A device for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resin

Abstract

The utility model discloses a device suitable for room temperature curing epoxy resin mixes, and resin storage tank is connected with agitator through first peristaltic pump and first flowmeter, and curing agent storage tank is connected with agitator through second peristaltic pump and second flowmeter, and agitator is connected with metering valve pipeline, the pipeline between first peristaltic pump and first flowmeter is connected with air compressor, the pipeline between second peristaltic pump and second flowmeter is connected with air compressor. The utility model discloses under the premise of guaranteeing that epoxy resin and curing agent are mixed evenly, has improved the automation level, avoided the situation that material remains, jams.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of epoxy resin technology, specifically relating to a device suitable for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins. Background Technology

[0002] Epoxy resin is a general term for prepolymers with two or more epoxy groups in their molecules. It can undergo ring-opening reactions with various compounds containing active hydrogen, curing and cross-linking into a network structure. Cured epoxy resin possesses high mechanical strength, hardness, and rigidity, exhibiting excellent compressive, tensile, and flexural strength. It also demonstrates strong adhesion to various materials such as metals, ceramics, peeling resins, concrete, and wood. Furthermore, it exhibits good insulation properties, chemical and environmental stability, safety, and reliability. Therefore, it has wide applications in the electronics and electrical fields, building reinforcement, aerospace, and automotive industries. Currently, epoxy resins are divided into two main categories: heat-curing and room-temperature curing. Room-temperature curing resins can be cured at room temperature (typically 15-35℃), offering wide applicability, energy efficiency, convenience, and environmental friendliness. Therefore, they are widely used in the on-site maintenance and repair of large motors. Room temperature curing epoxy resins are typically two-component systems. Component A is the resin matrix (usually containing a certain amount of toughening agents, plasticizers, etc.), and component B is the curing agent (mainly aliphatic amines or polyamides). The curing mechanism involves the ring-opening addition reaction between epoxy groups (-CH-O-CH2) and amine groups (-NH2) at room temperature, forming a three-dimensional cross-linked network, which is called complete curing. Only after curing can the resin exhibit insulation properties, mechanical properties, chemical and environmental stability, safety, and reliability. Therefore, the curing reaction is crucial. Thorough and uniform mixing of the resin matrix and the curing agent is fundamental to completing curing and providing good performance.

[0003] CN211800856U discloses a preparation device for epoxy resin. The air inlet cylinder drives the stirring plate to rotate, and the rotation of the stirring plate causes the raw material spiral to rotate inside the separator cylinder, which plays a first step of stirring. The raw material is stirred in the second step by passing through the Venturi holes on the separator cylinder. The spiral blades follow the rotation of the separator cylinder to roll the raw material from top to bottom for the third step of stirring. The air inlet hole in the air inlet cylinder blows hot air into the raw material, and the hot air forms bubbles in the raw material for the fourth step of stirring. It can perform multiple stirring and heating, and has the advantages of high stirring efficiency and high heating efficiency.

[0004] CN213860125U discloses an epoxy resin powder mixing tank, including a mixing drum, a mixing assembly, a driving assembly, an air supply assembly, and a cleaning assembly. The mixing assembly includes a rotating shaft and blades. The rotating shaft has a first cavity and a first through hole, and the blades have a second cavity and a second through hole. The first cavity and the second cavity are connected. The driving assembly is used to drive the rotating shaft to rotate. The air supply assembly includes an air pump and an air inlet pipe. One end of the air inlet pipe is connected to the air pump, and the first section is connected to the first cavity. The air inlet pipe and the rotating shaft are rotatably connected by a mechanical seal. The cleaning assembly is used to clean the inner wall of the mixing drum. When in use, the air pump is started, and the air pump blows air into the air inlet pipe. The air is discharged through the first through hole and the second through hole, thereby dispersing the powder. When the driving assembly drives the rotating shaft to rotate, the rotating shaft drives the cleaning assembly to brush off the powder adhering to the inner wall of the mixing drum, which has the advantage of improving the uniformity of powder mixing.

