Automatic processing method for small and medium-sized blade sawing and milling

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of automatic processing methods of small and medium-sized blade sawing milling, it is related to steam turbine blade processing technical field.To solve the existing small and medium-sized blade sawing milling quasi-order processing mode is artificial feeding and discharging, uses tooling positioning, more human intervention is needed in processing process, and the working labor intensity is great, thereby leading to the problem of low processing efficiency.Through the research implementation steam turbine small and medium-sized blade sawing milling quasi-order digitization processing production line construction, to FMS production scheduling system and AGV material distribution system as foundation, realizes the automatic transport of material, through the accurate positioning of 3D camera vision recognition module, robot automatic feeding and discharging and tooling fixture fixing, realizes the internal transmission and flexible clamping of material;Through double-end circular saw rotary cutting and vertical milling processing, realizes the automatic processing of material, to realize the automatic transfer of steam turbine small and medium-sized blade material and the automatic and flexible processing of sawing milling together.The application is suitable for processing small and medium-sized blade of steam turbine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of turbine blade processing technology, specifically to an automated processing method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the company's small and medium blade sawing and reference milling processes still employ traditional single-machine discrete production technology. The entire process relies primarily on manual operation for workpiece transfer and clamping: after the raw material blanks arrive at the factory, the loading and unloading operations are entirely completed by operators using bare hands or simple auxiliary lifting tools. The workpieces are mechanically limited and positioned using fixed special tooling, without any automatic centering or clamping mechanisms. The production process is divided and arranged separately. The blanks are first transferred to band saws for segmented sawing, and the semi-finished products after sawing are then transferred to vertical milling machines for reference surface milling. The two processes are arranged independently with separate equipment and workstations, without any linkage conveyor structure.

[0003] From the perspective of the entire processing flow, from the placement of raw materials, tooling alignment and locking, and pre-sawing allowance verification, to post-sawing unloading, semi-finished product inventory and transfer, secondary clamping and alignment on the milling machine, dimensional sampling during milling, and unloading and warehousing after processing, many key nodes in the entire process require real-time intervention and control by operators. The characteristics of human-machine binding are prominent. Frontline operators have a heavy workload of repetitive handling, repeated clamping, and on-site monitoring, resulting in high fatigue levels due to long-term high-intensity work. Due to the interference of multiple uncertain human factors such as the operator's years of experience, practical skills, physical condition on the day, sense of responsibility, and on-site work habits, problems such as workpiece clamping and positioning deviation, arbitrary adjustment of sawing feed speed, inconsistent milling depth of cut, and uneven datum alignment errors cannot be avoided at the source. This directly results in large dispersion in the external dimensions and datum accuracy of products in the same batch, and a lack of reliable guarantee for product consistency and batch quality stability, leading to high costs for defective product control and rework / repair.

[0004] At the material turnover level, the sawing and milling stations are physically separated. There are no automated conveyor belts, gantry robots, or automated buffer warehouses connecting the semi-finished products between the two processes. All semi-finished products rely on manual handling and simple baskets for transport. The pace of material transfer is entirely determined by personnel allocation and attendance, resulting in extreme randomness. Frequently, after the sawing process is completed, the milling station experiences material shortages and idle time, or workpieces accumulate at the milling station, forcing the preceding band saw to stop working due to material shortages. The gaps between processes are uncontrollable, making seamless production between the two processes impossible. Furthermore, the lack of standardized temporary storage and automated flow control systems for work-in-process leads to chaotic material flow paths, scattered and disorganized work-in-process inventory, and significant challenges in 5S management, further reducing effective machine cutting time.

[0005] Constrained by manual loading and unloading and manual cross-process transfer, band saws and vertical milling machines spend a significant amount of time waiting for materials and manual loading and unloading, resulting in low actual equipment utilization. The overall processing rhythm is loose, and comprehensive production efficiency is difficult to improve. With the continuous expansion of downstream market demand, the increasingly stringent processing precision requirements for blade products, and the year-on-year increase in order volume, the existing outdated production model relying mainly on manual labor has become increasingly inadequate in terms of capacity ramp-up, quality stability, production cost control, and large-scale mass production. The current process configuration and production capacity are no longer suitable for the company's medium- and long-term development plan of expanding production capacity, improving quality, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency, and it is difficult to meet the subsequent market demand for large-volume, high-precision, and high-efficiency production. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention addresses the problem that existing methods for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades involve manual loading and unloading, tooling positioning, and require significant human intervention, resulting in high labor intensity and low processing efficiency. Therefore, this invention proposes an automated method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades.

