Multi-station metallographic etching machine

Abstract

The utility model discloses a multi-station metallographic etching machine, including clamping mechanism, traversing mechanism, blow-drying device, frame body, workbench, traversing mechanism, blow-drying device, workbench are fixed in the frame body, the traversing mechanism is fixed with the clamping mechanism, the clamping mechanism is used for clamping and lifting a sample, the workbench is fixed with the clamping mechanism, the clamping mechanism is used for clamping and lifting the sample, the blow-drying device is used for drying the sample, and the workbench is used for clamping and lifting the sample. A corrosion tank, a cleaning tank and a grinding and polishing tank are arranged on the workbench, corrosion liquid is stored in the corrosion tank, cleaning liquid is stored in the cleaning tank, and a grinding and polishing medium is arranged in the grinding and polishing tank; the transverse moving mechanism is used for achieving transverse accurate displacement and driving the samples to reach the corrosion tank, the cleaning tank, the grinding and polishing tank and the blow-drying device. The device has the advantages that different corrosion, cleaning, grinding and polishing operations can be carried out on different samples, the pressing degree during grinding and polishing can be set according to the sample variety, the adaptability is high, and the automation degree is high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of industrial automation testing technology, specifically to a multi-station metallographic corrosion machine, which is suitable for the metallographic testing stage in the physical and chemical experiments of steel production. Background Technology

[0002] Metallographic examination is an essential tool for studying the internal microstructure of steel materials, encompassing design and development, process control, and final inspection. Traditional metallographic etching is performed manually, and the etching time and cleaning effect are significantly affected by human effort. Furthermore, some of the etching solutions are volatile, posing a potential health hazard.

[0003] The utility model patent CN2023214014112 discloses a metallographic immersion corrosion testing machine, which controls the corrosion and cleaning / drying of samples through a mechanical structure.

[0004] There are three main types of etching solutions currently available: nitric acid alcohol, GBC (Glass Cord) etching solution, and austenitic grain etching solution. For nitric acid alcohol and GBC etching solutions, water spray cleaning can be used. However, for the austenitic grain etching solution, due to its high viscosity, water spray cleaning is less effective, requiring polishing to remove residual etching solution. Furthermore, the polishing force needs to be adjusted according to different sample specifications, and the polishing effect is significantly affected by manual operation.

[0005] Because the existing technology has different processing requirements for different samples in the corrosion, cleaning and polishing stages, and the pressure applied to different samples during polishing is also different, there is no device that can adapt to a variety of different samples and achieve full automation of the entire process, which restricts the automation process of metallographic testing. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Purpose of the invention: To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes a multi-station metallographic etching machine, aiming to achieve fully automated etching, cleaning, and polishing operations.

[0007] Technical solution: A multi-station metallographic etching machine includes a clamping mechanism, a transverse movement mechanism, a drying device, a frame body, and a worktable. The transverse movement mechanism, the drying device, and the worktable are fixed within the frame body. The clamping mechanism is fixed to the transverse movement mechanism and is used to clamp and lift the sample. The worktable is provided with an etching tank, a cleaning tank, and a polishing tank. The etching tank contains etching liquid, the cleaning tank contains cleaning liquid, and the polishing tank contains polishing media. The transverse movement mechanism is used to achieve precise lateral displacement, driving the sample to the etching tank, the cleaning tank, the polishing tank, and the drying device respectively.

[0008] The principle of this utility model is as follows: Multiple workstations are set up on the worktable, namely, a corrosion station with an etching tank, a cleaning station with a cleaning tank, a polishing station with a polishing tank, and a drying station equipped with a drying device. Driven by a traversing mechanism, the clamping mechanism holds the sample to each of the multiple workstations. Then, through a lifting function, the sample is immersed in the etching solution, cleaning solution, polishing medium, and delivered to the air outlet of the drying device, thus automating the etching, cleaning, polishing, and drying processes.

[0009] Furthermore, the clamping mechanism includes a mounting plate, a control valve group, a three-position cylinder, a lifting assembly, and grippers. The mounting plate is fixedly connected to the transverse movement mechanism. The control valve group and the lifting assembly are respectively mounted on the mounting plate. One end of the lifting assembly is connected to the three-position cylinder, and the other end is connected to the grippers. The grippers are used to clamp the sample. The input end of the three-position cylinder is connected to the control valve group, and the output end drives the lifting assembly to the retraction position, the force control starting position, and the force control ending position, respectively. In this structure, the characteristics of the three-position cylinder are used to achieve rapid return and pre-positioning of the sample. On the other hand, different pressure levels can be set according to the sample type, thereby performing polishing operations on different samples.

