A porous aluminum sheet suction device
The porous aluminum sheet suction device, designed with multi-point distributed adsorption and flexible floating joints, solves the problems of vacuum leakage and dust blockage, achieving stable and efficient aluminum sheet gripping and convenient equipment maintenance.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GUANGDONG LEWEI INTELLIGENT EQUIP CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
Smart Images

Figure CN122144455A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of printed circuit board manufacturing equipment technology, specifically to a porous aluminum sheet suction device. Background Technology
[0002] With the continuous increase in wiring density of high-precision printed circuit boards, the drilling process faces increasingly smaller hole diameters and a large number of holes. To prevent burrs from being generated by the drill bit during processing and to reduce the damage to the underlying board material caused by the heat generated by drill bit wear, a layer of coated aluminum sheet is usually placed on the surface of the circuit board as a protective cover. After the drilling process is completed, this top aluminum sheet needs to be separated from the circuit board.
[0003] Current automated sheet removal equipment typically uses large flat suction cups or vacuum chambers to grip aluminum sheets. However, the surface of the coated aluminum sheets after processing is covered with densely packed micro-drilled holes. These holes create numerous air leakage points, making it difficult for traditional large-area suction cups or vacuum chambers to establish and maintain sufficient negative pressure during operation. This results in insufficient suction force, causing the aluminum sheets to easily fall off during gripping and movement. (If sponge suction cups are used, they will indiscriminately pick up entire stacks of sheets, making it impossible to separate individual sheets.) Furthermore, the coating on the aluminum sheet surface becomes rough after drilling, and the fine dust remaining inside the holes and on the sheet surface hinders a tight fit between the suction cup and the aluminum sheet surface, further exacerbating vacuum leakage. When conventional suction cups pick up aluminum sheets containing dust, fine drill bits and dust can easily enter the suction cup, causing airway blockage, increasing equipment failure rates, and requiring frequent shutdowns for cleaning. In addition, the circuit board and the aluminum cover sheet usually warp or deform slightly after being drilled and heated. The existing rigid suction cup structure cannot adapt to this surface height difference and position error. When pressing down to grab, some suction cup edges often become suspended, thus failing to form an effective local seal and adsorption. Summary of the Invention
[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a porous aluminum sheet suction device, which solves the technical problems of existing automated plate removal equipment when gripping coated porous aluminum sheets after drilling. These problems include severe vacuum leakage caused by dense surface pores, dust clogging the inside of the suction cup, and the inability of the rigid suction cup to adapt to the warping deformation of the plate, resulting in unstable adsorption, easy falling of aluminum sheets, and frequent equipment maintenance.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a porous aluminum sheet suction device, comprising: Lifting mechanism; The central connecting seat is connected to the output end of the lifting mechanism and is driven by the lifting mechanism to perform lifting movements; An adjustment component is mounted on the central connector. A plurality of block-shaped suction cups are connected to the adjustment component and supported on the central connecting seat via the adjustment component, and their positions are adjusted via the adjustment component; Several elongated suction cup groups are arranged in the edge area of the central connecting seat; Both the block-shaped suction cup group and the strip-shaped suction cup group have multiple micro suction cups arranged in an array at their bottoms.
[0006] Preferably, the lifting mechanism is a Z-axis lifting mechanism, which is mounted on the transplanting beam; The upper surface of the transplanting beam is fixed with reinforcing plates on both sides, and a connecting frame is fixed below the transplanting beam. The Z-axis lifting mechanism includes a Z-axis lifting cylinder, a Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail, and a Z-axis lifting linear bearing, wherein the Z-axis lifting cylinder and the Z-axis lifting linear bearing are mounted on the connecting frame; An air outlet is fixed on the upper surface of the transplanting beam near the Z-axis lifting cylinder; The Z-axis lifting cylinder drives the central connecting seat to move vertically up and down along the Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail.
[0007] Preferably, the adjustment assembly is a split adjustment group, which includes a servo motor, a lead screw, and a split slide bar; The servo motor drives the lead screws, which rotate in opposite directions, to rotate, thereby causing the sliding rods to open and close.
