Mixing powder feeding device and method

Abstract

The application discloses a mixed powder feeding device and method, which comprises a loss-in-weight scale, a vertical feeding device comprising a lifting driving mechanism and an openable hopper, and a horizontal feeding device comprising a powder cylinder horizontal driving mechanism and a powder cylinder, wherein an inner cylinder is arranged in the powder cylinder, the inner cylinder comprises a connecting cylinder and a discharging cylinder, the outer diameter of the connecting cylinder is matched with the inner diameter of the powder cylinder, and the inner diameter of the discharging cylinder is matched with the inner diameter of a target feeding port; and the lifting driving mechanism can drive the hopper to move downwards to the bottom of the hopper and be inserted into the discharging cylinder. The application can realize automatic weighing and feeding of mixed powder, effectively avoid the phenomena of size particle stratification and caking of the mixed powder, and improve the quality and stability of the material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of powder feeding, and more particularly to a mixing powder feeding device and method. Background Technology

[0002] Volumetric feeding systems in metal powder die casting (usually referring to metal powder injection molding - MIM, or powder die casting) are a method of quantitative feeding by precisely controlling the volume of powder, rather than by weighing (gravity method). Its core objective is to rapidly and repeatedly deliver a set volume of powder into the mold cavity, ensuring the stability of the compact's weight and density.

[0003] While pressing single-type powders is relatively easy to handle in the industry, automatically feeding mixed metal powder particles is a challenge. This is because the pressing of mixed particles can easily lead to stratification of particles of different sizes during the feeding process. Furthermore, due to batch-specific issues with raw powder materials, new batches require machine readjustment and manual trial production before automated operation can be achieved. Therefore, fully automated operation is not yet feasible. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a mixed powder feeding device and method, which can realize automatic weighing and feeding of mixed powder, and can effectively avoid the phenomenon of particle stratification of large and small particles and agglomeration of mixed powder, thereby improving the quality and stability of materials.

[0005] The objective of this invention can be achieved using the following technical solutions: This invention provides a powder feeding device, comprising: a loss-in-weight scale; a vertical feeding device including a lifting drive mechanism and an openable / closeable hopper, wherein the outlet of the loss-in-weight scale is located directly above the hopper, and the lifting drive mechanism can drive the hopper to move up and down; a horizontal feeding device including a cylinder horizontal driving mechanism and a powder cylinder, wherein an inner cylinder is provided inside the powder cylinder, the inner cylinder including a connecting cylinder and an outlet cylinder that are connected vertically, the outer diameter of the connecting cylinder matches the inner diameter of the powder cylinder, and the inner diameter of the outlet cylinder is smaller than the inner diameter of the connecting cylinder and matches the inner diameter of the target feeding port; the lifting drive mechanism can drive the hopper to move downward to the bottom of the hopper and insert it into the outlet cylinder, and the cylinder horizontal driving mechanism is connected to the powder cylinder and can drive the powder cylinder to move horizontally.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal feeding device further includes a mounting base plate and a sliding table mounting plate. The loss-in-weight scale is mounted on the mounting base plate via a loss-in-weight scale mounting bracket. The sliding table mounting plate is slidably disposed on the mounting base plate. A clamping assembly is provided on the sliding table mounting plate. The clamping assembly is connected to the powder cylinder for driving the powder cylinder to adhere tightly to the mounting base plate. The cylinder horizontal driving mechanism is connected to the mounting base plate and can drive the sliding table mounting plate to move horizontally.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the clamping assembly includes a clamping cylinder, a mounting beam, and two clamping plates symmetrically mounted at both ends of the mounting beam. The clamping cylinder is mounted on the slide mounting plate, and the piston rod of the clamping cylinder is located below the middle of the mounting beam. The middle of the two clamping plates is hinged to both sides of the slide mounting plate, and the other end of the two clamping plates is hinged to both sides of the powder cylinder. The clamping cylinder can push the mounting beam upward to make the powder cylinder adhere tightly to the mounting base plate.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom edge of the discharge cylinder extends outward to form a limiting base plate, which can abut against the mounting base plate; the bottom edge of the powder cylinder extends outward to form an extension plate, which can be pressed against the mounting base plate by the action of the clamping component.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal drive mechanism for the barrel includes a servo electric cylinder, the cylinder body of which is disposed on the mounting base plate, and the piston rod of which is connected to the slide mounting plate.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a dust cover is also provided above the piston rod of the servo electric cylinder.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dust cover is an accordion cover, one end of which is connected to the weightless scale mounting frame and the other end is connected to the mounting beam.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a horizontal driving mechanism for ejector pins is further provided on the slide mounting plate. The horizontal driving mechanism for ejector pins is connected to the ejector pin mounting plate and can drive the ejector pin mounting plate to move horizontally. A plurality of arch-breaking ejector pins are vertically provided on the ejector pin mounting plate, and each arch-breaking ejector pin can be movably inserted into the discharge cylinder.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an insertion port is provided on the bottom side wall of the powder cylinder, and two stop bars are provided on both sides of the ejector pin mounting plate. The two stop bars can limit and abut against the two sides of the insertion port.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a material level monitoring device is further provided on the powder cylinder for monitoring the material level in the discharge cylinder; the control device can adjust the next discharge amount of the loss-in-weight scale according to the data of the material level monitoring device.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vertical feeding device further includes a support frame and an opening and closing drive assembly. The hopper includes two semi-circular hoppers that are symmetrically arranged and can be docked and closed. The opening and closing drive assembly is located at the bottom of the support frame and is used to drive the two semi-circular hoppers to move away from or close to each other to open and close. The lifting drive mechanism is located above the support frame and is used to drive the support frame to move up and down.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the semi-arc bucket includes: a concave arc-shaped wall panel, the inner wall surface of which is an inner arc-shaped surface; a top plate, which extends horizontally along the upper edge of the concave arc-shaped wall panel and is used to engage with the top plate of another semi-arc bucket arranged symmetrically; and a side bottom plate, which is connected to the two side edges and the bottom edge of the concave arc-shaped wall panel and is used to engage with the side bottom plate of another semi-arc bucket arranged symmetrically.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a material counter is also provided on the support frame, and the discharge port of the loss-in-weight scale, the material counter, and the hopper are arranged coaxially and facing each other from top to bottom.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing drive assembly includes a finger cylinder, which is connected to two semi-circular buckets via two clamping fingers to drive the two semi-circular buckets to move.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lifting drive mechanism includes at least one lifting cylinder, the piston rod of the lifting cylinder is connected to the support frame, and the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder is fixedly connected to the weightless scale by a fixing component.

