Automatic magnetic field forming system

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic magnetic field forming system which comprises a pressed blank conveying device, a boxing box, a conveying material box, a magnetic field pressing machine, a first glove box, a third isolation valve and a discharging box. The pressed blank conveying device comprises a conveying device shell and a conveying belt; the multiple magnetic field presses are connected to the conveying device shell side by side. The conveying device shell is fixed, and the magnetic field press can move relative to the conveying device shell. And the tail end of the pressed blank conveying device is connected with the boxing box. The pressed blank conveying device serves as a conveying channel of the automatic magnetic field forming system and conveys pressed blanks pressed by the magnetic field pressing machines into the boxing box. The pressed blank conveying device, the boxing box and the magnetic field pressing machine in the working state form a closed space, and the closed space is filled with protective gas; the conveying material box can move to the opposite face of the boxing box to be in butt joint with the boxing box, or the butt joint with the boxing box is relieved, and the conveying material box moves away from the boxing box.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of advanced equipment, and in particular relates to an automatic magnetic field forming system that can be used to manufacture rare earth permanent magnet materials. Background Technology

[0002] Since 2020, with the development of smartphones, new energy vehicles, robots, artificial intelligence, and aerospace, the demand for rare earth permanent magnets has been increasing, making rare earths a globally scarce resource. Rare earths are a collective term for 17 elements, mixed together in the form of oxides. Neodymium iron boron rare earth permanent magnets mainly utilize light rare earth elements praseodymium and neodymium, and heavy rare earth elements dysprosium and terbium. Praseodymium and neodymium account for about 20% of the total rare earth content, while heavy rare earth elements dysprosium and terbium account for less than 5%. Light rare earth elements such as lanthanum and cerium, which account for 70% of the total rare earth content, are not utilized, and the supply of heavy rare earth elements dysprosium and terbium is tight. This extreme imbalance in the application of rare earth resources results in a significant waste of these resources.

[0003] The industrial-scale preparation of rare-earth permanent magnet materials generally employs powder metallurgy technology. Rare-earth permanent magnet alloys are formed into 3-5μm powders, oriented and shaped under a magnetic field, then sealed and packaged, isostatically pressed, and finally vacuum sintered after removing the packaging to obtain the rare-earth permanent magnet sintered blank, i.e., the rare-earth permanent magnet material. Rare-earth permanent magnet powders are highly susceptible to oxidation and can spontaneously combust in the atmosphere; therefore, they must be isolated from the atmosphere during the production process. The oxidation problem during production has consistently constrained the industry's development and severely impacted product consistency. Currently, the press equipment and vacuum sintering furnace equipment used in the industry suffer from poor production line compatibility. The process from forming alloy powder into pressed blanks to sintered blanks largely requires manual intervention for tasks such as material preparation, placement and boxing, stacking of boxes for furnace loading, material transportation between processes, and unloading of sintered blanks. This leads to several problems, including the easy exposure of materials to the external environment during manual handling, resulting in varying degrees of oxidation and hindering further improvement of rare earth permanent magnet material performance. Furthermore, manual operation not only reduces production efficiency, consumes manpower, and increases production costs, but also affects product quality stability due to the uncertainty of manual operation, leading to a certain defect rate. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a highly automated, intelligent, and production line-compatible industrialization equipment for rare earth permanent magnet material preparation to change this situation in the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention proposes an automated magnetic field forming system for manufacturing high-quality rare-earth permanent magnet materials, which is compatible with highly automated and intelligent rare-earth permanent magnet production lines.

[0005] The automated magnetic field forming system includes a preform conveying device, a carton box, a conveyor hopper, and magnetic field presses. The preform conveying device includes a conveying device housing and a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is located inside the conveying device housing. Multiple magnetic field presses are connected side-by-side to the conveying device housing. The conveying device housing is stationary, while the magnetic field presses are movable relative to the conveying device housing. One end of the preform conveying device is connected to the carton box. The preform conveying device serves as the conveying channel for the automated magnetic field forming system, conveying the preforms pressed by each magnetic field press to the carton box. The preform conveying device, the carton box, and the magnetic field presses in operation are isolated from the atmosphere. The box contains a sealed space filled with protective gas; the pressed billet pressed by the magnetic press can be automatically transferred to the conveyor belt inside the conveyor housing; the box includes a box housing, a material box moving device, and a first isolation valve; the material box moving device is located inside the box housing, and the conveyor belt of the pressed billet conveying device extends into the box; when the conveyor belt rotates forward, it transfers the pressed billet on the conveyor belt to the box housing; inside the box, the pressed billet is loaded into the sintered material box on the material box moving device; the first isolation valve is connected to the box housing and is located at one end of the box housing, and the other end of the box housing is connected to the conveyor housing.

[0006] The material box moving device is capable of horizontal and vertical movement; the material box moving device is equipped with a position sensor for indicating and controlling the position of the material box moving device.

