Long-range wire feeder and laser wire feeder

Abstract

The application relates to a long-range wire feeding device and a laser wire feeding device, which is suitable for a long-range wire feeding device in the fields of laser additive manufacturing, laser cladding and the like, and aims to solve the problem that an existing device cannot be adapted to long-distance and complex layout wire feeding. The device comprises a wire storage device, a first-stage wire pushing machine, a second-stage wire pushing machine, a buffer and a wire drawing machine which are sequentially arranged, any adjacent components are connected through a bendable wire feeding pipe, and at least two wire feeding pipes form a bending part. Through the design of the multiple-section bendable wire feeding pipe, the wire feeding path can be flexibly planned, large components or equipment obstacles of a multi-station production line can be easily bypassed, and the wire feeding distance can be effectively extended; the middle-section buffer isolates power impact and tension fluctuation, and stability of wire feeding is ensured. The device has a reasonable structure, is adapted to long-range complex working conditions, realizes stable and continuous wire feeding, ensures quality of a laser processing molten pool and precision of a formed part, and meets the requirements of large component processing and multi-station concentrated wire feeding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of laser wire feeding, and in particular to a long-range wire feeding device and a laser wire feeding device. Background Technology

[0002] In laser wire feeding processing fields such as laser additive manufacturing, laser cladding, and laser brazing, the wire feeding device is one of the core key equipment. Its core function is to deliver metal wire to the laser action area in a stable, precise, and continuous manner. The stability of wire feeding directly determines the quality of the molten pool, the dimensional accuracy of the formed parts, the uniformity of the microstructure, and the continuity of the processing. As laser processing technology develops towards the manufacturing of large components, processing under complex conditions, and high-precision forming, the demand for long-distance wire feeding is becoming increasingly urgent. For example, when processing large laser additive manufacturing workpieces, in order to avoid interference between the wire feeding mechanism and the laser head and tooling fixtures, the wire feeding path must bypass complex structures, resulting in a long wire feeding distance. In addition, in multi-station laser processing production lines, the wire storage device needs to be centrally arranged, and wire is supplied to multiple processing stations through long-distance wire feeding pipelines. These scenarios place stringent requirements on the adaptability, stability, and accuracy of long-distance wire feeding.

[0003] Existing laser wire feeding devices are mostly designed for short to medium distance processing scenarios and cannot be adapted to long-distance wire feeding. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this application is to provide a long-distance wire feeding device that can be adapted to long-distance wire feeding.

[0005] The above-mentioned objective of this application is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0006] A long-range wire feeding device includes a wire storage device, a primary wire pusher, a secondary wire pusher, a buffer, and a wire drawing machine arranged in sequence. Any two adjacent components are connected by a wire feeding tube, and the wire feeding tube between any two adjacent components can be bent. At least two of the wire feeding tubes are bent to form a bent section.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bending radius of the bent portion is not less than 600 mm.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bending radius of the bending portion is greater than 120 times the outer diameter of the wire feeding tube.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wire feeding tube is a steel wire spring wire feeding tube.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the long-range wire feeding device further includes a push-end encoder and a draw-end encoder. The push-end encoder is located between the primary wire pusher and the secondary wire pusher, and the push-end encoder is connected to the primary wire pusher and the secondary wire pusher via the wire feeding tube. The draw-end encoder is located between the buffer and the drawer, and the draw-end encoder is connected to the buffer and the drawer via the wire feeding tube.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the long-range wire feeding device further includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the push-end encoder and the draw-end encoder respectively for real-time detection of the wire feeding speed at the corresponding position. The controller is also connected to the first-stage pusher, the second-stage pusher and the drawer respectively to adjust the wire feeding speed at the corresponding position.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wire storage device is provided with multiple wire hoppers, each wire hopper storing one strand of the wire, and the number of the primary wire pusher, the secondary wire pusher, the buffer, and the wire drawing machine is also multiple to correspond to multiple strands of the wire.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, both the primary wire pusher and the secondary wire pusher include a driving wheel, a driven wheel, and a wire feeding motor. The driving wheel and the driven wheel are arranged opposite to each other, and the wire channel is formed between the driving wheel and the driven wheel. The wire feeding motor is connected to the driving wheel.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the buffer includes a fixed tube, a movable tube, and a position sensor. The fixed tube and the movable tube are sleeved together. The filament passes through the fixed tube and the movable tube. The movable tube moves relative to the fixed tube to change the movement path of the filament, thereby adapting to the change in the length of the filament between the primary wire pusher, the secondary wire pusher, and the wire drawing machine. The position sensor detects the position of the movable tube. The position sensor is electrically connected to the wire pusher to adjust the wire feeding rate of the primary wire pusher and the secondary wire pusher according to the position of the movable tube.