[0020] The present invention also provides a method for feeding mixed powders, using the above-mentioned mixed powder feeding device, the method comprising: The weighed mixed powder material is fed into the hopper through its outlet using a loss-in-weight scale. The drive hopper descends to the bottom and inserts into the discharge cylinder; Open the hopper to allow the mixed powder material inside to enter the discharge cylinder; The horizontally driven powder cylinder moves to a position where the discharge cylinder is directly opposite the target feeding port, allowing the mixed powder material in the discharge cylinder to enter the target feeding port, thus completing the feeding into the target feeding port.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method for feeding mixed powder further includes: Monitor the material level data inside the discharge cylinder; Adjust the next discharge volume of the loss-in-weight scale based on the material level data.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following features and advantages: The mixed powder feeding device of the present invention can realize the automatic feeding of mixed powder, and is particularly suitable for the automatic weighing and feeding of mixed metal powder in metal powder die casting. The use of loss-in-weight scale ensures the weight stability of the feeding. Since the outlet of the loss-in-weight scale is relatively high and far from the target feeding port, compared with the existing method of directly letting the material fall freely to the target feeding port at a lower position, the present invention, through the cooperation of vertical feeding device and horizontal feeding device, first lowers the material weighed by loss-in-weight scale to the powder cylinder of horizontal feeding device, and then drives the powder cylinder to move horizontally to move the powder cylinder directly facing the target feeding port. This can effectively avoid the phenomenon of particle stratification of mixed powder, and improve the quality and stability of the material.

[0023] In addition, by setting an inner cylinder with a diameter matching the target feeding port inside the powder cylinder, and lowering the bottom of the hopper to insert into the discharge cylinder during use, the inner cylinder can limit the material to the effective feeding range compared to directly using a powder cylinder with a larger diameter. This not only avoids material waste but also ensures that the material effectively enters the target feeding port, preventing material agglomeration and other phenomena that affect the quality of the material. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The following figures are intended only to illustrate and explain the present invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the mixing powder feeding device provided by the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the mixing powder feeding device provided by the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Exploded view.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the vertical feeding device provided by the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Exploded view.

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the horizontal feeding device and the arch-breaking device provided by the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the slide mounting plate and clamping assembly provided by the present invention.

[0031] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the combination of the arch-breaking device and the powder cylinder provided by the present invention.

[0032] Figure 9for Figure 8 Exploded view.

[0033] Figure 10 for Figure 8 A top-down view.

