Ball forming mill with automatic cylinder cleaning function

Abstract

The utility model discloses a ball forming mill with an automatic barrel cleaning function, which comprises a machine barrel, an opening at the front end of the machine barrel and balls at the rear end of the machine barrel. The powder supply mechanism is at least used for supplying powder into the machine barrel through the opening in the front end of the machine barrel; the water outlet end of the water inlet pipe penetrates through the opening in the front end of the machine barrel, extends into the machine barrel and is at least used for feeding water into the machine barrel; the 3D camera is at least used for detecting the position and the thickness of the wall adhering material adhered to the inner wall of the machine barrel; and the automatic cutter system is at least used for automatically cleaning the wall-adhering material adhered to the inner wall of the machine barrel according to the position and thickness result, detected by the 3D camera, of the wall-adhering material adhered to the inner wall of the machine barrel. The ball forming mill disclosed by the utility model can roll to form balls, and can conveniently clean wall-adhered materials on the inner wall of the machine barrel of the ball forming mill, so that the labor amount is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved. During operation, the ball forming mill can clean the cylinder on line, and production is not affected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of powder pelletizing, in particular to a pelletizing machine with an automatic barrel cleaning function. Background Art

[0002] Balling is also called pelletizing. The balling process can be divided into three stages: forming the mother ball, growing the mother ball, and further compacting the grown mother ball (also known as the raw ball). These three stages are mainly achieved by adding water to moisten the ball and rolling it in the pelletizing machine.

[0003] In the actual pelletizing process, some water and powder will form sticky materials around the barrel wall of the pelletizing machine, and the sticky materials will become thicker and thicker over time. When the thickness exceeds a certain level (such as 4 cm), it will affect the quality of the pelletized products (such as the smoothness of the pelletized surface, the size of the pelletized balls, etc.).

[0004] Currently, the timing and method for removing material stuck to the barrel wall of a pelletizing machine (purging) still relies primarily on manual observation and cleaning. Generally speaking, to ensure production efficiency, pelletizing continues during the purging process, meaning the pelletizing machine remains in continuous operation. This leads to the following problems with manual purging: First, it's difficult to achieve a uniform purging level each time, making it difficult to determine the required purging frequency and establishing empirical results, forcing the machine to rely solely on observation. Second, manual observation alone makes it difficult to determine the timing of purging. If the purging frequency is too low, purging can be delayed, reducing pellet quality. If the purging frequency is too high, the workload increases, leading to higher labor costs.

[0005] While some existing technologies incorporate mechanical structures such as scrapers within pelletizers to remove material stuck to the wall, such as patent publication number CN217746971U, which discloses a novel automated pelletizing production device equipped with a scraper to remove scale deposits within the pelletizer, there is still room for improvement.

[0006] If the position and thickness of the sticking materials on the inner wall of the pelletizing machine can be observed immediately in real time or when necessary, and the sticking materials on the wall of the barrel can be cleaned promptly, accurately and efficiently without human intervention without stopping the pelletizing machine, it can greatly improve the quality of the pelletized products, ensure production stability and reduce labor costs for the enterprise. Utility Model Content

[0007] In response to the above technical problems and the shortcomings in the field, the present invention provides a pelletizing machine with an automatic barrel cleaning function. The machine can roll the pellets and conveniently clean the material stuck to the inner wall of the barrel, thus reducing labor and improving production efficiency. During operation, the pelletizing machine can clean the barrel online without affecting production.

[0008] The specific technical solutions are as follows:

[0009] A ball forming machine with an automatic barrel cleaning function comprises a barrel with an opening at the front end and a ball outlet at the rear end;

[0010] The ball forming machine also includes:

[0011] a powder feeding mechanism, at least for feeding powder into the barrel through the front opening of the barrel;

[0012] A water inlet pipe, the water outlet end of which passes through the front opening of the barrel and extends into the barrel, and is at least used to supply water into the barrel;

[0013] 3D camera, at least used to detect the position and thickness of the wall material adhered to the inner wall of the barrel;

[0014] The automatic tool system is at least used for automatically cleaning the sticky material adhered to the inner wall of the barrel according to the position and thickness of the sticky material adhered to the inner wall of the barrel detected by the 3D camera.

[0015] When the pelletizer with automatic barrel cleaning is operating, the powder supply mechanism and water are fed into the barrel, respectively. As the barrel rotates, the powder and water are rolled into balls, which are then discharged from the rear end. While the pelletizer can operate continuously, some material may adhere to the barrel's inner wall during operation, requiring timely cleaning.

[0016] The 3D camera in this utility model can pre-store a 3D scan of the barrel's inner wall when there is no block material, and can perform 360-degree real-time or on-the-go inspection of the barrel's inner wall. When the barrel's inner wall contains sticky material with a thickness exceeding the designed value (for example, 3.5 cm), the 3D camera will transmit a signal (including information such as the position and thickness of the sticky material on the barrel inner wall, which can be located based on 3D modeling) to the automatic tool system. The automatic tool system will clean the sticky material at the corresponding position on the barrel inner wall based on the 3D camera signal. After cleaning, the automatic tool system will automatically stop. The ball forming machine can continue to operate during the cleaning process without affecting production. The cleaned sticky material can be used again for ball forming.