[0015] A laser wire feeding device includes the aforementioned long-range wire feeding device, and further includes a laser wire feeding head, which is connected to the wire drawing machine.

[0016] In summary, the beneficial technical effects of this application are as follows:

[0017] 1. This application achieves a flexible wire feeding path by designing multiple flexible wire feeding tubes, where the wire storage device, primary wire pusher, secondary wire pusher, buffer, and wire drawing machine can all be bent between any two adjacent components, and at least two of the wire feeding tubes have bends.

[0018] 2. This application has a large number of components, and each component is equipped with a flexible wire feeding tube, which can easily bypass the complex component structure or equipment obstacles of multi-station production lines in large-scale laser additive manufacturing, effectively extend the wire feeding distance, perfectly adapt to long-distance wire feeding scenarios such as large component processing and multi-station centralized wire feeding, and significantly improve the adaptability of the device to long-distance complex processing environments.

[0019] 3. This application adopts a distributed dual-push-one-pull structure consisting of a primary wire pusher, a secondary wire pusher, and a wire drawer. The power relay of the two-stage wire pusher and the traction of the wire drawer form a continuous and stable wire feeding power chain, which solves the problem of power attenuation along the path and inability to effectively drive the wire during long-distance transportation. This ensures that the wire receives sufficient and continuous driving force during long-distance transportation, avoids wire stagnation, and provides power guarantee for the uninterrupted operation of the laser processing process.

[0020] 4. This application sets up a multi-section bendable wire feeding tube with at least two bends, so that the wire feeding tube can be planned with a large arc bending path according to the actual layout requirements. This avoids the contact pressure between the wire and the tube wall at small arc bends, solves the technical problems of jamming and wear in long-distance wire feeding, realizes stable and continuous wire feeding, avoids the energy imbalance of the laser melting pool caused by jamming, and ensures the surface quality and microstructure uniformity of the formed parts.

[0021] 5. This application sets a buffer in the middle section of the wire path. The buffer can effectively isolate the dynamic impact and tension fluctuation of the wire feeding in the front and rear sections, absorb the instantaneous disturbance during the conveying process, avoid sudden changes in the wire feeding speed, keep the wire feeding tension stable, significantly reduce the risk of processing interruption caused by the accumulation of impact during long-distance conveying, improve the operational stability of the entire wire feeding system, and indirectly ensure the continuity of laser processing and the consistency of the dimensional of the formed parts. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a long-distance wire feeding device.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the buffer structure.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the buffer.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a primary wire pusher.

[0026] The following are the reference numerals: 1. Wire storage device; 2. Primary wire pusher; 21. Drive wheel; 22. Driven wheel; 3. Secondary wire pusher; 4. Buffer; 41. Fixed tube; 42. Moving tube; 43. Slider; 44. Slide rail; 5. Wire drawing machine; 6. Wire feeding tube; 7. Wire pusher end encoder; 8. Wire drawing end encoder; 9. Laser wire feeding head. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] like Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a long-range wire feeding device, primarily used in laser wire feeding processing fields such as laser additive manufacturing, laser cladding, and laser brazing, to achieve long-distance, stable, and precise metal wire feeding. The device's structure is arranged sequentially along the wire feeding direction, comprising a wire storage device 1, a primary wire pusher 2, a secondary wire pusher 3, a buffer 4, and a wire drawing machine 5. These components are arranged in a straight line along the wire feeding path to ensure the continuity of wire feeding.

[0029] Among them, the wire storage device 1 is used to store the metal wire to be conveyed. It can be a wire bucket, wire spool rack or wire storage box in the existing technology. Its core function is to provide a continuous and tangle-free wire supply for the entire wire feeding system, and avoid problems such as knotting and jamming of the wire in the early stage of conveying.

[0030] Both the primary wire pusher 2 and the secondary wire pusher 3 are power components for wire conveying, and their structures can be completely identical. Preferably, both the primary wire pusher 2 and the secondary wire pusher 3 are roller-type wire pushers. This type of wire pusher includes a pair of opposing drive rollers. The roller surfaces can be provided with anti-slip textures to enhance the friction with the wire. During operation, the rollers are driven to rotate by a motor. The friction between the rollers and the wire is used to clamp the wire and push it forward. The two-stage wire pusher setup forms a power relay to ensure that the wire always receives sufficient driving force during long-distance conveying.

