A production line for welding a forklift mast
By designing an automated production line for forklift mast welding, and employing technologies such as barcode scanning, laser line scanning, servo hydraulic clamps, and welding robots, the problems of resource waste and low efficiency caused by the separate design of forklift mast welding lines have been solved, achieving highly efficient automated production.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ANHUI HELI CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-15
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-14
Smart Images
Figure CN224488079U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of forklift mast welding production, and more specifically, to a production line for forklift mast welding. Background Technology
[0002] As a key component of forklifts, the mast is divided into three types based on its operating principle and structural characteristics: outer mast, middle mast, and inner mast. After the three types of masts are manufactured, welded, and painted, they need to be assembled together to form the forklift mast. Currently, most mast welding lines are designed separately for the outer mast and the inner / middle mast. At the end of the welding line, manual matching is required to find the corresponding inner, middle, and outer masts and hang them together for painting, thus ensuring the masts are matched during the painting and assembly process. Separating the outer and inner / middle mast welding lines increases space and equipment investment, while manual matching at the end of the line wastes manpower. Therefore, it is of great significance to achieve simultaneous production of inner, middle, and outer masts, and to automatically match and remove them from the production line without manual matching. Utility Model Content
[0003] This invention provides a production line for welding forklift masts, which solves the problems of low efficiency and low automation in existing forklift mast production, which requires manual pairing. It can improve the automation and intelligence level of the forklift mast production line and increase production efficiency.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:
[0005] A production line for welding forklift masts includes: an assembly area, an upper conveyor line, a double-layer conveyor line, a welding area, a handling robot, a welding workstation, an RGV trolley, and an lower conveyor line;
[0006] The assembly area is located on the side of the upper conveyor line. The assembly area is used for manually assembling the inner gantry, middle gantry and outer gantry and affixing product information codes at designated positions.
[0007] The online conveyor line is used for manual underlayment of parts with gaps greater than 2mm in the gantry and for gantry model identification and verification.
[0008] The double-layer conveyor line is arranged in parallel with the upper conveyor line. The gantry of the upper conveyor line is transferred to the double-layer conveyor line by a transfer and translation mechanism. The double-layer conveyor line sends the gantry to the welding area to wait for the upper part to be welded by a first-up-then-down conveying logic.
[0009] A transport track is set on the side of the double-layer conveyor line. The RGV trolley and the transport robot are set on the same track. The RGV trolley transports the corresponding gantry from the RGV loading position in the welding area to the welding area, and the transport robot loads the material.
[0010] Multiple welding workstations are set up in the welding area to clamp the loading gantry and weld the weld seam. After welding is completed, a handling robot transports the welding gantry to the off-line conveyor.
[0011] Preferably, the conveyor line is equipped with a barcode scanner to scan the product information code as the gantry passes through, in order to preliminarily confirm the product information of the gantry.
[0012] Preferably, the conveyor line is equipped with a laser scanning station, which identifies the gantry model by taking a picture with the laser scanning and compares it with the information identified by the barcode scanner at the front end. If the identification information matches, the gantry is released.
[0013] Preferably, it also includes: a cooling zone;
[0014] The cooling zone is equipped with three double-layer buffer lines, which are used to buffer the inner gantry, middle gantry and outer gantry that have not been completely cooled after welding.
[0015] Based on the gantry product information, the three different types of welded gantry on the off-line conveyor are respectively moved to the corresponding double-layer buffer line for buffering and cooling by the translation mechanism.
[0016] Preferably, it also includes: the inner gantry tilting and unloading line and the outer gantry tilting and unloading line;
[0017] Both the inner gantry turning-off line and the outer gantry turning-off line are equipped with welding repair stations and correction stations;
[0018] The gantry whose temperature in the cooling zone has dropped below 100°C is transferred by a translation mechanism to the inner gantry turning line and the outer gantry turning line for online welding and correction. After correction, the gantry is automatically turned off the line.
[0019] Preferably, the translation mechanism is a track-type displacement vehicle.
[0020] Preferably, the double-layer conveyor line and the double-layer buffer line adopt a double-layer roller conveyor structure.
