A general-purpose automatic shaping machine

Abstract

This utility model discloses a universal automatic shaping machine, including a frame and an automatic feeding module, a flipping module, a transport module, and a shaping module installed on the frame. Each module is electrically connected to the control system. The entire equipment can achieve a fully automated process from feeding, posture adjustment, transport to shaping through the coordinated operation of each module. It effectively solves the problems of poor versatility, complex model changeover, and reliance on manual labor in traditional equipment, significantly reducing production costs and downtime. It is suitable for flexible production scenarios with multiple varieties and small batches. The overall production capacity can reach 180~200 pieces / minute, and it has outstanding advantages such as high efficiency, intelligence, and stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of machining technology, specifically a general-purpose automatic shaping machine. Background Technology

[0002] In the current field of automated machining, the application of fully automated forming equipment is becoming increasingly widespread. However, existing technologies still face significant bottlenecks in practical application. Traditional fully automated forming machines typically employ a combination of dedicated molds and fixed paths. Their mechanical structures, feeding trajectories, and mold cavities are often designed for specific workpieces, resulting in a severe lack of equipment versatility. When the production line needs to process workpieces of different models, sizes, or with irregular shapes, it is necessary to replace the dedicated molds and readjust the equipment, and even modify the mechanical structure. This process not only leads to high equipment purchase costs and increased floor space but also results in lengthy production changeover times, severely restricting the response speed and economic efficiency of enterprises in flexible production modes with multiple varieties and small batches. Furthermore, for non-standard or irregularly shaped workpieces with complex geometric features, their posture adjustment before entering the mold usually relies on manual intervention or additional dedicated positioning mechanisms, making it difficult to achieve efficient and precise connection in fully automated production lines. Existing equipment's handling modules often lack sufficient space adaptability, and the forming modules also lack the necessary wide-range dimensional compatibility, making it difficult for the entire system to maintain high efficiency while simultaneously ensuring production flexibility and intelligence. Therefore, developing a universal automatic shaping machine that can adapt to various molds, automatically adjust the posture of irregular workpieces, and achieve efficient, stable, and continuous production has become a key technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in the industry. Utility Model Content

[0003] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides a universal automatic shaping machine, comprising: frame; An automatic feeding module, mounted on the frame, is used to automatically feed workpieces to be shaped. The flipping module is located at the discharge end of the automatic feeding module and includes a transfer flipping platform, a rotary drive and a clamping component. The feed end of the transfer flipping platform corresponds to the discharge end of the automatic feeding module to receive the workpiece output by the automatic feeding module. The rotary drive is used to drive the clamping component to clamp the workpiece on the transfer flipping platform to rotate in order to adjust the posture of the workpiece to be shaped. The conveying module, located between the flipping module and the shaping module, includes an XY-axis moving module, a lifting drive component, and a vacuum adsorption component. The XY-axis moving module is used to achieve movement in two vertical directions within a plane to accommodate shaping modules of different sizes. The lifting drive component is slidably connected to the XY-axis moving module, and the vacuum adsorption component is installed on the telescopic end of the lifting drive component for adsorbing workpieces. The shaping module, mounted on the frame, includes an upper mold, a lower mold, and a shaping drive component that drives the upper or lower mold to close and separate. The control system is electrically connected to the automatic feeding module, flipping module, conveying module and shaping module, and is used to control each module to work together according to a preset program.

[0004] Preferably, the flipping module further includes a first adjustment component extending along the X-axis and a second adjustment component extending along the Y-axis. Both the first and second adjustment components are lockable sliding adjustment structures to achieve fine-tuning of the flipping module's position in the plane.

[0005] Preferably, the XY axis moving module includes an X-axis linear guide rail assembly and a Y-axis linear guide rail assembly; the X-axis linear guide rail assembly includes an X-axis guide rail, an X-axis slider, and an X-axis drive component, and the Y-axis linear guide rail assembly includes a Y-axis guide rail, a Y-axis slider, and a Y-axis drive component; the Y-axis guide rail is mounted on the X-axis slider, and the lifting drive component is mounted on the Y-axis slider to achieve precise movement of the actuator in the plane.