[0007] After the carton and the conveyor box are connected, the box moving device can move between the carton and the conveyor box.

[0008] In one embodiment, gloves are provided on the box housing, allowing the operator to place the pressed blanks from the conveyor belt into the sintering box through the gloves.

[0009] The conveying hopper includes a conveying hopper shell, a hopper clamping and lifting device, and a second isolation valve. The second isolation valve is connected to the conveying hopper shell, and the hopper clamping and lifting device is located inside the conveying hopper shell. The conveying hopper is filled with protective gas. The conveying hopper can move to the opposite side of the boxing hopper and dock with it, or disconnect from the boxing hopper and move away from it. After the conveying hopper docks with the boxing hopper, the first and second isolation valves are opened, and the boxing hopper and the conveying hopper form a space isolated from the atmosphere. The hopper moving device can move into the conveying hopper. Through the coordinated action of the hopper moving device and the hopper clamping and lifting device, the multi-layer sintered hoppers on the hopper clamping and lifting device can be moved layer by layer onto the hopper moving device, or the multi-layer sintered hoppers can be stacked. Before the conveying hopper disconnects from the boxing hopper, the first and second isolation valves are closed, so that the conveying hopper and the boxing hopper each form a space isolated from the atmosphere. Then, the conveying hopper carrying the multi-layer sintered hoppers can move away from the boxing hopper.

[0010] After the boxing box is connected to the conveyor box, the empty sintered cassettes are moved from the conveyor box to the boxing box. At the same time, the sintered cassettes containing the pressed blanks are moved from the boxing box to the conveyor box. Once the sintered cassettes containing the pressed blanks have been moved from the boxing box to the conveyor box, the conveyor box is disconnected from the boxing box, and then the conveyor box moves away from the boxing box.

[0011] When the conveyor box contains an empty sintering box, it automatically moves to the opposite side of the boxing box to dock with the boxing box. After docking, the empty sintering box is moved from the conveyor box to the boxing box to load the compact.

[0012] In one embodiment, the box also includes a material handling mechanism; the material handling mechanism is disposed inside the box housing, and the material handling mechanism grabs the pressed blank on the conveyor belt and puts it into the sintering box on the material box moving device.

[0013] In another embodiment, the box is equipped with a material handling mechanism and a vision system; the vision system automatically locates the pressed blank, guides the material handling mechanism to grab the pressed blank, and automatically places the pressed blank into the set position of the sintering box.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, a robotic arm and a vision system are provided inside the box; the robotic arm is suspended above the conveyor belt; the robotic arm automatically locates the pressed blank on the conveyor belt through the vision system and automatically places the pressed blank into the set position of the set sintering box.

[0015] A sensor is installed near the interface connecting the magnetic field press and the billet conveying device to detect whether there is a billet at that location. The sensor is used to control the billets pressed by different magnetic field presses to prevent collisions.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the automated magnetic field forming system includes four or more magnetic field presses.

[0017] The automatic magnetic field forming system also includes a first glove box, a third isolation valve, and a discharge box; the first glove box includes a first glove box shell; the automatic magnetic field forming system also includes a second glove box and a fourth isolation valve; the second glove box includes a second glove box shell; one end of the pressing conveyor is connected to the boxing box, the other end of the pressing conveyor is connected to the first glove box shell, and one end of the second glove box shell is connected to the boxing box shell.

[0018] The first glove box also includes a first pallet conveying device; the first pallet conveying device is disposed inside the first glove box housing; the conveyor belt extends into the first glove box housing; the discharge box includes a discharge box housing, a second pallet conveying device, and a discharge door; the discharge box is fixedly connected to the first glove box via a third isolation valve, the third isolation valve is disposed between the first glove box housing and the discharge box housing, the discharge door is disposed at one end of the discharge box housing, and the second pallet conveying device is disposed inside the discharge box housing; gloves are disposed on the first glove box housing; when the conveyor belt reverses, the pressed blanks on the conveyor belt are automatically conveyed to the first glove box housing; the operator, wearing gloves, packages the pressed blanks on the conveyor belt inside the first glove box housing and places them into the discharge tray on the first pallet conveying device; the third isolation valve is opened, and the discharge tray can move between the first pallet conveying device and the second pallet conveying device. The automatic magnetic field forming system also includes a feeding hopper; the second glove box also includes a third pallet conveying device; the feeding hopper includes a feeding hopper housing, a fourth pallet conveying device, and a feeding gate; a conveyor belt extends into the second glove box housing; the feeding hopper is fixedly connected to the second glove box via a fourth isolation valve, which is located between the second glove box housing and the feeding hopper housing; the feeding gate is located at one end of the feeding hopper housing; the fourth pallet conveying device is located inside the feeding hopper housing; gloves are also provided on the second glove box housing, and the operator uses the gloves to remove the packaging from the pressed blank in the feeding pallet on the third pallet conveying device and place it on the conveyor belt, which then sends the pressed blank to the carton housing; opening the fourth isolation valve allows the feeding pallet to move between the third pallet conveying device and the fourth pallet conveying device.

