Intelligent submerged arc welding single station applied to stainless steel pipe production

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of intelligent welding, in particular to an intelligent submerged-arc welding single station applied to stainless steel pipe production, which comprises a horizontal main rack, side-hung guide rails fixedly installed on the two sides of the horizontal main rack, an electrically-controlled translational frame in an n-shaped structure arranged on the upper end of the horizontal main rack and capable of translating along the side-hung guide rails, and a top-mounted welding module and an electrically-controlled intelligent clamping control module arranged in the electrically-controlled translational frame. The intelligent submerged-arc welding single station applied to stainless steel pipe production is characterized in that the top-mounted welding module and the electrically-controlled intelligent clamping control module are arranged in the electrically-controlled translational frame, the welding efficiency and stability are improved by adopting the mode of clamping on the two sides and welding in the middle, the electrically-controlled intelligent clamping control module can not only adjust the horizontal position but also change the longitudinal height, the clamping arms at different positions are adjusted in the lifting mode, the stainless steel pipe is controlled to rotate, and the operability is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent welding technology, and in particular to an intelligent submerged arc welding station applied to the production of stainless steel pipe fittings. Background Technology

[0002] Intelligent submerged arc welding stations, by integrating automation, sensing, and intelligent control technologies, can significantly improve efficiency, quality, and consistency in stainless steel pipe fitting production. Their core function is to achieve fully autonomous operation throughout the entire process, from bevel identification to post-weld inspection, making them particularly suitable for fields with high quality and reliability requirements.

[0003] In the production of stainless steel pipe fittings, the value of intelligent submerged arc welding stations is particularly prominent. Their welding efficiency can reach 4 to 6 times that of manual welding, making them very suitable for mass production processes such as pipe prefabrication. At the same time, they can stably control the welding heat input, which is crucial for ensuring the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of stainless steel welds. They can also effectively avoid defects such as slag inclusions and lack of fusion. By significantly reducing rework rates, saving labor, and improving material utilization, they can significantly reduce the cost per piece.

[0004] However, due to structural limitations, current stainless steel pipe fittings require manual operation when they are fed to the welding position. They need to be fixed in a designated workstation beforehand, which limits the operation, is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and has a low level of automation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem that this invention aims to solve is that current stainless steel pipe fittings, due to their structural limitations, require manual operation when being fed to the welding position. They need to be pre-fixed at a designated workstation for operation, which has significant operational limitations, is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and has a low level of automation.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is: an intelligent submerged arc welding single station applied to the production of stainless steel pipe fittings, including a horizontal main frame, side-mounted guide rails fixedly installed on both sides of the horizontal main frame, and an electrically controlled translation frame with an n-shaped structure that moves along the side-mounted guide rails at the upper end of the horizontal main frame, wherein a top-mounted welding module and an electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module are installed inside the electrically controlled translation frame.

[0007] A plurality of horizontally arranged electrically controlled feeding rollers are movably mounted on the upper surface of the horizontal main frame.

[0008] The electrically controlled translation frame includes an n-shaped main adjustment frame, a bottom translation seat installed at the lower end of the main adjustment frame, and an electric drive wheel installed at the lower end of the bottom translation seat.

[0009] The main adjustment frame is fixedly equipped with a central mounting base for installing the top-mounted welding module, an embedded first translation guide rail and an embedded second translation guide rail for installing the electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module.

[0010] The electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module includes a first translation seat movably installed inside the embedded first translation guide rail, a first electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm installed at both ends inside the first translation seat, a second translation seat movably installed inside the embedded second translation guide rail, and a second electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm installed at both ends inside the second translation seat.

[0011] The first and second translation seats are symmetrically provided with lateral telescopic grooves on both sides, and optical positioning probes are fixedly assembled at the lower ends of the first and second translation seats.

[0012] The first and second electrically controlled telescopic clamping arms each consist of an embedded horizontal translation support rod, a longitudinal guide cover fixed to the extended end of the embedded horizontal translation support rod, a lifting clamping arm, a guide screw fixed to the outside of the lifting clamping arm, an internal thread adjusting cylinder movably installed inside the longitudinal guide cover, and a side-mounted motor for controlling the internal thread adjusting cylinder.