[0008] Preferably, each of the block-shaped suction cup groups includes a sealed block-shaped suction cup group cavity and a block-shaped suction cup group cavity cover. Multiple second micro suction cups are arrayed on the bottom surface of the block-shaped suction cup group cavity, and a second air pipe connector is provided on the top of the block-shaped suction cup group cavity.
[0009] Preferably, the top of the block-shaped suction cup assembly is provided with multiple second buffer fittings, and the ends of the second buffer fittings are connected to the adjustment component through floating joints to achieve flexible floating and thus offset installation position errors.
[0010] Preferably, each of the elongated suction cup groups includes a sealed elongated suction cup group cavity and an elongated suction cup group cavity cover. Multiple first micro suction cups are arranged in a straight line along the length direction on the bottom surface of the elongated suction cup group cavity, and a first air pipe connector is provided on the top of the elongated suction cup group cavity.
[0011] Preferably, the two sides of the central connecting seat are fixed with elongated suction cup assembly connecting plates, and the two ends of the elongated suction cup assembly are respectively suspended and fixed below the elongated suction cup assembly connecting plates through a first buffer fitting with spring buffer and a floating joint.
[0012] Preferably, the side of the block-shaped suction cup assembly is provided with a quick-release handle for mechanically and quickly removing and installing the suction cup assembly module from the upper connecting structure.
[0013] Preferably, neither the block-shaped suction cup group nor the strip-shaped suction cup group has a check valve installed inside.
[0014] Preferably, both the block-shaped suction cup group and the strip-shaped suction cup group are connected to the vacuum source of the central dust collection system through an air passage, so that the dust generated when sucking up the coated porous aluminum sheet can be directly discharged to the outside of the suction cup group with the airflow without a check valve.
[0015] This invention provides a porous aluminum sheet suction device. It has the following beneficial effects: 1. The suction device of this invention features a square suction cup assembly on the central connecting seat and elongated suction cup assemblies on both side edges, with multiple micro-suction cups arrayed at the bottom of each suction cup assembly. This multi-point distributed adsorption combined with edge reinforcement effectively overcomes the problem of localized vacuum leakage caused by numerous pores on the surface of the coated porous aluminum sheet, ensuring the negative pressure stability of the device during the gripping process, thereby improving the success rate of suction during automated plate removal.
[0016] 2. This invention addresses the problem of residual dust on the aluminum sheet surface after drilling, which can easily cause equipment malfunctions. The block-shaped suction cup assembly and the strip-shaped suction cup assembly of this invention eliminate the check valve structure inside and are directly connected to the vacuum source of the central dust collection system through the air pipe connector. When the equipment is working, the fine drilling dust sucked in can be directly discharged outside the cavity with the airflow without being blocked by internal parts, avoiding the accumulation and retention of dust inside the suction cup and effectively reducing the frequency of equipment downtime for cleaning.
[0017] 3. Considering that the processed circuit board and the covering aluminum sheet will undergo a certain degree of warping deformation, the top of each suction cup assembly of the present invention is connected to a buffer fitting, and a floating joint is used to connect with the upper adjustment component or connecting structure; this flexible floating installation structure gives the suction cup assembly a certain adaptive adjustment space when it contacts the aluminum sheet surface downwards, which can effectively offset the alignment error of the rigid mechanical structure and the unevenness of the plate itself, and prevent insufficient suction due to some suction cups being suspended in the air. Attached Figure Description
[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the transplant beam structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the split sliding rod structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the first buffer fitting part of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first micro suction cup portion of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the quick-release handle portion of the present invention.
