System and method for processing a breathable, easy-to-deform, ultra-thin composite material flexible substrate

Abstract

The application provides a processing system and method of a breathable and easily deformable ultra-thin composite material flexible substrate, wherein after a layer of film is laid on the surface of the flexible substrate, the method uses a vacuum chuck to perform adsorption clamping, and then uses an ultrafast laser processing device to perform processing operations such as hole making and edge cutting on the flexible substrate according to a preset processing drawing and process parameters, effectively solves the clamping difficulty problem of the breathable and easily deformable ultra-thin composite material flexible substrate caused by the thin wall, breathability and easy deformation, and the processing damage problem easily caused by the traditional contact type processing mode, and realizes stable clamping and low-damage processing of the flexible substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of composite material processing technology, specifically to a processing system and method for a breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin flexible composite material substrate. Background Technology

[0002] Solar energy is the core energy source for spacecraft operation in orbit, and solar energy needs to be converted into electrical energy by solar cells on the solar array. With the continuous iteration of aerospace technology, the demand for electricity by spacecraft continues to rise. Traditional rigid and semi-rigid solar arrays, due to their large mass and wide envelope space, can no longer meet the limitations of launch thrust and payload bay size. Therefore, high-capacity, lightweight, deployable flexible solar arrays have become a key technological direction for the development of large spacecraft.

[0003] As the core component of deployable flexible solar arrays, the roll-up flexible solar array uses a breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate (hereinafter referred to as the flexible substrate) as its solar array base. This flexible substrate is composed of a high-performance fiber-reinforced flexible polymer resin matrix and is mainly used to install and support solar cells and their circuit structures, and must meet the requirements for repeated roll-up and retraction in space environments. To achieve weight reduction and roll-up performance requirements, the flexible substrate adopts an ultra-thin sheet configuration with a thickness ≤0.1mm, and corresponding mounting and wiring holes need to be machined on the substrate.

[0004] To mitigate the impact of the extreme high and low temperatures of space on flexible substrates, the industry typically reduces the proportion of resin matrix in the substrate. This minimizes resin brittleness caused by temperature fluctuations. However, this approach results in the resin not fully filling the gaps at the warp and weft yarn intersections, creating interconnected pores and giving the substrate breathable properties. In existing processing technologies, contact machining methods for drilling and trimming these flexible substrates are prone to damage such as delamination at the hole openings, resin peeling, and fiber tearing, making it difficult to guarantee processing quality. Furthermore, due to the ultra-thin, easily deformable, and breathable characteristics of flexible substrates, traditional clamping methods cannot achieve stable fixation, leading to clamping misalignment and air leakage, severely impacting processing accuracy.

[0005] A patent search revealed invention patent CN105428312A, which discloses a method for preparing and separating flexible substrates. This method involves preparing a combined layer consisting of a connecting layer and a grid-like continuous framework layer between a rigid material substrate and a flexible substrate. The continuous framework layer is stable under the conditions of subsequent device or film fabrication but decomposes under specific treatments. By altering the reaction conditions, the continuous framework layer decomposes or undergoes morphological changes, forming a grid-like gas pathway in the connecting layer. This allows the connecting layer to be removed under a plasma atmosphere, thereby separating the flexible substrate. However, this patent only discloses the substrate preparation and separation process and does not address the challenges of clamping, deformation, and processing damage in flexible component fabrication.

[0006] In summary, given the problems of the existing technologies, researching a processing system and method for a breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate has become a critical task that urgently needs to be addressed. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this invention is to provide a processing system and method for a breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate.

[0008] A processing system for a breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate according to the present invention includes: Ultrafast laser processing equipment, clamping device, and pressure block; The clamping device includes a machine tool platform, a vacuum chuck, and a diaphragm. The vacuum chuck is set on the machine tool platform and connected to an external vacuum source. The vacuum chuck has a valve core-spring type self-adaptive sealing structure. Its surface has adsorption holes arranged in a matrix. Each adsorption hole is equipped with a valve core and a return spring. The adsorption holes that are not covered can be automatically closed, and the adsorption holes in the covered area are connected to negative pressure. The flexible substrate, as the workpiece to be processed, is placed on the upper surface of the vacuum chuck. The diaphragm covers the upper surface of the flexible substrate and extends to the outer edge of the flexible substrate to seal the through holes of the flexible substrate. The pressure block is fixed on the vacuum suction cup and is used to initially compact the film and flexible substrate before vacuuming. The clamping device is located directly below the ultrafast laser processing device, and the machine tool platform works in conjunction with the scanning galvanometer of the ultrafast laser processing device.