[0034] Explanation of icon numbers: 1. Loss-in-weight scale; 11. Discharge port; 12. Loss-in-weight scale mounting frame; 121. L-shaped mounting plate; 13. Base plate; 2. Vertical feeding device; 21. Lifting drive mechanism; 211. Lifting cylinder; 212. Fixed plate; 213. Support arm; 2131. Vertical plate; 2132. Inclined plate; 2133. Horizontal plate; 214. Connecting plate; 22. Hopper; 221. Semi-arc hopper; 2211. Concave arc-shaped wall panel; 2212. Top plate; 2213. Side bottom plate; 2214. Reinforcing plate; 23. Support frame; 231. Horizontal support plate; 232. L-shaped support plate; 233. Material cylinder; 24. Opening and closing drive assembly; 241. Finger cylinder; 242. Finger clamping mechanism; 3. Horizontal feeding device; 31. Barrel horizontal drive mechanism; 311. Servo electric cylinder; 32. Powder container; 321. Inlet; 322. Extension plate; 33. Inner cylinder; 331. Connecting cylinder; 332. Discharge cylinder; 333. Hanging plate; 334. Limiting base plate; 34. Mounting base plate; 341. Linear guide rail; 35. Slide mounting plate; 351. Connecting rod; 352. Slider; 36. Clamping assembly; 361. Clamping cylinder; 362. Mounting beam; 363. Clamping plate; 37. Dust cover; 4. Arch-breaking device; 41. Horizontal drive mechanism for ejector pin; 411. Arch-breaking cylinder; 42. Ejector pin mounting plate; 421. Stop bar; 43. Arch-breaking ejector pin. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To provide a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives, and effects of the present invention, specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] like Figures 1 to 10 As shown, this application provides a mixing powder feeding device, comprising: Weightlessness scale 1; The vertical feeding device 2 includes a lifting drive mechanism 21 and an openable and closable hopper 22. The discharge port 11 of the loss-in-weight scale 1 is located directly above the hopper 22. The lifting drive mechanism 21 can drive the hopper 22 to move up and down. The horizontal feeding device 3 includes a cylinder horizontal driving mechanism 31 and a powder cylinder 32. An inner cylinder 33 is provided inside the powder cylinder 32. The inner cylinder 33 includes a connecting cylinder 331 and a discharge cylinder 332 that are connected vertically. The outer diameter of the connecting cylinder 331 matches the inner diameter of the powder cylinder 32. The inner diameter of the discharge cylinder 332 is smaller than the inner diameter of the connecting cylinder 331 and matches the inner diameter of the target feeding port. The lifting driving mechanism 21 can drive the hopper 22 to move downwards until the bottom of the hopper 22 is inserted into the discharge cylinder 332. The cylinder horizontal driving mechanism 31 is connected to the powder cylinder 32 and can drive the powder cylinder 32 to move horizontally.

[0037] Initially, hopper 22 is closed, and no material can be discharged from the bottom. During operation, the loss-in-weight scale 1 feeds the weighed mixed powder material through its discharge port 11 into the hopper 22 of the vertical feeding device 2. The lifting drive mechanism 21 drives the hopper 22 downward to the bottom of the hopper 22 and inserts it into the discharge cylinder 332. Then, the hopper 22 is opened, and the mixed powder material in the hopper 22 enters the discharge cylinder 332. Next, the horizontal drive mechanism 31 drives the powder cylinder 32 to move horizontally to the position where the discharge cylinder 332 is directly opposite the target feeding port. The mixed powder material in the discharge cylinder 332 enters the target feeding port, completing the feeding into the target feeding port.

[0038] Therefore, the mixed powder feeding device of this application can realize the automatic feeding of mixed powder, and is particularly suitable for the automatic weighing and feeding of mixed metal powder in metal powder die casting; the weighing of the loss-in-weight scale 1 ensures the weight stability of the feeding; since the discharge port 11 of the loss-in-weight scale 1 is higher and farther away from the target feeding port, compared with the existing method of directly letting the material fall freely to the lower target feeding port, this application, through the cooperation of the vertical feeding device 2 and the horizontal feeding device 3, first lowers the material weighed by the loss-in-weight scale 1 and transfers it to the powder cylinder 32 of the horizontal feeding device 3, and then drives the powder cylinder 32 to move horizontally to move the powder cylinder 32 to face the target feeding port, which can effectively avoid the phenomenon of particle stratification of mixed powder and improve the quality and stability of the material.

[0039] In addition, by setting an inner cylinder 33 with a diameter matching the target feeding port inside the powder cylinder 32, and lowering the bottom of the hopper 22 to insert into the discharge cylinder 332 during use, compared to directly using the powder cylinder 32 with a larger diameter for feeding, the setting of the inner cylinder 33 can limit the material to the effective feeding range, which can not only avoid material waste, but also allow the material to effectively enter the target feeding port, avoiding phenomena such as material agglomeration that affect the quality of the material.

[0040] Furthermore, the aforementioned loss-in-weight scale 1 is mainly used to achieve quantitative material intake, ensuring consistent weight for each feeding. A high-precision loss-in-weight scale, such as a screw loss-in-weight scale with an accuracy of ±1g, can be used for accurate weighing. The specific structure of the loss-in-weight scale 1 is an existing structure and will not be described in detail here.

[0041] The vertical feeding device 2 is mainly used to automatically add the material weighed by the loss-in-weight scale 1 to the horizontal feeding device 3 each time, ensuring that the amount of material added each time is consistent.

[0042] The horizontal feeding device 3 is mainly used to push the material weighed by the loss-in-weight scale 1 to the target feeding port, that is, to the lower die cavity of the press, so as to realize the secondary quantitative feeding function.

[0043] Further optional, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The vertical feeding device 2 also includes a support frame 23 and an opening and closing drive assembly 24. The hopper 22 includes two semi-circular hoppers 221 that are symmetrically arranged and can be docked and closed. The opening and closing drive assembly 24 is located at the bottom of the support frame 23 and is used to drive the two semi-circular hoppers 221 to move away from or close to each other to open and close. The lifting drive mechanism 21 is located above the support frame 23 and is used to drive the support frame 23 to move up and down.