[0013] The lifting clamp arm is inserted into the internal threaded adjusting cylinder via the outer guide screw and slidably assembled with the longitudinal guide cover.

[0014] A strip-shaped LED light is fixedly installed on the top surface inside the main adjustment frame.

[0015] The clamping surface of the lifting arm is equipped with a detachable clamping bar.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: (1) The present invention provides an intelligent submerged arc welding station for the production of stainless steel pipe fittings. It improves welding efficiency and stability by installing a top-mounted welding module and an electronically controlled intelligent clamping control module inside an electrically controlled translation frame and using a clamping method on both sides and welding in the middle. (2) The electric intelligent clamping control module can not only adjust the horizontal position, but also change the vertical height. It can adjust the lifting and lowering of the clamping arms at different positions, thereby controlling the stainless steel pipe to rotate, which greatly enhances the operability. (3) Side-mounted guide rails on both sides of the horizontal main frame guide the electrically controlled translation frame, so that the welding position can be translated and adjusted as needed, making its adjustable range wider; (4) By using the optical positioning probes fixedly mounted on the lower ends of the first and second translation seats, the position and size of the stainless steel pipe fittings can be accurately located, which facilitates precise operation and improves the level of intelligence. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 3 yes In the diagram: 1. Horizontal main frame; 2. Side-mounted guide rail; 3. Electrically controlled translation frame; 4. Top-mounted welding module; 5. Electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module; 6. Electrically controlled conveying roller; 7. Strip lighting LED light; 31. Main adjustment frame; 32. Bottom translation seat; 33. Electric drive wheel; 34. Central mounting seat; 35. Embedded first translation guide rail; 36. Embedded second translation guide rail; 51. First translation seat; 52. First electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm; 53. Second translation seat; 54. Second electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm; 55. Lateral telescopic groove; 56. Optical positioning probe; 511. Embedded horizontal translation support rod; 512. Vertical guide cover; 513. Lifting clamping arm; 514. Guide screw; 515. Internal threaded adjusting cylinder; 516. Side-mounted motor; 517. Detachable clamping bar. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the invention.

[0021] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0022] Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The intelligent submerged arc welding station shown is used in the production of stainless steel pipe fittings. It includes a horizontal main frame 1, with side-mounted guide rails 2 fixedly installed on both sides of the horizontal main frame 1. An electrically controlled translation frame 3 with an n-shaped structure that moves along the side-mounted guide rails 2 is set at the upper end of the horizontal main frame 1. A top-mounted welding module 4 and an electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module 5 are installed inside the electrically controlled translation frame 3.

[0023] To facilitate horizontal conveying, a plurality of horizontally arranged electrically controlled conveying rollers 6 are movably mounted on the upper surface of the horizontal main frame 1.

[0024] To facilitate translation adjustment, the electrically controlled translation frame 3 includes an n-shaped main adjustment frame 31, a bottom translation seat 32 installed at the lower end of the main adjustment frame 31, and an electric drive wheel 33 installed at the lower end of the bottom translation seat 32.

[0025] The bottom translation seat 32 travels on the side-mounted guide rail 2 via the electric drive wheel 33 at the lower end, and is adjusted for translation along the side-mounted guide rail 2.

[0026] To facilitate installation, a central mounting base 34 for mounting the top-mounted welding module 4, an embedded first translation guide rail 35 for mounting the electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module 5, and an embedded second translation guide rail 36 are fixedly mounted on the inner top surface of the main adjustment frame 31.

[0027] The main adjustment frame 31 is equipped with a side-mounted support rod for controlling the translation of the embedded first translation guide rail 35 and the embedded second translation guide rail 36. The distance between the embedded first translation guide rail 35 and the embedded second translation guide rail 36 can be changed, thereby facilitating the assembly and joint compression of the clamped stainless steel pipe fittings.

[0028] To facilitate translation adjustment, the electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module 5 includes a first translation seat 51 movably installed inside the embedded first translation guide rail 35, a first electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm 52 installed at both ends inside the first translation seat 51, a second translation seat 53 movably installed inside the embedded second translation guide rail 36, and a second electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm 54 installed at both ends inside the second translation seat 53.