[0017] Several optional methods are also provided below, but they are not intended to be additional limitations on the above-mentioned overall solution. They are merely further supplements or optimizations. Under the premise that there are no technical or logical contradictions, each optional method can be combined separately for the above-mentioned overall solution, or multiple optional methods can be combined.

[0018] In some embodiments, the powder feeding mechanism of the pelletizer with automatic barrel cleaning may include a screw feeder and a feed hopper. The feed hopper is filled with powder, and the bottom of the feed hopper is connected to the feed end of the screw feeder. The discharge end of the screw feeder extends through the front opening of the barrel and into the barrel. During operation, the feed hopper discharges powder into the screw feeder, which then transports the powder from the feed end through the discharge end into the barrel.

[0019] In some embodiments, for pelletizing machines with automatic barrel cleaning, the 3D camera can be mounted on the powder supply mechanism or water inlet pipe, and can be located near the front opening of the barrel. Generally, the area near the front opening of the barrel is prone to sticking to the wall, requiring a 3D camera to observe and record the sticking and to remove it as needed. Furthermore, the 3D camera can be mounted on the screw feeder of the powder supply mechanism.

[0020] In some embodiments, the 3D camera of the ball forming machine with automatic tube cleaning function can be equipped with a light source to facilitate observation and recording.

[0021] In some embodiments, the automatic ball forming machine with automatic tube cleaning function may include:

[0022] Rotatable blade;

[0023] a forward and backward movement mechanism, at least for moving the rotatable blade forward and backward, so that the rotatable blade enters and leaves the barrel through the front opening of the barrel;

[0024] The up and down moving mechanism is at least used for moving the rotatable blade up and down to adjust the height of the rotatable blade.

[0025] Driven by the forward and backward moving mechanism and the up and down moving mechanism, the rotatable blade can rotate to clean the wall-adhering materials at different positions in the barrel.

[0026] In some embodiments, the ball forming machine with automatic tube cleaning function can have both the up and down moving mechanism and the forward and backward moving mechanism as screw transmission mechanisms.

[0027] In some embodiments, in the ball forming machine with automatic barrel cleaning function, the rotatable blade can be installed at one end of the forward and backward moving mechanism, and the up and down moving mechanism can be used at least to synchronously move the forward and backward moving mechanism and the rotatable blade up and down, and synchronously adjust the height of the forward and backward moving mechanism and the rotatable blade.

[0028] In some embodiments, in the ball-forming machine with automatic barrel cleaning function, the barrel is installed on one or more support rollers, and the support rollers are connected to a drive motor. The drive motor is at least used to drive the support rollers to rotate and then drive the barrel installed on the support rollers to rotate to form balls.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0030] The ball forming machine with automatic barrel cleaning function of the utility model is equipped with a 3D camera and an automatic tool system, which work together to observe the position, thickness and other adhesion conditions of the wall materials on the inner barrel wall of the ball forming machine in real time or when necessary, and can clean the wall materials adhering to the barrel wall in a timely, accurate and efficient manner without human intervention without stopping the ball forming machine. For enterprises, it can greatly improve the quality of ball products and ensure production stability, while also reducing labor costs without affecting production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a ball forming machine with an automatic tube cleaning function according to the present invention;

[0032] In the picture:

[0033] 1-Automatic tool system; 2-Screw feeder; 3-Feeding bin; 4-Water inlet pipe; 5-3D camera; 6-Wall-adhesive material; 7-Barrel; 8-Up and down moving mechanism; 9-Support roller; 10-Drive motor; 11-Rotating blade; 12-Forward and backward moving mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0035] See also Figure 1 A pelletizing machine with an automatic barrel cleaning function includes a barrel 7, a powder supply mechanism, a water inlet pipe 4, a 3D camera 5 and an automatic tool system 1.

[0036] The barrel 7 is horizontal and mounted on four support rollers 9 distributed at the four vertices of the same rectangle. The support rollers 9 are connected to a drive motor 10. The drive motor 10 is used to at least drive the support rollers 9 to rotate, thereby driving the barrel 7 mounted on the support rollers 9 to rotate and form balls.

[0037] The front end of the barrel 7 is open, and the rear end is for discharging balls.

[0038] The powder feeding mechanism is at least configured to feed powder into the barrel 7 through the front opening of the barrel 7. Specifically, the powder feeding mechanism includes a screw feeder 2 and a feed hopper 3. Feed hopper 3 is filled with powder. The bottom of the feed hopper 3 is connected to the feed end of the screw feeder 2, and the discharge end of the screw feeder 2 extends through the front opening of the barrel 7 and into the barrel 7. During operation, the feed hopper 3 discharges powder into the screw feeder 2, which then transports the powder from the feed end through the discharge end into the barrel 7.

[0039] The water outlet end of the water inlet pipe 4 passes through the front end opening of the barrel 7 and extends into the barrel 7 , and is at least used for supplying water into the barrel 7 .

