Battery box automatic welding workstation and process

Abstract

The application discloses a battery box automatic welding workstation and process, and belongs to the battery box processing technical field, which comprises a workbench, a gantry and a shaft shoulder and a stirring needle installed on a main shaft box, is used for welding a liquid cooling bottom plate, and further comprises a surface treatment assembly; the surface treatment assembly comprises a pinion, a gear, a support and a deburring tool; the pinion is fixedly connected on the shaft shoulder and rotates synchronously; the support is fixedly connected on the main shaft box, the gear is rotatably connected on the support through a rotating shaft, and the gear is in gear engagement with the pinion; the deburring tool is in transmission connection with the gear and is used for being in contact with the surface of the liquid cooling bottom plate during welding; without adding an additional driving device, the structure is compact, the burden of the flash cleaning after welding by another process is relieved, the production cycle is significantly shortened, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the automation degree and the overall efficiency of the battery box welding production are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of battery box processing technology, specifically relating to an automated welding workstation and process for battery boxes. Background Technology

[0002] In the new energy vehicle industry, the liquid-cooled base plate of the battery box is usually made of aluminum alloy. Friction stir welding, as a high-performance solid-state welding technology, has been widely used in the welding and manufacturing of liquid-cooled base plates for battery boxes due to its advantages such as high joint quality and small welding deformation. Friction stir welding uses a special type of stirring head inserted into the part of the workpiece to be welded and moving forward. The high-speed rotating stirring head and the workpiece undergo intense friction and stirring. The frictional heat generated puts the metal in a thermoplastic state and, under the pressure of the stirring head, plastically flows from the front end to the rear end. The combined squeezing action of the shoulder forms a dense weld.

[0003] However, in conventional friction stir welding production, a large number of burrs are frequently found on the weld surface. Specifically, during welding, the high-speed rotating welding tool penetrates the surface of the workpiece to be welded. Under the action of circumferential rotation of the shoulder and axial upsetting force, the weld surface material is squeezed out of the weld, forming irregular burrs. At the same time, it causes thinning of the weld surface. Burrs affect the weld surface morphology, and thinning reduces the effective load-bearing capacity of the welded joint. Burrs usually appear on the outer edge of the weld and are wavy. The main causes are improper matching of rotation speed and welding speed, excessive pressure, and other process parameter issues. In actual production, after welding, a separate process is usually required to grind and remove the burrs manually or with special equipment. This not only increases the production cycle and labor costs but also reduces the automation level and overall efficiency of the production line.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an integrated solution that can simultaneously remove burrs and flash from the weld surface by utilizing the rotational motion of the shoulder itself during the friction stir welding process, in order to eliminate or significantly reduce subsequent burr removal processes, improve production efficiency, and reduce manufacturing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated welding workstation and process for battery boxes, so as to solve the problem that in the prior art, the burrs on the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate after welding need to be treated by a separate process.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, a specific embodiment of the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] An automated welding workstation for battery boxes includes a worktable, a gantry frame, and a shoulder and stirring pin mounted on a spindle box for welding a liquid-cooled base plate, and also includes a surface treatment assembly.

[0008] The surface treatment assembly includes a small gear, a large gear, a bracket, and a deburring tool;

[0009] The pinion is fixedly connected to the shoulder of the shaft and rotates synchronously with it;

[0010] The bracket is fixedly connected to the main spindle box, and the large gear is rotatably connected to the bracket through a rotating shaft. The large gear meshes with the small gear.

[0011] The deburring tool is connected to a large gear drive and is used to contact the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate during welding to remove the burrs generated during welding.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the deburring tool includes a mounting post, a cutting blade, and a grinding plate. The mounting post is connected to a large gear drive, and both the cutting blade and the grinding plate are detachably connected to the mounting post.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the grinding plate is located behind the cutting blade along the welding travel direction to grind the surface of the weld after cutting.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the number of teeth of the pinion is less than the number of teeth of the gear, so that the rotational speed of the gear is lower than the rotational speed of the shoulder.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the mounting column is provided with a spiral flow channel inside, and a cooling pipe is fixed on the bracket;

[0016] The rotating shaft is a hollow shaft, and its internal channel is connected to the air inlet of the spiral flow channel;

[0017] The air inlet of the cooling pipe is used to connect to the cooling air source, and the air outlet extends into the rotating shaft, with the connection being airtight and fixed.