[0021] Preferably, the welding workstation includes: a servo hydraulic clamp and a welding robot;
[0022] The welding workstation controls the servo hydraulic clamp to move to the required position according to the signal transmitted by the handling robot and the gantry length and opening size. After the handling robot completes the handling, the servo hydraulic clamp automatically positions and clamps the gantry.
[0023] The welding robot welds the seams on the gantry after it has been positioned and clamped, following a set path.
[0024] Preferably, the welding workstation adopts a dual-machine single-station layout, with two welding robots respectively distributed at both ends of the servo hydraulic fixture to weld the welds at the upper and lower ends of the gantry.
[0025] Preferably, two welding robots with different arm spans are used.
[0026] This invention provides a production line and control method for welding forklift masts. The masts are transported from the assembly area to the welding area via an upper conveyor line and a double-layer conveyor line. A welding workstation, RGV trolley, and handling robot are installed in the welding area to transport and weld the masts. The welded masts are then sent to the lower conveyor line. This invention solves the problems of low efficiency and low automation in existing forklift mast production, which requires manual pairing. It improves the automation and intelligence level of the forklift mast production line, thereby increasing production efficiency. Attached Figure Description
[0027] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below.
[0028] Figure 1 This utility model provides a structural schematic diagram of a production line for welding forklift masts.
[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the translation mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present utility model.
[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the translation mechanism and the double-layer conveyor line provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0031] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the embodiments of this utility model, the embodiments of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and implementation methods.
[0032] To address the issues of low efficiency and low automation in current forklift mast welding, this invention provides a production line and control method for forklift mast welding. This solves the problems of low efficiency and low automation in existing forklift mast production, which requires manual pairing. It can improve the automation and intelligence level of the forklift mast production line and increase production efficiency.
[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, a production line for welding forklift masts includes: an assembly area, an upper conveyor line, a double-layer conveyor line, a welding area, a handling robot, a welding workstation, an RGV trolley, and an lower conveyor line. The assembly area is located beside the upper conveyor line and is used for manual assembly of the inner, middle, and outer masts, affixing product information codes at designated locations. The upper conveyor line is used for manual undercoating of masts with gaps greater than 2mm, as well as mast model identification and verification. The double-layer conveyor line is parallel to the upper conveyor line. A transfer mechanism transports masts from the upper conveyor line to the double-layer conveyor line. The double-layer conveyor line uses a top-to-bottom conveying logic to deliver the masts to the welding area to await welding. A handling track is provided so that the RGV trolley and the handling robot share the same track. The RGV trolley transports the corresponding masts from the RGV loading position in the welding area to the welding area, coordinating with the handling robot's loading. Multiple welding workstations are set up in the welding area to clamp the loading gantry and weld the weld seam. After welding is completed, a handling robot transports the welding gantry to the off-line conveyor.
[0034] Specifically, in the assembly area, the inner, middle, and outer masts are manually assembled and labeled. Product information codes are affixed to fixed positions, and then the masts are manually hoisted to the upper conveyor line. For areas with gaps greater than 2mm, manual finishing and mast model identification and verification are performed. The double-layer conveyor track uses a top-to-bottom feeding logic to feed the masts into the welding area, where they await welding. Based on the mast information type transmitted from the front end, the RGV trolley receives a signal and its telescopic forks move to the corresponding position, stably scooping the mast from the RGV loading position in the welding area of the conveyor line and transferring it to the welding area. This works in conjunction with the loading of the handling robot, improving the robot's loading efficiency and meeting cycle time requirements. The RVG trolley approaches the handling robot, allowing the robot to move the workpiece to the welding workstation without moving, simply by turning. The welding workstation positions and clamps the mast, then welds it. After welding is complete, the welding workstation sends a signal to the handling robot, which then moves the mast off the line to the lower conveyor line. This production line improves the automation and intelligence of the forklift mast production line, increasing production efficiency.
[0035] Furthermore, the online conveyor line is equipped with a barcode scanner to scan the product information code as the gantry passes through, in order to preliminarily confirm the product information of the gantry.
[0036] Furthermore, the online conveyor line is equipped with a laser scanning station, which identifies the gantry model by taking a picture with the laser scanning and compares it with the information identified by the barcode scanner at the front end. If the identification information matches, the gantry is released.
