Metal powder feeding device for laser cladding

Abstract

The utility model relates to laser cladding technical field especially relates to a kind of metal powder feeding equipment for laser cladding.The technical problem that the pressure difference between powder cylinder and the container of the powder to be added exists, can lead to airflow channeling, cause powder spraying or powder pulsation, seriously destroy the stability and symmetry of powder flow.A kind of metal powder feeding equipment for laser cladding, including powder cylinder, the upper side of powder cylinder is equipped with cover plate, powder cylinder and cover plate cooperation form powder storage cavity, cover plate is embedded with feed pipe, the downside of powder cylinder is provided with discharge port, the middle part in powder cylinder is equipped with cone one, cover plate is rotatably connected with cone two, cone one and cone two are respectively provided with evenly distributed unloading hole one and unloading hole two.The utility model only opens powder passage when the pressure of upper chamber and lower chamber is consistent, avoids the powder being blown by high-speed airflow due to pressure difference, and simultaneously from powder addition to powder transfer end, powder is always under inert gas protection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of laser cladding technology, and in particular to a metal powder feeding device for laser cladding. Background Technology

[0002] As an advanced surface engineering and additive manufacturing technology, the final forming quality of laser cladding technology largely depends on the stability of the powder feeding process and the purity of the powder material. This is especially true in coaxial powder feeding technology, which has complex processes and strict requirements for powder trajectory.

[0003] The coaxial powder feeding process relies entirely on carrier gas to transport powder, which creates a dynamic and difficult-to-control air pressure environment inside the powder cylinder. In the existing technology, when the powder in the powder cylinder is insufficient, powder needs to be replenished. Due to the pressure difference between the inside of the powder cylinder and the container storing the powder to be added, the moment the channel is opened, airflow will surge, causing powder spraying or powder pulsation. This violent flow fluctuation is transmitted to the coaxial powder feeding nozzle, which will seriously damage the stability and symmetry of the powder flow, ultimately leading to uneven cladding layer thickness, porosity, slag inclusions and other defects, directly damaging the performance and consistency of the workpiece.

[0004] On the other hand, in order to prevent the oxidation of metal powders (especially reactive metals such as titanium and aluminum), inert protective gases must be used in both the carrier gas and the powder cylinder. This requirement for airtight protection creates a sharp contradiction with the aforementioned powder replenishment operation. To replenish powder, the system must be opened, which will destroy the protective atmosphere. If the atmosphere needs to be maintained, powder cannot be replenished. This means that existing equipment cannot achieve online replenishment without stopping the machine when the powder in the powder cylinder is about to run out. Operators can only wait until the powder is completely exhausted, shut down the entire laser processing system, and replace or disassemble the powder cylinder to add powder. This process not only causes production interruption and significantly reduces equipment utilization, but also requires atmosphere replacement and process parameter stabilization again after restarting, which seriously restricts the application of laser cladding technology in automated and large-scale production lines. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to overcome the shortcomings mentioned in the background art, the present invention provides a metal powder feeding device for laser cladding.

[0006] The technical solution of this utility model is as follows: A metal powder feeding device for laser cladding includes a powder cylinder, a cover plate installed on the upper side of the powder cylinder, the powder cylinder and the cover plate cooperate to form a powder storage cavity, the cover plate is embedded with a feed pipe communicating with the powder storage cavity, the lower side of the powder cylinder is provided with a discharge port communicating with the powder storage cavity, a cone hopper one is installed in the middle of the powder cylinder, the cone hopper one is located in the powder storage cavity, the cover plate is rotatably connected to a cone hopper two located in the powder storage cavity, the cone hopper two is in close contact with the cone hopper one, and the two cooperate to divide the powder storage cavity into upper and lower chambers, the cone hopper one and the cone hopper two are respectively provided with uniformly distributed discharge holes one and two, a motor one is installed on the upper side of the cover plate, and the output shaft of the motor one is driven by a gear set to the cone hopper two.

[0007] Furthermore, the uniformly distributed feed holes one and two are staggered, and the area of ​​feed hole one is smaller than the area of ​​feed hole two.

[0008] Furthermore, a turntable is connected to the feed tube for limiting rotation, and a cutter is installed on the upper side of the turntable. The central angle corresponding to the cutter is less than 90°.

[0009] Furthermore, a discharge hole three is provided in the lower part of the feed pipe, and a discharge hole four is provided in the lower part of the turntable. Both discharge holes three and four are semi-circular holes, and the area of ​​discharge hole three is larger than the area of ​​discharge hole four.