[0006] Preferably, the vacuum adsorption assembly includes at least two vacuum suction cups spaced apart along the Y-axis; the control system is configured to control a single vacuum suction cup to start adsorption in the first working cycle after equipment initialization; and in the second working cycle and thereafter, control at least two vacuum suction cups to start adsorption synchronously, so as to synchronously complete the loading of the workpiece to be shaped and the unloading of the shaped workpiece.

[0007] Preferably, the control system has preset coordinate parameters for the material picking position, the material dispensing position, and the safety position; the material picking position corresponds to the transfer and flipping platform, the material dispensing position corresponds to the shaping module, and the safety position is a preset coordinate point where the XY axis moving module avoids the working area of ​​the shaping module, so as to avoid interference between the handling module and the shaping module.

[0008] Preferably, the rotation angle of the rotary drive is adjustable, with an adjustment range of 0~360°, and the control system can preset the target rotation angle of the rotary drive according to the irregular structural parameters of the workpiece, so that the adjusted posture of the workpiece matches the cavity posture of the shaping module.

[0009] Preferably, the lifting drive component is a lifting cylinder. The extension and retraction stroke of the lifting drive component can be preset according to the lower mold height of the shaping module and the adsorption stroke of the vacuum adsorption component to ensure that the vacuum adsorption component can stably pick up and place the workpiece.

[0010] Preferably, the automatic feeding module includes a flexible feeding vibratory feeder and a robot arm. The flexible feeding vibratory feeder is used for directional conveying of the workpiece, and the robot arm transfers the workpiece from the discharge end of the flexible feeding vibratory feeder to the transfer and flipping platform.

[0011] The beneficial effects are as follows: This application achieves fully automated and efficient shaping production of various types of irregularly shaped workpieces by integrating an automatic feeding module, an adjustable flipping module, an XY-axis conveying module, a universal shaping module, and an intelligent control system. The automatic feeding module uses a flexible vibratory feeder in conjunction with a robotic arm to stably transport workpieces of different shapes. The flipping module is equipped with a rotary drive and clamping components, with an adjustable rotation angle within the range of 0~360°. Combined with an X / Y micro-adjustment mechanism, it precisely adapts to the workpiece posture and mold cavity, solving the problem of clamping and positioning irregularly shaped workpieces. The conveying module uses a high-precision XY linear guide rail and a lifting cylinder to drive the vacuum adsorption assembly, possessing wide-range mobility and compatibility with shaping modules of different sizes, improving the equipment's versatility. Specifically, the vacuum adsorption assembly is equipped with at least two spaced suction cups. The control system uses a cyclical control adsorption logic, with a single suction cup operating in the first cycle and simultaneous operation of both suction cups in subsequent cycles, synchronously completing loading and unloading, significantly shortening cycle time and improving production efficiency. The control system presets material pick-up, unloading, and safety position coordinates to ensure safe conveying paths and avoid interference between modules. The shaping module adopts a detachable mold design, which, together with the shaping drive components, facilitates quick shape changeover. Through the coordinated operation of various modules, the entire machine achieves a fully automated process from feeding, posture adjustment, handling to shaping, effectively solving the problems of poor versatility, complex shape changeover, and reliance on manual labor in traditional equipment. It significantly reduces production costs and downtime, and is suitable for flexible production scenarios with multiple varieties and small batches. The overall production capacity can reach 180~200 pieces / minute, with outstanding advantages such as high efficiency, intelligence, and stability. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the flip module structure of this utility model; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the handling module structure of this utility model; In the picture: 1. Automatic feeding module; 11. Flexible feeding vibratory feeder; 12. Robotic arm; 2. Flipping module; 21. Transfer flipping platform; 22. Rotation drive component; 23. Clamping component; 24. First adjustment component; 25. Second adjustment component; 3. Handling module; 31. X-axis linear guide rail assembly; 32. Y-axis linear guide rail assembly; 33. Lifting drive component; 34. Vacuum adsorption assembly; 341. Vacuum generator; 342. Vacuum suction cup; 4. Shaping module; 41. Mounting bracket; 42. Upper mold; 43. Lower mold; 44. Shaping drive component. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The following drawings will disclose several embodiments of this utility model. For clarity, many practical details will be described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details should not be used to limit this utility model. That is, in some embodiments of this utility model, these practical details are not essential. In addition, for the sake of simplicity, some conventional structures and components will be shown in the drawings in a simple schematic manner.