[0007] The present invention provides an automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades, the specific method of which is as follows:

[0008] Step 1: Use AGV to transport the blank to the sawing machine transfer station;

[0009] Step 2: Use a 3D camera vision recognition module to identify the blank at the sawing machine connection station;

[0010] Step 3: The blank is then transported to the sawing table for positioning by the robotic arm on the side of the sawing machine;

[0011] Step 4: Drive the saw to perform the sawing operation;

[0012] Step 5: After completing the sawing operation, use the robot arm on the side of the saw to move the workpiece to the material placement buffer table;

[0013] Step 6: Use the vision recognition module of the transfer 3D camera to identify the data of the blade root end face of the workpiece;

[0014] Step 7: After identifying the blade root end face data, the robot on the milling machine side moves the workpiece from the material placement buffer table to the worktable of milling machine A or milling machine B and positions and clamps it.

[0015] Step 8: Drive the milling machine to perform milling operations;

[0016] Step 9: After completing the milling operation, use the robot arm on the side of the milling machine to transport the machined workpiece to the material placement pallet;

[0017] Step 10: The material placed in the pallet is sorted and marked by the milling machine and the robotic arm.

[0018] Step 11: Use AGVs to transport the workpieces placed on pallets to the finished product automated warehouse;

[0019] Furthermore, the specific steps of using AGV to transport the blank to the sawing machine transfer station in step one are as follows: the AGV transports the pallet fully loaded with new materials to the sawing side transfer station, the safety door of the sawing side transfer station is closed, and the material information is sent to the sawing milling precision unit through the FMS system.

[0020] Furthermore, the specific steps for using the 3D camera vision recognition module to identify the blank at the saw machine transfer station in step two are as follows: Use the 3D camera vision recognition module to identify the blade blank at the saw machine transfer station, mainly to identify the depth of the blade pin hole and end face, and perform 5 identifications. If it cannot be identified in 5 identifications, move to the next material for identification.

[0021] Furthermore, after completing step seven, the milling machine-side robot returns to its origin so that the actions in step seven can be performed again.

[0022] Furthermore, the specific steps of using AGV to transport the workpieces placed on the pallets to the finished product automated warehouse in step eleven are as follows: the safety door of the milling machine side docking station is opened, and the AGV transports the pallet fully loaded with the completed materials on the milling preparation side to the automated warehouse. Then, the safety door of the sawing side docking station is opened, and the two empty pallets on the sawing side are transported to the two docking stations on the milling machine side. The safety door of the milling preparation side docking station is closed.

[0023] Furthermore, in step three, the robotic arm on the saw side clamps the blade crown material head;

[0024] Furthermore, in step seven, the milling machine-side robot grips the blade at its root.

[0025] Furthermore, the material placement tray in step nine has 35 material placement positions, each corresponding to a position number. Each blade has a serial number. In the material information, the blade serial number and position number are bound one-to-one, which can accurately identify the position of each blade. In this process, the loading tray and unloading tray are different trays. By reading the material information, the unit can ensure that each blade can be placed in the same position and the tray number is modified in the material information.

[0026] Furthermore, the sawing machine docking station and the sawing machine clamp are each equipped with a photoelectric switch to identify the presence or absence of material; the safety doors of the milling machine and the sawing machine are both driven by cylinders, and the cylinders are equipped with magnetic induction switches to determine whether the safety doors are open or closed.