[0019] The components include: 1. Transplanting beam; 2. Transplanting beam reinforcing plate; 3. Z-axis lifting cylinder; 4. Air exhaust; 5. Connecting frame; 6. Z-axis lifting linear bearing; 7. Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail; 8. Central connecting seat; 9. Servo motor; 10. Split slide rod; 11. Lead screw; 12. Long strip suction cup assembly connecting plate; 13. First buffer hardware; 14. Long strip suction cup assembly cavity cover; 15. Long strip suction cup assembly cavity; 16. First miniature suction cup; 17. First air pipe connector; 18. Second buffer hardware; 19. Floating connector; 20. Square suction cup assembly cavity; 21. Second air pipe connector; 22. Second miniature suction cup; 23. Quick release handle; 24. Square suction cup assembly cavity cover. Detailed Implementation
[0020] The technical solutions in 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. 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.
[0021] Please see the appendix Figure 1 -Appendix Figure 6 This invention provides a porous aluminum sheet suction device, comprising: The lifting mechanism provides vertical lifting power; The central connecting base 8 is connected to the output end of the lifting mechanism and is driven by the lifting mechanism to perform lifting movements. It serves as the core load-bearing base to support and link the components below. An adjustment component, located on the central connecting seat 8, is used to adjust the gripping range laterally according to the size of the material to be picked up, thereby improving the size adaptability of the device. Preferably, there are 9 sets of block-shaped suction cups, which are connected to the adjustment component and supported on the central connecting seat 8 via the adjustment component. The position can be adjusted by the adjustment component to provide negative pressure adsorption force on the main body area of the aluminum sheet. Several long strip-shaped suction cups are set in the edge area of the central connecting seat 8 to strengthen the sealing of the aluminum sheet edge and assist in adsorption, preventing the edge of the sheet from warping and vacuum leakage. Both the block-shaped suction cup group and the strip-shaped suction cup group have multiple micro suction cups arrayed at the bottom, which avoid the dense holes on the aluminum sheet surface by using multi-point dispersed contact, thus maintaining the vacuum degree of the adsorption process.
[0022] Specifically, the above structure overcomes the difficulties in grasping caused by numerous air leakage points, variable sizes, and easy lifting of the edges on porous aluminum sheets by combining lifting drive, dynamic position adjustment, and multi-point micro-adsorption in the center and edge partitions. This ensures the negative pressure stability and grasping success rate of the suction action during the automated disassembly process.
[0023] Please see the appendix Figure 1 -Appendix Figure 3 The lifting mechanism is a Z-axis lifting mechanism, which is installed on the transplant beam 1 and is used to achieve horizontal transfer and vertical drive positioning of the entire device by relying on the transplant beam 1. Transplant beam 1 is fixed with reinforcing plates 2 on both sides of its upper surface to increase the bending stiffness of the beam structure and prevent deformation under heavy load. A connecting frame 5 is fixed below the transplant beam 1 to provide a stable mechanical mounting base for the cylinder and bearing below. The Z-axis lifting mechanism includes a Z-axis lifting cylinder 3, a Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail 7, and a Z-axis lifting linear bearing 6. The Z-axis lifting cylinder 3 and the Z-axis lifting linear bearing 6 are mounted on the connecting frame 5. The Z-axis lifting cylinder 3 provides linear lifting power, and the Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail 7 and the Z-axis lifting linear bearing 6 work together to restrict the degree of freedom of movement, ensuring the vertical accuracy and stability of the lifting process. An air outlet 4 is fixed on the upper surface of the transplanting beam 1 near the Z-axis lifting cylinder 3. This outlet is used to centrally distribute and control the air path, shorten the pneumatic pipeline distance, and improve the response speed of the cylinder action. Z-axis lifting cylinder 3 drives central connecting seat 8 to vertically lift along Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail 7, thereby precisely executing the downward attachment of the suction cup assembly to the aluminum sheet and the upward peeling of the plate. The adjustment assembly is a split adjustment group, which includes a servo motor 9, a lead screw 11, and a split slide bar 10, forming a high-precision variable pitch transmission system. Servo motor 9 drives lead screw 11, which rotates in opposite directions, to drive split slide bar 10 to open and close, thereby achieving symmetrical synchronous lateral movement of the two square suction cup groups on both sides, and quickly matching aluminum sheets of different widths.
