A brand-new concept electric welding machine

Abstract

This invention discloses a novel welding machine, comprising: a welding frame, the welding frame including a support frame, a sealed door on the front of the support frame, a welding chamber at the upper end of the inner cavity of the support frame, and a welding table at the bottom of the inner cavity of the welding chamber. This invention belongs to the field of welding machine technology. The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of traditional hot cathode electron beam welding machines in the prior art, where the hot cathode requires continuous preheating, has a long start-up time, and still needs to maintain a high temperature in standby mode. The technical effect achieved is: using a directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter as a cold cathode, utilizing the field emission principle of carbon nanotubes, an electric field is applied between the grid and the cathode to allow electrons to escape from the tip of the carbon nanotube through quantum tunneling effect, without heating the cathode to a high temperature, achieving millisecond-level instantaneous start-up, solving the drawback of traditional welding machines requiring 5-10 minutes of preheating, and significantly improving work efficiency and equipment response speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electric welding machine technology, and specifically to a novel electric welding machine. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional electric welding machines are widely used in welding critical components in aerospace, nuclear industry, automobile manufacturing, precision machinery, and other fields. Among them, thermionic cathode electron beam welding machines use a thermionic electron gun to heat a tungsten or tantalum cathode to over 2000°C, allowing electrons to gain sufficient thermal energy to overcome the work function and be emitted. These electrons are then accelerated and focused to form a high-energy electron beam, achieving deep penetration welding. This type of equipment has advantages such as high energy density, a large weld depth-to-width ratio, and a small heat-affected zone, making it an indispensable welding equipment in high-end manufacturing.

[0003] However, traditional hot cathode electron beam welding machines require continuous preheating of the hot cathode, resulting in long start-up times and the need to maintain high temperatures even in standby mode. The cathode heating power consumption reaches hundreds to thousands of watts, which is extremely energy-intensive. At the same time, the cathode material is prone to volatilization at high temperatures, resulting in a limited service life. Frequent replacements increase operating costs and downtime. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a novel welding machine comprises: a welding frame, the welding frame including a support frame, a sealing door provided on the front of the support frame, a welding chamber at the upper end of the inner cavity of the support frame, and a welding table provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the welding chamber; an attitude control mechanism including a mounting component, the top of the mounting component being fixedly connected to the top of the inner cavity of the welding chamber, a five-axis robotic arm being fixedly connected to the bottom of the mounting component, and a mounting flange being fixedly connected to the lower end of the five-axis robotic arm; and a field emission assembly, the field emission assembly including... A connector, the top of which is bolted to the bottom of the mounting flange, a protective shell fixedly connected to the bottom of the connector, a mounting component fixedly connected to the bottom of the connector, and a cathode substrate fixedly connected to the bottom of the mounting component; an electron-optical focusing and deflection mechanism, comprising a mounting cylinder, the upper end of which is fixedly connected to the bottom of the cathode substrate, and an anode fixedly connected to the inner wall of the mounting cylinder; and a control component, disposed outside the support frame and electrically connected to the field emission component and the electron-optical focusing and deflection mechanism.

[0006] Furthermore, an air extraction pipe is provided at the top of the welding chamber, and a vacuum pump is connected to the lower end of the air extraction pipe. A drive motor is provided on one side of the vacuum pump.

[0007] Furthermore, a directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter is disposed at the bottom of the cathode substrate, a gate is disposed above the cathode substrate, an insulating layer is disposed between the gate and the cathode substrate, a focusing electrode is disposed below the directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter, and a thermoelectric cooler is disposed on the surface of the gate.

[0008] Furthermore, a deflection coil assembly is provided on the surface of the mounting cylinder, a magnetic lens assembly is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the mounting cylinder, and the inner wall of the mounting cylinder is fixedly connected to the surface of the focusing electrode.

[0009] Furthermore, the oriented carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter is a multi-walled carbon nanotube or a single-walled carbon nanotube, wherein the diameter of the carbon nanotube is 1 nm-50 nm and the length is 1 μm-100 μm, and the density of the carbon nanotube array is [not specified]. .

[0010] Furthermore, the voltage between the gate (36) and the cathode substrate is 100V-1000V, and the thickness of the insulating layer is 50μm-500μm.