[0018] The mounting column is equipped with an exhaust pipe, which is connected to the air outlet of the spiral flow channel to discharge the cooled gas.

[0019] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, an annular tube is coaxially fixed on the mounting column, the annular tube rotates synchronously with the mounting column, and the exhaust pipe is fixed inside the annular tube.

[0020] It also includes an annular sleeve, which is fitted over the annular tube and the axes of the two coincide. The annular tube is airtightly rotatably connected inside the annular sleeve.

[0021] An inverted L-shaped support rod is fixed on the bracket. A positioning plate is connected to the support rod by a damping rotation. The annular sleeve is connected to the positioning plate so that the annular sleeve remains fixed.

[0022] A cleaning plate is fixed to the end face of the annular sleeve near the liquid-cooled base plate, and the cleaning plate is provided with multiple air jet nozzles;

[0023] The gas discharged from the exhaust pipe enters the annular pipe and then enters the annular sleeve through the airtight rotating connection between the annular pipe and the annular sleeve. It is then ejected from the nozzle to clean up the chips and form an air curtain.

[0024] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a protective cover is fixed to the bottom of the mounting post, and the protective cover covers the periphery of the cutting tool and the grinding plate;

[0025] The bottom of the protective cover is higher than the bottom of the cutting tool and the grinding plate, so that a gap is formed between the protective cover and the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate; the airflow ejected from the jet nozzle can blow the waste chips generated by cutting outward from the gap.

[0026] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the pinion is detachably connected to the shoulder, the bracket is detachably connected to the spindle box, the rotating shaft is detachably connected to the bracket, and the annular sleeve is detachably connected to the positioning plate.

[0027] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a powder jetting mechanism is further included, the powder jetting mechanism including a powder tube and a nozzle fixed to its side, the powder tube being connected to a powder source via a powder delivery tube;

[0028] The powder spraying mechanism is located behind the deburring tool along the welding travel direction and is used to spray powder particles onto the weld surface after deburring.

[0029] The powder particles ejected from the nozzle and the airflow ejected from the jet nozzle are spatially isolated, allowing them to operate in parallel without interfering with each other.

[0030] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, welding is performed using an automated battery box welding workstation as described above, including:

[0031] Drive the spindle box to rotate the shaft shoulder and stirring needle, and perform friction stir welding on the liquid-cooled base plate;

[0032] During the welding process, the shoulder rotates, driving the small gear, which in turn drives the large gear and the deburring tool to rotate, so that the deburring tool contacts the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate to remove the burrs generated during welding.

[0033] At the same time, cooling gas is introduced into the cooling pipe, enters the spiral flow channel of the mounting column through the internal channel of the rotating shaft, cools the cutting tool, and is discharged from the exhaust pipe. The discharged gas passes through the annular pipe and the annular sleeve and is sprayed out from the jet nozzle on the cleaning plate to clean the chips and form an air curtain.

[0034] After deburring, powder particles are sprayed onto the weld surface using a powder spraying mechanism to strengthen the surface.

[0035] Compared with the prior art, the automated welding workstation and process for battery boxes of the present invention integrates the surface treatment components onto the friction stir welding spindle box, and uses the rotational motion of the shaft shoulder itself as a power source. The deburring tool is driven to rotate through the meshing transmission of the pinion and gear, thereby realizing the function of simultaneously removing flash and burrs from the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate during the welding process. No additional drive device is required, the structure is compact, the burden of additional flash cleaning process after welding is reduced, the production cycle is significantly shortened, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the automation level and overall efficiency of battery box welding production are improved. Attached Figure Description