[0024] Specifically, the above structure, through the cooperation of a high-rigidity transplanting suspension frame and a pneumatic guide rail system, ensures the device's anti-deviation capability and operational stability during high-speed vertical lifting; at the same time, combined with a servo-driven symmetrical opening and closing mechanism, the suction device can automatically switch specifications according to the size of the incoming material, significantly improving the equipment's compatibility with different types of circuit boards and production efficiency.
[0025] Please see the appendix Figure 1 Appendix Figure 4 and attached Figure 5Each block-shaped suction cup assembly includes a sealed aluminum block-shaped suction cup assembly cavity 20 and a block-shaped suction cup assembly cavity cover 24, which are used to create an independent negative pressure closed space to prevent gas leakage during operation. The bottom surface of the block-shaped suction cup assembly cavity 20 is arrayed with multiple second micro suction cups 22, which are used to provide uniform adsorption force to the main body through dense multi-point contact and effectively avoid a large number of tiny drill holes on the surface of the aluminum sheet. The top of the block-shaped suction cup assembly cavity 20 is provided with a second air pipe connector 21 with a preferred diameter of 12mm, which is used to connect an external vacuum pipeline to stably provide negative pressure suction power to the cavity. The top four corners of the block-shaped suction cup assembly are each provided with a second buffer fitting 18 with spring buffer, and the end of the second buffer fitting 18 is connected to the adjustment component through a floating joint 19 to achieve flexible floating, thereby offsetting the installation position error and adaptively absorbing the height difference caused by the warping deformation of the plate after processing, ensuring that all suction cup end faces are tightly fitted with the aluminum sheet. Each elongated suction cup assembly includes a sealed elongated suction cup assembly cavity 15 and an elongated suction cup assembly cavity cover 14, which are used to form a sealed negative pressure channel specifically for the edge area of the aluminum sheet. The bottom surface of the elongated suction cup assembly cavity 15 has multiple first micro suction cups 16 arranged in a straight line along the length direction. These are used to fit the contour structure of the sheet material and are specifically designed to reinforce and seal the edges of aluminum sheets that are prone to air leakage and warping. The top of the elongated suction cup assembly cavity 15 is provided with a first air pipe connector 17, which is used to independently connect to a vacuum source to ensure that the edge elongated suction cup assembly has sufficient negative pressure strength.
[0026] Specifically, the above structure, through its partitioned and independently sealed cavity design, combined with arrays and linearly distributed multi-point micro suction cups, effectively addresses the physical characteristics of dense air leakage points on the surface of the coated porous aluminum sheet, establishing a stable partitioned gripping negative pressure. At the same time, with the help of flexible floating connectors with multi-degree-of-freedom deflection and elastic extension capabilities, the device's tolerance to uneven plates and mechanical alignment deviations is greatly improved, fundamentally ensuring the high reliability of the adsorption action in complex plate environments.
[0027] Please see the appendix Figure 1 The two sides of the central connecting seat 8 are fixed with long strip-shaped suction cup assembly connecting plates 12, which are used to extend outward and provide a stable mechanical mounting point to support the suction components in the edge area. The two ends of the elongated suction cup assembly are suspended and fixed below the elongated suction cup assembly connecting plate 12 by a first buffer fitting 13 with spring buffer and a floating joint 19, respectively. The compression and retraction stroke of the spring provides vertical contact buffer to avoid hard squeezing and damaging the bottom plate when the equipment is pressed down. At the same time, with the multi-degree-of-freedom deflection capability of the floating joint 19, the elongated suction cup assembly can automatically adapt to and closely fit the edge of the aluminum sheet that is warped due to processing stress.
[0028] Specifically, the above structure constructs an independent flexible suspension installation system for the long strip suction cup assembly, which effectively expands the coverage of the entire suction device to the edge of large-sized plates. By utilizing physical buffering and angle adaptive mechanisms, it overcomes the problem of rigid alignment and bonding caused by uneven circuit board edges, further ensuring the tightness of vacuum sealing in the edge area of the aluminum sheet and the safety of gripping.