[0029] The first translation seat 51 and the second translation seat 53 are guided to translate along the embedded first translation guide rail 35 and the embedded second translation guide rail 36 by adjusting wheels on both sides, so as to adjust their lateral positions.

[0030] To facilitate lateral adjustment and optical positioning, lateral telescopic grooves 55 are symmetrically provided on both sides of the first translation seat 51 and the second translation seat 53, and optical positioning probes 56 are fixedly mounted on the lower ends of the first translation seat 51 and the second translation seat 53.

[0031] The optical positioning probe 56 takes downward images of the bottom to optically position the stainless steel pipe fitting. Then, it controls the main adjustment frame 31, the first translation seat 51, and the second translation seat 53 to translate so that they can be accurately positioned above the stainless steel pipe fitting that needs to be clamped, and then clamped, connected, and welded.

[0032] To facilitate translation adjustment and lifting control, both the first electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm 52 and the second electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm 54 consist of an embedded horizontal translation support rod 511, a longitudinal guide cover 512 fixed to the extended end of the embedded horizontal translation support rod 511, a lifting clamping arm 513, a guide screw 514 fixed to the outside of the lifting clamping arm 513, an internal thread adjusting cylinder 515 movably installed inside the longitudinal guide cover 512, and a side-mounted motor 516 for controlling the internal thread adjusting cylinder 515.

[0033] The embedded horizontal translation strut 511 controls the longitudinal guide cover 512 to translate inside the lateral telescopic groove 55 by telescopic movement, and then uses the side-mounted motor 516 to drive the internal threaded adjusting cylinder 515 to rotate, thereby controlling the lifting clamp arm 513 to rise and fall along the longitudinal guide cover 512.

[0034] The stainless steel pipe fitting is clamped by the translation of the lifting clamping arm 513. The height of the stainless steel pipe fitting is changed by the lifting of the lifting clamping arms 513 on both sides. Then, the angle of the stainless steel pipe fitting is rotated by the reverse lifting of the lifting clamping arms 513 on both sides, which facilitates circumferential welding.

[0035] To facilitate threaded adjustment and lifting, the lifting clamp arm 513 is inserted into the inner threaded adjusting cylinder 515 via the outer guide screw 514 and slidably assembled with the longitudinal guide cover 512.

[0036] An annular toothed groove is formed on the outer surface of the internal thread adjusting cylinder 515. The adjusting gear at the drive end of the side-mounted motor 516 meshes with the annular toothed groove, thereby driving the internal thread adjusting cylinder 515 to rotate, thereby controlling the lifting and lowering of the lifting clamping arm 513 and the guide screw 514.

[0037] To complement the supplementary lighting and improve the optical recognition accuracy of the optical positioning probe 56, a strip-shaped LED light 7 is fixedly installed on the top surface inside the main adjustment frame 31.

[0038] To facilitate future maintenance and replacement and reduce usage costs, a detachable clamping bar 517 is installed on the clamping surface of the lifting arm 513.

[0039] Long-term clamping and adjustment can cause deformation. The detachable structure design allows for quick replacement, and the assembly slots on the extrusion surface of the lifting clamp arm 513 facilitate fixing and unloading.

[0040] Work process After the equipment is started, the control system automatically performs a full self-test and parameter initialization: Component reset: The electrically controlled translation frame 3 moves to the initial position at the far left of the horizontal main frame 1, and the welding gun of the top-mounted welding module 4 resets to directly below the central mounting base 34; the first electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm 52 and the second electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm 54 are fully retracted, and the lifting clamping arm 513 is lowered to the lowest position; the electrically controlled conveying roller 6 stops rotating and remains horizontal.

[0041] Parameter configuration: The operator inputs the specifications and welding requirements of the stainless steel pipe fitting to be welded through the touch screen. The control system automatically matches the preset welding parameter library and completes the initial setting of current, voltage and welding speed.

[0042] Self-test confirmation: The optical positioning probe 56 starts the calibration program and scans the reference plate to verify the recognition accuracy; the side-mounted motor 516, electric drive wheel 33 and other actuators are tested by jogging; the strip lighting LED light 7 lights up for 5 seconds and then turns off. After all components transmit signals normally, the equipment displays the "ready" status.