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the welding workstation in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a bottom-view three-dimensional structural diagram of the spindle box in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the shaft shoulder and the pinion in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the bracket and the rotating shaft in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the state structure of the cooling medium flowing in the spiral channel in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the positioning plate and the annular sleeve in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the cooling pipe and the rotating shaft in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the disassembly of the positioning plate and the annular sleeve in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 9This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the annular pipe and the exhaust pipe in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the state of waste cleaning by cooled gas in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the powder tube and the support in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the disassembled large gear and mounting post in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram showing the disassembled structure of the cutting blade, grinding plate, and mounting post in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 14 This is a structural diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the protective cover and the mounting column in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Explanation of key figure labels:

[0052] 1. Worktable; 11. Clamping device; 12. Gantry frame; 2. Spindle box; 21. Shoulder; 22. Stirring needle; 3. Liquid-cooled base plate; 4. Surface treatment assembly; 41. Pinion; 42. Gear; 43. Mounting column; 431. Cutting tool; 432. Grinding plate; 433. Spiral flow channel; 434. Annular tube; 435. Exhaust pipe; 436. Protective cover; 437. Positioning pin; 44. Support;

[0053] 451. Air conditioning pipe; 452. Support rod; 4521. Positioning plate; 453. Annular sleeve; 4531. Cleaning plate; 4532. Air nozzle; 46. Rotating shaft; 47. Powder pipe; 471. Nozzle; 472. Powder conveying pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0054] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0055] Example 1: As Figures 1 to 6 As shown, this embodiment provides an automated welding workstation for battery boxes, including a workbench 1, a gantry frame 12, a spindle box 2, and a surface treatment assembly 4.

[0056] A clamping device 11 is provided on the worktable 1. The clamping device 11 is used to clamp and position the two liquid-cooled base plates 3 to be welded. The specific structure of the clamping device 11 can adopt conventional clamping forms in the art, such as hydraulic or pneumatic clamping mechanisms. The clamping of friction stir welding workpieces is an existing technology. For example, in related technologies, the friction stir welding workpieces are placed on the friction stir welding machine platform, and then the welding tools are clamped using clamps. A gantry frame 12 is erected above the worktable 1. A drive mechanism that can move in the X, Y, and Z directions is installed on the gantry frame 12. The spindle box 2 is installed on the drive mechanism, enabling it to perform friction stir welding on the liquid-cooled base plates 3. The bottom of the spindle box 2 is provided with a shoulder 21 and a stirring pin 22, which can rotate synchronously.

[0057] The surface treatment component 4 is used to remove burrs and flash from the weld surface during the welding process; the surface treatment component 4 includes a pinion 41, a gear 42, a bracket 44, and a deburring tool.

[0058] like Figures 2 to 9 As shown, the pinion 41 is fixedly connected to the outer periphery of the shoulder 21 and rotates synchronously with the shoulder 21. The pinion 41 and the shoulder 21 are detachably connected by a key connection and an axial locking nut. In friction stir welding, the shoulder 21 directly contacts and rubs against the workpiece surface, and its wear rate is much greater than that of the pinion 41, making it a major wear part. When the shoulder 21 is worn and needs to be replaced, the shoulder-pinion assembly is completely removed from the spindle box 2. Then, the locking nut is loosened, the pinion 41 is removed from the worn old shoulder 21, and then the pinion 41 is installed on the new shoulder 21 and locked, so that the pinion 41 can be reused. After the replacement is completed, the new shoulder-pinion assembly is reinstalled on the spindle box 2 so that the pinion 41 meshes with the large gear 42. The large gear 42 and the rest of the surface treatment assembly 4 remain in their original positions.

[0059] The bracket 44 is fixedly installed on the side of the spindle box 2; the large gear 42 is rotatably connected to the bracket 44 through the rotating shaft 46, which is mounted on the bracket 44 through bearings, so that the large gear 42 can rotate freely around the axis of the rotating shaft 46; the large gear 42 meshes with the small gear 41, and when welding, the shaft shoulder 21 rotates, which drives the large gear 42 to rotate through the small gear 41.