[0031] like Figure 2As shown, the buffer 4 is located in the middle section of the wire path between the secondary wire pusher 3 and the wire drawing machine 5. The buffer 4 serves as a buffer between the wire pusher and the wire drawing machine 5. Here, the wire pusher refers to both the primary wire pusher 2 and the secondary wire pusher 3 as a whole. The buffer 4 includes a fixed tube 41, a moving tube 42, and a position sensor. The fixed tube 41 and the moving tube 42 are coaxially connected and can move relative to each other. The fixed tube 41 faces the wire pusher, and the wire enters the buffer 4 through the fixed tube 41 after being fed out by the wire pusher. The moving tube 42 faces the wire drawing machine 5, and the wire passes through the internal channel formed by the nested fixed tube 41 and the moving tube 42, exits from the outlet of the moving tube 42, extends out, and enters the wire drawing machine 5, forming a continuous conveying path. When the conveying efficiency of the wire pusher and the wire drawing machine 5 is mismatched, the conveying path or tension of the wire changes, which causes the moving tube 42 to extend or retract into the fixed tube 41. The position sensor is used to detect the position of the moving tube 42 relative to the fixed tube 41 and transmits the detected information to the wire pusher to adjust the conveying speed of the wire pusher and thus adapt to the wire feeding speed of the wire drawing machine 5.

[0032] The position sensor preferably uses a linear potentiometer, whose resistance value changes with the displacement of the moving tube 42 and is output to the wire pusher. For example, when the moving tube 42 extends a certain distance, the wire drawing rate of the wire drawing machine 5 increases by a certain proportion to match the wire drawing speed with the wire pushing speed, thus preventing the buffer 4 from extending excessively. Conversely, when the moving tube 42 retracts, a deceleration command is sent to prevent the wire from breaking.

[0033] Furthermore, the fixed tube 41 and the moving tube 42 are made of lightweight, high-strength materials, such as aluminum alloy or carbon fiber composite materials, and the inner wall is coated with polytetrafluoroethylene to reduce the frictional resistance of the wire.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the buffer 4 also includes a guide structure, which includes a slider 43 and a slide rail 44. The slide rail 44 is a linear guide rail. One end of the slider 43 is connected to the moving tube 42. The slider 43 and the slide rail 44 are slidably connected. The slide rail 44 and the fixed tube 41 are in the same direction and relatively fixed, so that the moving tube 42 can slide smoothly along the fixed tube 41, while limiting radial sway to avoid wire deviation.

[0035] Furthermore, a straight slide rail 44 is connected to the outer side of the fixed tube 41 along its length direction, i.e. the axial direction of the wire conveying. The slide rail 44 is fixed relative to the fixed tube 41, and the extension direction of the slide rail 44 is coaxial with the wire conveying path, ensuring that the movement direction of the moving tube 42 is strictly along the axial direction of the wire conveying. A slider 43 is fixedly connected to the outer side of the moving tube 42. The slider 43 slides with the slide rail 44 to form a linear guide structure.

[0036] Furthermore, a position sensor is installed along the length of the slide rail 44, with its detection end corresponding to the slider 43. The real-time displacement of the moving tube 42 is obtained by monitoring the position of the slider 43 in real time.

[0037] Specifically, the position sensor can be a linear potentiometer or a magnetic grating sensor. The resistive element of the linear potentiometer is fixed on one side of the slide rail 44, and a sliding contact is installed on the slider 43. When the moving tube 42 drives the slider 43 to move along the slide rail 44, the contact slides on the resistive element and outputs a voltage signal proportional to the displacement. The magnetic grating sensor has a magnetic grating ruler laid on one side of the slide rail 44, and a magnetic probe is installed on the slider 43. The position is accurately read by detecting changes in the magnetic field.

[0038] Preferably, a compression spring is provided at the nesting point of the fixed tube 41 and the moving tube 42. When the wire feeding speed of the wire pusher is higher than that of the wire drawing machine 5, the wire relaxes in the buffer 4, the tension decreases, and the elastic force of the spring is greater than the tension of the wire, pushing the moving tube 42 to extend towards the wire drawing machine 5, increasing the length of the wire path to absorb the relaxation. Conversely, when the wire drawing machine 5 pulls faster, the wire tightens, the tension increases and exceeds the elastic force of the spring, and the moving tube 42 overcomes the spring resistance and retracts into the fixed tube 41, shortening the path to compensate for the tightening.