[0043] Pipe loading: The operator places the stainless steel pipe to be welded steadily on the electrically controlled conveying roller 6, with the length of the pipe extending beyond the conveying roller by no more than 50mm at both ends to avoid imbalance during conveying.

[0044] Automatic conveying: After the conveying command is started, the electrically controlled conveying roller 6 rotates at a preset speed to convey the pipe to the welding area; during the conveying process, the anti-slip rubber layer of the conveying roller is tightly attached to the pipe to ensure that the pipe axis is parallel to the horizontal main frame 1.

[0045] Positioning trigger: When the front end of the pipe reaches the detection range of the optical positioning probe 56, the optical positioning probe 56 starts continuous scanning to identify the edge position of the front end of the pipe and calculate the deviation between the actual length of the pipe and the preset length; when the pipe reaches the preset welding position, the optical positioning probe 56 sends a stop signal, and the electrically controlled feeding roller 6 immediately brakes, and the positioning error of the pipe is controlled within ±0.5mm.

[0046] Frame alignment: Based on the pipe positioning data, the control system instructs the electric drive wheel 33 to rotate, driving the electrically controlled translation frame 3 to translate along the side-mounted guide rail 2, so that the first translation seat 51 and the second translation seat 53 of the electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module 5 are respectively aligned with the clamping positions at both ends of the pipe. After the translation is completed, the electric drive wheel 33 is locked to prevent the frame from moving during the welding process.

[0047] Spacing adjustment: The side-mounted support rods on the outside of the main adjustment frame 31 extend and retract, driving the embedded first translation guide rail 35 and the embedded second translation guide rail 36 to move, adjusting the spacing between the first translation seat 51 and the second translation seat 53 to match the length of the pipe fitting. The clamping points at both ends are 20-30mm away from the end of the pipe fitting to avoid excessive clamping force causing deformation of the pipe fitting.

[0048] Clamp arm extension: The embedded horizontal translation support rod 511 extends and retracts, driving the vertical guide cover 512 to extend from the side telescopic groove 55. The lifting clamp arm 513 moves to both sides of the pipe fitting. The detachable clamping bar 517 is aligned parallel to the surface of the pipe fitting. The extension stroke is precisely controlled by the pipe fitting diameter data fed back by the optical positioning probe 56.

[0049] Precise clamping: The side-mounted motor 516 starts, driving the lifting clamping arm 513 to rise until the detachable clamping bar 517 is tightly attached to the surface of the pipe fitting; the control system monitors the clamping force in real time through the pressure sensor, and the side-mounted motor 516 stops after the preset clamping force is reached, completing the clamping and fixing.

[0050] Attitude calibration: The optical positioning probe 56 scans the position of the pipe joint. If the joint is offset or tilted, the control system instructs the lifting clamps 513 on both sides to fine-tune the lifting height, or fine-tune the position through the electrically controlled translation frame 3, so that the joint is in a horizontal state and aligned with the center of the welding gun of the top-mounted welding module 4, with a calibration accuracy of ±0.1mm.

[0051] Welding preparation: The strip lighting LED 7 is automatically turned on, and the welding gun of the top-mounted welding module 4 is adjusted in height and angle according to preset parameters; the flux delivery system is started, and flux is evenly spread to the joint, with a flux thickness of 3-5mm, covering the joint area.

[0052] Continuous welding: The top-mounted welding module 4 is activated and moves along the joint direction at a preset welding speed. At the same time, the electrically controlled translation frame 3 moves synchronously along the side-mounted guide rail 2 to achieve continuous welding of long welds. During the welding process, the welding torch continuously outputs an electric arc to melt the flux and the metal of the pipe fitting to form a weld.

[0053] Circumferential welding: When a circumferential weld is required, after welding a section of straight weld, the top-mounted welding module 4 stops moving; the control system instructs the lifting clamps 513 on both sides to rise and fall in the opposite direction, driving the pipe to rotate around the axis by a preset angle. After the rotation is completed, the top-mounted welding module 4 continues to weld, repeating this process until the full circumference welding is completed.