[0019] Both the press frame and the powder hopper are movable. When the magnetic press requires maintenance, the press frame can be disconnected from the billet conveying device, and then the press frame and the powder hopper can move away from the billet conveying device. When the magnetic press needs to be restored to its working state after maintenance, the press frame and the powder hopper can move towards the billet conveying device, and the connection between the press frame and the billet conveying device can be restored. The movement method of the press frame and the powder hopper is selected from at least one of wheeled movement and slide rail movement.

[0020] An isolation door is installed at the interface connecting the magnetic field press and the blank conveying device, separating the two devices. This isolation door is located inside the blank conveying device. When the magnetic field press needs to be disconnected from the blank conveying device, the isolation door is closed, the press is removed, and the blank conveying device remains sealed and airtight, maintaining a closed space isolated from the atmosphere. Maintenance of the automatic magnetic field press includes mold replacement and overhaul. During operation, a small amount of alloy powder accumulates inside the press frame and powder box. This powder needs to be cleaned regularly to prevent combustion and accidents caused by its accumulation. The blank conveying device serves as a common conveying channel for blanks in the automatic magnetic field forming system, transporting the blanks pressed by each magnetic field press to the box. Even if a magnetic field press is under maintenance or resumes operation after maintenance, the airtightness of the blank conveying device will not be affected. It can still serve as a common conveying channel to provide automatic conveying of blanks for other magnetic field presses, ensuring that the automatic magnetic field forming system and the rare earth permanent magnet production line including the automatic magnetic field forming system can still operate normally.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the automatic magnetic field forming system further includes a switching switch that can switch the conveyor belt's direction, transferring the pressed blanks from each magnetic field press into a first glove box. The pressed blanks are then transferred from the first glove box to a discharge box. After leaving the discharge box, the pressed blanks undergo a first processing step, and are then transferred to a second glove box. From the second glove box, the pressed blanks enter a boxing box and are placed into a sintering material box. The first processing step includes, but is not limited to, isostatic pressing.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, after the conveying box and the boxing box are separated, the conveying box automatically moves to the opposite side of the vacuum sintering furnace and docks with the vacuum sintering furnace, so that the sintering box containing the pressed blank in the conveying box is conveyed to the vacuum sintering furnace for vacuum sintering.

[0023] Although some automated press systems have emerged in the industry, connecting multiple presses in series via a channel, these systems require robotic arms in each press to pick up materials and pack them into boxes. Multiple carts then transport the boxes through the channel. This results in a large number of robotic arms and carts, with complex and cumbersome structures and movements. Furthermore, the boxing process in each press necessitates a complex empty box conveying device for each press, along with the tedious empty box transport process. This design not only increases the cost of the system equipment but, more importantly, reduces the overall system's operating efficiency, increases the failure rate, and negatively impacts production efficiency, making it impractical. In this invention, the magnetic field press compresses rare earth alloy powder into compacts, which are then directly conveyed to a conveyor belt within the compact conveying device. The conveyor belt collects the compacts into a unified box. The compact conveying device serves as a common conveying channel for the magnetic field presses, transporting the compacts from each press to the box. Only one material handling mechanism is needed within the box to pick up the compacts and place them into a sintering cassette within the box. The material handling cassette is then connected to the box, and the cassette is moved by a material handling device within the box. The lifting and lowering of the material box lifting device in the moving and conveying bin, together with the action of the material picking mechanism, completes the process of automatically loading the pressed billet into the sintering box and automatically stacking the sintering boxes. Moreover, in this process, the feeding of empty boxes into the boxing box, the loading of the pressed billet into the box, and the stacking of the boxes are carried out simultaneously. Not only is the device structure simple and reliable, reducing the size of the equipment and lowering the equipment cost, but more importantly, it improves the overall operating efficiency of the system, reduces the equipment failure rate, facilitates the smooth operation of the entire system, improves production efficiency, and has strong practicality.