[0009] Preferably, the ultrafast laser processing device includes an ultrafast laser, a scanning galvanometer and a focusing lens connected in sequence by optical paths. The ultrafast laser is equipped with a spray cooling unit, which includes a gas supply unit, a liquid supply unit and an atomizing nozzle unit.

[0010] Preferably, the ultrafast laser is a 1064nm infrared ultrafast laser with a laser pulse width of 15ps and a pulse frequency of 100KHz; the air supply pressure of the spray cooling unit is controlled at 0.3~0.5MPa, and the distance between the atomizing nozzle and the laser processing center is ≤50mm.

[0011] Preferably, the upper surface of the vacuum suction cup has 10mm diameter suction holes arranged in a 15mm×15mm matrix on the steel plate.

[0012] Preferably, the film is made of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene or polyester and has a thickness of no more than 0.02 mm; the pressure block is fixed by magnetic attraction and arranged at a density of one block per 500 mm × 500 mm area.

[0013] This invention also provides a processing method for a breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate, based on the above-mentioned processing system for the breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate, comprising the following steps: Step S1: On the machine tool platform, a vacuum chuck, a flexible substrate, and a thin film are arranged sequentially from bottom to top, with the coverage area of ​​the vacuum chuck being larger than that of the thin film, and the coverage area of ​​the thin film being larger than that of the flexible substrate. Step S2: Place pressure blocks on the upper surface of the film to initially compact the film and the flexible substrate, flatten the flexible substrate, and eliminate the initial gaps. Step S3: Turn on the vacuum source to evacuate until the maximum gap between the flexible substrate and the vacuum suction cup is no more than 0.05mm and there are no visible bubbles under normal light. Remove the pressure block to complete the clamping. Step S4: Generate a machining program based on the preset machining drawings and process parameters. The machining program's machining sequence is to prioritize machining the in-plane features inside the flexible substrate, then machine the in-plane features in order of increasing area, and finally machine the outer contour. Step S5: Locate and position the flexible substrate to ensure that its physical contour covers the entire processing layout area; Step S6: Run the machining program. The machine tool platform and the scanning galvanometer work together to complete the laser machining of holes and edges on the flexible substrate. During the machining process, the spray cooling unit sprays atomized water mist to suppress thermal damage. Step S7: Turn off the ultrafast laser processing device and vacuum source, peel off the film, and obtain the processed flexible substrate.

[0014] Preferably, in step S3, a vacuum is drawn to a vacuum level better than -0.09 MPa, and atmospheric pressure is used to seal the through pores of the flexible substrate with a thin film, thereby achieving stable compression of the flexible substrate.

[0015] Preferably, in step S5, the flexible substrate is laid out and positioned using a visual or mechanical alignment method.

[0016] Preferably, in step S2, the film and the flexible substrate are initially compacted by the weight of the pressure block, which helps to vent air and shorten the vacuum adsorption and degassing time.

[0017] Preferably, in step S6, the scanning galvanometer is used for micro-hole scanning processing, and the machine tool platform realizes edge trimming and large-size feature processing by X / Y direction translation.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. This invention uses an ultrafast laser processing device for processing, and the processing damage area can be controlled within 0.01mm. This can effectively avoid damage such as resin peeling and fiber tearing in the processing part of the flexible substrate during the processing, and significantly improve the processing quality of the flexible substrate.

[0019] 2. This invention adopts a thin-film assisted vacuum adsorption clamping method. By sealing the through-pores of the flexible substrate with a thin film and the exposed adsorption holes of the vacuum suction cup, combined with the air suction adsorption effect of the vacuum suction cup, the flexible substrate and the vacuum suction cup are stably attached, with a maximum attachment gap of no more than 0.05mm. This effectively solves the clamping problem of breathable and easily deformable flexible substrates and ensures the dimensional accuracy of the flexible substrate during processing. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a processing system for a breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partially enlarged cross-sectional schematic diagram of the vacuum chuck, flexible substrate, and thin film clamping area; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the pores in the flexible substrate warp and weft yarn interlacing structure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 Images of laser-processed reference parts are shown in the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 The image shows a machining reference part in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments. These embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present invention, but do not limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several changes and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. These all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0022] This invention provides a processing system and method for a breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate. The method involves laying a thin film on the surface of the flexible substrate, then using a vacuum chuck for adsorption and clamping. Subsequently, an ultrafast laser processing device is used to perform processing operations such as hole making and edge trimming on the flexible substrate according to preset processing drawings and process parameters. This effectively solves the problem of clamping difficulties caused by the thin walls, breathability, and easy deformation of the breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate, as well as the processing damage problem that is easily caused by traditional contact processing methods, and achieves stable clamping and low-damage processing of the flexible substrate.