[0060] In this embodiment, the number of teeth of the pinion 41 is less than the number of teeth of the gear 42, so that the rotational speed of the gear 42 is lower than the rotational speed of the shoulder 21. For example, when the pinion 41 has 20 teeth and the gear 42 has 60 teeth, the reduction ratio reaches 3:1. This reduction and torque increase effect can reduce the cutting speed of the deburring tool, reduce the extra heat generated by high-speed friction during the cutting process, and avoid uncontrollable thermal deformation of the thin-walled structure of the liquid-cooled base plate. Moreover, the scraping torque of the tool is greater after the reduction and torque increase, and the scraping of the flash is more powerful and stable. At the same time, the lower tool speed can cooperate with the shoulder 21 to cover the flash burrs in local positions by multiple overlapping rotations. The diameter of the shoulder 21 is usually 10mm-25mm, and the forward distance per revolution is about 0.2mm-1.0mm. Any point on the edge of the shoulder 21 has already rotated more than ten or even dozens of times above a certain small area before leaving it. This gives the tool enough opportunities to cover and clean the flash in the same position, ensuring that nothing is missed.

[0061] The bottom of the large gear 42 is connected to a deburring tool. Specifically, the deburring tool includes a mounting post 43, a cutting blade 431, and a grinding plate 432. The upper end of the mounting post 43 is connected to the large gear 42, meaning that the rotational motion of the large gear 42 can be transmitted to the mounting post 43. In this embodiment, the mounting post 43 and the large gear 42 are fastened together by bolts, and the mounting post 43 and the large gear 42 are coaxially arranged. In another optional embodiment, the large gear 42 can be connected to the rotating shaft 46 by a key or spline connection, and the lower end of the rotating shaft 46 extends out of the bracket 44 and is connected to the mounting post 43.

[0062] Both the cutting blade 431 and the grinding plate 432 are detachably connected to the mounting post 43. The cutting blade 431 can be made of cemented carbide or high-speed steel, and its cutting edge shape is a negative rake angle scraper. The negative rake angle design changes the cutting method from positive rake angle cutting to scraping, which can produce short C-shaped chips or fragments and reduce the risk of chip entanglement. The surface of the grinding plate 432 can be provided with an abrasive layer, such as electroplated or sintered diamond or cubic boron nitride abrasive. In this embodiment, the cutting blade 431 is a long plate-shaped blade, which is fixed to the groove opened on the end face of the mounting post 43 by bolts. The grinding plate 432 is fixed to the end face of the mounting post 43 by bolts. In order to ensure the positional accuracy of the cutting blade 431 after changing the blade, the cutting blade 431 and the mounting post 43 are also circumferentially positioned by a locating pin 437, so that the safety clearance between the cutting edge and the outer edge of the shoulder 21 remains constant. Along the welding direction, that is, the direction in which the spindle box 2 drives the surface treatment component 4 forward during welding, the grinding plate 432 is located behind the cutting tool 431.

[0063] During the welding process, the cutting blade 431 first contacts the flash burrs to cut and remove them, and then the grinding plate 432 grinds and smooths the edges of the weld after cutting. The axial length of the cutting blade 431 and the grinding plate 432 is preferably set to be greater than the width of the maximum flash burrs generated on the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate 3 during the welding process to ensure full coverage of the flash burrs. Since the step length of the stirring head per revolution during welding is much smaller than the cutting edge length of the cutting blade 431, the cutting blade 431 can perform multiple overlapping cuts on the flash burrs of the entire weld during continuous movement to ensure that no burrs are missed.

[0064] Example 2: Figures 5 to 10 As shown, this embodiment adds a cooling and cleaning structure based on embodiment one.

[0065] Specifically, the mounting column 43 has a spiral flow channel 433 inside, which extends downwards along the axis of the mounting column 43 and turns upwards near the bottom of the mounting column 43, forming a U-shaped or spiral cooling path. A cooling air pipe 451 is fixed on the bracket 44, and the air inlet end of the cooling air pipe 451 is used to connect to an external cooling air source; the cooling air source can be 20°C compressed air, or cryogenic cooling media such as cryogenic nitrogen or liquid nitrogen. The rotating shaft 46 is a hollow shaft, that is, the rotating shaft 46 has a through internal channel along its axial direction; this internal channel is connected to the air inlet of the spiral flow channel 433, and the air outlet end of the cooling air pipe 451 extends into the internal channel of the rotating shaft 46, and the connection between the air outlet end of the cooling air pipe 451 and the rotating shaft 46 is airtightly fixed, for example, by a sealing ring or a rotary joint.