[0010] Furthermore, the clamping mechanism also includes a material tray and a rotary drive. Multiple samples are evenly distributed around the circumference of the material tray. The material tray is clamped and fixed to the grippers. The rotary drive is fixed to the mounting plate, and its output end is connected to the lifting assembly, so that the lifting assembly, grippers, and material tray can be rotated via the rotary drive. This structure enables high-throughput processing of multiple samples through the material tray, and the rotation of the material tray not only helps to dry the samples of residual liquid but also facilitates polishing operations.

[0011] Furthermore, the frame body is provided with a sample loading position and a sample unloading position, both of which can be used to store the material tray, so as to realize the automated loading and unloading of the metallographic etching machine.

[0012] Furthermore, the transverse movement mechanism includes a transverse servo motor, a linear module, and a cable chain. The linear module and the cable chain are fixed within the frame body. The cable chain is arranged along the direction of the linear module. The transverse servo motor is fixed to the linear module. The movable end of the linear module is fixed to the clamping mechanism to achieve transverse displacement of the sample.

[0013] Furthermore, the system also includes a flipping mechanism fixed to the transverse mechanism, a clamping mechanism mounted on the flipping mechanism, and a drying device located inside the upper part of the frame body. The sample is flipped by the flipping mechanism and then reaches the drying device. In this structure, if the residual liquid after corrosion and cleaning is directly dried, it can easily cause local residue, affecting the drying effect. After flipping, the residual liquid is subjected to the combined effect of its own gravity and the drying device, significantly improving the drying effect and preventing corrosion from residual liquid dripping, thus extending the service life.

[0014] Furthermore, the flipping mechanism includes a flipping servo motor and a hollow rotating platform. The fixed end of the hollow rotating platform is connected to the transverse mechanism and the flipping servo motor, and the movable end is connected to the clamping mechanism, so as to realize the 180° flipping of the clamping mechanism.

[0015] Furthermore, the drying device employs an air knife.

[0016] Furthermore, the corrosion tank is provided with three tanks, which respectively store nitric acid alcohol, cord GBC corrosion solution, and austenitic grain corrosion solution.

[0017] Furthermore, there are two cleaning tanks: a spray cleaning tank and an ultrasonic cleaning tank.

[0018] Beneficial effects: Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are: it can realize different corrosion, cleaning and polishing operations for different samples, and the pressure during polishing can be set according to the sample type, which has strong adaptability and high degree of automation. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the transverse movement mechanism;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the flipping mechanism;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the clamping mechanism;

[0023] Figure 5 Pneumatic schematic diagram of the control valve assembly;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a three-position cylinder control system.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a sectional view of the lifting assembly;

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the rotary drive connection. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present invention will be further illustrated below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. These embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0028] A multi-station metallographic etching machine, as shown in the attached image. Figure 1 As shown, it includes a clamping mechanism 1, a transverse mechanism 2, a drying device 3, a frame body 4, a worktable 5, and a flipping mechanism 6.

[0029] The transverse movement mechanism 2, the drying device 3, and the worktable 5 are fixed inside the frame body 4. The drying device 3 is specifically located inside the upper part of the frame body 4. A flipping mechanism 6 is fixed to the transverse movement mechanism 2, and a clamping mechanism 1 is mounted on the flipping mechanism 6, as shown in the attached diagram. Figure 2 As shown, the transverse movement mechanism 2 specifically includes a transverse movement servo motor 21, a linear module 22, and a cable chain 23. The linear module 22 and the cable chain 23 are fixed inside the frame body 4. The cable chain 23 is arranged along the direction of the linear module 22. The transverse movement servo motor 21 is fixedly connected to the linear module 22. The movable end of the linear module 22 is fixedly connected to the clamping mechanism 1 through the flipping mechanism 6. (See attached diagram) Figure 3 As shown, the flipping mechanism 6 specifically includes a flipping servo motor 61 and a hollow rotating platform 62. The fixed end of the hollow rotating platform 62 is connected to the transverse moving mechanism 2 and the flipping servo motor 61, respectively, and the movable end is connected to the clamping mechanism 1. (See attached diagram) Figure 1 As shown, the workbench 5 is equipped with an etching tank 51, a cleaning tank 52, and a polishing tank 53. The etching tank 51 contains etching solution, the cleaning tank 52 contains cleaning solution, and the polishing tank 51 contains polishing media. In this embodiment, there are three etching tanks 51, which respectively store nitric acid alcohol, GBC cord etching solution, and austenitic grain etching solution. There are two cleaning tanks 52, namely a spray cleaning tank 52a and an ultrasonic cleaning tank 52b. The transverse movement mechanism 2 is used to achieve precise transverse displacement, driving the sample to the etching tank 51, cleaning tank 52, and polishing tank 53 respectively. It also cooperates with the flipping mechanism 6 to flip the sample and drive it to the drying device 3, which is specifically an air knife.