[0037] In practical applications, the laser line scanning station needs to pre-capture and store images of all types of gantry features to form a feature library for comparison and retrieval of gantry signals. The laser line scanning station identifies the gantry model by scanning the image, and then performs secondary error correction and identification by comparing it with the information identified by the front-end barcode scanner. If the barcode information and the laser line scanning information match, the gantry is released and transferred to the double-layer conveyor line via a translation mechanism and sent to the welding area. At the same time, the identified gantry information is transmitted to the handling robot and the welding workstation. If the barcode information and the laser line scanning information do not match, an alarm is triggered, and manual confirmation and handling are required.
[0038] The production line also includes a cooling zone; the cooling zone is equipped with three double-layer buffer lines to buffer the inner gantry, middle gantry and outer gantry that have not been fully cooled after welding; according to the gantry product information, the three different types of welded gantry on the off-line conveyor are respectively transferred to the corresponding double-layer buffer lines for buffering and cooling by a translation mechanism.
[0039] Specifically, after the gantry comes off the production line, it is transported towards the rear end on the off-line conveyor. At the rear end of the conveyor, there is a translation mechanism. According to the gantry product information, the translation mechanism moves the three different types of off-line gantry (inner, middle, and outer) to three double-layer conveyor lines respectively. These three double-layer buffer lines act as a cooling tank to buffer gantry that has not been fully cooled after welding. At the same time, gantry that are on the same line as the inner, middle, and outer gantry are classified here, so that the three lines store the corresponding inner, middle, and outer gantry buffers respectively. By buffering, the imbalance of the welding cycle of the inner, middle, and outer gantry is balanced, so that the inner, middle, and outer gantry can be off-lined together when the gantry comes off the production line at the rear end. This avoids the need for manual matching of the inner, middle, and outer gantry to the painting line when a certain type of gantry is off-lined at the same time.
[0040] The production line also includes an inner gantry turning-off line and an outer gantry turning-off line; both the inner gantry turning-off line and the outer gantry turning-off line are equipped with a welding repair station and a correction station; the gantry whose temperature in the cooling zone has dropped below 100°C is transferred to the inner gantry turning-off line and the outer gantry turning-off line by a translation mechanism for online welding repair and correction, and then automatically turned off the line after correction.
[0041] Specifically, after being stored in the buffer cooling room, the temperature of the gantry after welding is cooled to about 100°C before it can be transported to the calibration station. The calibration is carried out on two lines according to the structural characteristics of the inner, middle and outer gantry. One line is used to calibrate the outer gantry and the other line is used to calibrate the inner and middle gantry. After the calibration is completed, the gantry is automatically turned over and removed from the line.
[0042] Furthermore, the translation mechanism adopts a track-type displacement vehicle.
[0043] Specifically, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the translation mechanism 1 can be a track-type displacement vehicle. The track gauge of the track-type displacement vehicle adopts a narrow-gauge pre-embedded method, and the track is flush with the ground to prevent danger when personnel and vehicles pass through the passage. The height of the track-type displacement vehicle can be matched with the conveying of the channel steel line station and the robotic welding automatic line. It can realize the direct transfer of welding assembly to the conveyor chain of the track-type displacement vehicle. The track-type displacement vehicle has a conveying function. When it reaches the upper part conveyor line 2 of the robotic automatic welding line, it can directly transfer the workpiece to the upper part conveyor line 2. The system has two modes: manual and automatic. In automatic mode, the cross-span translation trolley is controlled by the central control system. When there is free space in the robotic automatic welding line conveying position, it automatically moves to the upper part station to transport the workpiece. In manual mode, the cross-span trolley is manually controlled and can be freely directed to transport the material from the gantry to the robotic automatic welding line. When the automatic welding line is full, the cross-span trolley waits in place until all the workpieces are on the line, and then automatically returns. The manual mode has a permission requirement, and operation is only allowed after obtaining the permission. The offline conveying involves a double-layer conveyor. The translation mechanism 1 can adopt a scissor-differential lifting method to meet the needs of receiving and sending with the upper conveyor. It is designed with both automatic and manual modes. When manual adjustment is required, it can be operated offline. The front conveyor automatically stops at the waiting station. At the same time, the front and rear cooling silos are also equipped with transfer and translation trolleys. The translation trolley at the front of the cooling silo automatically transfers the different types of gantry after welding to the inner, middle, and outer cooling conveyor lines respectively. The translation trolley at the rear of the cooling silo transfers the inner, middle, and outer gantry to the calibration station according to the inner, middle, and outer gantry to be offline, so as to ensure matching during offline operation.