[0011] Furthermore, the focusing electrode is disposed below the oriented carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter, and a through hole is formed in the center of the focusing electrode to allow the electron beam to pass through. The potential of the focusing electrode is between the gate potential and the anode potential.

[0012] Furthermore, the accelerating voltage between the anode and the cathode substrate is 10kV-200kV, the magnetic lens assembly includes at least one focusing coil, and the deflection coil assembly includes a pair of deflection coils orthogonally arranged along the X-axis and Y-axis.

[0013] Furthermore, the thermoelectric cooler is attached to the surface of the gate to provide heat dissipation protection for the gate and cathode.

[0014] Furthermore, the control components include a controller, a high-voltage power supply module, a gate drive module, a focus deflection drive module, and a touch display screen, wherein the controller is a programmable logic controller or an embedded computer.

[0015] This invention offers the following advantages: By employing a directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter as a cold cathode, and utilizing the field emission principle of carbon nanotubes, electrons can escape from the tip of the carbon nanotubes through quantum tunneling by applying an electric field between the gate and the cathode. This eliminates the need to heat the cathode to high temperatures, achieving millisecond-level instantaneous start-up and overcoming the drawback of traditional welding machines requiring 5-10 minutes of preheating. This significantly improves operational efficiency and equipment response speed. Furthermore, the cold cathode does not require maintaining high temperatures during operation, resulting in near-zero power consumption for cathode heating and significantly reducing operating costs. Additionally, the carbon nanotube cold cathode does not suffer from high-temperature volatilization, and the emitter material experiences almost no loss in a vacuum environment, resulting in a significantly extended service life. This drastically reduces cathode replacement frequency and maintenance downtime, lowering overall operating costs. By replacing traditional hot cathodes with field emission cold cathodes, the high energy density and deep penetration capabilities of electron beam welding are maintained while achieving energy efficiency, high efficiency, and long lifespan for the welding equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of a novel welding machine provided by the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 A side view of a novel welding machine provided by this invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the support frame of a novel welding machine.

[0019] Figure 4 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the posture control mechanism of a novel welding machine.

[0020] Figure 5 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the field emission component structure of a novel welding machine.

[0021] Figure 6 This invention provides a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the field emission component of a novel welding machine.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the field emission component of a novel welding machine provided by the present invention.

[0023] In the diagram: 11. Support frame; 12. Sealed door; 13. Welding chamber; 14. Welding table; 15. Evacuation pipe; 16. Vacuum pump; 17. Drive motor; 21. Mounting component; 22. Five-axis robotic arm; 23. Mounting flange; 31. Connecting component; 32. Protective shell; 33. Mounting component; 34. Cathode substrate; 35. Directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter; 36. Grid; 37. Focusing electrode; 38. Insulating layer; 39. Thermoelectric cooler; 41. Mounting cylinder; 42. Deflection coil assembly; 43. Magnetic lens assembly; 44. Anode; 5. Control component. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] Example 1

[0026] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, a novel welding machine according to a first aspect embodiment of the present invention includes: a welding frame, the welding frame including a support frame 11, a sealing door 12 provided on the front of the support frame 11, a welding chamber 13 at the upper end of the inner cavity of the support frame 11, and a welding table 14 at the bottom of the inner cavity of the welding chamber 13; an attitude control mechanism, the attitude control mechanism including a mounting component 21, the top of the mounting component 21 being fixedly connected to the top of the inner cavity of the welding chamber 13, a five-axis robotic arm 22 being fixedly connected to the bottom of the mounting component 21, and a mounting flange 23 being fixedly connected to the lower end of the five-axis robotic arm 22; and a field emission assembly. The system includes a connector 31, the top of which is bolted to the bottom of a mounting flange 23; a protective housing 32 fixedly connected to the bottom of the connector 31; a mounting component 33 fixedly connected to the bottom of the connector 31; and a cathode substrate 34 fixedly connected to the bottom of the mounting component 33. It also includes an electron-optical focusing and deflection mechanism, comprising a mounting cylinder 41, the upper end of which is fixedly connected to the bottom of the cathode substrate 34; and an anode 44 fixedly connected to the inner wall of the mounting cylinder 41. Finally, it includes a control assembly 5, which is located outside the support frame 11 and electrically connected to the field emission assembly and the electron-optical focusing and deflection mechanism.