[0030] Clamping mechanism 1 is used to clamp and lift the sample. In this embodiment, as shown in the attached diagram... Figure 4As shown, the clamping mechanism 1 specifically includes a mounting plate 11, a control valve assembly 12, a three-position cylinder 13, a lifting assembly 14, grippers 15, a material tray 16, and a rotary drive 17. The mounting plate 11 is fixedly connected to the hollow rotary platform 62. The control valve assembly 12 and the lifting assembly 14 are respectively mounted on the mounting plate 11. One end of the lifting assembly 14 is connected to the three-position cylinder 13, and the other end is connected to the gripper 15. The material tray 16 is clamped and fixed to the gripper 15, and multiple samples are evenly distributed around the circumference of the material tray 16. The input end of the three-position cylinder 13 is connected to the control valve assembly 12, and the output end drives the lifting assembly 14 to reach the contraction position, the force control start position, and the force control end position, respectively.

[0031] In this embodiment, the control logic for the control valve assembly and the three-position cylinder is as follows: Figure 5 , 6 As shown: When solenoid valve No. 3 is activated, air enters through vent A, and the cylinder retracts to the retracted position; when solenoid valves No. 3 and No. 1 are activated, air enters through vents A and C, and the cylinder extends to the force control start position; when solenoid valves No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 are activated simultaneously, air enters through vents A, B, and C simultaneously, and the cylinder gradually extends to the force control end position.

[0032] During the step-by-step movement from the force-controlled starting position to the force-controlled ending position, the output force F is:

[0033] F=P B *S B2 +(S A2 -S B1 )*P C -P A *S A1

[0034] Among them, P A P B P C These represent the air pressures at the three vent ports A, B, and C of a three-position cylinder; S A1 and S A2 These represent the effective working areas of the left and right sides of the first piston in a three-position cylinder, respectively; S B1 and S B2 These represent the effective working areas on the left and right sides of the second piston in the three-position cylinder, respectively. By controlling the pressure of the air inlets B and C through the control valve group, different cylinder output forces can be obtained, thereby precisely controlling the degree of compression of the three-position cylinder from the force control start position to the force control end position.

[0035] In this embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 7As shown, the lifting assembly 14 is connected using ball splines. The ball splines include a spline shaft 14a, a spline nut 14b, a rotary joint 14c, and a support sleeve 14d. The fixed ends of the support sleeve 14d and the spline nut 14b are mounted on the mounting plate 11. The spline shaft 14a passes through the spline nut 14b, and the movable ends of the spline shaft 14a and the spline nut 14b pass through the mounting plate 11. The top of the spline shaft 14a is connected to a three-position cylinder 13 via the rotary joint 14c, and the bottom is connected to a gripper 15. (See attached diagram) Figure 8 As shown, the rotary drive 17 is fixed on the mounting plate 11. Specifically, it adopts a wheel drive method, which is driven by a combination of a drive wheel, a driven wheel, and a timing belt. The drive wheel 17a is fixed to the output end of the rotary servo motor 17b, the driven wheel 17c is sleeved on the movable end of the spline nut 14b, and the timing belt 17d is wound around the drive wheel and the driven wheel to form a transmission.

[0036] In this structure, the lifting assembly uses a splined shaft and rotary joint to connect with the three-position cylinder, and a splined nut to connect with the rotary drive. The movable end of the splined nut can transmit rotational force to the splined shaft without affecting its lifting, ensuring the stability of the lifting structure while avoiding the influence of the rotational structure on the lifting structure. This makes the lifting structure driven by the three-position cylinder on the splined shaft, grippers, and material tray equally stable as the rotational structure driven by the movable end of the splined nut, grippers, and material tray. Furthermore, to improve the service life of the device, the tilting mechanism and clamping mechanism can be protected by protective covers.

[0037] In this embodiment, to facilitate automated linkage with external equipment, the frame body 4 is provided with a sample loading position 41 and a sample unloading position 42, both of which can be used to store the material tray 16. The transverse movement mechanism 2 and the flipping mechanism 6 work together to drive the clamping mechanism 1 to the sample loading position 41 and the sample unloading position 42 to clamp the material tray 16.

