A full-automatic brake pad production line and a production method thereof

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of brake pad production, in particular to a full-automatic brake pad production line and a production method, which comprise a powder pre-forming press, a first mechanical arm and a drying furnace; the lower die of the powder pre-forming press is provided with a die closing area and a material taking area, a material pushing part reciprocally moving between the die closing area and the material taking area is arranged on the lower die, and a steel back profiling hole is arranged on the material pushing part; and the grabbing end of the first mechanical arm reciprocally moves between the material taking area and the feeding end of the drying furnace. After the friction powder material, the heat insulation powder material and the steel back are simultaneously pressed into semi-finished brake pads in the die closing area of the lower die by the powder pre-forming press, the semi-finished brake pads are pushed to the material taking area by the material pushing part, the first mechanical arm can move and load the semi-finished brake pads to the drying furnace for drying, and the drum bulging or cracking problem caused by water vapor generated by high temperature due to the moisture of raw materials during subsequent high-temperature pressing is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of brake pad manufacturing technology, and in particular to a fully automated brake pad production line and manufacturing method. Background Technology

[0002] Brake pads typically consist of a steel backing, a heat insulation layer, and a friction layer. The heat insulation and friction layers are formed by pressing corresponding powder materials into shape using a powder preforming press, followed by thermosetting using a hot press. However, in areas with high humidity, the powder material easily absorbs moisture. During the thermosetting and curing stage, this internal moisture vaporizes, producing steam. This can easily lead to quality defects such as bulging or cracking inside the finished product. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a fully automated production line and production method for brake pads, which can minimize the generation of steam during the hot pressing process.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a fully automatic brake pad production line, including a powder preforming press, a first robotic arm and a drying oven; the lower mold of the powder preforming press has a mold closing area and a material taking area, and the lower mold is provided with a pusher part that reciprocates between the mold closing area and the material taking area, and the pusher part is provided with a steel back contour hole; The gripping end of the first robotic arm reciprocates between the material handling area and the feed end of the drying oven.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a production method, including step S1: filling friction powder into the forming cavity of the lower mold of the powder preforming press for preliminary compaction; Step S2: Fill the molding cavity of the lower mold with the heat insulation powder; Step S3: Place the steel backing above the forming cavity and press it to obtain a semi-finished brake pad; Step S4: After the semi-finished brake pads are positioned, they are dried; Step S5: Position the dried semi-finished brake pads, then weigh and screen out the substandard semi-finished brake pads. Step S6: Transfer the qualified semi-finished brake pads to a thermoforming mold for hot pressing to obtain finished brake pads.

[0006] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: After the friction powder, heat insulation powder and steel backing are pressed into semi-finished brake pads in the mold closing area of ​​the lower mold by the powder preforming press, the semi-finished brake pads are pushed to the material taking area by the pusher, so that the first robot can transfer the semi-finished brake pads to the drying oven for pre-positioning drying, ensuring that there will be no bulging or cracking problems due to water vapor during subsequent high-temperature pressing. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a top view schematic diagram of a fully automated brake pad production line proposed in this invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part A of a fully automated brake pad production line; Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the drying furnace structure of a fully automated brake pad production line proposed in this invention. Figure 4 This invention provides a cross-sectional structure of the lower mold for a fully automated brake pad production line. Figure 5 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part B of a fully automated brake pad production line; Label Explanation: 1. Powder preforming press; 11. Lower die; 111. Lower punch; 1111. Contouring filler groove; 112. Bottom support; 113. Ejection device; 12. Pushing part; 121. Steel back contour hole; 122. Second scraper; 13. Discharge hopper; 131. First scraper; 2. First robotic arm; 3. Drying oven; 31. Chain conveyor belt; 311. Support plate; 32. Insulation cover; 33. Heating wire; 34. First fan; 35. Second fan; 4. Weighing device; 41. Material carrier plate; 411. Contouring hole; 5. Second robotic arm; 6. Third robotic arm; 61. Linear guide rail; 62. Magnetic chuck; 7. Hot press molding machine. Detailed Implementation