[0044] Reference Figure 5 The inner wall of the semi-circular hopper 221 is an inner arc-shaped surface. When the two semi-circular hoppers 221 are joined and closed, their inner arc-shaped surfaces can enclose a conical cavity with a gradually decreasing diameter and a closed bottom. The material weighed by the loss-in-weight scale 1 can fall into this conical space for temporary storage. When the hopper 22 moves down to its bottom and inserts into the discharge cylinder 332, the opening and closing drive assembly 24 drives the two semi-circular hoppers 22 to move horizontally away from each other and open. The material slides down along the inner arc-shaped surface of the semi-circular hopper 221 and falls into the discharge cylinder 332 through the gap at the bottom of the two semi-circular hoppers 221.

[0045] Further optionally, each semi-circular bucket 221 includes: The concave arc-shaped wall panel 2211 is a single-curved arc-shaped plate. Its inner wall surface is an inner arc-shaped surface that is concave towards the inside of the cavity, forming the cavity forming surface of the semi-arc bucket 221, which encloses and forms a semi-open cavity. The outer wall surface of the concave arc-shaped wall panel 2211 is an outwardly convex arc-shaped surface with the same curvature as the inner wall surface. The top plate 2212 extends horizontally along the upper edge of the concave arc-shaped wall plate 2211 and is used to dock with the top plate 2212 of the other half-arc bucket 221 which is symmetrically arranged. The side bottom plate 2213 is connected to the two sides and the bottom edge of the concave arc-shaped wall plate 2211, and is used to mate with the side bottom plate 2213 of the other half arc-shaped bucket 221 which is symmetrically arranged.

[0046] The two semi-circular buckets 221 are connected by the top plate 2212 and the side bottom plate 2213 respectively, so that the two semi-circular buckets 221 can be enclosed to form a cone-shaped cavity with a closed bottom.

[0047] The side bottom plate 2213 can be a one-piece molded polygonal plate, including two inclined side plates and a closed bottom end plate. Further optionally, multiple reinforcing plates 2214 are fixed to the outer surface of the concave arc-shaped wall plate 2211 to enhance the structural rigidity of the semi-arc bucket 221. The reinforcing plates 2214 can be vertically arranged, with multiple reinforcing plates 2214 spaced circumferentially along the concave arc-shaped wall plate 2211, and the edges of the reinforcing plates 2214 are fixedly connected to the side bottom plate 2213 and the top plate 2212.

[0048] The two semi-circular hoppers 221 are independent of each other and arranged mirror images of the central symmetry plane of the conical cavity. The semi-open cavity facilitates cleaning, maintenance, or filling of materials / molded parts. When closed, the top plates 2212 of the two semi-circular hoppers 221 fit together to form a sealed upper edge, which can be mated with the material cylinder 233 described below; the bottom closed end plates of the side bottom plates 2213 fit together to form a closed bottom surface, and the concave arc-shaped wall plates 2211 together enclose a complete conical cavity, realizing the functions of material storage, conveying, or molding. After closing, the reinforcing plate 2214 remains on the outside of the conical cavity, without affecting the integrity of the internal space, while continuously providing structural support.

[0049] Further optional, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5 The support frame 23 is also equipped with a material matching cylinder 233. The discharge port 11 of the loss-in-weight scale 1, the material matching cylinder 233 and the hopper 22 are arranged coaxially opposite each other from top to bottom. The diameter of the material matching cylinder 233 matches the diameter of the upper port of the conical cavity and also matches the diameter of the discharge port 11 of the loss-in-weight scale 1, so as to facilitate material matching.

[0050] Alternatively, the opening and closing drive assembly 24 includes a finger cylinder 241, which is connected to two semi-circular buckets 221 via two clamping fingers 242 to drive the two semi-circular buckets 221 to move.

[0051] The aforementioned support frame 23 includes a horizontal support plate 231 and an L-shaped support plate 232 fixed to one side of the bottom of the horizontal support plate 231. The material cylinder 233 is fixed on the horizontal support plate 231 and extends vertically through the horizontal support plate 231. The finger cylinder 241 is located below the horizontal support plate 231 and fixed on the L-shaped support plate 232. The finger clamping 242 can adopt a plate structure (e.g., Figure 5(The L-shaped plate shown). The piston rod of the finger cylinder 241 can drive the two clamping fingers 242 to move the two semi-circular buckets 221 horizontally away from each other to open, or move them horizontally closer to each other to close.

[0052] Further optionally, in order to facilitate the lifting and lowering of the hopper 22, the lifting drive mechanism 21 includes at least one lifting cylinder 211, the piston rod of the lifting cylinder 211 is connected to the support frame 23, and the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder 211 is fixedly connected to the weightless scale 1 through a fixing component.

[0053] The specific number of lifting cylinders 211 and the structure of the fixing assembly can be designed according to actual needs. For example, in a specific example, two lifting cylinders 211 are provided, which are vertically arranged above the horizontal support plate 231, and the bottom end of their piston rods is fixedly connected to the horizontal support plate 231. The fixing assembly includes multiple fixing plates 212 and a support arm assembly. Both ends of each fixing plate 212 are fixedly connected to the cylinder bodies of the two lifting cylinders 211 to better ensure the synchronous operation of the two lifting cylinders 211. The number of fixing plates 212 can be determined according to needs, for example, according to... Figure 4 The diagram shows three fixing plates 212 arranged on the top and sides of the two lifting cylinders 211.