[0010] Furthermore, the powder cylinder is embedded with a set of air carrier pipelines that communicate with the powder storage chamber. The air carrier pipelines include an air supply pipe 1 located in the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber, an air supply pipe 2 located in the upper chamber of the powder storage chamber, and an exhaust pipe 1 located in the upper chamber of the powder storage chamber. Pressure sensors are installed in both the upper and lower chambers of the powder storage chamber.

[0011] Furthermore, a rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the center of the cone bucket two. The part of the rotating shaft located in the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber is equipped with axially evenly distributed stirring blades. A motor two is installed on the upper side of the cover plate. The output shaft of the motor two is driven by a gear set to the rotating shaft.

[0012] Furthermore, the lower part of the powder cylinder is designed as a cone shape, and the side wall of the powder cylinder is provided with a heat preservation and heating chamber. The powder cylinder is embedded with a set of heating gas pipelines that communicate with the heat preservation and heating chambers. The heating gas pipelines include an air inlet pipe located on the lower side and an exhaust pipe located on the upper side.

[0013] This utility model has the following advantages: This invention opens or closes the powder channel by driving the cone bucket to rotate via a motor. This ensures that the powder channel is only opened when the pressure in the upper and lower chambers is consistent, avoiding powder being blown away by high-speed airflow (powder spraying) or unstable conveying due to pressure difference. At the same time, from the start of powder addition to the end of powder transfer, the powder is always under the protection of inert gas, achieving true full-process anti-oxidation.

[0014] This invention uses a motor to drive three stirring blades to rotate continuously, stirring the metal powder in the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber, preventing the metal powder from bridging or clogging at the conical bottom of the powder cylinder, thereby ensuring the flowability of the powder.

[0015] This invention prevents the metal powder in the powder storage chamber from agglomerating and forming bridging or blockages in the powder cylinder, discharge port, or laser cladding head, thus avoiding powder feeding interruption. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural cross-sectional view of the powder cylinder of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the first cone bucket, the second cone bucket, and the first discharge hole of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the feed pipe and turntable of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the turntable, cutter, and feeding hole of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the cutter, feeding hole three, and feeding hole four of this utility model.

[0022] In the attached diagram: 1-Powder cylinder, 2-Cover plate, 3-Feed pipe, 4-Discharge port, 5-Conical hopper one, 6-Conical hopper two, 7-Discharge hole one, 8-Discharge hole two, 9-Motor one, 10-Turntable, 11-Cutter, 12-Discharge hole three, 13-Discharge hole four, 14-Air supply pipe one, 15-Air supply pipe two, 16-Exhaust pipe one, 17-Rotating shaft, 18-Stirring blade, 19-Motor two, 20-Air inlet pipe, 21-Exhaust pipe two. Detailed Implementation

[0023] References to embodiments herein mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0024] A metal powder feeding device for laser cladding, such as Figures 1-3As shown, the device includes a powder cylinder 1 and a cover plate 2. The powder cylinder 1 and the cover plate 2 are detachably fixedly connected by circumferentially distributed bolts, together forming the powder storage cavity. The cover plate 2 is fitted with a feed pipe 3 that communicates with the powder storage cavity. A discharge port 4 that communicates with the powder storage cavity is provided on the lower side of the powder cylinder 1. The discharge port 4 is connected to the laser cladding processing head through a pipe. A conical hopper 5 located in the powder storage cavity is installed in the middle of the powder cylinder 1. A second conical hopper 6 located in the powder storage cavity is rotatably connected to the cover plate 2. The second conical hopper 6 and the conical hopper... The cone hopper 1 and cone hopper 2 are closely fitted together, and the two work together to divide the powder storage chamber into upper and lower chambers. The cone hopper 1 and cone hopper 2 are respectively provided with uniformly distributed discharge holes 1 7 and discharge holes 2 8. The uniformly distributed discharge holes 1 7 and discharge holes 2 8 are staggered, and the area of ​​discharge hole 1 7 is smaller than the area of ​​discharge hole 2 8, so as to ensure that the channel can be reliably sealed when the two discharge holes are staggered. The cover plate 2 is equipped with a motor 1 9, and the output shaft of motor 1 9 is connected to cone hopper 2 6 through a gear set.