[0024] In some types of press systems, the end unit is directly and fixedly connected to the vacuum sintering furnace via a gate valve. While this achieves the function of feeding the material box containing the pressed blanks into the vacuum sintering furnace, this fixed connection presents significant problems. The vacuum sintering process in a vacuum sintering furnace is generally very long, far exceeding the cycle time of multiple presses supplying blanks. This forces the press system to stop after supplying one batch of blanks, waiting for the fixedly connected vacuum sintering furnace to complete the vacuum sintering process. This contradicts the original design intent of a press system composed of multiple presses, rendering the system meaningless. Furthermore, some press equipment transfers material to a mobile conveyor, but this mobile conveyor cannot directly connect to the vacuum sintering furnace. Instead, the mobile conveyor first transfers the material to a transitional glove box, and then the glove box transfers the material to the vacuum sintering furnace, lacking true process continuity. In the press system of this invention, which consists of a pressing conveying device, a boxing box, and multiple magnetic presses, the boxing box at the end of the system can be freely connected to a movable conveying box. Then, one conveying box can be freely connected to multiple vacuum sintering furnaces. This design allows the process rhythm of the press and the vacuum sintering furnace to be flexibly adapted, and the production of rare earth permanent magnets can be flexibly arranged, thereby improving the working efficiency of the entire rare earth permanent magnet production line.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the conveying box further includes a material bed; the conveying box contains multiple sintered boxes arranged in n layers on the material bed, where n≥3. The coordinated operation of the aforementioned box moving device and box clamping lifting device includes: after the boxing box is docked with the conveying box, the box clamping lifting device lifts all n layers of empty sintered boxes from the material bed, and the box moving device moves horizontally from the boxing box into the conveying box. Then, the box clamping lifting device lowers the n layers of empty sintered boxes onto the box moving device, and then the box clamping lifting device lifts (n-1) layers of empty sintered boxes. The box moving device moves the remaining 1 layer of empty sintered boxes from the conveying box into the boxing box. Then, the box moving device moves up and down, loading the pressed blank into the sintered box in the boxing box. Finally, the box moving device moves the sintered box containing the pressed blank horizontally to the conveying box. Inside the box, the box clamping and lifting device lowers the (n-1) layers of empty sintered boxes onto the sintered box moving device above the layer of sintered boxes. Then, the box clamping and lifting device lifts the (n-2) layers of empty sintered boxes. The box moving device moves the two layers of sintered boxes, including the 1-layer empty sintered box, from the conveying box to the boxing box. In the boxing box, the pressed blanks are loaded into the empty sintered boxes. This process is repeated until all n layers of empty sintered boxes have been loaded with pressed blanks in the boxing box and then moved to the conveying box. Then, the box clamping and lifting device lifts the n layers of sintered boxes containing pressed blanks from the box moving device. The box moving device returns to the boxing box, and the box clamping and lifting device lowers the n layers of sintered boxes onto the material bed.

[0026] This utility model discloses a magnetic field press comprising a storage device, a powder loading box, a press frame, an upper press head assembly, a lower press head assembly, a mold assembly, an orientation magnetic pole, and a conveying mechanism. The storage device is positioned above the powder loading box. A powder loading device is installed inside the powder loading box, which automatically and quantitatively loads the rare earth permanent magnet alloy powder from the storage device into the mold cavity of the mold assembly. The upper press head assembly, mold assembly, lower press head assembly, orientation magnetic pole, and orientation coil are arranged within the press frame. The upper and lower press head assemblies are respectively positioned above and below the mold assembly. There are two magnetic poles, distributed on both sides of the mold assembly. The mold assembly, together with the upper and lower pressure head assemblies and the orientation magnetic poles, bidirectionally presses the alloy powder in the mold cavity under magnetic field orientation, forming a compact. After the alloy powder is oriented by the magnetic field and pressed into a compact, the upper and lower pressure head assemblies are moved to eject the compact from the mold cavity. The compact is then transferred to the conveyor belt inside the conveying device housing by a transfer mechanism. One side of the press frame is connected to the powder loading box, and the other side has an interface that allows connection to the compact conveying device. The operation of the magnetic field press is completed under gas protection.

[0027] The powder filling box is also equipped with an electronic weighing assembly; the powder filling device is located below the electronic weighing assembly; the alloy powder is weighed by the electronic weighing assembly according to the set weight before entering the powder filling device.

[0028] The automated magnetic field forming system of this invention automates the entire process of rare earth permanent magnet material manufacturing, from magnetic field forming of rare earth permanent magnet alloy powder into compacts to loading the compacts into a vacuum sintering furnace, all under nitrogen protection or vacuum conditions. This effectively isolates the highly oxidizable rare earth permanent magnet raw materials from the atmospheric environment, reducing oxygen content and further improving the performance of the rare earth permanent magnet materials. Furthermore, the material preparation, placement and packaging, stacking and loading into the furnace, and transportation of materials between the magnetic field forming and vacuum sintering processes are all fully automated. This not only improves production efficiency, saves human resources, and reduces production costs, but also eliminates the uncertainties of manual operation, reduces product defect rates, overcomes inherent technical challenges in the industry, and enhances product quality stability. Under the same raw material composition and manufacturing process parameters, the oxygen content in rare earth permanent magnet materials manufactured using the technical solution of this invention is reduced by approximately 200 ppm, resulting in a product defect rate reduction of approximately 30% during the process.

[0029] This utility model is part of a rare earth permanent magnet intelligent production line, and mainly solves the following problems:

[0030] 1. The difficulty in producing rare earth permanent magnets, especially neodymium iron boron rare earth permanent magnets, lies in the fact that rare earth permanent magnet alloys are very prone to oxidation, the powder particles are fine, and the powder cannot be granulated, making magnetic field formation difficult. The equipment in this application has good sealing performance, and the oxygen content during the production process is below 500 ppm, reducing the oxidation of fine powder and significantly improving magnetic properties. The oxygen content in the equipment of this application is as low as 100 ppm during the production process.