[0023] Example 1: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a processing system for a breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a processing system for a breathable and easily deformable ultrathin composite flexible substrate, which is used to solve the technical problems of flexible substrates being unable to be vacuum adsorbed and clamped due to the interlacing pores of warp and weft yarns, and the easy occurrence of fiber tearing and resin peeling during mechanical processing. The system includes: an ultrafast laser processing device, a clamping device, and a pressure block 9. The ultrafast laser processing device includes an ultrafast laser 1, a scanning galvanometer 2, and a focusing lens 3 connected in sequence via optical paths. The ultrafast laser 1 is used to output a laser beam, the scanning galvanometer 2 is used to achieve optical path deflection and scanning of the laser beam, and the focusing lens 3 is used to focus the laser beam into a high-energy, extremely small spot. In this embodiment, the ultrafast laser 1 is a 1064nm infrared ultrafast laser with a laser pulse width of 15ps and a pulse frequency of 100kHz. It is equipped with a spray cooling unit, which includes a gas supply unit, a liquid supply unit, and an atomizing nozzle unit. The gas supply pressure is controlled at 0.3~0.5MPa, and the atomizing nozzle is ≤50mm away from the laser processing center. Water mist is sprayed into the processing area, and the high-pressure gas breaks the cooling liquid into tiny droplets, which are then sprayed into the laser processing area. Through forced convection and liquid film evaporation, thermal damage to the resin matrix and fibers is reduced.

[0025] The clamping device includes a machine tool platform 8, a vacuum chuck 6, and a diaphragm 4.

[0026] Vacuum chuck 6 is mounted on machine tool platform 8 and connected to an external vacuum source (such as a vacuum pump) via air extraction pipe 7. Vacuum chuck 6 has a valve core-spring type self-adaptive sealing structure. Its upper surface steel plate has 10mm diameter adsorption holes arranged in a 15mm×15mm matrix. Each adsorption hole is equipped with a valve core and a return spring. Adsorption holes not covered by the workpiece can automatically close, while adsorption holes in the covered area are connected to negative pressure.

[0027] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The enlarged cross-sectional view of the area within the red dashed box shows that after the vacuum is activated, when there is no flexible substrate 5 or film 4 above the adsorption hole, the negative pressure chamber exerts an inward pulling force on the valve core through the suction hole, overcoming the spring force and causing the valve core to fit tightly against the suction hole opening, forming a seal to prevent air leakage. When the adsorption hole is covered by a flexible substrate 5 or film 4, the negative pressure pulling force is canceled out, the spring rebounds, the valve core leaves the suction hole, the suction hole becomes open, and the negative pressure acts on the flexible substrate 5 or film 4 to achieve adsorption, thus ensuring that the adsorption force only acts on the covered area.

[0028] The flexible substrate 5 is the workpiece to be processed, placed on the upper surface of the vacuum suction cup 6. The film 4 covers the upper surface of the flexible substrate 5 and extends beyond the outer edge of the flexible substrate 5; that is, the coverage area of ​​the film 4 is larger than the coverage area of ​​the flexible substrate 5. The flexible substrate 5 is an ultra-thin, flexible composite material blank formed by interlacing warp and weft yarns. The interlacing area has through-pores, making it prone to air leakage under conventional vacuum adsorption (e.g., ...). Figure 3 (As shown).

[0029] The film 4 is made of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene or polyester, with a thickness of no more than 0.02 mm, and is used to seal the through pores of the flexible substrate 5.

[0030] In this embodiment, the negative pressure of the vacuum suction cup 6 can act on the flexible substrate 5 without air leakage, and the flexible substrate 5 can finally fit tightly against the surface of the vacuum suction cup 6, thereby achieving stable clamping.