[0039] Specifically, when the buffer 4 is assembled, the spring is in a pre-compressed state. One end of the spring is fixed to the limiting boss at the tail of the fixed tube 41, and the other end abuts against the annular baffle of the moving tube 42, so that the moving tube 42 has an initial retraction relative to the fixed tube 41. At this time, the pre-compression force of the spring matches the rated tension of the wire during stable conveying. When the wire feeding rates of the wire pusher and the wire drawer 5 are mismatched, the tension acting on the wire changes, the tension of the wire changes, which in turn causes the spring to compress or stretch, and thus causes the moving tube 42 to move.

[0040] A position sensor, such as a linear encoder, is mounted on the side of the fixed tube 41. Its reading head moves synchronously with the moving tube 42 to detect the displacement of the moving tube 42 in real time. When the moving tube 42 approaches its travel limit, it indicates that the wire drawing is too slow. The controller then instructs the servo motor to accelerate, causing the moving tube 42 to retract and increasing the speed of the wire pusher; conversely, it decelerates.

[0041] More preferably, one section of the multiple wire feeding tubes 6 is used to connect the moving tube 42 and the wire drawing machine 5. Its two ends are fixedly connected to the outlet of the moving tube 42 and the inlet of the wire drawing machine 5, respectively, forming a conveying channel for the wire from the buffer 4 to the wire drawing machine 5. The inner diameter of the wire feeding tube 6 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the wire, which ensures that the wire passes through without jamming and reduces the interference of radial sway on the wire tension detection. The proximal end of the wire feeding tube 6 is tightly connected to the wire drawing machine 5 through a threaded joint or quick-change interface, while the distal end is welded to the outlet end of the moving tube 42 or fixed through a flange to ensure that the axes of the two are strictly coaxial, so that the wire transitions smoothly without bending or abrupt changes when passing through.

[0042] When the conveying speeds of the wire pusher and the wire drawer 5 differ, the accumulation state of the wire in the buffer 4 and the wire feeding tube 6 changes: if the wire feeding speed of the wire pusher is higher than that of the wire drawer 5, the length of the wire pushed to the buffer 4 per unit time is greater than the length pulled at the near end. The excess wire relaxes in the sleeve area between the fixed tube 41 and the moving tube 42, and the length of the wire feeding tube 6 does not change. However, the moving tube 42 can slide axially along the fixed tube 41, and its outlet end is rigidly connected to the far end of the wire feeding tube 6. Therefore, the moving tube 42... The displacement of 2 directly changes the effective path length of the wire in the buffer 4. The wire feeding tube 6, as a channel fixed at the near end, has a constant length, while the slack wire forms a redundancy in the fixed tube 41, pushing the moving tube 42 to extend to accommodate the redundancy of the wire. At this time, the position sensor detects the movement of the moving tube 42 and reduces the wire feeding rate of the wire pusher, so that the rates of the wire drawing machine 5 and the wire pusher are matched. If the wire feeding speed of the wire pusher is higher than that of the wire drawing machine 5, then the wire drawing machine 5 and the wire pusher are matched in real time.

[0043] Furthermore, the internal drive structure of the buffer 4, such as a compression spring, is pre-compressed. One end of the spring abuts against the tail of the fixed tube 41, and the other end acts on the moving tube 42. The drive structure assists the movement of the moving tube 42. When the tension of the filament is less than the spring force, the spring releases its elastic potential energy, pushing the moving tube 42 to slide towards the drawing machine 5, causing the distal end of the feeding tube 6 to extend outward, reducing the overlap length between the fixed tube 41 and the moving tube 42, and lengthening the filament path inside the buffer 4, thereby accommodating excess slack filament. Conversely, it pushes the moving tube 42 to slide towards the pushing machine. The buffer 4 can absorb the instantaneous tension impact caused by the start-up and stop of the pushing machine and speed fluctuations during the filament feeding process, preventing the sudden tension change from being transmitted to the subsequent conveying section.

[0044] As the end traction component of the wire feeding path, the wire drawing machine 5 adopts the existing traction-type wire drawing machine 5 structure. Its working principle is similar to that of the wire pusher. By driving the rollers to clamp the wire and pull it backward, it forms a double push and one pull cooperative conveying mode with the two-stage wire pusher at the front end, further ensuring the stability of the wire conveying.