[0027] Furthermore, the sawing machine-side robot and the milling machine-side robot are driven by cylinders, and each robot is equipped with a position sensor to determine the position of the gripper.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0029] This invention overcomes the shortcomings of existing technologies by researching and implementing the construction of a digital processing production line for sawing and milling small turbine blades. Based on the FMS scheduling system and AGV material delivery system, it realizes the automatic transportation of materials. Through the precise positioning of the 3D camera vision recognition module, the automatic loading and unloading of robots, and the fixing of tooling fixtures, it realizes the internal transfer and flexible clamping of materials. Through the processing of double-headed circular saw rotary cutting and vertical milling, it realizes the automated processing of materials. Thus, it jointly realizes the automatic transfer of materials for small turbine blades and the automated and flexible processing of sawing and milling, ensuring processing consistency, reducing manual operation, reducing labor intensity, and thus improving processing efficiency.

[0030] On the one hand, this invention streamlines and reconstructs the sawing and milling processes for small and medium-sized turbine blades, enabling a single-clamp composite processing method that reduces manual handling and clamping operations, significantly improving production efficiency. On the other hand, through the assistance of numerous intelligent devices and the design of a flexible production line solution, it achieves flexible clamping, handling, processing, and inspection requirements, reducing manual operations and labor intensity. Ultimately, it realizes the automation, flexibility, and digitalization of the sawing and milling processes for turbine blades, further achieving the vision of fully digitalized processing of small and medium-sized turbine blades throughout the entire process. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades as described in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Specific implementation method one: Combining Figure 1 This embodiment describes an automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades. The specific method is as follows:

[0033] Step 1: Use AGV to transport the blank to the sawing machine transfer station;

[0034] Step 2: Use a 3D camera vision recognition module to identify the blank at the sawing machine connection station;

[0035] Step 3: The blank is then transported to the sawing table for positioning by the robotic arm on the side of the sawing machine;

[0036] Step 4: Drive the saw to perform the sawing operation;

[0037] Step 5: After completing the sawing operation, use the robot arm on the side of the saw to move the workpiece to the material placement buffer table;

[0038] Step 6: Use the vision recognition module of the transfer 3D camera to identify the data of the blade root end face of the workpiece;

[0039] Step 7: After identifying the blade root end face data, the robot on the milling machine side moves the workpiece from the material placement buffer table to the worktable of milling machine A or milling machine B and positions and clamps it.

[0040] Step 8: Drive the milling machine to perform milling operations;

[0041] Step 9: After completing the milling operation, use the robot arm on the side of the milling machine to transport the machined workpiece to the material placement pallet;

[0042] Step 10: The material placed in the pallet is sorted and marked by the milling machine and the robotic arm.

[0043] Step 11: Use AGVs to transport the workpieces placed on pallets to the finished product automated warehouse;

[0044] In this specific implementation, the saw blade on the sawing machine adopts a diamond circular saw blade and a double-headed circular saw rotation cutting method. The existing blade process shank sawing sequence widely uses band saws, which have the disadvantages of low cutting efficiency, short service life, and low cutting accuracy. The double-headed circular saw rotation cutting method replaces the traditional band saw linear cutting method. On the one hand, the high hardness of the diamond circular saw blade allows it to easily cut high-hardness materials such as high-temperature alloys; on the other hand, the diamond circular saw blade has high cutting efficiency, improving the cutting efficiency of the blade process head from one piece every 90 seconds to one piece every 20 seconds. Moreover, the diamond circular saw blade has good wear resistance and a low wear rate, extending the service life of the cutting tool, greatly reducing the number of tool changes, and improving processing efficiency.

[0045] In addition, the milling machine uses vertical milling to process the blade end face and chamfer. Because the circular saw of the band saw generates a large amount of heat during processing, a hard surface layer forms on the blade end face. To effectively remove this hard surface layer and reduce tool wear, rough milling is performed first, followed by finish milling. The current processing method is: rough milling of the blade root end face - finish milling of the blade root end face - milling of the two chamfers at the blade root - rough milling of the blade crown end face - finish milling of the blade crown end face. On the one hand, this milling method ensures minimal wear on the finish milling cutter, extending its service life; on the other hand, processing the blade root first and then the blade crown effectively avoids blade movement during processing, ensuring dimensional consistency.

