Universal power distribution cabinet shell automatic processing line for coiled sheet

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of general power distribution cabinet shell automatic processing line of coiled stock, including uncoiler, leveler, laser cutting machine, material transfer mechanism and downstream processing equipment arranged in sequence, the laser cutting machine has 360 ° self-rotating function, its placement surface can positive rotation and reverse transmission material, the material transfer mechanism is located between laser cutting machine and downstream processing equipment, for transferring after cutting material, at least one set of guide rail is equipped in the tail side of laser cutting machine, material placing trolley movable to the working range of the material transfer mechanism is equipped on the guide rail.The utility model can make line compatible coiled stock and plate two kinds of input mode, improve equipment utilization, and when the equipment upstream of automatic laser cutting machine fails, emergency plate input mode can be provided, avoid whole line production, improve line risk resistance ability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of power distribution cabinet processing technology, specifically to an automatic processing line for power distribution cabinet housings that is compatible with both coiled and sheet materials. Background Technology

[0002] In the industrial processing of electrical control cabinet housings, coiled material is the preferred raw material for mass production due to its continuous feeding capability. Compared to single sheets with fixed specifications, the core advantage of coil processing lies in efficiency. Material is continuously released via an uncoiler, leveled, and then directly fed into an automatic laser cutting machine with high-speed cutting capabilities. Modern automatic laser cutting machines typically integrate a 360° self-rotating worktable and advanced edge-finding functions, enabling efficient and precise cutting of complex contours. The cut sheets are usually picked up by a mechanical chuck and moved to subsequent high-value equipment such as CNC turret punch presses (for creating features like holes and louvers) and bending machines (for housing forming), forming a highly integrated continuous automatic processing line that significantly improves overall production efficiency.

[0003] However, this type of automated production line based on coil materials also has its inherent limitations. Coil materials are characterized by large single-roll weight and high procurement costs. When customer order quantities are small or product specifications are special, insufficient to support the procurement and consumption of whole-roll materials, processing single standard-sized sheets of sheet metal to reduce costs often becomes a more economical choice. However, existing automated coil material production lines are designed primarily around the characteristics of coil materials in their structural design (especially the upstream uncoiling, leveling, and continuous feeding stages), making it difficult to directly accommodate sheet metal input modes. In this case, manufacturers often have to abandon the use of efficient coil material lines and instead rely on other manual or semi-automated sheet metal processing lines. This not only reduces processing efficiency, but more importantly, it fails to fully utilize the high-value, high-performance equipment already invested in, such as CNC turret punch presses and bending machines, resulting in a decline in resource utilization. Furthermore, if the equipment located upstream of the automatic laser cutting machine (such as the uncoiler and leveler) malfunctions, the entire production line will come to a standstill, and it will be impossible to continue production using the high-value downstream tower punch and bending equipment. It lacks an emergency mechanism to maintain the operation of the process using sheet metal, and its ability to resist risks is weak. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide an automatic processing line for power distribution cabinet housings that is compatible with both coil and sheet materials. This line can be used to support both coil and sheet material input modes, thereby improving equipment utilization. Furthermore, it can provide an emergency sheet material input method in case of equipment failure upstream of the automatic laser cutting machine, thus avoiding a complete line shutdown and enhancing the line's resilience.

[0005] Technical Solution: An automatic processing line for power distribution cabinet housings that can be used for both coiled and sheet materials, comprising an uncoiler, a leveler, a laser cutter, a material transfer mechanism, and downstream processing equipment arranged in sequence. The laser cutter has a 360° self-rotation function, and its placement surface can rotate in both directions to transport materials. The material transfer mechanism is located between the laser cutter and the downstream processing equipment and is used to transfer the cut materials. At least one set of guide rails is provided on the tail side of the laser cutter, and a material trolley that can move to the working range of the material transfer mechanism is provided on the guide rails.

[0006] A further improvement of this invention is that one end of the guide rail extends beyond the working range of the material conveying mechanism.

[0007] A further improvement of this utility model is that the guide rail and the material placement trolley are provided in two sets, the two material placement trolleys being an outer trolley and an inner trolley, the placement surface of the outer trolley being located above the placement surface of the inner trolley, and a receiving space being provided below the placement surface of the outer trolley, the inner trolley being movable into the receiving space.