[0054] Dynamic compensation: During the welding process, the optical positioning probe 56 monitors the weld position and pipe deformation in real time. If the joint is offset due to thermal deformation, the control system immediately issues a compensation command: either fine-tune the translation speed of the electrically controlled translation frame 3 or adjust the lateral position of the welding torch to ensure that the welding torch is always aligned with the center of the joint and avoid defects such as weld deviation and incomplete fusion.

[0055] Welding completion: After the weld is completed, the top-mounted welding module 4 continues to move a distance to fill the crater, and then stops welding; the flux delivery system stops supplying material, the flux recovery device starts to recover the unmelted flux, and the recovery efficiency is ≥90%.

[0056] Cooling and loosening: The equipment remains clamped and waits for the weld to cool naturally; after cooling, the side-mounted motor 516 rotates in the opposite direction, the lifting clamp arm 513 descends, the embedded horizontal translation support rod 511 retracts, the clamp arm resets, and the pipe fitting is released.

[0057] Pipe removal: The electrically controlled conveying roller 6 rotates in the reverse direction to transport the welded pipe to the discharge position. The conveying speed is 30% slower than that during feeding to avoid collisions. The operator removes the pipe, checks the weld quality, and proceeds to the next process after it passes the inspection.

[0058] Equipment reset: The electrically controlled translation frame 3 moves back to its initial position, the welding gun of the top-mounted welding module 4 resets, the strip lighting LED 7 turns off, the equipment cleans the surface of residual welding slag, and prepares for the next batch of pipe fittings welding.

[0059] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the inventive concept. The technical scope of this invention is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production, comprising a horizontal main frame (1), characterized in that: The horizontal main frame (1) is fixedly installed with side-mounted guide rails (2) on both sides. The upper end of the horizontal main frame (1) is provided with an electrically controlled translation frame (3) of an n-shaped structure that moves along the side-mounted guide rails (2). The electrically controlled translation frame (3) is equipped with a top-mounted welding module (4) and an electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module (5).

2. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The horizontal main frame (1) has a plurality of horizontally arranged electrically controlled conveying rollers (6) movably mounted on its upper surface.

3. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrically controlled translation frame (3) includes an n-shaped main adjustment frame (31), a bottom translation seat (32) installed at the lower end of the main adjustment frame (31), and an electric drive wheel (33) installed at the lower end of the bottom translation seat (32).

4. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 3, characterized in that: The main adjustment frame (31) is fixedly equipped with a central mounting base (34) for mounting the top welding module (4), an embedded first translation guide rail (35) for mounting the electronically controlled intelligent clamping control module (5), and an embedded second translation guide rail (36).

5. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 4, characterized in that: The electrically controlled intelligent clamping control module (5) includes a first translation seat (51) movably installed inside the embedded first translation guide rail (35), a first electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm (52) installed at both ends inside the first translation seat (51), a second translation seat (53) movably installed inside the embedded second translation guide rail (36), and a second electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm (54) installed at both ends inside the second translation seat (53).

6. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first translation seat (51) and the second translation seat (53) are symmetrically provided with lateral expansion grooves (55) on both sides, and optical positioning probes (56) are fixedly assembled at the lower ends of the first translation seat (51) and the second translation seat (53).

7. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm (52) and the second electrically controlled telescopic clamping arm (54) are both composed of an embedded horizontal translation support rod (511), a longitudinal guide cover (512) fixed to the extended end of the embedded horizontal translation support rod (511), a lifting clamping arm (513), a guide screw (514) fixed to the outside of the lifting clamping arm (513), an internal thread adjusting cylinder (515) movably installed inside the longitudinal guide cover (512), and a side-mounted motor (516) for controlling the internal thread adjusting cylinder (515).

8. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lifting clamp (513) is inserted into the inner threaded adjusting cylinder (515) through the outer guide screw (514) and slidably assembled with the longitudinal guide cover (512).

9. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 3, characterized in that: A strip-shaped LED light (7) is fixedly installed on the top surface inside the main adjustment frame (31).

10. The intelligent submerged arc welding station for stainless steel pipe fitting production according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lifting clamping arm (513) has a detachable clamping bar (517) installed on its clamping surface.

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