[0066] The mounting post 43 is also equipped with an exhaust pipe 435, which is connected to the air outlet of the spiral flow channel 433. When the cooling gas enters the internal channel of the rotating shaft 46 through the cooling pipe 451, it enters the spiral flow channel 433. During the process of flowing through the spiral flow channel 433, it carries away the heat generated by the cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432, thus cooling the tool. The cooled gas is discharged from the exhaust pipe 435. It should be noted that the temperature of the cooled gas is increased but much lower than the weld temperature, usually below 100°C.

[0067] like Figures 6 to 9As shown, an annular tube 434 is coaxially fixed on the mounting column 43. The annular tube 434 rotates synchronously with the mounting column 43, and the exhaust pipe 435 is fixed inside the annular tube 434. It also includes an annular sleeve 453, which is sleeved on the outside of the annular tube 434, and the axes of the two coincide. A sealing element, such as an O-ring or a labyrinth seal, is provided between the outer wall of the annular tube 434 and the inner wall of the annular sleeve 453, so that the annular tube 434 can achieve an airtight rotational connection within the annular sleeve 453. Since the connection is located inside the mechanism, even if a small amount of gas leaks from the sealing surface during rotation, the leaked gas will only diffuse outward in a low-pressure state, forming a positive pressure protective air curtain around the mechanism, which will not affect the normal use of exhaust.

[0068] An inverted L-shaped support rod 452 is fixed on the bracket 44. The support rod 452 extends forward and downward from the bracket 44, and its free end is connected to the positioning plate 4521 through damping rotation. The annular sleeve 453 is connected to the positioning plate 4521, so that the annular sleeve 453 remains fixed when the mounting column 43 rotates.

[0069] like Figures 8 to 14 As shown, the annular sleeve 453 and the positioning plate 4521 are detachably connected by bolts. The annular sleeve 453 and the mounting column 43 are an integral structure. The rotating shaft 46 is mounted on the bracket 44 via a bearing. The outer ring of the bearing mates with the bearing seat hole on the bracket 44. The rotating shaft 46, together with the large gear 42 and the mounting column 43, can be detached from the bracket 44 as a whole. When it is necessary to replace the large gear 42 or the mounting column 43, first remove the connecting bolts between the annular sleeve 453 and the positioning plate 4521, and then rotate the positioning plate 4521 around the damping axis of the support rod 452 to move the positioning plate 4521 away from the mounting column. 43. Make room for disassembly of the mounting column 43 and the components above it; then, remove the rotating shaft 46 together with the large gear 42, the mounting column 43, and the annular tube 434 and annular sleeve 453 fixed on the mounting column 43 as a whole module from the bracket 44; after replacement, reinstall the new rotating shaft-large gear-mounting column-annular tube-annular sleeve whole module onto the bracket 44, then rotate the positioning plate 4521 back to its original position, and use bolts to reconnect and fix the annular sleeve 453 to the positioning plate 4521, restoring the airtight rotational fit between the annular sleeve 453 and the annular tube 434;

[0070] A cleaning plate 4531 is fixed to the end face of the annular sleeve 453 near the liquid-cooled base plate 3. The cleaning plate 4531 is a strip plate. Multiple air nozzles 4532 are provided on the cleaning plate 4531. The multiple air nozzles 4532 are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the cleaning plate 4531. The multiple air nozzles 4532 are located in front of the deburring tool along the welding travel direction.

[0071] During operation, the gas discharged from the exhaust pipe 435 enters the annular pipe 434. Since the annular pipe 434 is airtightly rotated within the annular sleeve 453, the gas enters the annular sleeve 453 through the sealed gap area between the two, and then is ejected from each jet nozzle 4532 to clean up the chips generated by cutting and grinding. At the same time, it forms a rearward or rear-side air curtain to prevent the waste chips from moving forward and affecting the welding operation in front.

