An apparatus for automatic welding process of thermal insulation pipe connection

Abstract

This invention discloses an automated welding equipment specifically designed for insulated pipe connections. It includes a welding operating table and a welding robotic arm positioned on one side. The operating table consists of a tabletop and a support base fixed to it. Guide columns are erected at the four corners of the tabletop, each with a vertically extending guide rail groove. A liftable protective assembly is installed around the operating table, its inner sliding protrusion fitting into the guide rail groove. A long, narrow through-slot is formed in the center of the tabletop, with a first and second clamping component symmetrically installed. Both clamping components can slide in opposite directions along the through-slot to accommodate insulated pipes of different diameters. This equipment is specifically designed for automated welding operations at insulated pipe connections, offering excellent protective performance. The lifting protective mechanism does not interfere with pipe loading and unloading operations, and the clamping adjustment is rapid and precise.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of welding technology and relates to an automated welding equipment for connecting insulated pipes. Background Technology

[0002] Welding technology plays a crucial role in metal product processing and pipeline laying. For the connection of insulated pipes, the welding quality at the joints directly affects the sealing reliability and long-term insulation performance of the pipeline system. During welding, the welding torch and other end-effectors generate strong light radiation, high-temperature metal spatter, and harmful fumes. Therefore, it is necessary to install shielding facilities around the workstation to ensure operator safety and reduce interference with the surrounding environment. Traditional welding equipment often uses fixed enclosures or covers installed around the worktable. While these rigid structures provide isolation, they easily create spatial interference during the hoisting, placement, and adjustment of insulated pipes, significantly reducing operational efficiency. Furthermore, for pipe workpieces of different diameters or lengths, existing equipment typically relies on multiple independent clamps for coordinated fixation, with position adjustments often requiring manual operation. This is not only cumbersome but also results in poor consistency in the reproducibility of clamping points. Therefore, the industry urgently needs automated welding equipment that combines efficient protection with convenient loading and unloading and adaptive clamping capabilities. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide an automated welding equipment for connecting insulated pipes.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an automated welding processing device for connecting insulated pipes, comprising a welding operating table and a welding robotic arm disposed on the side of the operating table. The welding operating table mainly consists of a table panel and a support base fixedly connected below it. Guide columns are erected at the four top corners of the table panel, and each column is machined with a vertical guide groove that extends downward from the top of the column to near the base.

[0005] A protective assembly is arranged around the outer contour of the welding workbench. This assembly includes a vertically movable protective cover frame and a lifting drive component for driving its lifting and lowering. The inner wall of the protective cover frame forms a sliding fit with the aforementioned vertical guide groove.

[0006] In addition, a strip-shaped through groove extending along the length direction is provided in the central area of ​​the platform. A first clamping block and a second clamping block are symmetrically arranged above the through groove. Both can move back and forth along the length direction of the through groove, thereby realizing the rapid clamping of insulated pipes of different diameters.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the protective cover frame is designed as a rectangular ring-shaped enclosure structure, with a sliding protrusion fixed on its inner wall. This protrusion fits precisely into the vertical guide groove of the guide column and can slide smoothly along the groove. A lifting drive component is connected below the protective cover frame to provide lifting power.

[0008] Based on this, symmetrical limiting tracks are machined on the inner two side walls of the aforementioned strip-shaped through groove. Both the first and second clamping blocks consist of a clamping base and a transmission connection part. The clamping base spans across the through groove, while the transmission connection part is fixed to the lower side of the base and passes through the through groove. Limiting lugs protrude from both sides of the transmission connection part, which engage with the limiting tracks to provide guidance and prevent swaying.

[0009] Furthermore, the aforementioned transmission connection part is machined with threaded holes, and the first clamping block and the second clamping block respectively engage with an adjusting screw through the threaded holes for helical transmission. The adjusting screw is provided with a first threaded section that matches the first clamping block and a second threaded section that matches the second clamping block, and the directions of these two threaded sections are opposite to each other.