[0031] 2. In existing technologies, when isostatic pressing is eliminated, the average particle size of the powder is generally higher than 3.5 μm. In this application, even when the average particle size of the powder is lower than 3 μm, the magnetic field press also exhibits excellent magnetic field forming properties, making it suitable for mass production.

[0032] 3. The powder loading device inside the powder loading box in this utility model uniformly loads the powder into the mold and shapes it according to the set process curve. Under the condition of eliminating isostatic pressing, the density of the pressed blank is 4.1-4.8 g / cm³. 3 .

[0033] 4. The blank conveying device of this utility model changes the practice of the prior art. After the blank is taken out of the mold, it is directly placed on the conveyor belt in the blank conveying device. One conveyor belt connects multiple magnetic presses and conveys the blanks to the same box for boxing. The blanks are boxed in the same box. The structure is simple, the operation is convenient, the equipment cost is low, and the practicality is strong.

[0034] 5. The box of this utility model includes a box shell, a material box moving device, and a material picking mechanism; the material picking mechanism includes a robot arm, which is mounted upside down on the upper part of the box and is also equipped with a vision system; the pressed blank is conveyed into the box, and the robot arm determines when to grab the pressed blank and where to place it.

[0035] 6. To adapt to existing production technologies and improve product performance, the production line equipment of this utility model is designed with a first glove box and a second glove box in the production line, suitable for isostatic pressing operations. When the conveyor belt reverses, the pressed billet is directly conveyed to the first glove box. After packaging in the first glove box, the third isolation valve is opened to convey the pressed billet to the discharge box. After closing the third isolation valve, the pressed billet is taken out for isostatic pressing. After isostatic pressing, the pressed billet is placed into the feed box, and the fourth isolation valve is opened to convey the pressed billet to the second glove box. In the second glove box, the pressed billet is unpackaged and placed on the reverse conveyor belt, and then conveyed to the boxing box to complete the same operation of loading into the sintering box. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the magnetic field compressor involved in this utility model.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a top view structural layout diagram of one embodiment of the automatic magnetic field forming system of this utility model.

[0038] Figure 3 This is a top view structural layout diagram of another embodiment of the automatic magnetic field forming system of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment, the magnetic field press 1 of this utility model includes a storage device 2, a powder loading box 3, a press frame 4, an upper press head assembly 5, a lower press head assembly 6, a mold device 7, and orientation magnetic poles 8. The storage device 2 is disposed above the powder loading box 3. A powder loading device 9 is disposed inside the powder loading box 3, and the powder loading device 9 automatically and quantitatively loads the alloy powder in the storage device 2 into the mold cavity of the mold device 7. The upper press head assembly 5, the mold device 7, the lower press head assembly 6, and the orientation magnetic poles 8 are disposed inside the press frame 4. The upper press head assembly 5 and the lower press head assembly 6 are respectively disposed above and below the mold device 7. There are two orientation magnetic poles 8, which are distributed on both sides of the mold device 7.

[0040] An orientation coil is also installed inside the press frame, and the orientation coil is fitted on the outside of the orientation magnetic pole.

[0041] The mold assembly, together with the upper and lower pressure head assemblies and the orientation magnetic poles, enables bidirectional pressing of the alloy powder within the mold cavity under magnetic field orientation, forming a compact. Then, the upper and lower pressure head assemblies are moved to eject the compact from the mold cavity. The magnetic field press also includes a transfer mechanism that moves the pressed compact onto a conveyor belt within the conveyor housing.

[0042] One side of the press frame 4 is connected to the powder box 3, and the other side is provided with an interface. When the magnetic press 1 is in working condition, it can be connected to the billet conveying device 10 through the interface located on the other side of the press frame 4.

[0043] Both the press frame and the powder hopper are movable. When the magnetic press requires maintenance, the press frame can be disconnected from the billet conveying device, and then the press frame and powder hopper can move away from the billet conveying device. When the magnetic press needs to be restored to working condition after maintenance, the press frame and powder hopper move towards the billet conveying device, and the connection between the press frame and the billet conveying device is restored. The movement method of the press frame and powder hopper is selected from at least one of wheeled movement and slide rail movement. Figure 1 In the implementation method described, both the press frame and the powder loading box are equipped with wheels at the bottom, which can be used to move the press.

[0044] In one embodiment of the automatic magnetic field forming system of this utility model, such as Figure 2As shown, the automatic magnetic field forming system includes a blank conveying device 10, a box 11, and the aforementioned magnetic field press 1; there are multiple magnetic field presses 1, all connected in parallel to the blank conveying device 10; the end of the blank conveying device 10 is connected to the box 11.

[0045] The preform conveying device serves as the conveying channel for the automatic magnetic field forming system, transporting the preforms pressed by each magnetic field press to the packaging box. The preform conveying device, the packaging box, and the magnetic field presses in operation form a sealed space filled with protective gas.