[0031] The pressure block 9 is magnetically fixed to the vacuum suction cup 6, and is arranged at a density of one pressure block per 500mm×500mm area, for preliminary compaction of the film 4 and the flexible substrate 5 before vacuuming.

[0032] Vacuum cup 6 draws a vacuum, so that film 4 presses and fixes flexible substrate 5 onto vacuum cup 6 under atmospheric pressure, forming a clamped flexible substrate 5. The clamping device is positioned directly below the ultrafast laser processing device. The machine tool platform 8 and the scanning galvanometer 2 work in tandem to complete the laser processing. The scanning galvanometer 2 is used for high-precision micro-hole scanning processing, and the machine tool platform 8 achieves edge trimming and large-size feature processing through X / Y direction translation. The laser spot of the ultrafast laser processing device acts on the clamped flexible substrate 5.

[0033] Example 2: This embodiment provides a method for processing a breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate, including the following steps: In step S1, on the machine tool platform 8, a vacuum chuck 6, a flexible substrate 5 as the workpiece to be processed, and a film 4 are arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The coverage area of ​​the vacuum chuck 6 is larger than the coverage area of ​​the film 4, and the coverage area of ​​the film 4 is larger than the coverage area of ​​the flexible substrate 5. The film 4 extends outward to cover the outer edge area of ​​the flexible substrate 5.

[0034] In step S2, multiple pressure blocks 9 are arranged on the upper surface of the film 4. The pressure blocks 9 are used to initially compact the film 4 and the flexible substrate 5 by their own weight, flatten the flexible substrate 5, eliminate the initial gap between the two, assist in the air discharge, and shorten the vacuum adsorption and exhaust time.

[0035] Step S3: Turn on the vacuum source connected to the vacuum pipe 7 and evacuate to a vacuum level better than -0.09MPa. Atmospheric pressure causes the film 4 to seal the through pores of the flexible substrate 5. The flexible substrate 5 is stably pressed against the surface of the vacuum chuck 6 by the negative pressure. When the maximum gap between the flexible substrate 5 and the vacuum chuck 6 is no greater than 0.05mm and there are no visible bubbles under normal light, remove the pressure block 9 to complete the stable clamping. Step S4: Generate a machining program based on the preset machining drawings and process parameters. The machining program's machining sequence is to prioritize machining the in-plane features inside the flexible substrate 5, then machine the in-plane features in order of increasing area, and finally machine the outer contour.

[0036] This sequence is used to ensure that the flexible substrate 5 maintains the overall structural rigidity and is stably attached to the vacuum chuck 6 throughout the entire processing process. This avoids the closure of the adsorption holes at the corresponding positions of local features after processing, which would cause the surrounding area to not be attached to the vacuum chuck 6, affecting the processing accuracy and effect of adjacent features, such as incomplete processing.

[0037] Step S5: Lofting and positioning of the flexible substrate 5 is performed by visual or mechanical alignment to ensure that the physical contour of the flexible substrate 5 covers the entire processing layout area determined by the preset processing drawings, thereby avoiding laser damage to the vacuum chuck 6 and ensuring that a complete product is obtained.

[0038] Step S6: Run the machining program. The machine tool platform 8 and the scanning galvanometer 2 work together to complete the laser machining of holes and edges on the flexible substrate 5. During the machining process, the spray cooling unit sprays atomized water mist to suppress thermal damage. Step S7: Sequentially turn off the ultrafast laser processing device and the vacuum source, peel off the thin film 4, and obtain the processed flexible substrate.

[0039] In this embodiment, the processed flexible substrate exhibits no fiber tearing, no resin peeling, and a thermal damage scale of only 0.01 mm (e.g., Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the processing quality is far superior to that of traditional machining, indicating that the processing quality of the present invention is significantly better than that of traditional machining methods.

[0040] Figure 5 The image shows a machined reference part, which exhibits obvious defects such as fiber tearing and resin peeling.

[0041] Those skilled in the art will understand that, besides implementing the system and its various devices, modules, and units provided by this invention in the form of purely computer-readable program code, the same functions can be achieved entirely through logical programming of the method steps, making the system and its various devices, modules, and units of this invention function in the form of logic gates, switches, application-specific integrated circuits, programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontrollers. Therefore, the system and its various devices, modules, and units provided by this invention can be considered as a hardware component, and the devices, modules, and units included therein for implementing various functions can also be considered as structures within the hardware component; alternatively, the devices, modules, and units for implementing various functions can be considered as both software modules implementing the method and structures within the hardware component.