[0008] A further improvement of this utility model is that the material loading cart includes a vertically arranged support part and a placement part disposed on the support part, the lower end of the support part having a track wheel that rotates and cooperates with the guide rail, and the upper end surface of the placement part being the placement surface.

[0009] A further improvement of this utility model is that the inner side of the placement surface is provided with at least two positioning posts, the axis of each positioning post being perpendicular to the placement surface and the height being greater than the thickness of the sheet material, for positioning by contacting the right-angled edge of the sheet material.

[0010] A further improvement of this utility model is that the inner side of the vehicle has an array of insertion holes arranged along its edge, and the positioning post is detachably inserted into a selected insertion hole.

[0011] A further improvement of this utility model is that the inner side of the car is provided with a vertically layered brush, the height of which is higher than the thickness of a single sheet of material and abuts against the edge of the sheet of material.

[0012] A further improvement of this utility model is that the material loading cart moves along the guide rail via a drive mechanism.

[0013] A further improvement of this utility model is that the material transfer mechanism includes two gantry frames spaced apart along the length of the production line. The crossbeams of the gantry frames extend along the width of the production line. The upper ends of the two gantry frames are fixedly connected by a connecting beam extending along the length of the production line. A movable beam arranged along the width of the production line is slidably connected to the connecting beam. A mounting base is slidably connected to the movable beam. A lifting mechanism is provided on the mounting base. The lifting end of the lifting mechanism is vertically connected to a mechanical suction cup. Beneficial effects

[0014] This invention utilizes a guide rail and a movable material loading cart, leveraging the 360° self-rotating characteristic of the laser cutting machine, to support reverse feeding of sheet metal into the cutting machine for processing. This allows the production line to be compatible with both roll and sheet metal modes, solving the problem of traditional roll lines' inability to flexibly switch between roll and sheet metal, and improving equipment utilization. In roll mode, the material loading cart is used to receive small parts or leftover materials that do not need to enter downstream equipment after laser cutting. In sheet metal mode, the material loading cart serves as a raw material storage or finished product unloading platform, providing an emergency sheet metal input method in case of equipment failure upstream of the automatic laser cutting machine, thus avoiding complete line shutdown.

[0015] The guide rail of this utility model extends beyond the working range, allowing the material loading trolley to completely exit the automated area, ensuring the safety of manual operations (such as cutting micro-connectors and unloading materials), preventing workers from entering the dangerous area of ​​the robotic arm operation, avoiding conflicts between manual intervention and automated processes, and ensuring operational safety.

[0016] The inner carriage of this utility model can be moved into the space under the outer carriage, saving production line layout space and supporting quick switching between the two carriages. The inner carriage can be used for plate loading and positioning or temporary material storage, while the outer carriage is used for unloading surplus materials or finished products or emergency plate storage.

[0017] The positioning post of this invention achieves rapid coarse positioning of the sheet material through right-angle contact, reducing the accuracy requirements of manual alignment and improving processing efficiency when combined with the automatic edge-finding function of the laser cutting machine. Vertical layered brushes separate individual sheets during stacking and unloading, preventing adhesion and improving feeding reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the material loading cart of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a side view schematic diagram of the structure of the material loading cart of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the material transfer mechanism of this utility model.

[0022] In the diagram, 1-uncoiling machine, 2-leveling machine, 3-laser cutting machine, 4-material transfer mechanism, 5-guide rail, 6-outer carriage, 7-inner carriage, 8-accommodation space, 9-support part, 10-placement part, 11-positioning column, 12-insertion hole, 13-vertical layered brush, 14-gantry frame, 15-connecting beam, 16-moving beam, 17-lifting mechanism, 18-mechanical suction cup. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] Example 1: Combination Figures 1-4 It is known that an automatic processing line for power distribution cabinet housings that can be used for both coiled and sheet materials includes an uncoiler 1, a leveler 2, a laser cutter 3, a material transfer mechanism 4, and downstream processing equipment arranged in sequence. The laser cutter 3 has a 360° self-rotation function, and its placement surface can rotate forward and reverse to transport materials. The material transfer mechanism 4 is located between the laser cutter 3 and the downstream processing equipment and is used to transfer the cut materials. At least one set of guide rails 5 is provided on the side of the tail of the laser cutter 3, and a material trolley that can be moved to the working range of the material transfer mechanism 4 is provided on the guide rails 5.