[0072] like Figure 10 and Figure 14 As shown, a protective cover 436 is fixed to the bottom of the mounting post 43. The protective cover 436 is an open-bottomed structure that covers the periphery of the cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432. The bottom of the protective cover 436 is higher than the bottom of the cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432, meaning that the axial length of the protective cover 436 is less than that of the cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432, creating a gap between the lower edge of the protective cover 436 and the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate 3. When the airflow from the jet nozzle 4532 blows out the chips generated during cutting, the chips are discharged outward from the gap between the protective cover 436 and the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate 3. The protective cover 436 serves to constrain the direction and range of chip dispersion, preventing chips from splashing over a large area.

[0073] Example 3: Figures 1 to 11 As shown, this embodiment adds a powder spraying mechanism based on embodiment one or embodiment two, which is used to strengthen the weld surface after deburring.

[0074] Specifically, it also includes a powder spraying mechanism, which is located behind the deburring tool along the welding travel direction; the powder spraying mechanism includes a powder tube 47 and multiple nozzles 471 fixed on its side, the powder tube 47 is fixedly installed on the bracket 44 on the side away from the cooling air pipe 451, and the powder tube 47 is connected to an external powder source through a powder conveying pipe 472; the powder in the powder source can be pure aluminum powder, Al-Zn alloy powder or aluminum-based composite powder containing hard particles, selected according to the strengthening target required; the airflow ejected from the nozzle (4532) is used to blow out the waste chips generated by cutting, and the blown waste chips collide with the powder particles ejected from the nozzle (471) on the flight path to enhance the strengthening effect of the powder particles on the weld surface.

[0075] The bracket 44 is fixedly connected to the side of the spindle box 2 by bolts; when the entire surface treatment assembly 4 needs to be inspected or replaced, the bolts can be loosened to remove the bracket 44 and all the components mounted on it from the spindle box 2 as a whole, which is convenient to operate.

[0076] During the welding process, the surface treatment component 4 moves forward along the welding direction with the spindle box 2. First, the cutting blade 431 and grinding plate 432 of the deburring tool cut and grind away the burrs on both sides of the weld. Then, the gas sprayed by the air nozzle 4532 cleans up the waste. Finally, the nozzle 471 of the powder spraying mechanism sprays powder particles onto the clean weld surface after deburring.

[0077] It should be noted that the gas ejected from nozzle 4532 is used to remove chips, while the powder jetting mechanism is used to spray powder particles onto the weld surface. The two operate independently. The cleaning airflow from nozzle 4532 is a low-speed, diffused airflow, targeting the larger chips. The continuous airflow blows the chips backward away from the weld area, forming a stable, dynamic isolation air curtain. Meanwhile, the powder jetting mechanism's nozzle 471 ejects a high-speed, high-kinetic-energy focused jet. Its jet velocity is much greater than the cleaning airflow velocity, allowing it to penetrate the chip cloud formed by the cleaning airflow directly, creating a stable, undisturbed tunnel. This ensures the powder particles accurately reach the weld surface, achieving efficient strengthening. Therefore, the cleaning airflow and powder jet coexist in a stable spatial state, each performing its function without interference.

[0078] Building upon this, when the cutting debris is dispersed outward by the cleaning airflow, if the scattered debris collides with the powder particles ejected by the powder jetting mechanism, it not only does not weaken the powder strengthening effect but also further enhances the effect of the powder jetting mechanism. Specifically, when the high-speed flying powder particles collide with the scattered debris, they shatter or bounce it off, which is equivalent to secondary crushing and further cleaning of the debris, making the weld surface cleaner. At the same time, after colliding with the debris, the trajectory of the powder particles may be deflected, and some powder particles will impact the weld surface at different angles, increasing the randomness and uniformity of the contact between the powder particles and the weld surface. More importantly, in some cases, high-speed powder particles can embed fine debris along with themselves into the weld surface, forming a composite strengthening layer containing fine cutting and powder particles on the weld surface, further improving surface hardness and wear resistance. By simultaneously completing surface strengthening within the welding process, a highly efficient welding and post-processing workflow integrating "shape control and property control" is achieved.