[0005] However, current mixing devices can only guarantee a certain degree of mixing uniformity. The epoxy resin residue left in the pipelines and mixing devices after feeding cannot be effectively removed, leading to epoxy resin solidification within the mixing device. This hinders subsequent mixing and results in wasted epoxy resin resources. Furthermore, current mixing devices are only suitable for one type of epoxy resin formulation. They lack adaptability when mixing epoxy resins of different viscosities and formulations. Therefore, typically one mixing device is used for each epoxy resin formulation, resulting in a need to stock a large number of mixing devices, severely impacting efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides a device suitable for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins, which improves the level of automation and avoids material residue and blockage.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an apparatus suitable for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins. The resin storage tank is connected to a stirrer via a first peristaltic pump and a first flow meter, and the curing agent storage tank is connected to the stirrer via a second peristaltic pump and a second flow meter. The stirrer is connected to a metering valve pipeline. The pipeline between the first peristaltic pump and the first flow meter is connected to an air compressor, and the pipeline between the second peristaltic pump and the second flow meter is connected to an air compressor.

[0008] Preferably, the first peristaltic pump, the second peristaltic pump, the first flow meter, the second flow meter, the air compressor, and the metering valve are respectively connected to the PLC control system.

[0009] Preferably, the motor is located at the end of the stirrer furthest from the outlet.

[0010] More preferably, the motor is connected to the PLC control system.

[0011] More preferably, the agitator is provided with a stirring paddle, and the edge of the stirring paddle blade is fixedly connected to a soft stirring blade.

[0012] More preferably, the soft stirring blade is made of any one of rubber, silicone, TPU, TPE and soft materials.

[0013] Preferably, the pipeline between the first peristaltic pump and the first flow meter is connected to the air compressor via a first shut-off valve; the pipeline between the second peristaltic pump and the second flow meter is connected to the air compressor via a second shut-off valve.

[0014] Preferably, the air compressor is connected to a filter.

[0015] More preferably, the filter is provided with multiple filter screens.

[0016] More preferably, the filter contains any one of activated carbon, limestone, calcium chloride, and montmorillonite.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: the agitator is used to achieve uniform mixing of epoxy resin and curing agent, and the agitator is equipped with soft stirring blades inside, which can scrape off the material adhering to the inner wall of the agitator, avoiding resource waste and solidification, which would affect subsequent mixing. At the same time, it can avoid damage to the inner wall of the agitator and extend its service life.

[0018] Using an air compressor to deliver compressed air to purge pipelines and agitators accelerates the delivery speed of end materials, prevents material residue in pipelines and agitators, reduces material waste, avoids blockages, and thus reduces maintenance frequency.

[0019] The PLC control system collects information from flow meters and metering valves, automatically controls the feed rate, and ensures that the amount of epoxy resin and curing agent is kept at an appropriate level. It also realizes automatic shut-off and automatic purging, improving the precision control of materials and the level of automation. At the same time, the speed of the agitator is adjusted by using a speed-regulating motor, which reduces energy consumption and allows for adaptive mixing of epoxy resin systems with different viscosity levels, thereby expanding the applicability. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the filter screen.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the agitator and soft stirring blades.

[0023] In the diagram, 1 is the resin storage tank, 2 is the curing agent storage tank, 3 is the first peristaltic pump, 4 is the second peristaltic pump, 5 is the first shut-off valve, 6 is the second shut-off valve, 7 is the first flow meter, 8 is the second flow meter, 9 is the motor, 10 is the agitator, 11 is the air compressor, 12 is the filter, 13 is the filter screen, 14 is the agitator, 15 is the soft agitator blade, 16 is the PLC control system, and 17 is the metering valve. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solution of this utility model will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It is worth noting that the following embodiments are only preferred embodiments of this utility model and should not be construed as limiting this utility model. The protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the content of the claims. Modifications or substitutions made by those skilled in the art to the technical solution of this utility model without creative effort all fall within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0025] Example 1 An apparatus for mixing room-temperature curing epoxy resin includes a resin storage tank 1 connected to a stirrer 10 via a first peristaltic pump 3 and a first flow meter 7. The first peristaltic pump 3 delivers the epoxy resin stored in the resin storage tank 1 to the stirrer 10 for mixing, and the first flow meter 7 measures the volume of epoxy resin dispensed. A curing agent storage tank 2 is connected to the stirrer 10 via a second peristaltic pump 4 and a second flow meter 8. The curing agent stored in the curing agent storage tank 2 is delivered to the stirrer 10 via the second peristaltic pump 4 to mix with the epoxy resin, and the second flow meter 8 measures the volume of curing agent dispensed to ensure that the curing agent and epoxy resin are kept at an appropriate temperature. The volume ratio is adjusted to achieve a good curing effect; the agitator 10 is connected to the metering valve 17 pipeline to transport the uniformly mixed epoxy resin in the agitator 10 to the next process or for direct use, and the amount of material output by the agitator 10 is monitored by the metering valve 17; the pipeline between the first peristaltic pump 3 and the first flow meter 7 is connected to the air compressor 11, and the pipeline between the second peristaltic pump 4 and the second flow meter 8 is connected to the air compressor 11, which can deliver compressed air to the pipeline to clean the pipeline and the residual material in the subsequent agitator 10, so as to avoid the material clogging the pipeline and the agitator 10, and curing in the agitator, thus affecting the next use.