[0025] The laser cutting machine 3 has a 360° self-rotation function, which is existing technology. Its worktable (i.e., the placement surface) can realize the forward conveying (towards the material transfer mechanism 4) and reverse conveying (towards the leveling machine 2) of materials by rotating forward and reverse. It can convey materials in both directions. This function and its implementation method are not the improvement points of this utility model.

[0026] One end of the guide rail 5 extends beyond the working range of the material transfer mechanism 4. This allows the material handling trolley to completely exit the automated area, ensuring the safety of manual operations (such as cutting micro-connectors and unloading), preventing workers from entering the dangerous area where the mechanical suction cup operator 18 is operating, and avoiding conflicts between manual intervention and the automated process. Limit blocks are provided at both ends of the guide rail 5.

[0027] Preferably, the guide rail 5 and the material trolley are provided in two sets, namely the outer trolley 6 and the inner trolley 7. The placement surface of the outer trolley 6 is located above the placement surface of the inner trolley 7, and a receiving space 8 is provided below the placement surface of the outer trolley 6, and the inner trolley 7 can be moved into the receiving space 8.

[0028] Preferably, the material handling vehicle includes a vertically arranged support part 9 and a placement part 10 disposed on the support part 9. The lower end of the support part 9 has a track wheel that rotates and cooperates with the guide rail, and the upper end surface of the placement part 10 is the placement surface.

[0029] The inner side of the placement surface of the carriage 7 is provided with at least two positioning posts 11. The axis of each positioning post 11 is perpendicular to the placement surface and its height is greater than the thickness of the sheet material (e.g., 10-30mm higher), which are used to abut and position the sheet material against the right-angle edge. This enables rapid rough positioning of the sheet material, reduces the accuracy requirements of manual alignment, and improves processing efficiency in conjunction with the automatic edge finding function of the laser cutting machine 3.

[0030] The inner side of the placement surface of the vehicle 7 is provided with an array of insertion holes 12, and the positioning post 11 is detachably inserted into the selected insertion hole 12. The lower end of the positioning post 11 is provided with a coaxial insertion part, the diameter of which is smaller than the diameter of the positioning post 11 and larger than the diameter of the insertion hole 12.

[0031] On the two adjacent edges of the inner side of the car 7, there are arrayed insertion holes 12. At least two positioning posts 11 are provided, located on the two adjacent edges, for abutting against the two adjacent right-angled sides of the sheet metal to achieve right-angle positioning of the sheet metal.

[0032] The inner carriage 7 has a vertically layered brush 13 on its placement surface. The brush's height is greater than the thickness of a single sheet and it abuts against the edge of the sheet. The vertically layered brush 13 is made of a material with appropriate elasticity and wear resistance (such as polyurethane). Its function is to use friction to separate potentially sticky sheets from the stacked sheets during loading, preventing adjacent sheets from sticking together due to adsorption or oil film, thus improving loading reliability.

[0033] The vertical layered brush 13 is located next to any side of the sheet metal positioned by the positioning post 11 (i.e., on any side of the right-angle positioning). The vertical layered brush 13 includes a brush plate and bristles thereon. The brush plate itself does not contact the side of the sheet metal positioned by the positioning post 11. A gap is reserved between the side of the brush plate with bristles and the outer side of the positioning post 11 (used to position the sheet metal on that side). This gap ensures that the brush plate does not obstruct the sheet metal from being positioned against the positioning post 11, while ensuring that the bristles can effectively contact the edge of the sheet metal.