[0045] Any two adjacent components are connected by an independent wire feeding tube 6. This includes the wire storage device 1 and the primary wire pusher 2, the primary wire pusher 2 and the secondary wire pusher 3, the secondary wire pusher 3 and the buffer 4, and the buffer 4 and the wire drawing machine 5, all connected by an independent wire feeding tube 6. The wire feeding tube 6 is a hollow tubular structure with open ends, made of flexible and wear-resistant materials, such as a steel wire spring wire feeding tube 6, a PTFE flexible tube, or a wear-resistant rubber tube. Its inner diameter is matched to the diameter of the wire to be fed, ensuring that the wire can pass through smoothly without excessive shaking. Each wire feeding tube 6 connecting adjacent components has a bendable characteristic, meaning that the wire feeding tube 6 can be flexibly adjusted according to the space and equipment distribution of the processing site during actual installation. It can be bent through its own flexibility, and the integrity and smoothness of the internal wire feeding channel can still be maintained after bending. To meet the need to bypass complex structures or equipment obstacles in long-distance wire feeding, at least two of the several wire feeding tubes 6 in the entire wire feeding system will form a clear bend. This bend does not require an additional bending auxiliary structure and can be achieved solely through the flexibility of the wire feeding tube 6 itself. Sufficient curvature, i.e. a large radius of curvature, must be ensured during bending to avoid excessive contact pressure between the wire and the tube wall due to small radius bending, which could lead to jamming or wear problems. Ultimately, through the cooperation of multiple bendable wire feeding tubes 6, flexible planning and long-distance extension of the wire feeding path can be achieved.

[0046] Preferably, the wire feeding tube 6 is bent to form a bent portion, and the bending radius of the bent portion is not less than 600 mm; more preferably, the bending radius of the bent portion is 800 mm; even further, preferably, the inner diameter of the wire feeding tube 6 is 2.7 mm, the outer diameter of the wire feeding tube 6 is 4.7 mm, and the bending radius of the bent portion is greater than 120 times the outer diameter of the wire feeding tube 6.

[0047] Preferably, the wire feeding tube 6 connecting each adjacent component is a wire spring wire feeding tube 6. This type of wire feeding tube 6 is a mature tubular conveying component in the prior art. Its core structure is formed by spirally winding one or more high-strength steel wires according to a preset pitch, ultimately forming a hollow tubular structure with both ends connected.

[0048] The winding process of the wire spring wire feeding tube 6 ensures that its inner wall is smooth and flat, without obvious protrusions or burrs. This minimizes the contact friction between the metal wire and the tube wall during the conveying process, avoiding wire wear or wire feeding jamming caused by excessive friction. At the same time, the spiral winding structure gives the wire feeding tube 6 good flexibility, allowing it to easily adapt to the bending arrangement requirements between any adjacent components. Whether it is a scenario where it is necessary to bypass obstacles such as laser heads and tooling fixtures in a long wire feeding path, or a path planning to achieve large-arc bending, the bending can be completed by the flexible deformation of the wire feeding tube 6 itself, and there will be no problems of tube wall wrinkles or narrow wire feeding channels after bending.

[0049] Furthermore, the inherent rigidity of the steel wire ensures that the wire feeding tube 6 maintains structural stability even after bending, preventing collapse or deformation due to the thrust of the wire or its own weight during long-distance transport. This maintains the integrity and smoothness of the wire feeding channel, effectively avoiding wire jamming or sudden changes in transport resistance caused by tube wall deformation. The specific specifications of the steel wire spring wire feeding tube 6 can be selected according to actual wire feeding requirements. For example, the inner diameter can be matched according to the diameter of the wire being transported, and the appropriate wire diameter and pitch can be selected according to the transport distance and bending angle requirements. The connection method also adopts existing mature pipe fittings, which can be precisely adapted to the interfaces of components such as the wire storage device 1, the wire pusher, the buffer 4, and the wire drawing machine 5, ensuring the sealing of the connection and the continuity of wire feeding, further guaranteeing the stability and reliability of the long-distance wire feeding process.

[0050] Furthermore, this application also adds a push-end encoder 7 and a draw-end encoder 8. Both encoders are components used for speed / displacement detection. Preferably, a rotary incremental encoder or an absolute encoder is selected. Their function is to collect parameters such as speed and displacement during the wire conveying process in real time, providing data support for the control of wire feeding accuracy.