[0046] In step three, both the sawing machine and the milling machine in step seven are equipped with a clamping fixture. To adapt to the multi-batch, small-volume production processing mode, the production line has multiple sets of fixtures and jigs that can accommodate different specifications and sizes. To reduce changeover time, a quick-change solution for the fixtures and jigs is designed. The gripper that picks up materials in the production line is a workpiece gripper, and the gripper that lifts the fixtures and jigs is a fixture gripper. To achieve quick switching between the two grippers, the robotic arms on the sawing machine side and the milling machine side are both six-axis robotic arms, and the loosening and locking actions of the quick-change device are used to complete the process.

[0047] Tooling and fixture changing process:

[0048] (1) The six-axis robotic arm places the product gripper on the bracket, the quick-change device is released, the robotic arm separates from the product gripper, the robotic arm moves to the tooling gripper bracket, the quick-change device is locked, and the gripper replacement is completed.

[0049] (2) The tooling locking mechanism inside the machine tool is released, and the robotic arm inserts the tooling gripper into the tooling replacement positioning pin hole of the tooling fixture inside the machine tool, takes out the entire tooling fixture, puts it into the next layer of the tooling library, and completes the removal of the old fixture.

[0050] (3) The robotic arm inserts the tooling gripper into the tooling replacement positioning pin hole of the new tooling fixture on the upper layer, puts the new tooling fixture into the machine tool, locks the tooling locking mechanism inside the machine tool, and the robotic arm withdraws, completing the placement of the new fixture.

[0051] The robotic arm uses a quick-change device to switch the tooling gripper back to the product gripper and continue to perform production tasks.

[0052] Specific Implementation Method Two: Combining Figure 1 This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment 1. The automated processing method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades described in this embodiment includes the following steps in step one: the AGV transports the blank to the sawing machine transfer station. The AGV transports the pallet fully loaded with new material to the sawing side transfer station. The safety door of the sawing side transfer station is closed, and the material information is sent to the sawing milling precision unit through the FMS system.

[0053] Specific implementation method three: Combining Figure 1 This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment Two. The specific steps in step two of the automated milling process for small and medium-sized blades using a 3D camera vision recognition module to identify the blank at the saw machine connection station are as follows: The 3D camera vision recognition module is used to identify the blade blank at the saw machine connection station, mainly identifying the depth of the blade pin hole and end face. Five identification attempts are made. If the blank cannot be identified after five attempts, the process moves to the next material for identification.

[0054] Specific implementation method four: Combination Figure 1 This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, an automated processing method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades is described. After completing step seven, the manipulator on the milling machine returns to the origin so that the action of step seven can be performed again.

[0055] Specific Implementation Method Five: Combining Figure 1 This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment Three. The specific steps in step eleven of the automated milling process for sawing small and medium-sized blades using an AGV to transport the workpieces placed on pallets to the finished product warehouse are as follows: The safety door of the milling machine side docking station opens, and the AGV transports the pallet fully loaded with completed materials from the milling preparation side to the warehouse. Subsequently, the safety door of the sawing side docking station opens, and the two empty pallets from the sawing side are transported to the two docking stations on the milling machine side. The safety door of the milling preparation side docking station closes.

[0056] Specific Implementation Method Six: Combination Figure 1 This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment 1. This embodiment describes an automated processing method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades, in which the robotic arm on the sawing machine side clamps the blade crown material head in step three.

[0057] Specific implementation method seven: Combining Figure 1 This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment Six. In this embodiment, an automated processing method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades is described, wherein the milling machine-side robot in step seven clamps the blade at the root.

[0058] Specific implementation method eight: Combination Figure 1 This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment 1. This embodiment describes an automated milling process for sawing small and medium-sized blades. In step nine, the material placement tray has 35 material placement positions, each corresponding to a position number. Each blade has a serial number. In the material information, the blade serial number and position number are bound one-to-one, allowing for precise identification of each blade's position. In this process, the loading tray and unloading tray are different trays. By reading the material information, the unit ensures that each blade is placed in the same position, and the tray number is modified in the material information.

