A metal pipe expanding device and an expanding method

Abstract

The application provides a flaring device and method suitable for metal pipes, which comprises a die fixing mechanism, a flaring die and a workpiece clamping mechanism. The die fixing mechanism comprises a mounting portion, one end of the flaring die is fixed to the mounting portion, and the die fixing mechanism can drive the flaring die to move towards the workpiece clamping mechanism. The flaring die comprises a guide section, a variable-diameter section and a flaring section. The variable-diameter section connects the guide section and the flaring section. Along the axial direction of the flaring die, the flaring section is closer to the mounting portion than the guide section. The outer diameter of the flaring section is larger than that of the guide section. The guide section has a constant-diameter section. The application increases a guide section before the variable-diameter section of the flaring die, which reduces the flaring times during flaring processing and helps to improve the production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of pipe fitting processing, and specifically relates to a flaring device and flaring method for metal pipe fittings. Background Technology

[0002] In the refrigeration component manufacturing industry, pipe fittings are used to connect various components, enabling the transmission, distribution, and collection of refrigerant. These fittings are mostly metal pipes, and the connections between metal pipes are primarily welded. Welding requires a certain overlap area. Typically, to ensure flow capacity, a flaring process is used to widen the overlap ends of the metal pipes. When the diameter change in the flaring process is too large, multiple flaring operations are necessary to reduce problems such as bending, wrinkling, or bubbling in the fittings. This is especially true for small-diameter metal pipes, where the flaring amount cannot be too large in a single operation, requiring multiple flaring operations to achieve the required outer diameter. This increases production costs and time, reducing production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application aims to provide a metal tube flaring device and flaring method that can effectively improve the pass rate of the flaring process and increase production efficiency.

[0004] This application provides a metal pipe flaring device, including a mold fixing mechanism, a flaring mold, and a workpiece clamping mechanism. The mold fixing mechanism includes a mounting part, one end of the flaring mold is fixed to the mounting part, and the mold fixing mechanism can drive the flaring mold to move towards the workpiece clamping mechanism. The flaring mold includes a guide section, a variable diameter section, and a flaring section. The variable diameter section connects the guide section and the flaring section. Along the axial direction of the flaring mold, the flaring section is closer to the mounting part than the guide section. The outer diameter of the flaring section is larger than the outer diameter of the guide section, and the guide section has a constant diameter section.

[0005] The flaring mold of this application is equipped with a guide section, a diameter-changing section, and a flaring section. By setting a guide section with an equal diameter section, the guide section extends into the metal tube during the flaring process, playing a certain guiding and supporting role. As the metal tube is opened by the diameter-changing section and the flaring section, it guides and supports the unchanged diameter section, reducing problems such as bending, wrinkling, or bubbling of the unchanged diameter section caused by rapid changes in pipe diameter. This helps to improve the flaring qualification rate. At the same time, due to the increased flaring volume per operation, the number of flaring operations is reduced, which helps to improve production efficiency.

[0006] This application also provides a method for flaring metal pipe fittings, the method comprising the following steps:

[0007] Provide a pipe fitting to be processed, place the pipe fitting to be processed in a metal pipe flaring device, the metal pipe flaring device includes a mold fixing mechanism and a flaring mold, the flaring mold is fixed to the mold fixing mechanism;

[0008] The flaring die is used to flare the pipe fitting at least once, and the flaring amount of each flaring is δ1, where δ1≥2mm.

[0009] The metal pipe flaring method of this application increases the amount of flaring per operation and reduces the number of flaring operations, thereby improving the efficiency of pipe flaring. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a flaring mold for related technologies;

[0011] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the flaring device of this application in a certain state;

[0012] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the flaring mold in the middle;

[0013] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the flaring mold and the mold fixing mechanism in the middle;

[0014] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the workpiece clamping mechanism in the diagram;

[0015] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the flaring device in another state.

[0016] Figure 7 a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the pipe fitting to be processed;

[0017] Figure 7 b is used Figure 2 A three-dimensional structural diagram of a metal tube prepared by a flaring mold.