[0008] To explain in detail the technical content, objectives, and effects of the present invention, the following description is provided in conjunction with the embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0009] Brake pads typically consist of a steel backing, a heat insulation layer, and a friction layer. The heat insulation and friction layers are formed by pressing corresponding powder materials into shape using a powder preforming press, followed by thermosetting using a hot press. However, in areas with high humidity, the powder materials easily absorb moisture. During the thermosetting process, the internal moisture in these high-humidity powder materials vaporizes, generating steam. This can easily lead to quality defects such as bulging or cracking in the finished product. In this embodiment, after the powder preforming press 1 presses the friction powder, heat insulation powder, and steel backing into a semi-finished brake pad in the mold-closing area of ​​the lower die, the semi-finished brake pad is pushed to the unloading area by the pusher 12. This allows the first robotic arm 2 to transfer the semi-finished brake pad to the drying oven 3 for drying, ensuring that bulging or cracking due to water vapor will not occur during subsequent high-temperature hot pressing.

[0010] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention discloses a fully automated brake pad production line, comprising a powder preforming press 1, a first robotic arm 2, and a drying oven 3; the lower mold 11 of the powder preforming press 1 has a mold closing area and a material picking area, and the lower mold 11 is provided with a pusher part 12 that reciprocates between the mold closing area and the material picking area, and the pusher part 12 is provided with a steel back contour hole 121; the gripping end of the first robotic arm 2 reciprocates between the material picking area and the feeding end of the drying oven 3.

[0011] Working Principle: During the production process, friction powder is first filled into the forming cavity of the mold closing area of ​​the lower mold 1, and pre-pressed by the powder preforming press 1 to prevent a large amount of heat insulation powder from mixing into the friction powder during subsequent heat insulation powder pressing. Next, the heat insulation powder is filled into the forming cavity, and the steel back is positioned in the feeding area and placed in the steel back contour hole 121 of the pusher 12. The pusher 12 then sends the steel back to the opening of the forming cavity, where the powder preforming press 1 presses the friction powder, heat insulation powder, and steel back together to form a semi-finished brake pad. The pusher 12 then pushes the semi-finished brake pad to the feeding area, where the first robotic arm 2 transfers it to the drying oven 3. Since the powder preforming press only presses the friction powder and heat insulation powder into shape, the powder particles are not fused together. Therefore, heating in the drying oven evaporates the moisture in the powder, ensuring that bulging or cracking will not occur due to water vapor during subsequent high-temperature pressing.

[0012] It is worth noting that before the steel back is placed into the positioning position of the pusher section 12, the surface where the steel back connects with the heat insulation layer is coated with an adhesive layer to bond it to the heat insulation layer.

[0013] In some implementations, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the drying oven 3 includes a chain conveyor belt 31, a heat insulation cover 32, and heating wires 33. Support plates 311 are spaced apart on the chain of the chain conveyor belt 31. The heat insulation cover 32 covers the conveyor surface of the chain conveyor belt 31, and an exhaust vent is provided on the top of the heat insulation cover 32. The heating wires 33 are disposed inside the cavity of the heat insulation cover 32. Placing the heat insulation cover 32 on the conveyor surface of the chain conveyor belt 31 and rapidly heating the cavity of the heat insulation cover 32 using the heating wires 33 allows water vapor generated by the semi-finished brake pads to be discharged from the heat insulation cover 32 through the exhaust vent. Furthermore, using the chain conveyor belt 31 to carry the support plates 311 to transport the semi-finished brake pads, compared to belt conveyor, avoids the temperature inside the heat insulation cover 32 affecting the conveyor surface of the conveyor belt.

[0014] In some implementations, please refer to Figure 3 As shown, the drying oven 3 also includes a first fan 34 for blowing hot air around the heating wire 33 toward the conveyor surface of the chain conveyor belt 31, and a second fan 35 disposed at the exhaust port. The first fan 34 can agitate the air inside the heat insulation cover 32, thereby rapidly increasing the temperature inside the heat insulation cover 32. At the same time, the second fan 35 can expel water vapor generated by the semi-finished brake pads from the heat insulation cover 32.