[0054] The entire vertical feeding device 2 is arranged on one side of the loss-in-weight scale 1 and close to the discharge port 11 of the loss-in-weight scale 1. The support arm assembly is used to fix the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder 211 to the loss-in-weight scale 1. For example, the support arm assembly includes two support arms 213. Each support arm 213 includes a vertical plate 2131, an inclined plate 2132 and a horizontal plate 2133 connected from top to bottom to avoid interference with the loss-in-weight scale 1. The two lifting cylinders 211 are fixed to the vertical plates 2131 of the two support arms 213 by connecting plates 214 on the fixing plates 212 on the sides of the two lifting cylinders 211. The horizontal plates 2133 of the two support arms 213 are respectively fixed to both ends (upper surface) of the bottom plate 13 of the loss-in-weight scale 1.

[0055] Further optional, refer to Figures 6 to 10 The horizontal feeding device 3 also includes a mounting base plate 34 and a sliding table mounting plate 35. The loss-in-weight scale 1 is mounted on the mounting base plate 34 via the loss-in-weight scale mounting bracket 12. The sliding table mounting plate 35 is slidably mounted on the mounting base plate 34. A clamping assembly 36 is provided on the sliding table mounting plate 35. The clamping assembly 36 is connected to the powder cylinder 32 to drive the powder cylinder 32 to adhere tightly to the mounting base plate 34. The cylinder horizontal drive mechanism 31 is connected to the mounting base plate 34 and can drive the sliding table mounting plate 35 to move horizontally.

[0056] The mounting base 34 can be a rectangular plate, for example. The weightless weighing frame 12 can be two symmetrically arranged L-shaped mounting plates 121. The two ends (lower surfaces) of the base plate 13 of the weightless weighing 1 are fixed to the top of the two L-shaped mounting plates 121, and the bottom ends of the two L-shaped mounting plates 121 are fixed to the two sides of the mounting base 34 in the width direction. When the hopper 22 descends into the discharge cylinder 332 and transfers the material to the discharge cylinder 332, the clamping assembly 36 presses the bottom end of the powder cylinder 32 against the mounting base 34 to prevent material leakage during the movement of the powder cylinder 32. Then, the cylinder horizontal drive mechanism 31 drives the sliding table mounting plate 35 to move horizontally relative to the mounting base 34, which pushes the powder cylinder 32 with the material horizontally out to the target feeding port.

[0057] The structure of the clamping component 36 can be implemented, for example, as shown in the following reference: Figure 3 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The clamping assembly 36 includes a clamping cylinder 361, a mounting beam 362, and two clamping plates 363 symmetrically mounted at both ends of the mounting beam 362. The clamping cylinder 361 is mounted on the slide mounting plate 35, and the piston rod of the clamping cylinder 361 is connected to the lower middle part of the mounting beam 362. The middle part of the two clamping plates 363 is hinged to both sides of the slide mounting plate 35, and the other end of the two clamping plates 363 is hinged to both sides of the powder cylinder 32. The clamping cylinder 361 can push the mounting beam 362 upward to make the powder cylinder 32 stick tightly to the mounting base plate 34.

[0058] The mounting beam 362 is horizontally positioned along its length and perpendicular to the horizontal movement direction of the slide mounting plate 35. The surface of the slide mounting plate 35 is parallel to the mounting base plate 34. Two connecting rods 351 extend from one end of the slide mounting plate 35 near the powder cylinder 32. The ends of the two connecting rods 351 are respectively hinged to the middle of two clamping plates 363. The middle of the clamping plate 363 can be hinged to the connecting rods 351, for example, via a first pin. The ends of the clamping plates 363 are hinged to the side of the powder cylinder 32 via a second pin. The axial directions of both the first and second pins are horizontally positioned and parallel to the length direction of the mounting beam 362. The axis of the clamping cylinder 361 is vertically set, and its cylinder body is fixed on the slide mounting plate 35. Its piston rod is located directly below the center of the mounting beam 362 (the two can be unconnected, and the mounting beam 362 can be pushed when the piston rod extends upward). Similar to the lever principle, there is a gap between the clamping plate 363 and the mounting base plate 34. When the piston rod of the clamping cylinder 361 pushes upward, it drives the clamping plate 363 to swing around the hinge point between the clamping plate 363 and the slide mounting plate 35, so as to press the powder cylinder 32 onto the mounting base plate 34.

[0059] Further optional, refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9The bottom edge of the discharge cylinder 332 extends outward to form a limiting base plate 334. The limiting base plate 334 can abut against the mounting base plate 34 to limit the installation height of the inner cylinder 33. The limiting base plate 334 can also further prevent powder leakage during the movement of the powder cylinder 32.

[0060] Alternatively, the bottom edge of the powder cylinder 32 extends outward to form an extension plate 322, which can be pressed against the mounting base plate 34 by the clamping assembly 36 to further prevent powder leakage.