[0044] Furthermore, the double-layer conveyor line and the double-layer buffer line adopt a double-layer roller conveyor structure.
[0045] Furthermore, the welding workstation includes: a servo hydraulic fixture and a welding robot;
[0046] The welding workstation controls the servo hydraulic clamp to move to the required position according to the signal transmitted by the transport robot and the length and opening size of the gantry. After the transport robot completes the transport, the servo hydraulic clamp automatically positions and clamps the gantry. The welding robot then welds the gantry according to the set path after positioning and clamping.
[0047] Furthermore, the welding workstation adopts a dual-machine single-station layout, with two welding robots respectively distributed at both ends of the servo hydraulic fixture to weld the welds at the upper and lower ends of the gantry.
[0048] Furthermore, two welding robots with different arm spans are used.
[0049] Specifically, based on signals transmitted by the handling robot, the servo hydraulic clamp moves to the required position in advance according to the gantry length and opening size. After the handling robot completes the handling, the servo hydraulic clamp automatically positions and clamps the gantry. Considering the structural characteristics of the gantry and the location of the welds, the welding workstation adopts a dual-machine, single-station layout. Two welding robots are distributed at opposite ends of the welding workstation. Given the different characteristics of the welds at the upper and lower ends of the gantry, the two welding robots are selected with different arm spans, saving costs while meeting the product's weldability requirements.
[0050] In one embodiment, the control process for the automated co-production of inner, middle, and outer masts weighing 1-3.8t and the automatic pairing and delivery of the inner, middle, and outer masts to the next process painting line is as follows:
[0051] The 1-3.8t inner, middle, and outer gantry frames are manually assembled and labeled in the assembly area. Product information codes are affixed to fixed positions, and then manually hoisted to the upper conveyor line. A barcode scanner is fixed on the upper conveyor line, and the gantry is scanned as it passes to initially confirm the gantry product information. Then, it enters the online pre-finishing station. For areas with assembly gaps greater than 2mm, manual pre-finishing is performed to ensure the stability of the robot welding process in the subsequent process. After pre-finishing, the gantry is transported to the laser line scanning station for identification of the gantry model by scanning the image. Then, a second error correction identification is performed between the barcode information and the laser line scan information. If the barcode information and the laser line scan information are consistent, it is released and transferred to the welding area via a translation mechanism on a double-layer conveyor line. At the same time, the identified gantry information is transmitted to the handling robot and the welding workstation. An alarm is triggered if the barcode information and the laser line scan information are inconsistent, and manual confirmation and handling are required. The double-layer conveyor line uses a top-to-bottom feeding logic to feed materials into the waiting area for welding. Based on the gantry information transmitted from the front end, the RGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) receives a signal and its telescopic forks move to the corresponding position, stably scooping the gantry from the RGV loading position in the waiting area and transferring it to the welding area. This works in conjunction with the handling robot, improving the robot's loading efficiency and meeting cycle time requirements. The RVG and handling robot share a track, and the RVG moves close to the handling robot, allowing the robot to move the workpiece to the welding workstation without moving, simply by turning. After the gantry welding is completed, the welding workstation sends a signal to the handling robot, which then moves the gantry to the lower conveyor line. Robots at multiple welding workstations maintain a top-to-bottom loading and unloading logic. After the gantry is unloaded, it is transported to the rear end of the conveyor line. At the rear end of the conveyor line, there is a translation trolley mechanism. The translation mechanism moves the inner, middle and outer three different types of unloaded gantry to three double-layer buffer lines respectively. After being stored in the buffer cooling room, the temperature of the gantry after welding is cooled to about 100° before it can be transported to the calibration station. After calibration, it is automatically flipped off the line.