[0026] Preferably, the first peristaltic pump 3, the second peristaltic pump 4, the first flow meter 7, the second flow meter 8, the air compressor 11, and the metering valve 17 are respectively connected to the PLC control system 16. The PLC control system 16 collects the amount of material passing through the first flow meter 7, the second flow meter 8, and the metering valve 17, and then controls the start and stop of the first peristaltic pump 3, the second peristaltic pump 4, and the air compressor 11, so as to better control the amount of epoxy resin and curing agent used, as well as the output amount of material after uniform mixing, and control the timing of compressed air introduction to avoid introducing it too early, which would affect the feeding of epoxy resin and curing agent, and introducing it too late, which would result in the material being cured in the agitator 10.

[0027] Preferably, a motor 9 is provided at the end of the agitator 10 away from the outlet. The motor 9 is coaxial with the agitator 10 and is used to drive the agitator paddle 14 inside the agitator 10 to rotate, thereby mixing the materials. At the same time, a sealing gasket is provided at the connection position between the motor 9 and the agitator 10 to isolate the materials and facilitate disassembly and maintenance.

[0028] More preferably, the sealing gasket is made of wear-resistant polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0029] More preferably, the motor 9 is connected to the PLC control system 16, and the speed of the motor 9 is controlled by the PLC control system 16, thereby realizing the control of the stirring speed, so as to be applicable to the mixing requirements of epoxy resins with different viscosities and different formulations, and improve the applicability; wherein the motor 9 is a speed-regulating motor.

[0030] More preferably, the mixer 10 is provided with a stirring paddle 14, the blade edge of the stirring paddle 14 is fixedly connected to a soft stirring blade 15, the width of the stirring paddle 14 occupies 90%-95% of the internal space of the mixer 10, the soft stirring blade 15 covers the edge of the stirring paddle 14, and finally the width of the stirring paddle inside the mixer 10 is 2cm wider, so that the material adhering to the inner wall of the mixer 10 can be scraped, stirred and conveyed to the front end of the mixer 10 until it is conveyed out of the mixer 10, and the inner wall of the mixer 10 will not be damaged when scraping the material.

[0031] More preferably, the soft stirring blade 15 is made of any one of rubber, silicone, TPU, TPE and soft PVC. The soft stirring blade 15 covers the edge of the hard stirring blade on the stirring paddle 14, with a coverage width of 4-8cm. Therefore, on the one hand, the hard stirring blade can support the soft stirring blade 15, and on the other hand, it can ensure that the soft stirring blade 15 is firmly fixed, so that it will not damage the inner wall of the stirrer 10 or fall off when scraping materials.

[0032] Preferably, the pipeline between the first peristaltic pump 3 and the first flow meter 7 is connected to the air compressor 11 via the first shut-off valve 5; the pipeline between the second peristaltic pump 4 and the second flow meter 8 is connected to the air compressor 11 via the second shut-off valve 6, which can prevent the material in the pipeline from overflowing through the pipeline that delivers compressed air and affecting the normal operation of the air compressor 11.

[0033] Preferably, the air compressor 11 is connected to the filter 12, and the filter 12 is used to remove moisture from the air, so as to avoid the compressed air delivered by the air compressor 11 to the pipeline and the agitator 10 containing too much moisture, which would affect the curing effect of the epoxy resin.