[0079] Example 4: This example provides an automated welding process for battery casings, using the welding workstation described in any of the above examples; the process includes the following:

[0080] First, the liquid-cooled base plate 3 to be welded is fixed on the worktable 1 by the clamping device 11; the spindle box 2 is driven to make the shoulder 21 and the stirring needle 22 rotate and move along the weld seam to perform friction stir welding on the liquid-cooled base plate 3.

[0081] During welding, the rotation of the shoulder 21 drives the pinion 41 to rotate synchronously. The pinion 41 drives the meshing gear 42 to rotate, which in turn drives the cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432 to rotate via the mounting post 43. The cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432 contact the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate 3. The cutting tool 431 first cuts and removes the burrs on both sides of the weld, and the grinding plate 432 then grinds and smooths the edges of the weld after cutting. Since the number of teeth of the pinion 41 is less than the number of teeth of the gear 42, the gear 42 rotates at a lower speed than the shoulder 21, and the cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432 cut and grind at a lower speed. At the same time, since the step length of each revolution during welding is much smaller than the effective working length of the cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432, the tools perform multiple overlapping cuts and grinds on the burrs of the entire weld during continuous movement, ensuring full coverage without omissions.

[0082] Simultaneously, cooling gas is introduced into the cooling pipe 451, and then enters the internal channel of the rotating shaft 46 through the cooling pipe 451, and then enters the spiral flow channel 433 of the mounting column 43. During the process of flowing through the spiral flow channel 433, the cooling gas absorbs the heat generated by the cutting tool 431 and the grinding plate 432, and cools the tool. The cooled gas is discharged from the exhaust pipe 435 and enters the annular pipe 434. It enters the annular sleeve 453 through the airtight rotating connection between the annular pipe 434 and the annular sleeve 453, and then is sprayed out from each jet nozzle 4532 on the cleaning plate 4531 to blow out the waste chips generated by cutting. The chips are discharged outward from the gap between the protective cover 436 and the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate 3, while forming an air curtain to prevent the waste chips from moving forward and affecting the welding operation.

[0083] After deburring is completed, powder particles are sprayed onto the clean weld surface after deburring through the nozzle 471 of the powder spraying mechanism. The residual heat of the weld promotes the plastic deformation and mechanical bonding of the powder particles, thereby achieving surface strengthening.

[0084] When welding reaches the end point, the stirring head continues to travel a distance along the weld direction. This distance is not less than the distance between the point of action of the deburring tool and the axis of the stirring pin 22 in the welding travel direction, to ensure that the burrs at the end point of the weld are also cleaned. After welding is completed, the stirring head is lifted from the workpiece surface. If the weld is a closed weld, the welding will circle back to the starting point, and the following tool will automatically clean the burrs remaining in the starting section.

[0085] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that this disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within this disclosure. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0086] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An automated welding workstation for battery casings, comprising a worktable (1), a gantry frame (12), and a shoulder (21) and a stirring needle (22) mounted on a spindle box (2), for welding a liquid-cooled base plate (3), characterized in that, It also includes surface treatment components (4); The surface treatment assembly (4) includes a pinion (41), a gear (42), a bracket (44), and a deburring tool; The pinion (41) is fixedly connected to the shoulder (21) and rotates synchronously with it; The bracket (44) is fixedly connected to the main shaft box (2), and the large gear (42) is rotatably connected to the bracket (44) through the rotating shaft (46). The large gear (42) meshes with the small gear (41). The deburring tool is connected to the large gear (42) for contact with the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate (3) during welding to remove the burrs generated during welding.

2. The automated welding workstation for battery boxes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The deburring tool includes a mounting post (43), a cutting blade (431), and a grinding plate (432). The mounting post (43) is connected to a large gear (42) for transmission. The cutting blade (431) and the grinding plate (432) are detachably connected to the mounting post (43).

3. The automated welding workstation for battery boxes according to claim 2, characterized in that, Along the welding travel direction, the grinding plate (432) is located behind the cutting blade (431) to grind the surface of the weld after cutting.