[0052] As can be seen, this utility model provides a production line for welding forklift masts. The masts in the assembly area are transported to the welding area via an upper conveyor line and a double-layer conveyor line. A welding workstation, RGV trolley, and handling robot are installed in the welding area to transport and weld the masts. The welded masts are then sent to the lower conveyor line. This solves the problems of low efficiency and low automation in existing forklift mast production, which requires manual pairing. It improves the automation and intelligence level of the forklift mast production line, thereby increasing production efficiency.
[0053] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model in any way. Those skilled in the art can readily implement this utility model based on the accompanying drawings and the above description. However, any modifications, alterations, or variations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the utility model's technical solution, utilizing the disclosed technical content, are equivalent embodiments of this utility model. Furthermore, any equivalent changes, alterations, or variations made to the above embodiments based on the essential technology of this utility model are still within the protection scope of this utility model's technical solution.
Claims
1. A production line for welding forklift masts, characterized in that, include: Assembly area, upper conveyor line, double-layer conveyor line, welding area, handling robot, welding workstation, RGV trolley and lower conveyor line; The assembly area is located on the side of the upper conveyor line. The assembly area is used for manually assembling the inner gantry, middle gantry and outer gantry and affixing product information codes at designated positions. The online conveyor line is used for manual underlayment of parts with gaps greater than 2mm in the gantry and for gantry model identification and verification. The double-layer conveyor line is arranged in parallel with the upper conveyor line. The gantry of the upper conveyor line is transferred to the double-layer conveyor line by a transfer and translation mechanism. The double-layer conveyor line sends the gantry to the welding area to wait for the upper part to be welded by a first-up-then-down conveying logic. A transport track is set on the side of the double-layer conveyor line. The RGV trolley and the transport robot are set on the same track. The RGV trolley transports the corresponding gantry from the RGV loading position in the welding area to the welding area, and the transport robot loads the material. Multiple welding workstations are set up in the welding area to clamp the loading gantry and weld the weld seam. After welding is completed, a handling robot transports the welding gantry to the off-line conveyor.
2. The production line for welding forklift masts according to claim 1, characterized in that, The online conveyor line is equipped with a barcode scanner to scan the product information code as the gantry passes through, in order to initially confirm the product information of the gantry.
3. The production line for welding forklift masts according to claim 2, characterized in that, The online conveyor line is equipped with a laser scanning station, which identifies the gantry model by taking a picture with the laser scanning and compares it with the information identified by the barcode scanner at the front end. If the identification information matches, the gantry is released.
4. The production line for welding forklift masts according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: Cooling area; The cooling zone is equipped with three double-layer buffer lines, which are used to buffer the inner gantry, middle gantry and outer gantry that have not been completely cooled after welding. Based on the gantry product information, the three different types of welded gantry on the off-line conveyor are respectively moved to the corresponding double-layer buffer line for buffering and cooling by the translation mechanism.
5. The production line for welding forklift masts according to claim 4, characterized in that, Also includes: The inner gantry tilting and unloading line and the outer gantry tilting and unloading line; Both the inner gantry turning-off line and the outer gantry turning-off line are equipped with welding repair stations and correction stations; The gantry whose temperature in the cooling zone has dropped below 100°C is transferred by a translation mechanism to the inner gantry turning line and the outer gantry turning line for online welding and correction. After correction, the gantry is automatically turned off the line.
6. The production line for welding forklift masts according to claim 5, characterized in that, The translation mechanism uses a track-type displacement vehicle.
7. The production line for welding forklift masts according to claim 6, characterized in that, The double-layer conveyor line and the double-layer buffer line adopt a double-layer roller conveyor structure.
8. The production line for welding forklift masts according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The welding workstation includes: a servo hydraulic clamp and a welding robot; The welding workstation controls the servo hydraulic clamp to move to the required position according to the signal transmitted by the handling robot and the gantry length and opening size. After the handling robot completes the handling, the servo hydraulic clamp automatically positions and clamps the gantry. The welding robot welds the seams on the gantry after it has been positioned and clamped, following a set path.
9. The production line for welding forklift masts according to claim 8, characterized in that, The welding workstation adopts a dual-machine single-station layout, with two welding robots respectively distributed at both ends of the servo hydraulic fixture to weld the welds at the upper and lower ends of the gantry.
10. The production line for welding forklift masts according to claim 9, characterized in that, Two welding robots with different arm spans are used.