[0046] The box 11 includes a material box moving device and a first isolation valve 12, which is located at one end of the box 11. Inside the box 11, the pressed blank is loaded into the sintering material box 13 on the material box moving device.

[0047] In one embodiment, the box also includes a material handling mechanism; the material handling mechanism is disposed inside the box housing, and the material handling mechanism grabs the pressed blank on the conveyor belt and puts it into the sintering box on the material box moving device.

[0048] In another embodiment, the box is equipped with a material handling mechanism and a vision system; the vision system automatically locates the pressed blank, guides the material handling mechanism to grab the pressed blank, and automatically places the pressed blank into the set position of the sintering box.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment, a robotic arm and a vision system are provided inside the box; the robotic arm is suspended above the conveyor belt; the robotic arm automatically locates the pressed blank on the conveyor belt through the vision system and automatically places the pressed blank into the set position of the set sintering box.

[0050] A sensor is installed near the interface connecting the magnetic field press and the billet conveying device to detect whether there is a billet at that location. The sensor is used to control the billets pressed by different magnetic field presses to prevent collisions.

[0051] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a conveyor belt 14 is provided inside the blank conveying device 10. The conveyor belt 14 extends through the interface into the box 11. After the blank is ejected from the mold cavity, it moves to the conveyor belt 14 inside the blank conveying device and is conveyed into the box 11 by the conveyor belt 14.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment, the automated magnetic field forming system includes four or more magnetic field presses.

[0053] The automatic magnetic field forming system is also equipped with a movable conveyor box 15, which is filled with protective gas. The box 11 can automatically dock with the conveyor box 15, which is equipped with a second isolation valve 16, through the first isolation valve 12. After the box 11 and the conveyor box 15 are automatically docked, the empty sintered box is moved from the conveyor box 15 to the box 11, and at the same time, the sintered box containing the pressed blank is moved from the box 11 to the conveyor box 15. After the box 11 and the conveyor box 15 are docked, the first isolation valve 12 and the second isolation valve 16 need to be opened.

[0054] After the sintered material box containing the pressed blanks has moved from the boxing box to the conveyor box, the conveyor box and the boxing box automatically separate. Then, the conveyor box automatically moves away from the automatic magnetic field forming system. Before the boxing box and the conveyor box separate, the first isolation valve and the second isolation valve are closed to ensure that both the boxing box and the conveyor box are sealed and leak-proof. When the conveyor box contains an empty sintered material box, the conveyor box automatically moves to the opposite side of the boxing box and automatically docks with the boxing box. After docking, the empty sintered material box is moved from the conveyor box to the boxing box to load the pressed blanks.

[0055] The boxing box includes a boxing box shell; one end of the boxing box shell is connected to a first isolation valve, and the other end is connected to a pressing billet conveying device; a material box moving device is set inside the boxing box shell; the pressing billet conveyed to the boxing box shell is loaded into a sintering material box placed on the material box moving device; after the boxing box and the conveying material box are docked, the material box moving device can move back and forth between the boxing box and the conveying material box.

[0056] The material box moving device can move horizontally or vertically. The material box moving device is equipped with a position sensor to indicate and control the position of the material box moving device.

[0057] The conveying box includes a box clamping and lifting device; after the box and the conveying box are connected, the reciprocating movement of the box moving device and the lifting of the box clamping and lifting device, together with the action of the material picking mechanism, complete the process of automatically loading the pressed billet into the sintering box and automatically stacking the sintering boxes.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, after the conveying box and the boxing box are separated, the conveying box automatically moves to the opposite side of the vacuum sintering furnace and docks with the vacuum sintering furnace, so that the sintering box containing the pressed blank in the conveying box is conveyed to the vacuum sintering furnace for vacuum sintering.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, a press isolation door 17 is provided at the interface of the press conveying device 10 connected to the magnetic press 1.

[0060] When the magnetic press is disconnected from the billet conveying device, the press isolation door must first be closed to ensure the billet conveying device is airtight. The protective gas atmosphere within the enclosed space formed by the billet conveying device, the box, and the working magnetic press must remain constant. Maintenance of the automatic magnetic press includes mold replacement and overhaul.