[0014] It should be noted that all directional indicators in this utility model embodiment, such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc., are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture as shown in the attached figure. If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly.

[0015] Furthermore, in this utility model, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" is for descriptive purposes only and does not specifically refer to any order or sequence, nor is it intended to limit the utility model. They are merely used to distinguish components or operations described with the same technical terms and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only if they are feasible for those skilled in the art. If a combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this utility model.

[0016] Example Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention. This embodiment provides a general-purpose automatic shaping machine including a frame (not shown in the figure) and an automatic feeding module 1, a flipping module 2, a conveying module 3, and a shaping module 4 mounted on the frame. Each module is electrically connected to a control system (specifically, a PLC), and the control system uniformly controls each module to work collaboratively according to a preset program. For ease of understanding of this embodiment, a direction axis is established: the X-axis is the first direction, and the Y-axis is the second direction. The first and second directions are perpendicular to and parallel to the top surface of the frame.

[0017] See also Figure 1The automatic feeding module 1 is used to automatically transport the workpiece to be shaped. The automatic feeding module 1 includes a flexible feeding vibratory feeder 11 and a robotic arm 12. The robotic arm 12 is positioned above the flexible feeding vibratory feeder 11. The flexible feeding vibratory feeder 11 is used for directional transport of the workpiece. The robotic arm 12 transfers the workpiece from the discharge end of the flexible feeding vibratory feeder 11 to the transfer and flipping platform 21. The robotic arm 12 is an existing technology; specifically, the AC05 robotic arm 12 provided by Huizhou Qinhan Technology Co., Ltd. can be selected. The flexible feeding vibratory feeder 11 generates directional vibration through an electromagnetic coil. The principle of this technology is common knowledge in the mechanical field; a clear explanation can be found in the Baidu Encyclopedia entry on feeding discs, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0018] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the flipping module structure of this utility model. The flipping module 2 is located at the discharge end of the automatic feeding module 1. The flipping module 2 includes a transfer flipping platform 21, a rotary drive component 22, and a clamping component 23. The feed end of the transfer flipping platform 21 corresponds to the discharge end of the automatic feeding module 1 to receive the workpiece output by the automatic feeding module 1. The transfer flipping platform 21 is equipped with a photoelectric sensor electrically connected to the control system to detect whether the workpiece is in place in real time, avoiding the rotary drive component 22 from spinning idly and improving equipment efficiency. The rotary drive component 22 is used to drive the clamping component 23 to clamp the workpiece on the transfer flipping platform 21 to rotate and adjust the posture of the workpiece to be shaped. The rotary drive component 22 can be a rotary cylinder. The bottom of the flipping module 2 also includes a first adjustment component 24 extending along the X-axis direction and a second adjustment component extending along the Y-axis direction. 25. The first adjustment component 24 and the second adjustment component 25 have the same structure, both being lockable sliding adjustment structures. The second adjustment component 25 is mounted above the first adjustment component 24. The first adjustment component 24 includes a plate 1, with oblong holes on all four sides. The plate 1 is detachably connected to the top surface of the frame via bolt-nut pairs through the oblong holes, achieving adjustable positioning of the plate 1 along the hole axis. Similarly, the second adjustment component 25 includes a plate 2, with oblong holes on all four sides. The plate 2 is detachably connected to the top surface of the plate 1 via bolt-nut pairs through the oblong holes, achieving adjustable positioning of the plate 2 along the hole axis. The first adjustment component 24 and the second adjustment component 25 work together to achieve fine-tuning of the position of the flipping module 2 on the frame, facilitating the flexible removal of parts from the transfer flipping platform 21 by the transport module 3. The rotation angle of the rotary drive component 22 is adjustable, with an adjustment range of 0~360°. The control system can preset the target rotation angle of the rotary drive component 22 according to the irregular structural parameters of the workpiece, so that the adjusted posture of the workpiece matches the cavity posture of the shaping module 4.