[0038] In this embodiment of the metallographic etching machine, the material tray is first clamped onto the sample loading position. Then, the combination of the lateral movement mechanism and the flipping mechanism drives the grippers to pick up the material tray from the sample loading position. Next, the material tray is driven to the etching tank. A three-position cylinder quickly moves from the contraction position to the force control starting position, and then controls the force control ending position according to the depth of the etching liquid in the etching tank. After reaching the position, etching begins. After completion, the material tray is lifted, and the lateral movement mechanism then drives the material tray to the cleaning tank. The cleaning tank can be selected according to the type of etching, and the lifting method is the same as the etching station. After cleaning, the material tray is lifted again, and through the cooperation of the lateral movement mechanism and the flipping mechanism, the material tray is sent to the drying device. The rotary drive drives the material tray to rotate, and the drying device is turned on to ensure uniform drying. During this process, a protective plate can be set on the clamping mechanism to collect the liquid dripping from the material tray, which serves to prevent corrosion and recover the liquid, extending the service life. Finally, if there are samples that require polishing, they are sent to the polishing station. The pressure is selected according to the sample type, and the rotary drive drives the material tray to rotate to ensure the polishing effect. After polishing, the material tray is sent to the sample unloading position through the cooperation of the transverse and flipping mechanisms, so that the completed sample can be taken out of the corrosion machine by external machinery.

[0039] The metallographic etching machine in this embodiment can perform different etching, cleaning, and polishing operations on different samples, and the pressure during polishing can be set according to the sample type. It has strong adaptability and a high degree of automation.

Claims

1. A multi-station metallographic etching machine, characterized in that: The machine includes a clamping mechanism (1), a transverse movement mechanism (2), a drying device (3), a frame body (4), and a worktable (5). The transverse movement mechanism (2), the drying device (3), and the worktable (5) are fixed inside the frame body (4). The clamping mechanism (1) is fixed on the transverse movement mechanism (2). The clamping mechanism (1) is used to clamp and lift the sample. The worktable (5) is provided with an etching tank (51), a cleaning tank (52), and a polishing tank (53). The etching tank (51) contains etching liquid, the cleaning tank (52) contains cleaning liquid, and the polishing tank (53) contains polishing media. The transverse movement mechanism (2) is used to achieve precise transverse displacement, driving the sample to the etching tank (51), the cleaning tank (52), the polishing tank (53), and the drying device (3) respectively.

2. The multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping mechanism (1) includes a mounting plate (11), a control valve group (12), a three-position cylinder (13), a lifting assembly (14), and a gripper (15). The mounting plate (11) is fixed to the transverse mechanism (2). The control valve group (12) and the lifting assembly (14) are respectively mounted on the mounting plate (11). One end of the lifting assembly (14) is connected to the three-position cylinder (13), and the other end is connected to the gripper (15). The gripper (15) is used to clamp the sample. The input end of the three-position cylinder (13) is connected to the control valve group (12), and the output end drives the lifting assembly (14) to reach the contraction position, the force control start position, and the force control end position respectively.

3. A multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping mechanism (1) also includes a material tray (16) and a rotary drive (17). Multiple samples are evenly distributed around the circumference of the material tray (16). The material tray (16) is clamped and fixed to the gripper (15). The rotary drive (17) is fixed on the mounting plate (11) and its output end is connected to the lifting assembly (14) so ​​that the lifting assembly (14), gripper (15), and material tray (16) can be rotated by the rotary drive (17).

4. A multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The frame body (4) is provided with a sample loading position (41) and a sample unloading position (42), both of which can be used to store the material tray (16).

5. A multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transverse mechanism (2) includes a transverse servo motor (21), a linear module (22), and a cable chain (23). The linear module (22) and the cable chain (23) are fixed inside the frame body (4). The cable chain (23) is arranged along the direction of the linear module (22). The transverse servo motor (21) is fixed to the linear module (22). The movable end of the linear module (22) is fixed to the clamping mechanism (1).

6. A multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a flipping mechanism (6), which is fixed on the transverse mechanism (2), and the clamping mechanism (1) is installed on the flipping mechanism (6). The drying device (3) is located inside the upper part of the frame body (4). The sample is flipped by the flipping mechanism (6) and reaches the drying device (3).

7. A multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The flipping mechanism (6) includes a flipping servo motor (61) and a hollow rotating platform (62). The fixed end of the hollow rotating platform (62) is connected to the transverse mechanism (2) and the flipping servo motor (61), and the movable end is connected to the clamping mechanism (1).

8. A multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drying device (3) uses an air knife.

9. A multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The corrosion tank (51) is provided in three parts, which respectively store nitric acid alcohol, cord GBC corrosion solution and austenitic grain corrosion solution.

10. A multi-station metallographic etching machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are two cleaning tanks (52), namely a spray cleaning tank (52a) and an ultrasonic cleaning tank (52b).

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