[0025] like Figures 4-6 As shown, a turntable 10 is connected to the feed pipe 3 for limiting rotation. This limiting rotation is used to restrict the turntable 10 to rotate only between 0° (initial position) and 180° (open position). A cutter 11 is installed on the upper side of the turntable 10. The central angle corresponding to the cutter 11 is less than 90°, so as to ensure that the cutter 11 will not completely cut off the sealing film of the metal powder packaging barrel.

[0026] like Figures 4-6 As shown, the lower part of the feed pipe 3 is provided with a discharge hole 3 12, and the lower part of the turntable 10 is provided with a discharge hole 4 13. Both discharge holes 3 12 and discharge holes 4 13 are semi-circular holes, and the area of ​​discharge hole 3 12 is larger than the area of ​​discharge hole 4 13.

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, the powder cylinder 1 is equipped with a set of air carrier pipelines that communicate with the powder storage chamber. The air carrier pipelines include an air supply pipe 14 located in the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber, an air supply pipe 15 located in the upper chamber of the powder storage chamber, and an exhaust pipe 16 located in the upper chamber of the powder storage chamber. Pressure sensors are installed in both the upper and lower chambers of the powder storage chamber to monitor the pressure in the two chambers. In use, the air supply pipe 14, the air supply pipe 15, and the exhaust pipe 16 are all connected to the air carrier conveying equipment, and each of them is equipped with a solenoid valve (not shown in the figure) to control the internal passage.

[0028] like Figure 2 As shown, a rotating shaft 17 is rotatably connected to the center of the cone hopper 2 6. The part of the rotating shaft 17 located in the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber is equipped with axially evenly distributed stirring blades 18. A motor 2 19 is installed on the upper side of the cover plate 2. The output shaft of the motor 2 19 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 17 through a gear set.

[0029] like Figure 2As shown, the lower part of the powder cylinder 1 is cone-shaped, and the side wall of the powder cylinder 1 is provided with a heat preservation and heating chamber. The powder cylinder 1 is embedded with a set of heating gas pipelines that communicate with the heat preservation and heating chamber. The heating gas pipelines include an air inlet pipe 20 located on the lower side and an exhaust pipe 21 located on the upper side. Both the air inlet pipe 20 and the exhaust pipe 21 are connected to the gas heating equipment, and both are equipped with solenoid valves (not shown in the figure) to control their internal passages.

[0030] During the specific operation, the carrier gas entering the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber through the gas supply pipe 14 carries the metal powder through the discharge port 4 and the pipeline into the laser cladding head, achieving normal powder feeding. During this process, the motor 19 drives the three stirring blades 18 to rotate continuously through the rotating shaft 17, stirring the metal powder in the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber to prevent the metal powder from bridging or blocking at the conical bottom of the powder cylinder 1, thereby ensuring powder flowability. At the same time, the gas heating equipment continuously sends heating gas into the heat preservation heating chamber through the air inlet pipe 20, and then the gas flows back to the gas heating equipment through the exhaust pipe 21. This cycle heats the metal powder in the powder storage chamber, preventing the metal powder from agglomerating and forming bridging or blockage in the powder cylinder 1, discharge port 4, or laser cladding head, which would cause powder feeding interruption.

[0031] When metal powder needs to be added to the powder container 1, the operator inverts a standardized commercial metal powder packaging container (whose opening is sealed with a film) onto the inlet of the feed pipe 3 and achieves a sealed connection using a quick clamp or thread. During this process, the cutter 11, fixed to the upper side of the turntable 10, pierces and inserts into the sealing film and enters the packaging container. The operator then rotates the turntable 10, which drives the cutter 11 to rotate 180°. The cutter cuts most of the sealing film along the circumferential trajectory, but leaves a portion of the connection so that the cut sealing film remains connected to the opening of the container, preventing it from falling into the powder storage chamber. During this process, when the cutter 11 rotates 180°, the discharge hole 4 13 aligns with the discharge hole 3 12, and the feeding channel opens. The powder flows naturally into the upper chamber of the powder storage chamber by gravity. When the two holes are misaligned, the channel closes. After all the powder has flowed in or the amount of powder added is sufficient, the operator rotates the turntable 10 in the opposite direction to reset the cutter 11 and removes the empty packaging container, completing the initial powder addition operation.