[0027] In the above embodiments, it should be noted that the welding frame is used to form a closed welding chamber and provide a vacuum environment; the sealing door is used to pick up and put in the workpiece and maintain the chamber seal; the welding table is used to carry and position the workpiece to be welded; the attitude control mechanism realizes the spatial multi-degree-of-freedom movement of the electron gun through a five-axis robotic arm to meet the welding requirements of complex weld trajectories; the field emission assembly is used to generate an electron beam, wherein the cathode substrate serves as the supporting electrode of the cold cathode; the anode in the electron optical focusing and deflection mechanism is used to accelerate the electron beam; and the control assembly is used to coordinate the operation of each system and set the welding parameters.

[0028] The technical effects achieved by the above embodiments are as follows: the basic structural framework of the electron beam welding machine is realized, and the electron gun is driven to move by the five-axis robotic arm, which can perform multi-angle welding on complex-shaped workpieces; the field emission component provides the basis for the subsequent generation of cold cathode electron beams; and the vacuum chamber ensures the low-pressure environment required for electron beam propagation.

[0029] Example 2

[0030] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, a novel welding machine, including all the contents of Embodiment 1, is described. Furthermore, an extraction pipe 15 is installed at the top of the welding chamber 13, and a vacuum pump 16 is connected to the lower end of the extraction pipe 15. A drive motor 17 is installed on one side of the vacuum pump 16. A directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter 35 is installed at the bottom of the cathode substrate 34. A grid 36 is installed above the cathode substrate 34, and an insulating layer 38 is installed between the grid 36 and the cathode substrate 34. A focusing electrode 37 is installed below the directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter 35. A thermoelectric cooler 39 is installed on the surface of the grid 36. A deflection coil assembly 42 is installed on the surface of the mounting cylinder 41. A magnetic lens assembly 43 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the mounting cylinder 41. The inner wall of the mounting cylinder 41 is fixedly connected to the surface of the focusing electrode 37. The directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter 35 is a multi-walled carbon nanotube or a single-walled carbon nanotube, with a diameter of 1nm-50nm and a length of 1μm-100μm. The density of the carbon nanotube array is... ;

[0031] In the above embodiments, it should be noted that the vacuum system, including the extraction pipe, vacuum pump, and drive motor, provides a high-vacuum environment for the welding chamber; the directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter is the core component of field emission, with its nanoscale tip emitting electrons under the action of an electric field; the gate is used to form a strong electric field on the cathode surface to control the activation of electron emission and the beam current; the insulating layer is used to isolate the high voltage between the gate and the cathode; the focusing electrode is used to electrostatically pre-focus the emitted electron beam to reduce the beam divergence angle; the thermoelectric cooler is used to dissipate heat from the gate and cathode areas to prevent overheating during long-term operation; the deflection coil assembly is used to deflect and scan the electron beam in the XY directions; and the magnetic lens assembly is used to precisely focus the electron beam to obtain a fine beam spot.

[0032] The technical effects achieved by the above embodiments are as follows: by utilizing the field emission characteristics of oriented carbon nanotube arrays, cold cathode electron emission without heating is realized, the start-up time is shortened to the millisecond level, and the cathode lifetime is extended to thousands of hours; the emission current is precisely controlled by the gate voltage, and electrostatic-electromagnetic composite focusing of the electron beam is achieved by the focusing electrode and magnetic lens, resulting in a high-energy-density micro-beam spot; the deflection coil enables the electron beam to quickly scan the weld seam trajectory, improving welding efficiency; the vacuum system ensures that the electron beam propagates without scattering; and the thermoelectric cooler ensures thermal stability during long-term operation.