[0010] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This equipment is specifically optimized for insulated pipe connection scenarios. In standby mode, the upper edge of its protective cover frame is flush with the table surface, completely freeing up overhead space for rapid loading of pipes by lifting tools or manual labor. Once the pipe is positioned, the lifting drive mechanism raises the protective cover frame along the column, forming a complete closed shielding area around the workpiece. At this point, the welding robotic arm can safely perform automatic welding. After the welding process is completed, the protective cover frame returns to its original position, providing an unobstructed passage for unloading the finished pipe, greatly improving the work efficiency.

[0011] Meanwhile, since the adjusting screw is equipped with a reverse thread section, when used with the drive motor, only one-way rotation is needed to drive the first clamping block and the second clamping block to approach or separate synchronously. Compared with manual adjustment one by one, the preparation time when changing the pipe diameter is greatly shortened, and the clamping force on both sides is uniform and symmetrical.

[0012] In addition, the strip-shaped through groove on the platform serves not only as a track for the sliding of the clamping blocks but also as a slag removal function. Welding slag, oxide scale, and other debris falling during welding can fall directly into the collection device through this groove, effectively preventing welding slag from accumulating on the platform and affecting the positioning accuracy of the pipeline and the welding quality. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 A perspective view of an automated welding process for connecting insulated pipes according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 2This schematic diagram shows a front view of an automated welding process for connecting insulated pipes according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 A schematic perspective view showing the protective device of a welding processing equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention in a protective state; Figure 4 A schematic front view showing the protective device of a welding processing equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention in a protective state; Figure 5 The diagram schematically illustrates the engagement of a drive rod with a first clamp and a second clamp according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 A schematic perspective view of a welding workbench according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 The diagram schematically illustrates the structure of a welding robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The embodiments cannot be described in detail here, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following embodiments.

[0016] See Figures 1 to 7 This invention provides an automated welding equipment for connecting insulated pipes. The core components of the equipment include a welding operating table 1 and a welding robotic arm 2 located behind the welding operating table 1. The welding operating table 1 is used to support and position the insulated pipe section to be welded, while the welding robotic arm 2 automatically tracks and welds the circumferential or longitudinal seam of the pipe according to a preset program.

[0017] Regarding the specific structure of the welding workbench 1, it includes a horizontal workbench panel 21 and support bases 22 fixed at the four corners of the bottom of the workbench panel. Guide columns 23 are vertically fixed at the four corners of the workbench panel 21. Each guide column 23 has a vertical guide groove 24 milled on its side wall. The vertical guide groove 24 extends from the top of the column all the way to the position near the support base 22.

[0018] This equipment has a protective assembly 3 installed around the outline of the welding workbench 1. This protective assembly 3 consists of a protective cover frame 31 and a lifting drive component 32. In this embodiment, the protective cover frame 31 adopts a rectangular cross-section frame structure, with sliders 311 fixedly installed on its four inner corner walls. These sliders 311 form a clearance fit with the vertical guide grooves 24 on the guide column 23, allowing the protective cover frame 31 to rise and fall stably along the column. The lifting drive component 32 is preferably a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, with its cylinder body fixed to one side of the support base 22, and the end of its piston rod hinged to the lower crossbeam of the protective cover frame 31.

[0019] When the equipment is not in operation, the top surface of the protective cover frame 31 is flush with the upper surface of the platform 21. At this time, there are no obstructions above the platform 21, and the operator or hoisting equipment can easily place the insulated pipe between the first clamping block 5 and the second clamping block 6. After the pipe is in place, the lifting drive component 32 extends, pushing the protective cover frame 31 upward along the guide column 23 to a predetermined height. At this point, the protective cover frame 31 surrounds the entire platform and the pipe, forming a safety barrier. Subsequently, the welding robotic arm 2 starts to automatically weld the pipe connection. After welding is completed, the lifting drive component 32 retracts, and the protective cover frame 31 returns to its initial low position, clearing the unloading channel.