[0015] In some implementations, please refer to Figure 4 As shown, the lower mold 11 has a material preparation area, and the powder preforming press 1 also includes a feeding hopper 13 that reciprocates between the material preparation area and the mold closing area. The discharge port of the feeding hopper 13 is provided with first scrapers 131 on both sides along its own moving direction, which abut against the lower mold 11. The mold closing area has a forming cavity with a depth that can change. To avoid the formation of air pockets when the powder is filled into the forming cavity, a forming cavity with a depth that can be increased step by step is adopted. In specific operation, the required weight of powder is first poured into the forming cavity of the initial depth by the feeding hopper 13. Before each level of depth increase, the feeding hopper 13 drives the first scrapers 131 to scrape off the unfilled powder at the cavity opening. After the cavity is deepened, the powder is scraped back to fill it. This cycle is repeated until the powder completely fills the forming cavity.

[0016] Preferably, the depth of the molding cavity increases by 1mm to 2mm each time.

[0017] In some implementations, please refer to Figure 4As shown, the lower die 11 includes a lower punch 111, a base 112, and an ejector 113. The lower punch 111 is provided with a contoured filling groove 1111, and the base 112 is located within the contoured filling groove 1111. The base 112 and the contoured filling groove 1111 enclose the forming cavity. The ejector 113 is used to drive the lower punch 111 to move vertically. By driving the lower punch 111 to move through the ejector 113, the depth of the forming cavity can be adjusted.

[0018] In some implementations, please refer to Figure 4 As shown, the pushing part 12 is provided with a second scraper 122 that abuts against the lower mold 11. Before pushing the steel back to the opening of the forming cavity, the pushing part 12 will use the second scraper 122 to flatten the heat insulation powder at the opening of the forming cavity to further ensure the pressing and forming quality.

[0019] In some implementations, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, the aforementioned fully automated brake pad production line also includes a weighing device 4 and a second robotic arm 5. The weighing end of the weighing device 4 is equipped with a material carrier plate 41, which has multiple contoured holes 411. The gripping end of the second robotic arm 5 reciprocates between the discharge end of the drying oven 3 and the material carrier plate 41. After the semi-finished brake pads are dried in the drying oven 3, the second robotic arm 5 can quickly grip the semi-finished brake pads and place them on the material carrier plate 41 of the weighing device 4 for weighing and inspection, thereby screening out semi-finished brake pads with abnormal weight.

[0020] In some implementations, please refer to Figure 1 As shown, the aforementioned fully automated brake pad production line also includes a third robotic arm 6 and a hot press molding machine 7. The gripping end of the third robotic arm 6 reciprocates between the material carrier plate 41 and the feeding end of the hot press molding machine 7. The third robotic arm 6 can quickly transfer the weighed semi-finished brake pads to the hot press molding machine 7 for hot pressing.

[0021] It is worth noting that the third robotic arm 6 includes a linear rail 61 spanning above the material carrier plate 41 and the feed end of the thermoforming machine 7, and a magnetic chuck 62 slidably mounted on the linear rail 61.

[0022] In some embodiments, the gripping ends of the first robotic arm 2, the second robotic arm 5, and the third robotic arm 6 use electromagnets to attract the steel backing to grip the semi-finished brake pads. This is to prevent damage to the heat insulation layer and friction layer of the semi-finished brake pads during the gripping process.

[0023] This invention discloses a production method comprising the following steps: Step S1: filling friction powder into the forming cavity of the lower mold of a powder preforming press for preliminary compaction; Step S2: filling heat insulation powder into the forming cavity of the lower mold; Step S3: placing a steel backing above the forming cavity and pressing to obtain a semi-finished brake pad; Step S4: drying the semi-finished brake pad after positioning; Step S5: positioning the dried semi-finished brake pad, then weighing and screening out the substandard semi-finished brake pads; Step S6: transferring the qualified semi-finished brake pads to a thermoforming mold for hot pressing to obtain a finished brake pad.

[0024] Working principle: During the production process, friction powder is first filled into the forming cavity of the lower mold 11 of the powder preforming press 1, and the powder preforming press 1 performs preliminary pressing to prevent a large amount of heat insulation powder from mixing into the friction powder during the subsequent pressing of heat insulation powder; after obtaining the semi-finished brake pad, the moisture in the powder is evaporated by drying to ensure that there will be no bulging or cracking due to water vapor during subsequent hot pressing.

[0025] It is worth noting that the drying temperature is 60℃ to 80℃, and the drying time is 15 to 18 minutes. By limiting the drying temperature, it is possible to ensure that moisture evaporates while preventing the resin and other binders in the powder from melting.