[0033] Example 3

[0034] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, a novel welding machine is described, including all the contents of Embodiment 2. In addition, the voltage between the gate 36 and the cathode substrate 34 is 100V-1000V, the thickness of the insulating layer 38 is 50μm-500μm, the focusing electrode 37 is disposed below the directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter 35, the center of the focusing electrode 37 has a through hole for the electron beam to pass through, the potential of the focusing electrode 37 is between the gate potential and the anode potential, the accelerating voltage between the anode 44 and the cathode substrate 34 is 10kV-200kV, the magnetic lens assembly 43 includes at least one focusing coil, the deflection coil assembly 42 includes a pair of deflection coils orthogonally arranged along the X-axis and Y-axis, the thermoelectric cooler 39 is attached to the surface of the gate 36 for heat dissipation protection of the gate and cathode, and the control assembly 5 includes a controller, a high voltage power supply module, a gate drive module, a focusing deflection drive module and a touch display screen, the controller is a programmable logic controller or an embedded computer;

[0035] In the above embodiments, it should be noted that the optimized range of the gate voltage (100V-1000V) ensures stable field emission at the tip of the carbon nanotube while avoiding breakdown; the insulation layer thickness and withstand voltage performance are matched to ensure electrical isolation between the gate and the cathode; the central through-hole structure of the focusing electrode allows the electron beam to pass through and forms an axisymmetric electrostatic field to achieve convergence; the acceleration voltage range (10kV-200kV) covers typical process requirements from precision welding of thin plates to deep penetration welding of thick plates; the magnetic lens assembly uses one or more focusing coils for adjustable focusing, and the deflection coils use orthogonal pairs to achieve arbitrary trajectory scanning; the thermoelectric cooler is installed in close contact to efficiently dissipate heat; the control component integrates precise driving and closed-loop control of high voltage, gate, and focusing deflection, and the touch screen provides a human-machine interface.

[0036] The technical effects achieved by the above embodiments are as follows: the optimized parameter range enables a wide range of continuous adjustment of electron beam current density and beam spot size while ensuring safety and reliability, adapting to welding processes of different thicknesses and materials; the use of a programmable controller enables programmed storage and automatic recall of welding parameters, improving welding consistency and automation.

[0037] Working Principle: First, the operator opens the sealing door 12, places the workpiece to be welded on the welding table 14, and closes the sealing door 12. The control component 5 starts the drive motor 17, and the vacuum pump 16 evacuates the welding chamber 13 through the suction pipe 15, bringing the internal air pressure to a high vacuum state of 0.00001Pa to 0.00001Pa. The operator sets welding parameters, including acceleration voltage, grid voltage, focusing current, deflection waveform, and welding speed, through the touch screen of the control component 5. The controller controls the movement of the five-axis robotic arm 22 according to the preset program, which moves the field emission component 3 and the electron optical focusing deflection mechanism 4 to the welding start position through the mounting flange 23, and adjusts the tilt angle of the electron gun to align the electron beam axis with the weld seam. Welding Start: The grid drive module applies a positive voltage of 100V-1000V to the grid 36. Under the action of the strong electric field between the grid 36 and the cathode substrate 34, the tip of the oriented carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter 35 forms a high-pressure peak. In the local electric field, electrons escape from the tips of carbon nanotubes through quantum tunneling, forming a field-induced emission electron beam. Due to the extremely high density and uniform tip distribution of the carbon nanotube array, the emitted electron beam exhibits high current density and uniformity. The emitted electron beam first passes through the focusing electrode 37. The potential applied to the focusing electrode 37 (between the gate potential and the anode potential) forms a converging electrostatic field near its central aperture, pre-focusing the electron beam and reducing the divergence angle of the beam spot. Subsequently, the electron beam enters the anode 44 region, where a high voltage of 10kV-200kV is applied between the anode 44 and the cathode substrate 34. Under the influence of the strong electric field, the electrons are accelerated at high speed, gaining extremely high kinetic energy. The accelerated high-energy electron beam then passes sequentially through the magnetic lens assembly 43 and the deflection coil assembly 42. The focusing coil of the magnetic lens assembly 43 generates an axisymmetric magnetic field, further converging the electron beam, reducing the beam spot diameter to 0.1mm-1.0mm, and achieving an energy density of [missing information]. The X and Y orthogonal coils of the deflection coil assembly 42 generate a transverse deflection magnetic field, controlling the electron beam to precisely scan according to the preset weld seam trajectory. When the high-energy electron beam bombards the workpiece surface, the kinetic energy of the electrons is instantly converted into heat energy, causing the localized material to rapidly heat up to above its melting point, forming a molten pool. As the five-axis robotic arm 22 moves the electron gun along the weld seam or the deflection coils scan the electron beam, the molten pool metal cools and solidifies, forming a dense weld joint. Throughout the welding process, the thermoelectric cooler 39 is attached to the surface of the gate 36, actively dissipating heat from the cathode and gate regions through semiconductor cooling principles, preventing the carbon nanotube emitter temperature from rising and emission performance from decreasing due to prolonged operation or radiant heat. The protective shell 32 acts as a metal shield, effectively absorbing and blocking X-ray radiation generated during welding, ensuring operator safety. After welding is completed, the control assembly 5 shuts off the gate voltage and acceleration voltage, and the electron beam stops emitting. The five-axis robotic arm 22 resets, opens the sealing door 12, and removes the workpiece. If continuous welding is required, the above steps can be repeated.