[0040] The 3D camera 5 is used to detect at least the position and thickness of the wall-adhering material 6 adhered to the inner wall of the barrel 7. The 3D camera 5 is mounted on the screw feeder 2 and is located near the front end opening of the barrel 7. In addition, the 3D camera 5 is also equipped with a light source for convenient observation and recording.

[0041] The automatic tool system 1 is at least configured to automatically remove sticky material 6 adhered to the inner wall of the barrel 7 based on the location and thickness of the sticky material 6 detected by the 3D camera 5. The automatic tool system 1 includes a rotatable blade 11, a forward and backward movement mechanism 12, and a vertical movement mechanism 8. The forward and backward movement mechanism 12 is configured to at least move the rotatable blade 11 forward and backward, allowing the rotatable blade 11 to enter and exit the barrel 7 through the front opening of the barrel 7. The vertical movement mechanism 8 is configured to at least move the rotatable blade 11 up and down to adjust the height of the rotatable blade 11. Specifically, both the vertical movement mechanism 8 and the forward and backward movement mechanism 12 are screw drive mechanisms. Furthermore, the rotatable blade 11 is mounted at one end of the forward and backward movement mechanism 12, and the vertical movement mechanism 8 is configured to at least synchronously move the forward and backward movement mechanism 12 and the rotatable blade 11 up and down, thereby synchronously adjusting the height of the forward and backward movement mechanism 12 and the rotatable blade 11. Driven by the forward and backward movement mechanism 12 and the vertical movement mechanism 8, the rotatable blade 11 can rotate to remove sticky material from different locations within the barrel 7.

[0042] During operation, the pelletizer with automatic barrel cleaning function operates by feeding powder and water into the barrel 7 through the powder supply mechanism and water inlet pipe 4. The barrel 7 rotates, rolling the powder and water into balls that are discharged from the rear end. The pelletizer can operate continuously. During operation, some sticky material 6 may adhere to the inner wall of the barrel 7, requiring timely cleaning. The 3D camera 5 can store a pre-stored 3D scan of the inner wall of the barrel 7 when no lumps are present, enabling real-time or 360-degree inspection of the inner wall of the barrel 7. When sticky material 6 exceeds the designed thickness (e.g., 3.5 cm) on the inner wall of the barrel 7, the 3D camera 5 transmits a signal (including information such as the position and thickness of the sticky material 6 on the inner wall of the barrel 7, which can be located based on 3D modeling) to the automatic tool system 1. The automatic tool system 1 then cleans the sticky material 6 from the corresponding location on the inner wall of the barrel 7 based on the signal from the 3D camera 5. After cleaning, the automatic tool system 1 automatically stops. The pelletizer can continue operating during this cleaning process without affecting production. The cleaned sticky wall material 6 can be further used for balling.

[0043] In addition, it should be understood that after reading the above description of the present invention, those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined by the claims attached to this application.

Claims

1. A pelletizing machine with automatic barrel cleaning function, comprising a barrel, characterized in that: The front end of the barrel is open and the ball is discharged from the rear end; The ball forming machine also includes: a powder feeding mechanism, at least for feeding powder into the barrel through the front opening of the barrel; A water inlet pipe, the water outlet end of which passes through the front opening of the barrel and extends into the barrel, and is at least used to supply water into the barrel; 3D camera, at least used to detect the position and thickness of the wall material adhered to the inner wall of the barrel; The automatic tool system is at least used for automatically cleaning the sticky material adhered to the inner wall of the barrel according to the position and thickness of the sticky material adhered to the inner wall of the barrel detected by the 3D camera.

2. The ball forming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that The powder feeding mechanism includes a screw feeder and a feeding bin; The feed bin is filled with powder, the bottom of the feed bin is connected to the feed end of the screw feeder, and the discharge end of the screw feeder passes through the front opening of the barrel and extends into the barrel.

3. The ball forming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that The 3D camera is installed on the powder feeding mechanism or the water inlet pipe and is located inside the barrel near the front opening.

4. The pelletizing machine according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The 3D camera comes with a light source.

5. The ball forming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that Automatic tooling system includes: Rotatable blade; a forward and backward movement mechanism, at least for moving the rotatable blade forward and backward, so that the rotatable blade enters and leaves the barrel through the front opening of the barrel; The up and down moving mechanism is at least used for moving the rotatable blade up and down to adjust the height of the rotatable blade.

6. The ball forming machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The up and down moving mechanism and the front and back moving mechanism are all screw transmission mechanisms.

7. The pelletizing machine according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The rotatable blade is installed at one end of the forward and backward moving mechanism, and the up and down moving mechanism is at least used for synchronously moving the forward and backward moving mechanism and the rotatable blade up and down, and synchronously adjusting the height of the forward and backward moving mechanism and the rotatable blade.

8. The ball forming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The barrel is mounted on one or more supporting rollers, and the supporting rollers are connected to a drive motor. The drive motor is at least used to drive the supporting rollers to rotate and thereby drive the barrel mounted on the supporting rollers to rotate.

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