[0018] Figure label:

[0019] 100. Metal pipe flaring device; 1. Mold fixing mechanism; 11. Mounting part; 200. Related technology flaring mold; 201. Main body; 202. Conical surface; 2. Flaring mold; 21. Fixing part; 22. Flaring section; 23. Variable diameter section; 24. Guide section; 3. Workpiece clamping mechanism; 31. Clamping channel; 32. Upper clamping part; 33. Lower clamping part; 321. First clamping groove; 331. Second clamping groove; 4. Processed pipe fitting; 41. Flaring section; 5. Pipe fitting to be processed. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0021] This application provides a metal pipe flaring device, particularly suitable for flaring small-diameter metal pipes, especially capillary tubes with an outer diameter of no more than 5 mm, which can significantly improve production efficiency. Related technologies address issues such as... Figure 7 When flaring the pipe fitting 5 in section a, the following method is generally used: Figure 1 The flaring fixture 200 shown has a main body 201 with an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the pipe fitting 5 to be processed. Its head end 202 is a tapered surface. This type of flaring fixture cannot flare too much at once; excessive deformation, under the flaring force, can easily lead to problems such as pipe bending, wrinkling, or bubbling at the diameter-changing section of the pipe fitting 5. The metal pipe flaring device of this application effectively solves this problem and helps improve production efficiency. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figures 2-4 The metal pipe flaring device provided in this application includes a mold fixing mechanism 1, a flaring mold 2, and a workpiece clamping mechanism 3. The mold fixing mechanism 1 includes a mounting part 11, one end of the flaring mold 2 is fixed to the mounting part 11, and the mold fixing mechanism 1 can drive the flaring mold 2 to move towards the workpiece clamping mechanism 3. For details, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The mold fixing mechanism 1 is used to fix the flaring mold 2 and drive the flaring mold 2 to move towards the workpiece clamping mechanism 3. The mold fixing mechanism 1 includes a mounting part 11, which is used to fix one end of the flaring mold 2. The diameter of the mounting part 11 is slightly larger than the fixing part 21 of the flaring mold 2 so that the flaring mold 2 can be stably inserted into the mounting part 11. The mold fixing mechanism 1 is connected to a drive device, which can be a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, or an electric push rod, etc., to provide power to push the flaring mold 2 to move. The drive device can be connected to the mounting part 11 through a connecting rod to ensure that the flaring mold 2 can move smoothly and accurately.

[0022] For further details, please refer to Figures 2-4 The flaring mold 2 includes a guide section 24, a variable diameter section 23, and a flaring section 22. The variable diameter section 23 connects the guide section 24 and the flaring section 22. Along the axial direction of the flaring mold 2, the flaring section 22 is closer to the mounting part 11 than the guide section 24. The outer diameter of the flaring section 22 is larger than the outer diameter of the guide section 24. The guide section 24 has a constant diameter section.

[0023] Specifically, the outer diameter of the flared section 22 is larger than the outer diameter of the guide section 24, and the outer diameter of the flared section 22 is larger than the inner diameter of the pipe fitting 5 to be processed. Therefore, the flared section 22 can perform diameter reduction processing on the pipe fitting 5 to achieve the flaring effect. Furthermore, the outer diameter d2 of the flared section 22 and the outer diameter d1 of the guide section 24 satisfy 1.4 ≤ d2 / d1 ≤ 2.5. In this embodiment, d2 / d1 = 2. The outer surface of the flared section 22 can be hardened to improve wear resistance and service life.

[0024] The variable diameter section 23 connects the flared section 22 and the guide section 24, enabling a smooth transition between the flared section 22 and the guide section 24 with different outer diameters. This design ensures uniform deformation of the metal fitting during the flaring process and avoids local stress concentration. Specifically, in this embodiment, the angle α between the outer peripheral wall of the variable diameter section 23 and the outer peripheral wall of the guide section 24 is 140°, ensuring that the fitting can smoothly transition from the diameter of the guide section (24) to the diameter of the flared section (22), while the flaring mold 2 is also easy to process and form. Furthermore, the transition curve of the variable diameter section 23 can be either circular or conical to ensure uniform stress on the metal fitting during the flaring process.

[0025] A guide section 24 is disposed at the free end of the flaring mold 2. The guide section 24 has a certain length of equal diameter section, and its outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe fitting 5 to be processed. The guide section 24 can extend into the pipe fitting 5 to be processed. The guide section 24 serves two purposes: firstly, it guides the variable diameter section 23 of the flaring mold 2 and at least part of the flaring section 22 into the pipe fitting 5 to be processed; secondly, it provides support for the non-variable diameter section of the adjacent variable diameter section during the flaring process. Specifically, the outer diameter d1 of the guide section 24 and the inner diameter d3 of the pipe fitting 5 to be processed satisfy: 0mm < d3 - d1 ≤ 0.2mm. In this embodiment, d3 - d1 = 0.03mm, where the inner diameter d3 of the pipe fitting 5 to be processed is 4.03mm, and the outer diameter d1 of the guide section 24 is 4mm. The guide section 24 provides support for the pipe fitting 5 to be processed during the flaring operation, ensuring that the pipe fitting 5 to be processed can maintain its shape stability when subjected to the pressure applied by the flaring section 22 and the reducing section 23, avoiding adverse phenomena such as deformation, displacement, wrinkling, bubbling or bending, which helps to increase the flaring volume of a single flaring, thereby improving product production efficiency.