[0051] The wire pusher encoder 7 is arranged in series on the wire feeding path between the first-stage wire pusher 2 and the second-stage wire pusher 3. Specifically, the input end of the wire pusher encoder 7 is precisely connected to the output end of the first-stage wire pusher 2 through a wire feeding tube 6, and the output end of the wire pusher encoder 7 is connected to the input end of the second-stage wire pusher 3 through another wire feeding tube 6. This ensures that after the wire is output from the first-stage wire pusher 2, it can pass through the wire feeding tube 6, the wire pusher encoder 7, and the other wire feeding tube 6 in sequence and smoothly enter the second-stage wire pusher 3. The entire path is uninterrupted and well-sealed, preventing the wire from being exposed or affected by external interference. The wire feed end encoder 7 can adopt contact or non-contact detection methods. In the contact design, the encoder's detection wheel is in close contact with the wire surface. When the wire is fed, it drives the detection wheel to rotate. The encoder converts the rotational motion into an electrical signal, and then calculates the wire feeding speed and the feeding length. The non-contact design detects the wire's movement parameters without contacting the wire through optical or magnetic induction, avoiding wear on the wire surface and adapting to the high-precision laser processing requirements for wire surface quality.

[0052] The wire drawing end encoder 8 is connected in series on the wire feeding path between the buffer 4 and the wire drawing machine 5. Its connection method is the same as that of the wire pushing end encoder 7. The input end of the wire drawing end encoder 8 is connected to the output end of the buffer 4 through the wire feeding tube 6, and the output end of the wire drawing end encoder 8 is connected to the input end of the wire drawing machine 5 through another wire feeding tube 6. After being buffered by the buffer 4, the wire enters the wire drawing end encoder 8 through the wire feeding tube 6 to complete parameter detection, and then enters the wire drawing machine 5 through the wire feeding tube 6 for final traction and conveying. The detection principle of the wire drawing end encoder 8 is the same as that of the wire pushing end encoder 7. It can be selected as a contact or non-contact type according to actual processing requirements. It is mainly used to detect the wire conveying parameters at the long-distance wire feeding end and form a comparative feedback with the front-end parameters collected by the wire pushing end encoder 7.

[0053] It is worth noting that the wire feeding tube 6 connecting the wire pusher encoder 7 to the first-stage wire pusher 2 and the second-stage wire pusher 3, as well as the wire drawing encoder 8 to the buffer 4 and the wire drawing encoder 8 to the wire drawing machine 5, all have the same structure as the wire feeding tubes 6 in other parts of the device. They possess bendable characteristics and good wear resistance and smoothness, ensuring that the wire is always smoothly conveyed before and after passing through the encoders, without increasing conveying resistance or causing jamming due to the addition of encoders. Through the reasonable layout of these two encoders, the wire feeding parameters of the wire feeding path can be monitored throughout the entire process, providing accurate data support for subsequent speed adjustment and power matching, thereby ensuring the accuracy and stability of long-distance wire feeding and adapting to the stringent requirements of wire feeding parameters in scenarios such as laser additive manufacturing and laser cladding.

[0054] Furthermore, the long-range wire feeding device is also equipped with a controller. This controller uses mature industrial control components from existing technologies. PLC controllers, microcontrollers, or dedicated motion controllers can be selected according to actual usage requirements. Its core function is to receive detection signals and output control commands to achieve closed-loop adjustment of the wire feeding speed and ensure the accuracy of long-range wire feeding.

[0055] The controller is electrically connected to the push-end encoder 7 and the draw-end encoder 8. Specifically, this can be achieved through direct connection via signal lines or by establishing a data transmission channel via an industrial communication bus, ensuring that the signals collected by the encoders can be transmitted to the controller in real time without delay. During operation, the push-end encoder 7 continuously monitors the wire feeding speed after the output of the first-stage pusher 2 and before the input of the second-stage pusher 3. The draw-end encoder 8 synchronously monitors the wire feeding speed after the output of the buffer 4 and before the input of the drawer 5. Both encoders convert the collected speed signals into electrical signals and transmit them to the controller. The controller internally analyzes and processes the two sets of speed data in real time through a preset control program to determine whether the wire feeding speeds of the front and rear sections match and whether there are any speed deviations or fluctuations.

[0056] Simultaneously, the controller establishes control connections with the primary wire pusher 2, the secondary wire pusher 3, and the wire drawing machine 5, respectively. These connections are also electrical and can interface with the drive motor controllers of each device via control signal lines. When the controller detects a deviation in the wire feeding speed, such as excessive speed at the pushing end causing wire accumulation, or excessive speed at the drawing end causing excessive wire tension, it will immediately output corresponding adjustment commands. For the primary wire pusher 2 and the secondary wire pusher 3, the pushing force and speed can be changed by adjusting the speed of their drive motors to achieve precise matching of power relay. For the wire drawing machine 5, the speed of its traction motor is adjusted to match the front-end wire feeding speed, avoiding wire pulling or accumulation.