[0061] The billet conveying device serves as a common conveying channel for the billets in the automatic magnetic field forming system, transporting the billets pressed by each magnetic field press to the packaging box. Even if a magnetic field press undergoes maintenance or resumes operation after maintenance, the airtightness of the billet conveying device remains unaffected. It can still function as a common conveying channel to automatically transport billets to other magnetic field presses, ensuring the normal operation of the automatic magnetic field forming system and the rare earth permanent magnet production line that includes this system.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the conveying box further includes a material bed; the conveying box contains multiple sintered boxes arranged in n layers on the material bed, where n≥3. The aforementioned process of automatically loading the pressed blanks into the sintered boxes and automatically stacking the sintered boxes includes: after the boxing box is connected to the conveying box, the box clamping and lifting device lifts all n layers of empty sintered boxes from the material bed, and the box moving device moves horizontally from the boxing box to the conveying box. Then, the box clamping and lifting device lowers the n layers of empty sintered boxes onto the box moving device, and then the box clamping and lifting device lifts (n-1) layers of empty sintered boxes. The box moving device moves the remaining 1 layer of empty sintered boxes from the conveying box to the boxing box. Then, the box moving device moves up and down, loading the pressed blanks into the sintered boxes in the boxing box. Finally, the box moving device moves the sintered boxes containing the pressed blanks horizontally to the conveying box. Inside the feeding box, the box clamping and lifting device lowers the (n-1) layers of empty sintered boxes onto the sintered box on the box moving device. Then, the box clamping and lifting device lifts the (n-2) layers of empty sintered boxes. The box moving device moves the two layers of sintered boxes, including the 1-layer empty sintered box, from the conveying box to the boxing box. In the boxing box, the pressed blanks are loaded into the empty sintered boxes. This process is repeated until all n layers of empty sintered boxes have been loaded with pressed blanks in the boxing box and then moved back to the conveying box. The box clamping and lifting device then lifts the n layers of sintered boxes containing pressed blanks from the box moving device. The box moving device returns to the boxing box, and the box clamping and lifting device lowers the n layers of sintered boxes onto the material bed.

[0063] In such Figure 3In another embodiment of the present invention shown, the automatic magnetic field forming system further includes a first glove box 18, a third isolation valve 21, a fourth isolation valve 22, a second glove box 19, and a discharge box 20; the first glove box 18 includes a first glove box shell, and the second glove box 19 includes a second glove box shell; one end of the pressing conveying device 10 is connected to the boxing box 11, the other end of the pressing conveying device 10 is connected to the first glove box 18, and one side of the boxing box 11 is connected to the second glove box 19.

[0064] The first glove box 18 also includes a first pallet conveying device; the conveyor belt extends into the first glove box housing. The discharge box 20 includes a discharge box housing, a second pallet conveying device, and a discharge gate 23. The discharge box 20 is fixedly connected to the first glove box 18 via a third isolation valve 21, which is located between the first glove box housing and the discharge box housing. The discharge gate 23 is located at one end of the discharge box housing, and the second pallet conveying device is located inside the discharge box housing. Gloves are provided on the first glove box housing; when the conveyor belt reverses, it automatically conveys the pressed blanks on the conveyor belt into the first glove box housing; the operator, wearing gloves, packages the pressed blanks on the conveyor belt inside the first glove box housing and places them into the discharge tray on the first pallet conveying device; opening the third isolation valve allows the discharge tray to move between the first and second pallet conveying devices.

[0065] The automated magnetic field forming system also includes a feed hopper 24. The second glove box 19 also includes a third pallet conveyor; the feed hopper 24 includes a feed hopper housing, a fourth pallet conveyor, and a feed gate 25. A conveyor belt extends into the second glove box housing. The feed hopper 24 is fixedly connected to the second glove box 19 via a fourth isolation valve 22, which is located between the second glove box housing and the feed hopper housing. The feed gate 25 is located at one end of the feed hopper housing, and the fourth pallet conveyor is located inside the feed hopper housing. Gloves are also provided on the second glove box housing. Operators use these gloves to remove the packaging from the pressed blanks in the feed tray on the third pallet conveyor and place them on the conveyor belt. The pressed blanks are then conveyed into the carton housing via the conveyor belt. Opening the fourth isolation valve allows the feed tray to move between the third and fourth pallet conveyors.

[0066] When the conveyor belt reverses, the pressed billets from each magnetic field press 1 are conveyed to the first glove box 18. The billets are then conveyed from the first glove box 18 to the discharge box 20. A moving mechanism then moves the billets from the discharge box 20 for the first processing step. After the first processing step is completed, the billets are moved into the feed box 24, and then from the feed box 24 to the second glove box 19. The operator, wearing gloves, places the billets onto the conveyor belt, which then delivers them to the boxing box 11. Inside the boxing box 11, a material handling mechanism grabs the billets and loads them into the sintering box 13 on the material box moving device. The first processing step includes, but is not limited to, isostatic pressing.

Claims

1. An automatic magnetic field forming system, characterized in that: The system includes a billet conveying device, a carton box, a magnetic press, a first glove box, a third isolation valve, and a discharge box. The billet conveying device includes a conveyor housing and a conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is located inside the conveyor housing. Multiple magnetic presses are connected side-by-side to the conveyor housing. One end of the billet conveying device is connected to the carton box. The billet conveying device, the carton box, and the working magnetic presses form an atmosphere-isolated space filled with protective gas. The billets pressed by the magnetic presses are automatically transferred to the conveyor belt inside the conveyor housing. The carton box includes a carton box housing, a material box moving device, and a first isolation valve. The material box moving device… The conveyor belt of the preform conveying device extends into the boxing box, which is located inside the boxing box housing. A first isolation valve is connected to the boxing box housing. A first glove box includes a first glove box housing and a first pallet conveying device. The first pallet conveying device is located inside the first glove box housing. A discharge box includes a discharge box housing, a discharge door, and a second pallet conveying device. The other end of the preform conveying device is connected to the first glove box housing. A third isolation valve is located between the first glove box housing and the discharge box housing. The discharge door is located at one end of the discharge box housing, and the second pallet conveying device is located inside the discharge box housing. Gloves are provided on the first glove box housing.

2. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The magnetic field press includes a powder loading box, a press frame, an upper pressing head assembly, a lower pressing head assembly, a mold device, orientation magnetic poles, and a conveying mechanism. The powder loading box contains a powder loading device that automatically and quantitatively loads rare earth permanent magnet alloy powder into the mold cavity of the mold device. The upper pressing head assembly, mold device, lower pressing head assembly, and orientation magnetic poles are housed within the press frame. The upper and lower pressing head assemblies are positioned above and below the mold device, respectively. There are two orientation magnetic poles, distributed on both sides of the mold device. After the alloy powder is oriented by the magnetic field and pressed into a compact, the upper and lower pressing head assemblies are moved to eject the compact from the mold cavity. The conveying mechanism then transfers the compact to a conveyor belt within the housing of the conveying device. One side of the press frame is connected to the powder loading box, and the other side has an interface that allows connection to the compact conveying device.

3. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing of the conveyor device remains stationary, while the magnetic press can move relative to the housing of the conveyor device.

4. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic magnetic field forming system also includes a feeding hopper, a fourth isolation valve, and a second glove box. The second glove box includes a second glove box housing and a third tray conveyor. One end of the second glove box housing is connected to the carton housing. The feeding hopper includes a feeding hopper housing, a fourth tray conveyor, and a feeding gate. The fourth isolation valve is located between the second glove box housing and the feeding hopper housing. The feeding gate is located at one end of the feeding hopper housing, and the fourth tray conveyor is located inside the feeding hopper housing. A conveyor belt extends into the second glove box housing. Gloves are also provided on the second glove box housing. The operator uses the gloves to remove the packaging from the pressed blanks in the feeding tray on the third tray conveyor and place them on the conveyor belt. The pressed blanks are then conveyed to the carton housing by the conveyor belt. When the fourth isolation valve is opened, the feeding tray can move between the third tray conveyor and the fourth tray conveyor.

5. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box also includes a material handling mechanism; the material handling mechanism is located inside the box housing and grabs the pressed blanks on the conveyor belt and puts them into the sintering box on the material box moving device.

6. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box is equipped with a material handling mechanism and a vision system; the vision system automatically locates the compact, guides the material handling mechanism to grab the compact, and automatically places the compact into the set position of the sintering box.

7. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box is equipped with a robotic arm and a vision system; the robotic arm is suspended above the conveyor belt; the robotic arm automatically locates the pressed blank on the conveyor belt through the vision system and automatically puts the pressed blank into the set position of the set sintering box.

8. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The box shell is equipped with gloves, which allow operators to place the pressed billets from the conveyor belt into the sintering box.

9. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interface connecting the magnetic field press and the billet conveying device is equipped with a press isolation door that isolates the magnetic field press and the billet conveying device. The press isolation door is located inside the billet conveying device. When the press isolation door is closed and the magnetic field press is removed, the billet conveying device remains isolated from the atmosphere.

10. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sensor is installed near the interface connecting the magnetic field press and the blank conveying device to detect whether there is a blank at that location. The sensor is used to control the blanks pressed by different magnetic field presses to prevent collisions.

11. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic magnetic field forming system includes more than four magnetic field presses.

12. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material box moving device is capable of horizontal and vertical movement; the material box moving device is equipped with a position sensor for indicating and controlling the position of the material box moving device.

13. The automatic magnetic field forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The automatic magnetic field forming system also includes a conveying hopper; the conveying hopper includes a conveying hopper shell, a hopper clamping and lifting device, and a second isolation valve; the second isolation valve is connected to the conveying hopper shell, and the hopper clamping and lifting device is located inside the conveying hopper shell; the conveying hopper can move to the opposite side of the boxing box and dock with it, or disconnect from the boxing box and move away from it; after the conveying hopper docks with the boxing box, the first isolation valve and the second isolation valve are opened, and the boxing box and the conveying hopper form a space isolated from the atmosphere, and the hopper moving device can move into the conveying hopper. Through the coordinated action of the hopper moving device and the hopper clamping and lifting device, the multi-layer sintered hoppers on the hopper clamping and lifting device can be moved layer by layer to the hopper moving device, or the multi-layer sintered hoppers can be stacked; before the conveying hopper disconnects from the boxing box, the first isolation valve and the second isolation valve are closed, so that the conveying hopper and the boxing box each form a space isolated from the atmosphere.

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