[0026] Furthermore, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The flaring mold 2 includes a fixing part 21, which is used to fix the flaring mold 2 to the mounting part 11 of the mold fixing mechanism 1. The diameter of the fixing part 21 is smaller than the diameter of the mounting part 11 to ensure that the flaring mold 2 can be stably installed. The outer surface of the fixing part 21 may be provided with threads or a snap-fit ​​structure to enhance the connection strength with the mounting part 11.

[0027] Furthermore, referring to Figure 5 The workpiece clamping mechanism 3 includes an upper clamping part 32 and a lower clamping part 33, which can close together to clamp the metal pipe to be processed. The upper clamping part 32 has a first clamping groove 321, and the lower clamping part 33 has a second clamping groove 331. The extending directions of the first clamping groove 321 and the second clamping groove 331 are parallel to or in the same straight line as the extending direction of the flaring mold 2. The workpiece clamping mechanism 3 is used to fix the pipe to be processed 5 and ensure that it remains stable during the flaring process. In some embodiments, the workpiece clamping mechanism 3 also includes a clearance part. When the flaring device includes two flaring molds 2, when the driving part drives the two flaring molds 2 to approach the first clamping groove 321 and / or the second clamping groove 331, at least a portion of the guide section 24 of one of the flaring molds 2 is located in the clearance part. The clearance part is designed to avoid mutual interference between the flaring molds 2 during multi-mold processing. For example, when two flaring molds 2 flare the two ends of the pipe fitting respectively, the clearance part can be a groove structure whose size can accommodate the guide section 24 of the other flaring mold 2, thereby ensuring that the two flaring molds 2 can perform processing operations at the same time, further improving production efficiency.

[0028] This application also provides a method for flaring metal pipe fittings, referring to... Figure 6 and Figure 7 The metal pipe flaring method of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0029] S1: Provide a pipe fitting 5 to be processed; wherein, the pipe fitting 5 to be processed can be a straight pipe or a bent pipe that has been bent into the required shape according to the requirements. The pipe fitting 5 to be processed is a metal pipe, and in this embodiment, the pipe fitting 5 to be processed is an aluminum pipe.

[0030] S2: Place the pipe fitting 5 to be processed into the metal pipe flaring device. The metal pipe flaring device includes a mold fixing mechanism 1 and a flaring mold 2, which is fixed to the mold fixing mechanism 1. Specifically, the metal pipe flaring device used here is the same as the one mentioned above. For detailed structure, please refer to the description above, which will not be repeated here.

[0031] Furthermore, based on the inner diameter d3 of the pipe fitting 5 to be processed and the target size d4 to be achieved after flaring, it is necessary to select a suitable flaring mold 2 and the number of flaring molds 2. Furthermore, the guide section 24 of the selected flaring mold 2 must satisfy the following: the inner diameter d3 of the pipe fitting 5 to be processed and the outer diameter d1 of the guide section 24 satisfy: 0mm ≤ d3 - d1 ≤ 0.2mm.

[0032] Furthermore, the flaring mold 2 is installed onto the mounting part 11 of the mold fixing mechanism 1 via the fixing part 21 to ensure that the flaring mold 2 is firmly fixed; the pipe to be processed 5 is placed in the second clamping groove 331 of the workpiece clamping mechanism 3 to ensure that it is aligned or parallel to the axis of the flaring mold 2.

[0033] S3: The flaring mold 2 flares the pipe fitting 5 to be processed at least once, wherein the flaring amount of a single flaring is δ1, and δ1≥2mm.

[0034] Specifically, the drive unit is activated, which moves the mold fixing mechanism 1 towards the workpiece clamping mechanism 3, causing the guide section 24 of the flaring mold 2 to enter the end of the pipe fitting 5 to be processed. As the flaring mold 2 continues to move, the diameter-changing section 23 begins to act on the pipe fitting 5 to be processed, gradually increasing its inner diameter. The 140° included angle design of the diameter-changing section 23 ensures that the metal pipe fitting can transition smoothly during the flaring process, avoiding stress concentration, and guiding and supporting the un-changed diameter section, reducing problems such as bending, wrinkling, or bubbling of the un-changed diameter section caused by rapid changes in pipe diameter.

[0035] S4: The drive unit moves the mold fixing mechanism 1 back, removes the processed pipe fitting 4, and checks the size and quality of the flared section 41.