[0034] The vertically layered brush 13 can be directly fixed to a preset position on the placement surface, or it can be repositioned. Preferably, the lower end of the brush plate also has a plug-in part, which can be detachably plugged into a selected insertion hole 12. For easy fixing, the plug-in part at the lower end of the brush plate can be provided with external threads, and it can be locked onto the material cart by matching bolts. To further improve installation efficiency and accuracy, the plug-in part at the lower end of the brush plate can be provided with a positioning protrusion, and a positioning groove that mates with it is provided through the insertion hole 12. When the plug-in part of the brush plate is inserted into the insertion hole 12, the cooperation between the positioning protrusion and the positioning groove can automatically ensure that the length direction of the brush plate is consistent with the length direction of the edge of the placement surface where the insertion hole is located, without the need for manual adjustment of the brush plate angle, saving operation time.

[0035] The material trolley moves along guide rail 5 via a drive mechanism (not shown in the figure). No manual pushing is required, further improving safety. The drive mechanism can employ conventional automated drive methods in the field, such as a chain drive mechanism with a servo motor, a rack and pinion mechanism, or a linear motor (not shown in the figure). This avoids manual pushing, improving the automation level and safety of the operation.

[0036] The material transfer mechanism 4 is a conventional mechanism for transferring sheet metal, which generally uses a mechanical suction cup to pick up and transfer the sheet metal. Preferably, the material transfer mechanism 4 includes two gantry frames 14 spaced apart along the length of the production line. The crossbeams of the gantry frames 14 extend along the width of the production line. The upper ends of the two gantry frames 14 are fixedly connected by a connecting beam 15 extending along the length of the production line. A movable beam 16 (driven by a slider guide or rack and pinion) is slidably connected to the connecting beam 15 along the width of the production line. A mounting base (driven by another set of slider guides or rack and pinion) is slidably connected to the movable beam 16. The mounting base is equipped with a lifting mechanism 17 (such as a cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or servo electric cylinder). The lifting end of the lifting mechanism 17 is vertically connected downward to a mechanical suction cup 18. The mechanical suction cup 18 adopts a conventional suction cup structure in the prior art, including a vacuum generator and a frame structure with a suction cup array. This structure and its working principle are not improvements of this utility model.

[0037] The working principle of the automatic processing line for universal distribution cabinet housings made of coiled and sheet materials provided by this utility model is as follows: Coil material mode: The coil material is released through the uncoiler 1, leveled by the leveler 2, and then fed into the laser cutting machine 3 with 360° self-rotation function for cutting. After cutting, the cut parts (usually large parts) that need to be sent to subsequent stages (such as downstream CNC turret punch presses) are completely separated from the material plate and are picked up and transferred to downstream equipment by the mechanical suction cup 18 of the material transfer mechanism 4. During the cutting layout, in order to reduce waste, small parts are arranged on the remaining parts of the large parts on the sheet. These small parts usually retain a micro-connection with the material plate (i.e., not completely cut, only retaining a connection thickness of about 0.2-0.5mm), so that the small parts are still attached to the remaining material. The remaining material plate with small parts attached is transferred by the mechanical suction cup 18 (by reasonably planning the suction cup pick-up points, which can be the remaining material plate area after the large parts are cut, the process area reserved on the small parts body, or a specially set suction cup position) and placed on the placement surface of the material cart (usually the outer cart 6) for temporary storage. When the material trolley is full, it moves along guide rail 5 to a safe area outside the working range via the drive mechanism. The micro-connectors are then cut manually, the small parts are removed, and the remaining material is cleaned up.

[0038] Sheet Material Mode / Emergency Mode: A single sheet of material is placed on the placement surface of the inner carriage 7, and the two adjacent right-angled edges of the sheet are coarsely positioned using the positioning pins 11. The mechanical suction cup 18 of the material transfer mechanism 4 picks up the single sheet of material from the inner carriage 7. The mechanical suction cup 18 transfers the picked-up sheet of material and places it on the rotary table at the tail of the laser cutting machine 3. The worktable of the laser cutting machine 3 reverses, sending the sheet of material into the processing area for cutting. The laser cutting machine 3 performs contour cutting on the sheet of material. After cutting, the worktable of the laser cutting machine 3 rotates forward, outputting the cut sheet material (generally including large parts, small parts, and scrap frames). The mechanical suction cup 18 sorts according to a preset program, picking up large parts that require further processing and transferring them to downstream equipment (such as a tower punch), and picking up small scrap plates with micro-connections or finished small parts / scraps that do not require further processing and placing them on the return material cart (outer carriage 6) for temporary storage or unloading.