[0020] Regarding the clamping mechanism, a strip-shaped through groove 4 is formed along the length of the center of the platform 21, and limiting rails 41 are further machined on the inner walls on both sides of the strip-shaped through groove 4. Both the first clamping block 5 and the second clamping block 6 include a holding base 51 and a transmission connection part 52. The holding base 51 is an L-shaped or V-shaped pressure block, straddling the strip-shaped through groove 4, for direct contact with the outer wall of the pipe. The transmission connection part 52 is fixed below the holding base 51 and extends through the strip-shaped through groove 4 to the underside of the platform 21. To prevent the clamping blocks from deflecting during sliding, positioning lugs 53 on both sides of the transmission connection part 52 are embedded in the limiting rails 41, providing good guidance and limiting.

[0021] To achieve coordinated adjustment of the two clamping blocks, a threaded hole is drilled in the transmission connection part 52, and an adjusting screw 7 passes through the threaded holes of both the first clamping block 5 and the second clamping block 6. The left side of the middle section of the adjusting screw 7 is the first threaded section 71, and the right side is the second threaded section 72. The two have the same pitch but opposite directions of rotation. When the external drive motor drives the adjusting screw 7 to rotate in the forward direction, the first clamping block 5 and the second clamping block 6 will move closer together along the strip-shaped through groove 4, thereby clamping the small-diameter pipe; when rotating in the reverse direction, they will move away from each other, releasing or adapting to the large-diameter pipe. This reverse threaded linkage mechanism greatly improves the pipe diameter switching efficiency.

[0022] In addition, the strip-shaped through-channel 4 also serves a cleaning and maintenance function. Most of the welding slag and spatter generated during the welding process will fall directly through the channel into the waste collection box below, preventing welding slag from accumulating on the platform 21 and scratching the pipe surface or affecting subsequent positioning accuracy, thus significantly extending the equipment maintenance cycle.

[0023] The above description is merely one embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention can be modified and varied in various ways. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated welding processing device for connecting insulated pipes, comprising a welding operating table (1) and a welding robotic arm (2) arranged on one side of the welding operating table (1), characterized in that, The welding workbench (1) has a workbench panel (21) and a support base (22) fixedly connected to the workbench panel (21). Guide columns (23) are fixed at the four corners of the workbench panel (21). Vertical guide grooves (24) are provided on the guide columns (23). The vertical guide grooves (24) extend from the top of the guide columns (23) toward the support base (22). The outer periphery of the welding operation table (1) is provided with a protective assembly (3), which includes a protective cover frame (31) and a lifting drive component (32). The protective cover frame (31) and the vertical guide groove (24) form a sliding guide fit. The middle part of the platform (21) is provided with a strip-shaped through groove (4). A first clamping block (5) and a second clamping block (6) are symmetrically installed on the strip-shaped through groove (4). The first clamping block (5) and the second clamping block (6) are both in sliding fit with the strip-shaped through groove (4) for clamping and fixing the heat-insulating pipe to be welded.

2. The automated welding equipment for connecting insulated pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective cover frame (31) is configured as a rectangular circumferential frame, and a guide slide protrusion (311) is fixed on the inner side wall of the protective cover frame (31) to be fitted into the vertical guide groove (24); The lifting drive (32) is arranged on the lower side of the protective cover frame (31) and is connected to the protective cover frame (31) in a transmission manner.

3. The automated welding equipment for connecting insulated pipes according to claim 1, characterized in that, The strip-shaped through groove (4) has symmetrically provided limit tracks (41) on both sides of the groove wall. The first clamping block (5) and the second clamping block (6) each include: The holding base (51) is placed on top of the strip-shaped through groove (4); The transmission connection part (52) is fixed to the lower side of the clamping base (51) and extends downward through the strip-shaped through groove (4). The transmission connection part (52) is provided with symmetrical positioning lugs (53) on both sides, and the positioning lugs (53) are slidably engaged with the limiting track (41).

4. The automated welding equipment for connecting insulated pipes according to claim 3, characterized in that, The transmission connection part (52) is provided with an internal thread through hole. The first clamping block (5) and the second clamping block (6) respectively form a threaded connection with the adjusting screw (7) through their respective internal thread through holes. The adjusting screw (7) includes a first threaded section (71) that is screwed into the first clamping block (5) and a second threaded section (72) that is screwed into the second clamping block (6). The first threaded section (71) and the second threaded section (72) have opposite thread directions.

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