[0061] The outer contour of extension plate 322 can be arranged according to Figure 9 The shape shown is rectangular, but other shapes are also possible. The outer contour of the limiting base plate 334 is circular, and its diameter needs to match the inner diameter of the powder cylinder 32. After the inner cylinder 33 is installed in the powder cylinder 32, the limiting base plate 334 aligns with the circular inner hole of the extension plate 322. During the horizontal movement of the powder cylinder 32, the extension plate 322 and the limiting base plate 334 can effectively prevent material leakage from the discharge cylinder 332.

[0062] In actual use, the target feeding port is located on the outside of the mounting base plate 34. The upper surface of the mounting base plate 34 needs to be aligned with the outer periphery of the target feeding port without any steps. When the powder cylinder 32 moves, the extension plate 322 and the limiting base plate 334 will move a certain distance from the mounting base plate 34 to the outer periphery of the target feeding port until the discharge cylinder 332 is directly facing the target feeding port.

[0063] Furthermore, the aforementioned inner cylinder 33 can be hung and fixed to the top two sides of the powder cylinder 32 by two hanging plates 333 and fastened with fasteners (such as screws). During installation, after the limiting base plate 334 abuts against the mounting base plate 34, the hanging plates 333 are fixed to the powder cylinder 32 using fasteners.

[0064] Optionally, the horizontal drive mechanism 31 for the powder cylinder includes a servo cylinder 311. The cylinder body of the servo cylinder 311 is mounted on the mounting base plate 34, and the piston rod of the servo cylinder 311 is connected to the slide mounting plate 35. The servo cylinder 311 drives the slide mounting plate 35 to move horizontally, thereby moving the powder cylinder 32.

[0065] Generally, two linear guide rails 341 are provided on both sides of the mounting base plate 34 in the width direction. The linear guide rails 341 extend along the length direction of the mounting base plate 34. The slide table mounting plate 35 is slidably engaged with the two guide rails by two sets of slider assemblies to guide the movement. Each set of slider assemblies may include, for example, two sliders 352, which are fixed to the bottom surface of the slide table mounting plate 35 for greater stability. Figure 6 For better illustration Figure 4The four sliders 352 have not yet been fixed to the slide mounting plate 35.

[0066] Alternatively, a dust cover 37 is provided above the piston rod of the servo cylinder 311 to protect the piston rod of the servo cylinder 311 and prevent material leakage from falling onto the piston rod of the servo cylinder 311 and affecting the normal movement of the piston rod.

[0067] Alternatively, the dust cover 37 is an accordion cover, with one end connected to the loss-in-weight scale mounting bracket 12 and the other end connected to the mounting beam 362. One end of the accordion cover is located below the loss-in-weight scale mounting bracket 12 and is fixedly connected to the two L-shaped mounting plates 121 of the loss-in-weight scale mounting bracket 12. One end of the accordion cover covers the cylinder port of the servo cylinder 311; the other end of the accordion cover is fixed to the mounting beam 362. When the powder cylinder 32 moves horizontally, the other end of the accordion cover will also move accordingly, which can better protect the piston rod of the servo cylinder 311.

[0068] Further optional, refer to Figure 6 as well as Figures 8 to 10 The slide mounting plate 35 is also provided with a horizontal drive mechanism 41 for ejector pins. The horizontal drive mechanism 41 for ejector pins is connected to the ejector pin mounting plate 42 and can drive the ejector pin mounting plate 42 to move horizontally. Multiple arch-breaking ejector pins 43 are vertically provided on the ejector pin mounting plate 42, and each arch-breaking ejector pin 43 can be movably inserted into the discharge cylinder 332.

[0069] The ejector pin horizontal drive mechanism 41 is specifically installed at the bottom of the slide table mounting plate 35, and includes, for example, an arch-breaking cylinder 411. The cylinder body of the arch-breaking cylinder 411 is fixed to the bottom surface of the slide table mounting plate 35, and the piston rod of the arch-breaking cylinder 411 is fixedly connected to the ejector pin mounting plate 42. The ejector pin mounting plate 42 is vertically arranged, and the axis of each arch-breaking ejector pin 43 is horizontally arranged and parallel to the horizontal movement direction of the powder cylinder 32. Multiple insertion holes are provided on the side of the discharge cylinder 332, and the diameter of the insertion holes matches the diameter of the arch-breaking ejector pins 43 for insertion.

[0070] The aforementioned ejector pin horizontal drive mechanism 41, ejector pin mounting plate 42, and arch-breaking ejector pin 43 constitute an arch-breaking device 4. As needed, the ejector pin horizontal drive mechanism 41 drives each arch-breaking ejector pin 43 to move at regular intervals. This can prevent the material in the discharge cylinder 332 from forming rat holes or cavities due to long-term vibration, which would lead to unstable feeding. The arch-breaking device 4 destroys the rat hole and cavity conditions, which is more conducive to achieving stable feeding, improving the qualified rate of the mixed material added to the target feeding port, and avoiding material waste caused by material clumping and other reasons that prevent it from entering the target feeding port.

