slots on the worktables of cutting machines on the market, enabling rapid positioning and locking without complex adjustments, greatly improving the efficiency of fixture disassembly, assembly, and line changing.

[0056] The embodiments described above are merely further illustrations of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any other way. The present invention may have many other embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various corresponding modifications and changes based on the present invention, but all such modifications and changes should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adaptive cutting fixture for use with a metal skeleton sealing strip, characterized in that, include: Base assembly; A guide assembly, which is mounted on the base assembly; A sample carrying assembly includes a clamp seat, a slider seat assembly, and a pressure plate seat. The clamp seat is mounted on the guide assembly and is locked in different positions by the guide assembly. The slider seat assembly is mounted on the clamp seat, and a pressure plate seat is mounted above the second end of the slider seat assembly. An adaptive clamping assembly includes a flipping pressure plate, a first swinging pressure plate, and a second swinging pressure plate. The first end of the flipping pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first swinging pressure plate, and the second end of the flipping pressure plate is rotatably connected to the pressure plate seat. The second swinging pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first end of the slider seat assembly. The flipping pressure plate drives the first swinging pressure plate to move. When the flipping pressure plate closes, the first swinging pressure plate adaptively conforms to the upper surface of the sealing strip sample as the flipping pressure plate closes. The second swinging pressure plate adaptively conforms to the lower surface of the sealing strip sample.

2. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guiding assembly includes a fixed guide, a movable guide, and a positioning mechanism. The fixed guide is mounted on the base assembly. The movable guide is slidably connected to the fixed guide. The positioning mechanism locks the movable guide at different positions on the fixed guide. The clamp seat is mounted on the movable guide and moves synchronously with the movable guide.

3. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that, The positioning mechanism is configured to lock the moving guide at a first cutting position and a second cutting position, respectively. The first cutting position and the second cutting position are distributed along the cutting direction, and the distance between them corresponds to the required thickness of the sealing strip sample slice.

4. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fixed guide is a second dovetail guide plate, the movable guide is a first dovetail guide plate, and the positioning mechanism is a spring indexing pin.

5. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The slider seat assembly includes a first slider seat and a second slider seat. The second slider seat is mounted on the fixture seat. The first end of the second slider seat is detachably connected to the second end of the first slider seat. A pressure plate seat is mounted above the second end of the second slider seat. The second swing pressure plate is rotatably connected to the first end of the first slider seat.

6. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a locking assembly, one end of which is disposed in the second slider seat, and the other end of which is located above the flip plate. The locking assembly is used to lock the flip plate in a closed state.

7. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a limit adjustment mechanism, one end of which is disposed inside the second slider seat, and the other end of which is used to abut against the bottom of the flip plate to limit the downward pressure limit position of the flip plate.

8. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sample carrying assembly further includes a first T-shaped block, and the second slider seat is positioned and fixedly installed on the fixture seat through the first T-shaped block.

9. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 5, characterized in that, The top surface of the first slider seat is provided with a contour support groove that matches the bottom contour of the sealing strip sample.

10. The adaptive cutting fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base assembly includes a base and four second T-shaped blocks, which are respectively installed below the four corners of the base.

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