[0019] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the transport module structure of this utility model. The transport module 3 is located between the flipping module and the shaping module 4, and includes an XY-axis moving module, a lifting drive component 33, and a vacuum adsorption component 34. The XY-axis moving module is used to realize movement in two vertical directions in the plane to adapt to shaping modules 4 of different sizes. The lifting drive component 33 is slidably connected to the XY-axis moving module, and the vacuum adsorption component 34 is installed on the telescopic end of the lifting drive component 33 for adsorbing workpieces. The XY-axis moving module includes an X-axis linear guide rail assembly 31 and a Y-axis linear guide rail assembly 32. The X-axis linear guide rail assembly 31 includes an X-axis guide rail, an X-axis slider, and an X-axis drive component, and the Y-axis linear guide rail... Component 32 includes a Y-axis guide rail, a Y-axis slider, and a Y-axis drive component. The Y-axis guide rail is mounted on the X-axis slider, and the lifting drive component 33 is mounted on the Y-axis slider to achieve precise movement of the actuator in the plane. Both the X-axis linear guide rail component 31 and the Y-axis linear guide rail component 32 are existing technologies. Specifically, the FCL170-R5 linear motor module provided by Feichuang Linear Module (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. can be selected, which will not be described in detail here. The effective stroke of the X-axis linear guide rail component 31 and the Y-axis linear guide rail component 32 can enable the conveying module 3 to cover a working area of ​​not less than 1 square meter to be compatible with different sizes of shaping modules 4. The lifting drive component 33 is a lifting cylinder. The extension and retraction stroke of the lifting drive component 33 can be preset according to the height of the lower mold 43 of the shaping module 4 and the adsorption stroke of the vacuum adsorption component 34 to ensure that the vacuum adsorption component 34 can stably pick up and place workpieces. The vacuum adsorption assembly 34 includes a vacuum generator 341 and at least two vacuum suction cups 342 spaced apart along the Y-axis. The vacuum generator 341 and the vacuum suction cups 342 are connected through a vacuum pipeline. The control system is set to control a single vacuum suction cup 342 to start adsorption in the first working cycle after equipment initialization. In the second working cycle and thereafter, at least two vacuum suction cups 342 are controlled to start adsorption synchronously to synchronously complete the loading of the workpiece to be shaped and the unloading of the shaped workpiece. In other words, one vacuum suction cup 342 picks up the workpiece to be shaped from the transfer and flipping platform 21, while the other vacuum suction cup 342 picks up the shaped workpiece from the mold 43, thus reducing the time per cycle.

[0020] See also Figure 1The shaping module 4 includes a mounting frame 41, an upper mold 42, a lower mold 43, and a shaping drive component 44 that drives the upper mold 42 or the lower mold 43 to close and separate. The shaping drive component 44 is preferably a shaping cylinder. Similarly, as a standard component in the mechanical field, the basic structure and working principle of a shaping cylinder are well known to those skilled in the art. The output end of the cylinder is equipped with a shaping piston rod, and the shaping function is driven by the extension and retraction of the shaping piston rod. In this application, the conventional internal structure and connection relationships of the shaping cylinder itself and its shaping piston rod, and other known technical features, will not be described in detail. A position sensor is detachably connected to the shaping piston rod. The position sensor is electrically connected to the control system and is used to provide real-time feedback on the stroke position of the upper mold 42 or the lower mold 43. In this embodiment, the shaping drive component 44 is fixed to the frame via the mounting frame 41. The output end of the shaping drive component 44 is detachably connected to the upper mold 42 and drives the upper mold 42 to rise and fall, while the lower mold 43 is detachably fixed to the frame.