Claims

1. A novel welding machine, characterized in that, include: A welding frame, the welding frame including a support frame (11), a sealing door (12) is provided on the front of the support frame (11), the upper end of the inner cavity of the support frame (11) is provided as a welding chamber (13), and a welding table (14) is provided at the bottom of the inner cavity of the welding chamber (13). The attitude control mechanism includes a mounting component (21), the top of which is fixedly connected to the top of the inner cavity of the welding chamber (13), and a five-axis robotic arm (22) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the mounting component (21). A mounting flange (23) is fixedly connected to the lower end of the five-axis robotic arm (22). A field emission assembly, the field emission assembly including a connector (31), the top of the connector (31) being bolted to the bottom of a mounting flange (23), a protective shell (32) being fixedly connected to the bottom of the connector (31), a mounting component (33) being fixedly connected to the bottom of the connector (31), and a cathode substrate (34) being fixedly connected to the bottom of the mounting component (33). An electron optical focusing deflection mechanism includes a mounting cylinder (41), the upper end of which is fixedly connected to the bottom of a cathode substrate (34), and an anode (44) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the mounting cylinder (41). The control component (5) is disposed outside the support frame (11) and is electrically connected to the field emission component and the electro-optical focusing deflection mechanism.

2. The novel welding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the inner cavity of the welding chamber (13) is provided with an air extraction pipe (15), the lower end of the air extraction pipe (15) is connected to a vacuum pump (16), and a drive motor (17) is provided on one side of the vacuum pump (16).

3. The novel welding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, A directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter (35) is disposed at the bottom of the cathode substrate (34), a gate (36) is disposed above the cathode substrate (34), an insulating layer (38) is disposed between the gate (36) and the cathode substrate (34), a focusing electrode (37) is disposed below the directional carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter (35), and a thermoelectric cooler (39) is disposed on the surface of the gate (36).

4. The novel welding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface of the mounting cylinder (41) is provided with a deflection coil assembly (42), the inner wall of the mounting cylinder (41) is fixedly connected with a magnetic lens assembly (43), and the inner wall of the mounting cylinder (41) is fixedly connected with the surface of the focusing electrode (37).

5. A novel welding machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The oriented carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter (35) is a multi-walled carbon nanotube or a single-walled carbon nanotube, the diameter of which is 1nm-50nm and the length is 1μm-100μm, and the density of the carbon nanotube array is: .

6. A novel welding machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The voltage between the gate (36) and the cathode substrate (34) is 100V-1000V, and the thickness of the insulating layer (38) is 50μm-500μm.

7. A novel welding machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The focusing electrode (37) is disposed below the oriented carbon nanotube array microbeam emitter (35). The center of the focusing electrode (37) has a through hole for the electron beam to pass through. The potential of the focusing electrode (37) is between the gate potential and the anode potential.

8. A novel welding machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The accelerating voltage between the anode (44) and the cathode substrate (34) is 10kV-200kV. The magnetic lens assembly (43) includes at least one focusing coil, and the deflection coil assembly (42) includes a pair of deflection coils orthogonally arranged along the X-axis and Y-axis.

9. A novel welding machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thermoelectric cooler (39) is attached to the surface of the gate (36) to provide heat dissipation protection for the gate and cathode.

10. A novel welding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control component (5) includes a controller, a high-voltage power supply module, a gate drive module, a focus deflection drive module, and a touch screen. The controller is a programmable logic controller or an embedded computer.

Images