[0032] After the initial powder addition operation is completed, the pressure sensors in the upper and lower chambers of the powder storage chamber begin to operate continuously, monitoring the pressure data of the two chambers in real time. The carrier gas conveying device slowly and steadily introduces inert protective gas (such as argon) into the upper chamber through the gas supply pipe 15. The original gas in the upper chamber is discharged through the exhaust pipe 16. This process replaces the gas in the upper chamber, removes any air that may have entered the upper chamber during the powder addition operation, restores the protective atmosphere inside the powder storage chamber, prevents oxidation of the metal powder, and establishes a slight positive pressure environment within the powder storage chamber to further prevent external air from seeping in. The process continues until the pressure in the upper and lower chambers of the powder storage chamber is equal. Then, motor 9 operates, transmitting power through its output shaft. The second cone hopper rotates until the first discharge hole 7 and the second discharge hole 8 coincide. The metal powder in the upper chamber of the powder storage chamber enters the lower chamber, completing the powder addition operation. After all the metal powder in the chamber has entered the lower chamber, the first motor 9 drives the second cone hopper to reverse and reset through its output shaft. This ensures that the powder channel is opened only when the pressure in the upper and lower chambers is consistent, avoiding the powder being blown away by the high-speed airflow (powder spraying) or unstable conveying due to pressure difference. At the same time, from the start of powder addition to the end of powder transfer, the powder is always under the protection of inert gas, achieving true full-process anti-oxidation. Furthermore, during the process of adding metal powder, the metal powder always moves into the laser cladding nozzle through the discharge port 4.

[0033] 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 changes 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.

Claims

1. A metal powder feeding device for laser cladding, characterized in that, It includes a powder cylinder (1), a cover plate (2) installed on the upper side of the powder cylinder (1), the powder cylinder (1) and the cover plate (2) cooperate to form a powder storage cavity, the cover plate (2) is embedded with a feed pipe (3) communicating with the powder storage cavity, the powder cylinder (1) is provided with a discharge port (4) communicating with the powder storage cavity on the lower side, a cone bucket one (5) is installed in the middle of the powder cylinder (1), the cone bucket one (5) is located in the powder storage cavity, the cover plate (2) is rotatably connected to a cone bucket two (6) located in the powder storage cavity, the cone bucket two (6) is in close contact with the cone bucket one (5), and the two cooperate to divide the powder storage cavity into upper and lower chambers, the cone bucket one (5) and the cone bucket two (6) are respectively provided with uniformly distributed discharge holes one (7) and discharge holes two (8), the cover plate (2) is installed with a motor one (9), the output shaft of the motor one (9) is driven by a gear set to the cone bucket two (6).

2. The metal powder feeding device for laser cladding according to claim 1, characterized in that, The uniformly distributed feed holes 1 (7) and 2 (8) are interspersed, and the area of ​​feed hole 1 (7) is smaller than the area of ​​feed hole 2 (8).

3. The metal powder feeding device for laser cladding according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feed pipe (3) is connected to a turntable (10) for rotatable positioning. A cutter (11) is installed on the upper side of the turntable (10). The central angle corresponding to the cutter (11) is less than 90°.

4. A metal powder feeding device for laser cladding according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lower part of the feed pipe (3) is provided with a discharge hole three (12), and the lower part of the turntable (10) is provided with a discharge hole four (13). Both discharge holes three (12) and discharge holes four (13) are semi-circular holes, and the area of ​​discharge hole three (12) is larger than the area of ​​discharge hole four (13).

5. A metal powder feeding device for laser cladding according to claim 1, characterized in that, The powder cylinder (1) is equipped with a set of air carrier pipelines that communicate with the powder storage chamber. The air carrier pipelines include an air supply pipe (14) located in the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber, an air supply pipe (15) located in the upper chamber of the powder storage chamber, and an exhaust pipe (16). Pressure sensors are installed in both the upper and lower chambers of the powder storage chamber.

6. A metal powder feeding device for laser cladding according to claim 5, characterized in that, A rotating shaft (17) is rotatably connected at the center of the cone bucket (6). The part of the rotating shaft (17) located in the lower chamber of the powder storage chamber is equipped with axially evenly distributed stirring blades (18). A motor (19) is installed on the upper side of the cover plate (2). The output shaft of the motor (19) is driven by a gear set to the rotating shaft (17).

7. A metal powder feeding device for laser cladding according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lower part of the powder cylinder (1) is set as a cone shape, and the side wall of the powder cylinder (1) is provided with a heat preservation and heating chamber. The powder cylinder (1) is embedded with a set of heating gas pipelines that are connected to the heat preservation and heating chamber. The heating gas pipelines include an air inlet pipe (20) located on the lower side and an exhaust pipe (21) located on the upper side.

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