[0029] Please see the appendix Figure 1 -Appendix Figure 6 The side of the block-shaped suction cup assembly is equipped with a quick-release handle 23, which enables plug-and-play offline maintenance of the suction cup assembly module through mechanical disassembly and assembly. Neither the block-shaped suction cup assembly nor the strip-shaped suction cup assembly has a check valve inside, eliminating the mechanical obstruction structure in the internal air path and fundamentally avoiding the retention and accumulation of fine dust generated during drilling at the valve parts. Both the block-shaped and strip-shaped suction cup assemblies are connected to the vacuum source of the central vacuum system via air passages. Utilizing the high-flow negative pressure suction power, the dust generated when sucking up the coated porous aluminum sheet is directly discharged to the outside of the suction cup assembly with the airflow without a check valve, ensuring the long-term unobstructed flow of the internal pipes of the suction cups.
[0030] Specifically, the above structure, by combining modular quick-release interface technology with a direct-exhaust dust removal design without a check valve, effectively solves the industry problem of suction cups being easily clogged when handling aluminum sheets containing a large amount of dust. This not only reduces the maintenance frequency of the air circuit system and the cost of spare parts, but also greatly improves the convenience of later maintenance of the equipment, ensuring the continuous and stable operation of the high-cycle fully automated production line.
[0031] Working principle: During operation, the equipment first adaptively adjusts its position according to the specific size and specifications of the porous aluminum sheet coated with PCB to be processed; the control system starts the servo motor 9 in the split adjustment group, and the servo motor 9 drives the lead screw 11 to rotate; since the two threads of the lead screw 11 are opposite to each other, its rotation will drive the split slide bar 10 to perform synchronous opening or closing movements, thereby precisely adjusting and translating each block-shaped suction cup group connected below it to the predetermined optimal gripping area on the aluminum sheet; Subsequently, the Z-axis lifting cylinder 3 is activated, pushing the central connecting seat 8 downwards along the Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail 7 to make a vertical descent motion, bringing the entire suction cup assembly closer to the PCB board surface. When the micro suction cups at the bottom of the block-shaped suction cup group and the strip-shaped suction cup group contact the surface of the coated aluminum sheet, if there is slight warping, deformation, or mechanical alignment error caused by drilling on the PCB board and aluminum sheet, the second buffer hardware 18 and floating joint 19 at the top of the block-shaped suction cup group, and the first buffer hardware 13 at both ends of the strip-shaped suction cup group will be subjected to force to undergo elastic compression and multi-degree-of-freedom deflection. This flexible floating mechanism can adaptively compensate for height differences, ensuring that all the first micro suction cups 16 and the second micro suction cups 22 can overcome the roughness of the aluminum sheet surface and achieve a tight physical fit with the aluminum sheet, preventing local suction cups from failing due to suspension. Next, the equipment is connected to the vacuum source of the central vacuum system. High-intensity negative pressure airflow acts on the elongated suction cup group cavity 15 and the square suction cup group cavity 20 through the first air pipe connector 17 and the second air pipe connector 21, respectively. The micro suction cups distributed in the bottom array form multi-point distributed micro adsorption in the middle of the aluminum sheet, while the elongated suction cup groups on both sides seal and strengthen the adsorption on the edge of the aluminum sheet. This partitioned independent micro adsorption effectively solves the problem of vacuum leakage caused by tens of thousands of tiny drill holes on the surface of the aluminum sheet and establishes a stable gripping negative pressure. At the same time, the fine dust remaining in the holes of the aluminum sheet is sucked into the cavity by the airflow. Since there is no check valve structure inside the cavity, the dust is directly extracted and discharged to the external pipeline with the large flow of vacuum negative pressure airflow without obstruction, avoiding the accumulation and blockage of dust inside the suction cups. Then, the Z-axis lifting cylinder 3 retracts in the reverse direction, driving the central connecting seat 8 to lift upward along the guide rail, smoothly and automatically peeling the porous aluminum sheet from the PCB processing parts below. Subsequently, the transfer beam 1 transfers the aluminum sheet to the designated collection station, completing one work cycle. During routine maintenance, operators can release the mechanical locking state by moving the quick-release handle 23 on the side of the suction cup assembly, and quickly remove the independent suction cup assembly module from the upper connection structure by hand for offline ultrasonic cleaning or replacement of spare parts; after replacement, simply insert and lock the quick-release handle 23 to quickly restore the online operation status.