[0057] This closed-loop control logic for detection, analysis, and adjustment is based on existing mature automatic control technology. The controller's control parameters can be flexibly set according to different laser processing scenarios and wire types. Through the overall control of the controller, it can effectively compensate for speed loss or fluctuations caused by factors such as path length and bending resistance during long-distance wire feeding, ensuring that the wire maintains a stable and uniform feeding speed throughout the entire feeding path. This perfectly adapts to the stringent requirements of laser processing for wire feeding accuracy, further improving the dimensional accuracy and quality consistency of the formed parts.

[0058] Furthermore, in the long-range wire feeding device of this application, the wire storage device 1 adopts a structure design of multiple welding wire hoppers. Specifically, the wire storage device 1 is configured to have multiple independent welding wire hoppers arranged in parallel or in layers inside. Each welding wire hopper is a sealed or semi-sealed cylindrical storage container, which is specifically used to store a single strand of metal wire to be fed. Multiple strands of wire can be selected with the same material and specifications according to processing requirements, or different materials and specifications can be selected to adapt to laser processing scenarios such as multiple wires fed together and multiple stations processed simultaneously.

[0059] To accommodate the multi-wire hopper setup, the number of primary wire pushers 2, secondary wire pushers 3, buffers 4, and wire drawers 5 in this device is consistent with the number of wire hoppers. Each wire strand is equipped with an independent conveying unit consisting of a primary wire pusher 2, a secondary wire pusher 3, a buffer 4, and a wire drawer 5, forming multiple parallel and independent wire feeding channels. Specifically, the output end of each wire hopper is connected to the input end of the corresponding primary wire pusher 2 via an independent wire feeding tube 6. The output end of the primary wire pusher 2 is then connected to the input end of the corresponding secondary wire pusher 3 via the wire feeding tube 6. The output end of the secondary wire pusher 3 is connected to the corresponding buffer 4 via the wire feeding tube 6. The output end of the buffer 4 is connected to the input end of the corresponding wire drawer 5 via the wire feeding tube 6. Finally, the wire drawer 5 precisely delivers the wire to the corresponding laser processing station.

[0060] Each wire feeding tube 6 in each wire feeding channel retains the flexible structural characteristics, allowing for flexible path planning based on the layout requirements of each workstation, avoiding equipment interference, and ensuring independence and stability when multiple wires are fed simultaneously without interference between the channels. Furthermore, the multi-group conveying unit design is compatible with existing multi-channel control logic, enabling simultaneous start / stop and speed adjustment of multiple wires, as well as individual control of the wire feeding parameters of a specific channel according to the needs of different processing workstations. This significantly improves the adaptability of the device to multi-workstation, multi-wire processing scenarios. This multi-group corresponding structural design, based on the existing mature single-channel wire feeding structure, achieves long-distance multi-wire conveying without complex modifications, effectively improving laser processing efficiency and meeting the needs of batch production or simultaneous processing of complex components in multiple areas.

[0061] like Figure 4 As shown, the first-stage wire pusher 2 and the second-stage wire pusher 3 adopt the same or similar structural design. Both are composed of three core components: the driving wheel 21, the driven wheel 22, and the wire feeding motor. The overall structure is optimized based on the existing mature roller-type wire pusher, ensuring stable power output and adapting to the power requirements of long-distance wire feeding.

[0062] Both the driving wheel 21 and the driven wheel 22 are cylindrical wheels, which can be made of wear-resistant rubber, engineering plastics, or metal with anti-slip textures. Their outer diameter is determined according to the wire feeding speed and wire specifications. The anti-slip textures on the surface, such as annular grooves or diamond patterns, can enhance the friction with the wire surface and prevent slippage during wire feeding. The driving wheel 21 and the driven wheel 22 are arranged relatively parallel to each other, with a fixed gap between them. This gap forms a wire channel for the wire to pass through. The width of the channel is adjustable to accommodate metal wires of different diameters, ensuring that the wire is stably clamped and will not deform due to excessive clamping force.

[0063] The wire feeding motor is selected from existing technologies that provide stable speed and uniform power output. Servo motors or stepper motors are commonly used, and their power can be matched and selected according to the wire feeding distance and wire rigidity. The output shaft of the wire feeding motor is fixedly connected to the drive wheel 21 via a coupling, gear transmission mechanism, or synchronous belt transmission mechanism, ensuring that the motor's rotational power can be accurately transmitted to the drive wheel 21. During operation, the wire feeding motor starts after receiving a control signal and drives the drive wheel 21 to rotate. The drive wheel 21 drives the wire to move forward along the wire channel through friction with the wire, while the driven wheel 22 rotates passively under the influence of the wire. Simultaneously, its own clamping force further ensures the fit between the wire and the drive wheel 21, preventing idle rotation or power transmission failure.