[0039] When equipment upstream of the automatic laser cutting machine malfunctions, the roll material supply for the entire production line is interrupted. In this case, sheet material mode can be directly activated. The operator places a pre-prepared single sheet material on the inner carriage 7 (coarse positioning). Through the aforementioned sheet material feeding and processing flow, production can continue using the material transfer mechanism 4, the laser cutting machine 3 (using its cutting and reverse feeding functions), and downstream high-value equipment such as CNC turret punch presses and bending machines. This avoids a complete line shutdown and significantly improves the production line's resilience and equipment utilization rate.

[0040] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of this utility model, and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this utility model and implement it accordingly. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this utility model. All equivalent transformations or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and essence of this utility model should be included within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0041] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "transverse," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Any equivalent structural or process transformations made using the content of this utility model specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this utility model.

[0042] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

Claims

1. An automatic processing line for power distribution cabinet housings that are universal for both coil and sheet materials, comprising an uncoiler (1), a leveler (2), a laser cutter (3), a material transfer mechanism (4), and downstream processing equipment arranged sequentially, wherein the laser cutter (3) has a 360° self-rotation function and its placement surface can rotate forward and reverse to transport materials, and the material transfer mechanism (4) is located between the laser cutter (3) and the downstream processing equipment for transferring the cut materials, characterized in that: The laser cutting machine (3) has at least one set of guide rails (5) on the tail side, and the guide rails (5) are equipped with a material trolley that can move into the working range of the material transfer mechanism (4).

2. The automatic processing line for distribution cabinet housings that are universal for both coiled and sheet materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the guide rail (5) extends outside the working range of the material transfer mechanism (4).

3. The automatic processing line for distribution cabinet housings that are universal for both coiled and sheet materials according to claim 2, characterized in that: The guide rail (5) and the material placement car are provided in two sets. The two material placement cars are an outer car (6) and an inner car (7). The placement surface of the outer car (6) is located above the placement surface of the inner car (7), and a receiving space (8) is provided below the placement surface of the outer car (6). The inner car (7) can be moved into the receiving space (8).

4. The automatic processing line for distribution cabinet housings that are universally compatible with coiled and sheet materials according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material handling vehicle includes a vertically arranged support part (9) and a placement part (10) arranged on the support part (9). The lower end of the support part (9) rotates to cooperate with the guide rail, and the upper end surface of the placement part (10) is the placement surface.

5. The automatic processing line for distribution cabinet housings that are universally compatible with coiled and sheet materials according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner side vehicle (7) has at least two positioning posts (11) on the edge of the placement surface. The axis of each positioning post (11) is perpendicular to the placement surface and its height is greater than the thickness of the plate, and it is used to abut and position itself against the right-angle edge of the plate.

6. The automatic processing line for distribution cabinet housings that are universally compatible with coiled and sheet materials according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner side vehicle (7) has an array of sockets (12) arranged on its placement surface edge, and the positioning post (11) is detachably inserted into the selected socket (12).

7. The automatic processing line for distribution cabinet housings that are universally compatible with coiled and sheet materials according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner carriage (7) has a vertically layered brush (13) on its placement surface, which is higher than the thickness of a single sheet and abuts against the edge of the sheet.

8. The automatic processing line for distribution cabinet housings that are universal for both coiled and sheet materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material handling vehicle moves along the guide rail (5) via a drive mechanism.

9. The automatic processing line for distribution cabinet housings that are universal for both coiled and sheet materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material transfer mechanism (4) includes two gantry frames (14) spaced apart along the length of the production line. The crossbeams of the gantry frames (14) extend along the width of the production line. The upper ends of the two gantry frames (14) are fixedly connected by a connecting beam (15) extending along the length of the production line. A movable beam (16) is slidably connected to the connecting beam (15) along the width of the production line. A mounting base is slidably connected to the movable beam (16). A lifting mechanism (17) is provided on the mounting base. The lifting end of the lifting mechanism (17) is vertically connected to a mechanical suction cup (18).

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