[0021] In another embodiment of this application, the control system is preset with coordinate parameters for a material picking position, a material placing position, and a safety position; the material picking position corresponds to the transfer and flipping platform 21, the material placing position corresponds to the shaping module, and the safety position is a preset coordinate point where the XY axis moving module avoids the working area of ​​the shaping module 4, so as to avoid interference between the transport module 3 and the shaping module 4.

[0022] In use, the coordinate parameters of the material picking position, material feeding position, and safety position can be preset in the control system according to the size of the upper mold 42 / lower mold 43. The workpiece is directionally conveyed by the flexible feeding vibratory feeder 11, and then the robot arm 12 transfers the workpiece from the discharge end of the flexible feeding vibratory feeder 11 to the transfer and flipping platform 21. If the posture of the workpiece is consistent with the shape of the cavity formed by the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 43, the workpiece does not need to be flipped, and the rotary drive 22 does not move or performs a 0° flip. If the posture of the workpiece is inconsistent with the shape of the cavity formed by the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 43, the rotary drive 22 drives the clamping member 23 to clamp the workpiece to be shaped and rotate it to a suitable angle to wait for the next action; at the same time, the transport module 3 moves along the X-axis to the transfer and flipping platform via the X-axis linear guide rail assembly 31. Near platform 21, the vacuum adsorption component 34 moves along the Y-axis via the Y-axis linear guide assembly 32 to the vicinity of the transfer and flipping platform 21. The lifting drive component 33 drives the vacuum adsorption component 34 to descend, and the vacuum suction cup 342 connects to the vacuum adsorption of the workpiece to be shaped. Then, the lifting drive component 33 drives the vacuum adsorption component 34 to rise. Next, the vacuum adsorption component 34 moves along the Y-axis via the Y-axis linear guide assembly 32 to above the lower mold 43 and places the workpiece to be shaped into the cavity of the lower mold 43. Then, the transport module 3 moves along the X-axis via the X-axis linear guide assembly 31 away from the shaping module 4. Then, the shaping module 4 shapes the workpiece to be shaped. This cycle repeats, realizing fully automatic continuous production of workpieces and improving work efficiency.

[0023] In summary, this application achieves fully automated and efficient shaping production of various types of irregularly shaped workpieces by integrating an automatic feeding module, an adjustable flipping module, an XY-axis transport module, a universal shaping module, and an intelligent control system. The automatic feeding module uses a flexible vibratory feeder in conjunction with a robotic arm to stably transport workpieces of different shapes. The flipping module is equipped with a rotary drive and clamping components, with an adjustable rotation angle within the range of 0~360°. Combined with an X / Y micro-adjustment mechanism, it precisely adapts to the workpiece posture and mold cavity, solving the problem of clamping and positioning irregularly shaped workpieces. The transport module uses a high-precision XY linear guide rail and a lifting cylinder to drive the vacuum adsorption assembly, providing wide-range mobility and compatibility with shaping modules of different sizes, improving the equipment's versatility. Specifically, the vacuum adsorption assembly is equipped with at least two spaced suction cups. The control system uses a cyclical control adsorption logic, with a single suction cup operating in the first cycle and simultaneous operation of both suction cups in subsequent cycles, completing loading and unloading synchronously, significantly shortening cycle time and improving production efficiency. The control system presets material pick-up, unloading, and safety position coordinates to ensure safe transport paths and avoid interference between modules. The shaping module adopts a detachable mold design, which, together with the shaping drive components, facilitates quick shape changeover. Through the coordinated operation of various modules, the entire machine achieves a fully automated process from feeding, posture adjustment, handling to shaping, effectively solving the problems of poor versatility, complex shape changeover, and reliance on manual labor in traditional equipment. It significantly reduces production costs and downtime, and is suitable for flexible production scenarios with multiple varieties and small batches. The overall production capacity can reach 180~200 pieces / minute, with outstanding advantages such as high efficiency, intelligence, and stability.