[0064] This application also protects a laser wire feeding device using the long-distance wire feeding device, which is equipped with a laser wire feeding head 9. The laser wire feeding head 9 integrates a laser transmission channel and a wire guiding channel. Its core function is to precisely couple the long-distance wire with the laser, guiding the wire and the laser to act synchronously on the target area of ​​the workpiece, so as to realize the melting and forming or connection of the wire.

[0065] The laser wire feed head 9 is compatiblely connected to the wire drawing machine 5 in the long-range wire feeding device, ensuring that the wire output from the wire drawing machine 5 can smoothly and accurately enter the wire guide channel of the laser wire feed head 9. During operation, the long-range wire feeding device, through a double push-pull structure, a flexible wire feeding tube 6, buffer adjustment, and closed-loop control design, stably transports the wire from the wire storage device 1 to the wire drawing machine 5, and then the wire drawing machine 5 precisely pulls the wire to the laser wire feed head 9. The laser wire feed head 9 simultaneously receives the laser beam transmitted from an external laser source and focuses the laser on the processing area through its internal optical structure. The wire is transported to the focal point through the guide channel, and acts synchronously with the laser to form a stable molten pool, ultimately completing laser additive manufacturing, cladding repair, or brazing processes.

[0066] The embodiments described in this specific implementation are preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A long-range wire feeding device, characterized in that, It includes a wire storage device (1), a primary wire pusher (2), a secondary wire pusher (3), a buffer (4), and a wire drawing machine (5) arranged in sequence. Any two adjacent components are connected by a wire feeding tube (6). The wire feeding tube (6) between any two adjacent components can be bent. At least two of the wire feeding tubes (6) are bent to form a bent section.

2. The long-distance wire feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bending radius of the bent portion is not less than 600mm.

3. The long-distance wire feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bending radius of the bent portion is greater than 120 times the outer diameter of the wire feeding tube (6).

4. The long-distance wire feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wire feeding tube (6) is a steel wire spring wire feeding tube (6).

5. The long-distance wire feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a push-end encoder (7) and a draw-end encoder (8). The push-end encoder (7) is located between the first-stage pusher (2) and the second-stage pusher (3). The push-end encoder (7) and the first-stage pusher (2) and the push-end encoder (7) and the second-stage pusher (3) are all connected by the wire feeding tube (6). The draw-end encoder (8) is located between the buffer (4) and the drawer (5). The draw-end encoder (8) and the buffer (4) and the draw-end encoder (8) and the drawer (5) are all connected by the wire feeding tube (6).

6. The long-distance wire feeding device according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the push-end encoder (7) and the draw-end encoder (8) respectively for real-time detection of the wire feeding speed at the corresponding position. The controller is connected to the first-level pusher (2), the second-level pusher (3) and the drawer (5) respectively to adjust the wire feeding speed at the corresponding position.

7. The long-distance wire feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wire storage device (1) is equipped with multiple wire drums, each of which stores one strand of wire. The number of the primary wire pusher (2), the secondary wire pusher (3), the buffer (4), and the wire drawing machine (5) is also multiple to correspond to multiple strands of wire.

8. The long-distance wire feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the primary wire pusher (2) and the secondary wire pusher (3) include a drive wheel (21), a driven wheel (22) and a wire feeding motor. The drive wheel (21) and the driven wheel (22) are arranged opposite to each other, and the wire channel is formed between the drive wheel (21) and the driven wheel (22). The wire feeding motor is connected to the drive wheel (21).

9. The long-distance wire feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buffer (4) includes a fixed tube (41), a moving tube (42), and a position sensor. The fixed tube (41) and the moving tube (42) are connected in a sleeve relationship. The filament passes through the fixed tube (41) and the moving tube (42). The moving tube (42) moves relative to the fixed tube (41) to change the moving path of the filament and adapt to the change in the length of the filament between the first-stage wire pusher (2), the second-stage wire pusher (3), and the wire drawing machine (5). The position sensor detects the position of the moving tube (42). The position sensor is electrically connected to the wire pusher to adjust the wire feeding rate of the first-stage wire pusher (2) and the second-stage wire pusher (3) according to the position of the moving tube (42).

10. A laser wire feeding device, characterized in that, The long-range wire feeding device according to any one of claims 1-9 further includes a laser wire feeding head (9), which is connected to the wire drawing machine (5).

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