[0034] More preferably, the filter 12 is provided with multiple filter screens 13, which can remove moisture through multi-stage filtration.

[0035] More preferably, the filter screen 13 contains any one of activated carbon, limestone, calcium chloride and montmorillonite.

[0036] Example 2 Epoxy resin is added to resin storage tank 1, and curing agent is added to curing agent storage tank 2. The volume ratio of epoxy resin to curing agent is set in the PLC control system to ensure that the first shut-off valve 5 and the second shut-off valve 6 are closed. Then, the first peristaltic pump 3 and the second peristaltic pump 4 are turned on to transport epoxy resin and curing agent to agitator 10 through pipelines at the set volume ratio. The motor 9 is turned on to make agitator 10 stir and mix epoxy resin and curing agent. During the material conveying process, the first flow meter 7 and the second flow meter 8 are used to detect the discharge volume of epoxy resin and curing agent, respectively. When the discharge volume reaches a certain level of the total material volume, the material discharge information collected by the first flow meter 7 and the second flow meter 8 is fed back to the PLC control system 16. Then, the PLC control system 16 controls the speed of the first peristaltic pump 3 and the second peristaltic pump 4 to gradually slow down. When the discharge volume reaches the set volume, the PLC control system 16 issues a stop signal to shut down the first peristaltic pump 3 and the second peristaltic pump 4. At the same time, the PLC control system 16 controls the air compressor 11 to start and opens the first shut-off valve 5 and the second shut-off valve 6 to deliver pressurized gas into the pipeline and the agitator 10. Compressed air is used to accelerate the entry of residual material in the pipeline into the mixer 10 and to clean the pipeline. After entering the mixer 10, the compressed air is used to blow away some folds on the mixing blades 14 and soft mixing blades 15 under high pressure to prevent material residue from remaining inside the mixer 10, which could solidify and affect the next mixing. All the mixed material is output through the outlet of the mixer 10 and the connected pipeline. The output material is measured by the metering valve 17. When the amount of material output reaches a certain volume, the signal is fed back to the PLC control system 16, which then controls the motor 9 to reduce its speed. When the material reaches the theoretical output value, the PLC control system 16 controls the motor 9 to stop, completing the entire mixing process.

[0037] When using epoxy resin systems with different viscosity levels, the speed of the peristaltic pump and motor can be set in the PLC control system 16, and the statistical ratio of the flow meter and metering valve 17 can be set to achieve uniform mixing of epoxy resins of different systems, thereby improving the applicability.

Claims

1. An apparatus suitable for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins, characterized in that: The resin storage tank (1) is connected to the agitator (10) via the first peristaltic pump (3) and the first flow meter (7), and the curing agent storage tank (2) is connected to the agitator (10) via the second peristaltic pump (4) and the second flow meter (8). The agitator (10) is connected to the metering valve (17) via pipeline. The pipeline between the first peristaltic pump (3) and the first flow meter (7) is connected to the air compressor (11), and the pipeline between the second peristaltic pump (4) and the second flow meter (8) is connected to the air compressor (11).

2. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first peristaltic pump (3), the second peristaltic pump (4), the first flow meter (7), the second flow meter (8), the air compressor (11), and the metering valve (17) are respectively connected to the PLC control system (16).

3. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stirrer (10) has a motor (9) at the end away from the outlet.

4. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 3, characterized in that: The motor (9) is connected to the PLC control system (16).

5. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 4, characterized in that: The stirrer (10) is equipped with a stirring paddle (14), and the edge of the blade of the stirring paddle (14) is fixedly connected to the soft stirring blade (15).

6. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 5, characterized in that: The soft stirring blade (15) is made of any one of rubber, silicone, TPU, TPE and soft PVC.

7. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pipeline between the first peristaltic pump (3) and the first flow meter (7) is connected to the air compressor (11) via the first shut-off valve (5); the pipeline between the second peristaltic pump (4) and the second flow meter (8) is connected to the air compressor (11) via the second shut-off valve (6).

8. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air compressor (11) is connected to the filter (12).

9. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 8, characterized in that: The filter (12) is provided with multiple filter screens (13).

10. The apparatus for mixing room temperature curing epoxy resins according to claim 9, characterized in that: The filter screen (13) contains any one of activated carbon, limestone, calcium chloride and montmorillonite.

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