[0026] In some embodiments, to avoid air pockets forming when friction powder is filled into the molding cavity, a molding cavity with progressively increasing depth is used. Before each level of depth increase, the friction powder at the cavity opening must be scraped off and leveled. After the molding cavity becomes deeper, the friction powder is scraped back and refilled. This process is repeated until the friction powder is completely filled into the molding cavity.

[0027] Preferably, the depth of the molding cavity increases by 1mm to 2mm each time.

[0028] It is worth noting that during the process of filling the molding cavity with heat insulation powder, the depth of the molding cavity increases step by step. Before each step of the molding cavity is increased in depth, the heat insulation powder at the cavity opening must be scraped off and the heat insulation powder at the cavity opening must be flattened. After the depth of the molding cavity is increased, the heat insulation powder is scraped back and filled again. This operation is repeated until the heat insulation powder is completely filled into the molding cavity.

[0029] Preferably, the depth of the molding cavity increases by 1mm to 2mm each time.

[0030] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent modifications made based on the content of the present invention specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully automated production line for brake pads, characterized in that: It includes a powder preforming press, a first robotic arm, and a drying oven; the lower mold of the powder preforming press has a mold closing area and a material taking area, and the lower mold is provided with a pusher part that reciprocates between the mold closing area and the material taking area, and the pusher part is provided with a steel back contour hole; The gripping end of the first robotic arm reciprocates between the material handling area and the feed end of the drying oven.

2. The fully automated brake pad production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drying oven includes a chain conveyor belt, a heat insulation cover, and heating wires. Support plates are spaced apart on the chain of the chain conveyor belt. The heat insulation cover is placed over the conveyor surface of the chain conveyor belt. The top of the heat insulation cover has an exhaust hole. The heating wires are placed inside the cavity of the heat insulation cover.

3. The fully automated brake pad production line according to claim 2, characterized in that: The drying oven also includes a first fan for blowing hot air around the heating wire toward the conveyor surface of the chain conveyor belt, and a second fan disposed at the exhaust port.

4. The fully automated brake pad production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower mold has a material preparation area, and the powder preforming press also includes a feeding hopper that reciprocates between the material preparation area and the mold closing area. The feeding hopper has a first scraper on both sides along its own moving direction that abuts against the lower mold. The mold closing area has a forming cavity with a depth that can change.

5. The fully automated brake pad production line according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lower die includes a lower punch, a base, and an ejector. The lower punch is provided with a contoured filling groove, and the base is located inside the contoured filling groove. The base and the contoured filling groove together form the forming cavity. The ejector is used to drive the lower punch to move in the vertical direction.

6. The fully automated brake pad production line according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pushing part is provided with a second scraper that abuts against the lower mold.

7. The fully automated brake pad production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a weighing device and a second robotic arm; the weighing end of the weighing device is provided with a material carrier plate, and the material carrier plate is provided with multiple contour holes; the gripping end of the second robotic arm reciprocates between the discharge end of the drying oven and the material carrier plate.

8. The fully automated brake pad production line according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a third robotic arm and a thermoforming machine, wherein the gripping end of the third robotic arm reciprocates between the material carrier plate and the feeding end of the thermoforming machine.

9. A production method for brake pads based on the fully automated production line according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Including step S1: filling the forming cavity of the lower mold of the powder preforming press into the friction powder for preliminary compaction; Step S2: Fill the molding cavity of the lower mold with the heat insulation powder; Step S3: Place the steel backing above the forming cavity and press it to obtain a semi-finished brake pad; Step S4: After the semi-finished brake pads are positioned, they are dried; Step S5: Position the dried semi-finished brake pads, then weigh and screen out the substandard semi-finished brake pads. Step S6: Transfer the qualified semi-finished brake pads to a thermoforming mold for hot pressing to obtain finished brake pads.

10. The production method according to claim 9, characterized in that: In step S1, the depth of the molding cavity increases step by step. Before each step of the molding cavity is increased in depth, the friction powder at the cavity opening must be scraped off and the friction powder at the cavity opening must be flattened. After the depth of the molding cavity increases, the friction powder is scraped back to fill the cavity. This operation is repeated until the friction powder is completely filled into the molding cavity.

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