4. The automated welding workstation for battery boxes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of teeth of the pinion (41) is less than the number of teeth of the gear (42), so that the rotational speed of the gear (42) is lower than the rotational speed of the shoulder (21).

5. The automated welding workstation for battery boxes according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mounting column (43) has a spiral flow channel (433) inside, and a cold air pipe (451) is fixed on the bracket (44). The rotating shaft (46) is a hollow shaft, and its internal channel is connected to the air inlet of the spiral flow channel (433); The air inlet of the cooling pipe (451) is used to connect to the cooling air source, and the air outlet extends into the rotating shaft (46), and the connection is airtight and fixed. The mounting column (43) is provided with an exhaust pipe (435), which is connected to the outlet of the spiral flow channel (433) to discharge the cooled gas.

6. The automated welding workstation for battery boxes according to claim 2, characterized in that, An annular tube (434) is coaxially fixed on the mounting column (43). The annular tube (434) rotates synchronously with the mounting column (43), and the exhaust pipe (435) is fixed inside the annular tube (434). It also includes an annular sleeve (453), which is sleeved on the outside of the annular tube (434) and the axes of the two coincide. The annular tube (434) is airtightly rotatably connected inside the annular sleeve (453). The bracket (44) is fixed with an inverted L-shaped support rod (452), and a positioning plate (4521) is connected to the support rod (452) by a damping rotation. The annular sleeve (453) is connected to the positioning plate (4521) so that the annular sleeve (453) remains fixed. The annular sleeve (453) is fixed with a cleaning plate (4531) near the end face of the liquid-cooled base plate (3), and the cleaning plate (4531) is provided with multiple air nozzles (4532). The gas discharged from the exhaust pipe (435) enters the annular pipe (434), and enters the annular sleeve (453) through the airtight rotating connection between the annular pipe (434) and the annular sleeve (453), and is then sprayed out from the jet nozzle (4532) to clean up the chips and form an air curtain.

7. The automated welding workstation for battery boxes according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the mounting post (43) is fixed with a protective cover (436), which covers the periphery of the cutting tool (431) and the grinding plate (432); The bottom of the protective cover (436) is higher than the bottom of the cutting tool (431) and the grinding plate (432), so that a gap is formed between the protective cover (436) and the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate (3); the airflow ejected by the jet nozzle (4532) can blow the waste chips generated by cutting outward from the gap.

8. The automated welding workstation for battery boxes according to claim 6, characterized in that, The pinion (41) is detachably connected to the shoulder (21), the bracket (44) is detachably connected to the spindle box (2), the rotating shaft (46) is detachably connected to the bracket (44), and the annular sleeve (453) is detachably connected to the positioning plate (4521).

9. The automated welding workstation for battery boxes according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a powder jetting mechanism, which includes a powder tube (47) and a nozzle (471) fixed on its side. The powder tube (47) is connected to a powder source through a powder conveying tube (472). The powder spraying mechanism is located behind the deburring tool along the welding travel direction and is used to spray powder particles onto the weld surface after deburring. The powder particles ejected by the nozzle (471) and the airflow ejected by the jet nozzle (4532) are spatially isolated, and the two operate in parallel without interfering with each other.

10. An automated welding process for battery casings, characterized in that, Welding is performed using an automated battery box welding workstation as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, including: Drive the spindle box (2) to rotate the shoulder (21) and the stirring needle (22) to perform friction stir welding on the liquid-cooled base plate (3); During the welding process, the shoulder (21) rotates and drives the small gear (41), which in turn drives the large gear (42) and the deburring tool to rotate, so that the deburring tool contacts the surface of the liquid-cooled base plate (3) to remove the burrs generated during welding. Meanwhile, cooling gas is introduced into the cooling pipe (451), enters the spiral flow channel (433) of the mounting column (43) through the internal channel of the rotating shaft (46), cools the cutting tool (431) and is discharged from the exhaust pipe (435). The discharged gas passes through the annular pipe (434) and the annular sleeve (453) and is sprayed out from the jet nozzle (4532) on the cleaning plate (4531) to clean the chips and form an air curtain. After deburring, powder particles are sprayed onto the weld surface using a powder spraying mechanism to strengthen the surface.

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