[0071] Furthermore, an insertion port 321 is provided on the bottom side wall of the powder cylinder 32 to facilitate the connection between the horizontal drive mechanism 41 and the arch-breaking ejector pin 43. Optionally, two stop bars 421 are provided on both sides of the ejector pin mounting plate 42. The two stop bars 421 can be limited to abut against the two side edges of the insertion port 321 to limit the movement position of the arch-breaking ejector pin 43.

[0072] Alternatively, a material level monitoring device is also provided on the powder cylinder 32 to monitor the material level in the discharge cylinder 332; the control device can adjust the next discharge amount of the loss-in-weight scale 1 according to the data of the material level monitoring device.

[0073] The material level monitoring device can be, for example, a monitoring radar, which can be fixed to the top of the powder cylinder 32 using a corresponding mounting bracket. The material level monitoring device is mainly used to ensure that the material level of the powder in the discharge cylinder 332 is as consistent as possible; when the material level is too high or too low, the discharge volume of the loss-in-weight scale 1 can be adjusted to achieve an automatic compensation function.

[0074] More specifically, the entire working process of the powder mixing and feeding device is as follows: The mixture is accurately weighed using a high-precision loss-in-weight scale 1, and then precisely fed into the hopper 22 of the vertical feeding device 2 through the outlet 11 of the loss-in-weight scale 1. The hopper 22 is then driven downward by the lifting drive mechanism 21, so that the bottom of the hopper 22 is inserted into the discharge cylinder 332. The two semi-circular hoppers 221 are driven away and separated by the opening and closing drive assembly 24, and the mixture is transferred to the discharge cylinder 332 of the horizontal feeding device 3. After that, the pressing assembly 36 presses the extension plate 322 of the powder cylinder 32 against the mounting base plate 34, and the horizontal drive mechanism 31 drives the sliding table mounting plate 35 to move horizontally to push the powder cylinder 32 so that the discharge cylinder 332 is directly opposite the target feeding port, so that the mixture enters the lower mold cavity of the mold chamber through the target feeding port, completing the feeding.

[0075] After the powder cylinder 32 of the horizontal feeding device 3 returns to the feeding point (i.e., the position where the discharge cylinder 332 is directly opposite the hopper 22) after the feeding is completed, the material level monitoring device works to monitor and record the material level after the material is fed into the discharge cylinder 332, in order to determine whether the next discharge amount of the loss-in-weight scale 1 needs to be increased or decreased. Since rat holes may gradually form inside the discharge cylinder 332 during the powder feeding process, the aforementioned arch-breaking device 4 is used to periodically break the arch, which can ensure the stability of powder feeding.

[0076] The entire powder feeding device is an intelligent feeding device that automatically weighs and quantifies, automatically monitors the powder level, automatically implements PID control of the material level, and automatically feeds the powder to the hopper 22. The weight stability of the feeding is ensured by the loss-in-weight scale 1; the vertical feeding device 2 solves the problem of stratification of particles of different sizes after free fall in the powder composition; the powder level is monitored by the level monitoring device, and PID adjustment is automatically performed according to the level height to compensate for the feeding weight and ensure the consistency of the material level in the discharge cylinder 332; the arch breaking device 4 solves the problem of rat holes forming inside the existing solution, which requires manual intervention.

[0077] Based on long-term production results and monitoring of quality data (product type and product height) during the production process, stable production has been achieved.

[0078] Furthermore, this application also provides a method for feeding mixed powders, using the above-mentioned mixed powder feeding device, the method comprising: The weighed mixed powder material is fed into the hopper 22 through its discharge port 11 using the loss-in-weight scale 1. The drive hopper 22 descends to the bottom of the hopper 22 and is inserted into the discharge cylinder 332; Open hopper 22 to allow the mixed powder material in hopper 22 to enter discharge cylinder 332; The horizontally driven powder cylinder 32 is moved to the position where the discharge cylinder 332 is directly opposite the target feeding port, so that the mixed powder material in the discharge cylinder 332 enters the target feeding port, completing the feeding into the target feeding port.

[0079] The method uses the aforementioned device to achieve automatic weighing and feeding of mixed powders, and can effectively avoid the phenomenon of particle stratification of large and small particles and agglomeration in the mixed powders, thereby improving the quality and stability of the materials.

[0080] Further, optionally, the method for feeding the mixed powder also includes: Monitor the material level data inside the discharge cylinder 332; Adjust the next discharge volume of loss-in-weight scale 1 based on the material level data.

[0081] Specifically, this is achieved using the aforementioned material level monitoring device to ensure consistent material levels within the discharge cylinder 332.

[0082] The above are merely illustrative embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Any equivalent changes and modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the concept and principles of the present invention should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A powder mixing feeding device, characterized in that, include: Loss of weight scale; The vertical feeding device includes a lifting drive mechanism and an openable and closable hopper. The discharge port of the loss-in-weight scale is located directly above the hopper, and the lifting drive mechanism can drive the hopper to move up and down. A horizontal feeding device includes a cylinder horizontal driving mechanism and a powder cylinder. An inner cylinder is provided inside the powder cylinder. The inner cylinder includes a connecting cylinder and a discharge cylinder that are connected vertically. The outer diameter of the connecting cylinder matches the inner diameter of the powder cylinder, and the inner diameter of the discharge cylinder is smaller than the inner diameter of the connecting cylinder and matches the inner diameter of the target feeding port. The lifting driving mechanism can drive the hopper to move downwards until it is inserted into the discharge cylinder at the bottom. The cylinder horizontal driving mechanism is connected to the powder cylinder and can drive the powder cylinder to move horizontally.

2. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal feeding device also includes a mounting base plate and a slide mounting plate, and the loss-in-weight scale is mounted on the mounting base plate via a loss-in-weight scale mounting frame; The slide mounting plate is slidably mounted on the mounting base plate. A clamping assembly is provided on the slide mounting plate. The clamping assembly is connected to the powder cylinder and is used to drive the powder cylinder to adhere to the mounting base plate. The cylinder horizontal driving mechanism is connected to the mounting base plate and can drive the slide mounting plate to move horizontally.

3. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping assembly includes a clamping cylinder, a mounting beam, and two clamping plates symmetrically mounted at both ends of the mounting beam. The clamping cylinder is located on the slide mounting plate, and the piston rod of the clamping cylinder is located below the middle of the mounting beam. The middle of the two clamping plates is hinged to both sides of the slide mounting plate, and the other end of the two clamping plates is hinged to both sides of the powder cylinder. The clamping cylinder can push the mounting beam upward to make the powder cylinder adhere tightly to the mounting base plate.

4. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom edge of the discharge cylinder extends outward to form a limiting base plate, which can abut against the mounting base plate; The bottom edge of the powder cylinder extends outward to form an extension plate, which can be pressed against the mounting base plate by the clamping assembly.

5. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The horizontal drive mechanism for the material cylinder includes a servo electric cylinder, the cylinder body of which is mounted on the mounting base plate, and the piston rod of which is connected to the slide mounting plate.

6. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, A dust cover is also provided above the piston rod of the servo electric cylinder.

7. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The dust cover is an accordion cover, one end of which is connected to the weightless scale mounting frame, and the other end is connected to the mounting beam.

8. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The slide mounting plate is also provided with a horizontal drive mechanism for ejector pins. The horizontal drive mechanism for ejector pins is connected to the ejector pin mounting plate and can drive the ejector pin mounting plate to move horizontally. A plurality of arch-breaking ejector pins are vertically provided on the ejector pin mounting plate, and each arch-breaking ejector pin can be movably inserted into the discharge cylinder.

9. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 8, characterized in that, An insertion port is provided on the bottom side wall of the powder cylinder, and two stop bars are provided on both sides of the ejector pin mounting plate. The two stop bars can limit the movement and abut against the two sides of the insertion port.

10. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The powder cylinder is also equipped with a material level monitoring device to monitor the material level in the discharge cylinder; the control device can adjust the next discharge amount of the loss-in-weight scale based on the data from the material level monitoring device.

11. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vertical feeding device also includes a support frame and an opening and closing drive assembly. The hopper includes two symmetrically arranged semi-circular hoppers that can be docked and closed. The opening and closing drive assembly is located at the bottom of the support frame and is used to drive the two semi-circular hoppers to move away from or close to each other to open and close. The lifting drive mechanism is located above the support frame and is used to drive the support frame to move up and down.

12. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The semi-circular bucket includes: A concave arc-shaped wall panel, the inner wall surface of which is an inner arc surface; The top plate extends horizontally along the upper edge of the concave arc-shaped wall panel and is used to dock with the top plate of another symmetrically arranged semi-arc-shaped bucket. The side bottom plate is connected to the two sides and the bottom edge of the concave arc-shaped wall panel and is used to mate with the side bottom plate of another symmetrically arranged semi-arc-shaped bucket.

13. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The support frame is also provided with a material cylinder, and the discharge port of the loss-in-weight scale, the material cylinder and the hopper are arranged coaxially opposite each other from top to bottom.

14. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The opening and closing drive assembly includes a finger cylinder, which is connected to two semi-circular buckets via two clamping fingers to drive the two semi-circular buckets to move.

15. The mixing powder feeding device as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The lifting drive mechanism includes at least one lifting cylinder, the piston rod of the lifting cylinder is connected to the support frame, and the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder is fixedly connected to the weightless scale through a fixing component.

16. A method for feeding mixed powder, characterized in that, The mixed powder feeding device as described in any one of claims 1-15, wherein the mixed powder feeding method comprises: The weighed mixed powder material is fed into the hopper through its outlet using a loss-in-weight scale. Drive the hopper to descend to the bottom of the hopper and insert it into the discharge cylinder; Open the hopper to allow the mixed powder material inside the hopper to enter the discharge cylinder; The horizontally driven powder cylinder is moved to a position where the discharge cylinder is directly opposite the target feeding port, so that the mixed powder material in the discharge cylinder enters the target feeding port, thus completing the feeding into the target feeding port.

17. The method for feeding mixed powders as described in claim 16, characterized in that, The method for feeding the mixed powder also includes: Monitor the material level data inside the discharge cylinder; The next discharge volume of the loss-in-weight scale is adjusted based on the material level data.

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