[0059] Specific Implementation Method Nine: Combining Figure 1This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment 1. This embodiment describes an automated milling process for cutting small and medium-sized blades. The sawing machine docking station and the sawing machine clamp are each equipped with a photoelectric switch to identify the presence or absence of material. The safety doors of both the milling machine and the sawing machine are driven by cylinders, each containing a magnetic induction switch to determine whether the safety door is open or closed.

[0060] In this specific embodiment, a photoelectric switch is provided on both the sawing machine docking station and the sawing machine clamp. This clamp is suitable for pre-twisted blades with a length of 158mm to 610mm and a thickness of 25-45mm or 45-25mm, and the performance is relatively stable.

[0061] Specific Implementation Method Ten: Combining Figure 1 This embodiment further defines the processing method described in Specific Embodiment 1. The automated processing method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades described in this embodiment uses cylinders to drive the sawing machine-side robot and the milling machine-side robot, and each robot is equipped with a position sensor to determine the position of the gripper.

Claims

1. An automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades, characterized in that: The specific method is as follows: Step 1: Use AGV to transport the blank to the sawing machine transfer station; Step 2: Use a 3D camera vision recognition module to identify the blank at the sawing machine connection station; Step 3: The blank is then transported to the sawing table for positioning by the robotic arm on the side of the sawing machine; Step 4: Drive the saw to perform the sawing operation; Step 5: After completing the sawing operation, use the robot arm on the side of the saw to move the workpiece to the material placement buffer table; Step 6: Use the vision recognition module of the transfer 3D camera to identify the data of the blade root end face of the workpiece; Step 7: After identifying the blade root end face data, the robot on the milling machine side moves the workpiece from the material placement buffer table to the worktable of milling machine A or milling machine B and positions and clamps it. Step 8: Drive the milling machine to perform milling operations; Step 9: After completing the milling operation, use the robot arm on the side of the milling machine to transport the machined workpiece to the material placement pallet; Step 10: The material placed in the pallet is sorted and marked by the milling machine and the robotic arm. Step 11: Use AGVs to transport the workpieces placed on pallets to the finished product automated warehouse.

2. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific steps of using AGV to transport the blank to the sawing machine transfer station in step one are as follows: The AGV transports the pallet fully loaded with new materials to the sawing side transfer station. The safety door of the sawing side transfer station is closed, and the material information is sent to the sawing milling precision unit through the FMS system.

3. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 2, characterized in that: The specific steps for identifying the blanks at the saw machine transfer station using the 3D camera vision recognition module in step two are as follows: The 3D camera vision recognition module is used to identify the blade blanks at the saw machine transfer station, mainly identifying the depth of the blade pin hole and end face. Five identifications are performed. If no material is identified after five identifications, the process moves to the next material for identification.

4. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: After completing step seven, the milling machine side robot returns to its origin so that the actions in step seven can be performed again.

5. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 3, characterized in that: The specific steps of using AGV to transport workpieces placed on pallets to the finished product automated warehouse in step eleven are as follows: the safety door of the milling machine side docking station is opened, and the AGV transports the pallet fully loaded with completed materials from the milling preparation side to the automated warehouse. Then, the safety door of the sawing side docking station is opened, and the two empty pallets from the sawing side are transported to the two docking stations on the milling machine side. The safety door of the milling preparation side docking station is then closed.

6. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step three, the robotic arm on the saw side clamps the blade crown material head.

7. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step seven, the milling machine-side robot grips the blade at its root.

8. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material placement tray in step nine has 35 material placement positions, each corresponding to a position number. Each blade has a serial number. In the material information, the blade serial number and position number are bound one-to-one, which can accurately identify the position of each blade. In this process, the loading tray and unloading tray are different trays. By reading the material information, the unit can ensure that each blade is placed in the same position and modify the tray number in the material information.

9. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sawing machine docking station and the sawing machine clamp are each equipped with a photoelectric switch to identify the presence or absence of material; the safety doors of the milling machine and the sawing machine are both driven by cylinders, and the cylinders are equipped with magnetic induction switches to determine whether the safety doors are open or closed.

10. The automated machining method for sawing and milling small and medium-sized blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sawing machine-side robot and the milling machine-side robot are driven by cylinders, and each robot is equipped with a position sensor to determine the position of the gripper.

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