[0036] In some embodiments, the flaring device may include two flaring molds 2, each for flaring the pipe fitting. In this case, the drive unit can move the mold fixing mechanism 1 along the arrangement direction of the two flaring molds 2, so that the two flaring molds 2 can sequentially approach and face the first clamping groove 321 and / or the second clamping groove 331. During processing, at least a portion of the guide section 24 of one of the flaring molds 2 is located within the clearance portion of the workpiece clamping mechanism 3, thereby avoiding mutual interference between the two flaring molds 2.

[0037] The above examples illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. These embodiments are merely illustrative and intended to aid in understanding the method and core concepts of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to the present invention without departing from its principles, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A metal pipe flaring device, comprising a mold fixing mechanism (1), a flaring mold (2), and a workpiece clamping mechanism (3), wherein the mold fixing mechanism (1) comprises an mounting part (11), one end of the flaring mold (2) is fixed to the mounting part (11), and the mold fixing mechanism (1) is capable of driving the flaring mold (2) to move toward the workpiece clamping mechanism (3); The flaring mold (2) includes a guide section (24), a variable diameter section (23), and a flaring section (22). The variable diameter section (23) connects the guide section (24) and the flaring section (22). Along the axial direction of the flaring mold (2), the flaring section (22) is closer to the mounting part (11) than the guide section (24). The outer diameter of the flaring section (22) is larger than the outer diameter of the guide section (24). The guide section (24) has a constant diameter section.

2. The metal pipe flaring device according to claim 1, characterized in that... The outer diameter d1 of the guide section (24) and the outer diameter d2 of the flared section (22) satisfy: 1.4≤d2 / d1≤2.

5.

3. The metal pipe flaring device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The included angle α between the outer peripheral wall of the variable diameter section (23) and the outer peripheral wall of the guide section (24) is 140°.

4. The metal pipe flaring device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The workpiece clamping mechanism (3) includes an upper clamping part (32) and a lower clamping part (33). The upper clamping part (32) and the lower clamping part (33) can close together and clamp the metal pipe to be processed. The upper clamping part (32) has a first clamping groove (321), and the lower clamping part (33) has a second clamping groove (331). The extension directions of the first clamping groove (321) and the second clamping groove (331) are parallel to or in the same straight line as the extension direction of the flaring mold (2). The first clamping groove (321) and the second clamping groove (331) can come together and clamp the pipe to be processed (5).

5. The metal pipe flaring device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The flaring device includes a driving unit and two flaring molds (2). Both flaring molds (2) are fixedly mounted on the mold fixing mechanism (1) via the mounting unit (11). The driving unit can drive the mold fixing mechanism (1) to move along the arrangement direction of the two flaring molds (2), so that the flaring molds (2) can sequentially approach and face the first clamping groove (321) and / or the second clamping groove (331).

6. The metal pipe flaring device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The workpiece clamping mechanism (3) includes a clearance section. When the driving part drives the two flaring molds (2) to approach the first clamping groove (321) and / or the second clamping groove (331), at least a portion of the guide section (24) of one of the flaring molds (2) is located in the clearance section.

7. The metal pipe flaring device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The flaring mold (2) includes a fixing part (21), which is at least partially inserted into the mounting part (11), and the diameter of the positioning part (21) is smaller than the diameter of the mounting part (11).

8. The metal pipe flaring device according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The diameter d1 of the guide head (24) and the inner diameter d3 of the pipe to be processed (5) satisfy: 0mm≤d3-d1≤0.2mm, and the pipe to be processed (5) is an aluminum pipe.

9. A method for flaring metal pipe fittings, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: Provide pipe fittings to be processed (5); The pipe fitting (5) to be processed is placed in the metal pipe flaring device, which includes a mold fixing mechanism (1) and a flaring mold (2), and the flaring mold (2) is fixed to the mold fixing mechanism (1); The flaring mold (2) flares the pipe fitting (5) at least once, wherein the flaring amount of each flaring is δ1, and δ1≥2mm.

10. The method for flaring metal pipe fittings according to claim 9, characterized in that, The flaring mold (2) includes a guide section (24), a variable diameter section (23), and a flaring section (22). The variable diameter section (23) connects the guide section (24) and the flaring section (22). Along the axial direction of the flaring mold (2), the flaring section (22) is closer to the mounting part (11) than the guide section (24). The outer diameter of the flaring section (22) is larger than the outer diameter of the guide section (24). The guide section (24) has a constant diameter section.

11. The method for flaring metal pipe fittings according to claim 10, characterized in that, The diameter d1 of the guide head (24) and the inner diameter d3 of the pipe to be processed (5) satisfy: 0mm≤d3-d1≤0.2mm, and the pipe to be processed (5) is an aluminum pipe.

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