Claims
1. A porous aluminum sheet suction device, characterized in that, include: Lifting mechanism; The central connecting seat (8) is connected to the output end of the lifting mechanism and is driven by the lifting mechanism to perform lifting motion; An adjustment component is provided on the central connecting seat (8); A plurality of block-shaped suction cups are connected to the adjustment component and supported on the central connecting seat (8) via the adjustment component, and their positions are adjusted by the adjustment component; Several long strip-shaped suction cups are arranged in the edge area of the central connecting seat (8); Both the block-shaped suction cup group and the strip-shaped suction cup group have multiple micro suction cups arranged in an array at their bottoms.
2. The porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism is a Z-axis lifting mechanism, which is installed on the transplant beam (1); The upper surface of the transplanting beam (1) is fixed with transplanting beam reinforcing plates (2) on both sides, and the lower part of the transplanting beam (1) is fixed with a connecting frame (5). The Z-axis lifting mechanism includes a Z-axis lifting cylinder (3), a Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail (7), and a Z-axis lifting linear bearing (6), wherein the Z-axis lifting cylinder (3) and the Z-axis lifting linear bearing (6) are mounted on the connecting frame (5). An air outlet (4) is fixed on the upper surface of the transplant beam (1) near the Z-axis lifting cylinder (3). The Z-axis lifting cylinder (3) drives the central connecting seat (8) to move vertically along the Z-axis lifting optical axis guide rail (7).
3. The porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment assembly is a split adjustment group, which includes a servo motor (9), a lead screw (11), and a split slide bar (10). The servo motor (9) drives the lead screw (11) with opposite directions to rotate, which in turn drives the split slide (10) to open and close.
4. The porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the block-shaped suction cup groups includes a sealed block-shaped suction cup group cavity (20) and a block-shaped suction cup group cavity cover (24). The bottom surface of the block-shaped suction cup group cavity (20) is arrayed with multiple second micro suction cups (22), and the top of the block-shaped suction cup group cavity (20) is provided with a second air pipe connector (21).
5. The porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The top of the block-shaped suction cup assembly is provided with multiple second buffer fittings (18), and the ends of the second buffer fittings (18) are connected to the adjustment component through floating joints (19) to achieve flexible floating and thus offset the installation position error.
6. The porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the elongated suction cup groups includes a sealed elongated suction cup group cavity (15) and an elongated suction cup group cavity cover (14). The bottom surface of the elongated suction cup group cavity (15) is provided with a plurality of first micro suction cups (16) arranged in a straight line along the length direction. The top of the elongated suction cup group cavity (15) is provided with a first tracheal connector (17).
7. The porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The two sides of the central connecting seat (8) are fixed with long strip suction cup assembly connecting plates (12). The two ends of the long strip suction cup assembly are respectively suspended and fixed below the long strip suction cup assembly connecting plates (12) through a first buffer fitting (13) with spring buffer and a floating joint.
8. The porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The side of the block-shaped suction cup assembly is provided with a quick-release handle (23) for mechanical quick removal and installation between the suction cup assembly module and the upper connecting structure.
9. The porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Neither the block-shaped suction cup group nor the strip-shaped suction cup group has a check valve installed inside.
10. A porous aluminum sheet suction device according to claim 9, characterized in that, Both the block-shaped suction cup group and the strip-shaped suction cup group are connected to the vacuum source of the central dust collection system through an air passage, so that the dust generated when sucking up the coated porous aluminum sheet can be directly discharged to the outside of the suction cup group with the airflow without a check valve.