[0042] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0043] Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

Claims

1. A processing system for a breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate, characterized in that, include: Ultrafast laser processing equipment, clamping device, and pressure block; The clamping device includes a machine tool platform, a vacuum chuck, and a thin film. The vacuum chuck is mounted on the machine tool platform and connected to an external vacuum source. The vacuum chuck is a valve core-spring type self-adaptive sealing structure with adsorption holes arranged in a matrix on its surface. Each adsorption hole is equipped with a valve core and a return spring. The adsorption holes that are not covered can be automatically closed, and the adsorption holes in the covered areas are connected to negative pressure. The flexible substrate, as the workpiece to be processed, is placed on the upper surface of the vacuum chuck. The thin film covers the upper surface of the flexible substrate and extends to the outer edge of the flexible substrate to seal the through holes of the flexible substrate. The pressure block is fixed on the vacuum suction cup and is used to initially compact the film and the flexible substrate before vacuuming. The clamping device is located directly below the ultrafast laser processing device, and the machine tool platform works in conjunction with the scanning galvanometer of the ultrafast laser processing device.

2. The processing system for the breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrafast laser processing device includes an ultrafast laser, a scanning galvanometer, and a focusing lens connected in sequence via optical paths. The ultrafast laser is equipped with a spray cooling unit, which includes a gas supply unit, a liquid supply unit, and an atomizing nozzle unit.

3. The processing system for the breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ultrafast laser is a 1064nm infrared ultrafast laser with a laser pulse width of 15ps and a pulse frequency of 100KHz; the air supply pressure of the spray cooling unit is controlled at 0.3~0.5MPa, and the distance between the atomizing nozzle and the laser processing center is ≤50mm.

4. The processing system for the breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper surface of the vacuum suction cup has 10mm diameter suction holes arranged in a 15mm×15mm matrix on the steel plate.

5. The processing system for the breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The film is made of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene or polyester and has a thickness of no more than 0.02 mm; the pressure block is fixed by magnetic attraction and arranged at a density of one block per 500 mm × 500 mm area.

6. A method for processing a breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate, characterized in that, The processing system for the breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate according to any one of claims 1-5 includes the following steps: Step S1: On the machine tool platform, a vacuum chuck, a flexible substrate, and a thin film are arranged sequentially from bottom to top, and the coverage area of ​​the vacuum chuck is greater than the coverage area of ​​the thin film, and the coverage area of ​​the thin film is greater than the coverage area of ​​the flexible substrate. Step S2: Arrange pressure blocks on the upper surface of the film to initially compact the film and the flexible substrate, flatten the flexible substrate, and eliminate the initial gaps. Step S3: Turn on the vacuum source to evacuate until the maximum gap between the flexible substrate and the vacuum suction cup is no more than 0.05mm and there are no visible bubbles under normal light. Remove the pressure block to complete the clamping. Step S4: Generate a machining program based on the preset machining drawings and process parameters. The machining program's machining sequence is to prioritize machining the in-plane features inside the flexible substrate, then machine the in-plane features in order of increasing area, and finally machine the outer contour. Step S5: Loft and position the flexible substrate to ensure that its physical contour covers the entire processing layout area; Step S6: Run the processing program. The machine tool platform and the scanning galvanometer are linked to complete the laser processing of hole making and edge cutting of the flexible substrate. During the processing, the spray cooling unit sprays atomized water mist to suppress thermal damage. Step S7: Turn off the ultrafast laser processing device and vacuum source, peel off the film, and obtain the processed flexible substrate.

7. The processing method of the breathable, easily deformable, ultra-thin composite flexible substrate according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S3, a vacuum is drawn to a level better than -0.09 MPa. Atmospheric pressure is used to seal the through pores of the flexible substrate with the thin film, thereby achieving stable compression of the flexible substrate.

8. The processing method of the breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S5, the flexible substrate is laid out and positioned using visual or mechanical alignment methods.

9. The processing method of the breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S2, the film and the flexible substrate are initially compacted by the weight of the pressure block, which helps to vent air and shorten the vacuum adsorption and degassing time.

10. The processing method of the breathable, easily deformable, ultrathin composite flexible substrate according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S6, the scanning galvanometer is used for micro-hole scanning processing, and the machine tool platform realizes edge trimming and large-size feature processing through X / Y direction translation.

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