[0024] The above are merely embodiments of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principle of this utility model should be included within the scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A universal automatic shaping machine characterized by, include: frame; An automatic feeding module, installed on the frame, is used to automatically feed the workpiece to be shaped; A flipping module is set at the discharge end of the automatic feeding module, including a transfer flipping platform, a rotary drive and a clamping component. The feed end of the transfer flipping platform corresponds to the discharge end of the automatic feeding module to receive the workpiece output by the automatic feeding module. The rotary drive is used to drive the clamping component to clamp the workpiece on the transfer flipping platform to rotate in order to adjust the posture of the workpiece to be shaped. The conveying module, located between the flipping module and the shaping module, includes an XY-axis moving module, a lifting drive component, and a vacuum adsorption component. The XY-axis moving module is used to realize movement in two vertical directions in the plane to adapt to shaping modules of different sizes. The lifting drive component is slidably connected to the XY-axis moving module. The vacuum adsorption component is installed on the telescopic end of the lifting drive component and is used to adsorb workpieces. The shaping module is mounted on the frame and includes an upper mold, a lower mold, and a shaping drive component that drives the upper mold or the lower mold to close and separate. The control system is electrically connected to the automatic feeding module, the flipping module, the conveying module and the shaping module, and is used to control each module to work together according to a preset program.

2. The universal automatic shaping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flipping module further includes a first adjustment component extending along the X-axis and a second adjustment component extending along the Y-axis. Both the first and second adjustment components are lockable sliding adjustment structures to achieve fine-tuning of the flipping module's position in the plane.

3. The universal automatic shaping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The XY-axis moving module includes an X-axis linear guide rail assembly and a Y-axis linear guide rail assembly; the X-axis linear guide rail assembly includes an X-axis guide rail, an X-axis slider, and an X-axis drive component, and the Y-axis linear guide rail assembly includes a Y-axis guide rail, a Y-axis slider, and a Y-axis drive component; the Y-axis guide rail is mounted on the X-axis slider, and the lifting drive component is mounted on the Y-axis slider to achieve precise movement of the actuator in the plane.

4. The universal automatic shaping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum adsorption assembly includes at least two vacuum suction cups spaced apart along the Y-axis; the control system is configured to control a single vacuum suction cup to start adsorption in the first working cycle after equipment initialization; and in the second working cycle and thereafter, control at least two vacuum suction cups to start adsorption synchronously, so as to synchronously complete the loading of the workpiece to be shaped and the unloading of the shaped workpiece.

5. The universal automatic shaping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control system has preset coordinate parameters for the material picking position, the material placing position, and the safety position. The material picking position corresponds to the transfer and flipping platform, the material placing position corresponds to the shaping module, and the safety position is a preset coordinate point where the XY axis moving module avoids the working area of ​​the shaping module, so as to avoid interference between the transport module and the shaping module.

6. The universal automatic shaping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation angle of the rotary drive is adjustable, with an adjustment range of 0~360°. The control system can preset the target rotation angle of the rotary drive according to the irregular structural parameters of the workpiece, so that the adjusted posture of the workpiece matches the cavity posture of the shaping module.

7. The universal automatic shaping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting drive component is a lifting cylinder. The extension and retraction stroke of the lifting drive component can be preset according to the lower mold height of the shaping module and the adsorption stroke of the vacuum adsorption component to ensure that the vacuum adsorption component can stably pick up and place the workpiece.

8. The universal automatic shaping machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic feeding module includes a flexible feeding vibratory feeder and a robotic arm. The flexible feeding vibratory feeder is used for directional conveying of workpieces, and the robotic arm transfers the workpieces from the discharge end of the flexible feeding vibratory feeder to the transfer and flipping platform.

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