Mother bar transfer device for VAD and extended combination process

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of mother bar transfer device for VAD and extension combination process, comprising: rack;Chuck, chuck is located on rack and can vertically lift, chuck can reciprocate between sintering furnace and extension machine, chuck is used to grab vertical stick body, stick body is vertically placed into or proposed sintering furnace, and stick body is vertically placed into or proposed extension machine;Heating device, heating device is connected on rack, heating device and chuck reciprocate between sintering furnace and extension machine synchronously, and do not vertically lift with chuck, heating device is used to heat mother bar when chuck transfers mother bar from sintering furnace to extension machine.This application can reduce the temperature loss in the process of mother bar transfer from sintering process to extension process, and mother bar can be directly extended after being transferred to extension process to form preform, improve preform processing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of preform manufacturing technology, specifically to a master rod transfer device for VAD and extension assembly processes. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of optical fiber preforms, the VAD (Visual Absorption Array) process first involves depositing a porous material in the deposition section. After the porous material deposition is completed, it enters the sintering section for dehydration and sintering, where a transparent master rod is formed. The stretching process involves stretching the VAD-sintered master rod to a predetermined diameter.

[0003] After the VAD sintering process, the traditional process involves cooling the master rod, then unloading it and transporting it to the elongation process by a handling device. The master rod is then heated to a set temperature in the elongation process for processing, and finally removed and cooled. This entire process takes over ten hours, consuming significant time and energy. If the sintering and elongation processes are combined into a single transfer device, the sintered master rod can be removed from the sintering furnace and directly transferred to the elongation process, eliminating the need for cooling and reheating, thus significantly improving efficiency. However, minimizing temperature loss of the master rod during the transfer process is a key technical challenge that needs to be addressed in the design of this transfer device. Utility Model Content

[0004] Based on the above description, this utility model provides a master rod transfer device for VAD and extension combination processes to solve the problem of temperature loss of the master rod during the transfer process.

[0005] The technical solution of this utility model to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: This application provides a master rod transfer device for VAD and extension combination processes, comprising: frame; A chuck, which is mounted on the frame and can be raised and lowered vertically, can reciprocate between the sintering furnace and the elongation machine. The chuck is used to grip vertical rods and vertically place or remove the rods into or out of the sintering furnace and the elongation machine. A heating device is connected to the frame. The heating device moves back and forth synchronously between the sintering furnace and the extension machine with the chuck, and does not move vertically up or down with the chuck. The heating device is used to heat the mother rod when the chuck transfers the mother rod from the sintering furnace to the extension machine.

[0006] Preferably, the heating device includes two heating components located on both sides of the chuck lifting path, forming a heating cavity between the two heating components, and the chuck can pass between the two heating components during lifting.

[0007] Preferably, the heating assembly includes a housing and a heating element. The housing is an arc shape with a vertical axis, and a single-sided chamber is formed inside the housing. The heating element is disposed on the side wall of the single-sided chamber, and the heating cavity includes the single-sided chamber.

[0008] Preferably, the two heating components can move closer to or further away from each other in a horizontal direction.

[0009] Preferably, the two heating components can move close to each other until the outer shell abuts against each other, at which point the two single-sided chambers are joined to form a cylindrical heating cavity.

[0010] Preferably, there are multiple heating devices, which are distributed at intervals in the vertical direction, and each heating device is controlled independently.

[0011] Preferably, the chuck is rotatable about the axis of the clamped mother bar, and the rotation of the chuck drives the clamped mother bar to rotate.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of this application has at least the following beneficial technical effects: This application utilizes a chuck to grip the rod, controlling its movement by raising and lowering the chuck. The chuck reciprocates between the sintering furnace and the stretching machine, transferring the rod between them. During the sintering process, the rod is porous. The chuck grips the porous material and lowers it, placing it into the sintering furnace for dehydration and sintering. After sintering, a vitrified master rod is formed. The chuck rises, lifting the high-temperature master rod from the sintering furnace and moving it towards the stretching machine. During this process, the master rod is heated by a heating device to maintain a set high temperature during transport to the stretching machine. Once the chuck reaches the stretching machine, it lowers to place the master rod inside, where it undergoes stretching processing. This transfer device reduces temperature loss during the transfer of the master rod from the sintering to the stretching process. After arriving at the stretching machine, the master rod can be directly stretched to form a preform, improving preform processing efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a master rod transfer device for VAD and extension combination processes provided in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 2 A top view of the master rod transfer device for VAD and extension combination processes provided in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the chuck passing between two heating components in a master rod transfer device for VAD and extension combined processes provided in an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between two heating components in a mother rod transfer device for VAD and extension combination processes provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Frame; 2. Chuck; 3. Deposition chamber; 4. Sintering furnace; 5. Extension machine; 6. Support arm; 7. Heating device; 71. Heating assembly; 8. Heating chamber. Detailed Implementation

[0015] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more complete description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of this application will be thorough and complete.

[0016] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application.

[0017] It is understood that spatial relation terms such as "below," "under," "below," "below," "above," "above," etc., can be used here to describe the relationship between one element or feature shown in the figure and other elements or features. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientation shown in the figure, spatial relation terms also include different orientations of the device in use and operation. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, the element or feature described as "below" or "below" of the other element or feature will be oriented "above" the other element or feature. Therefore, the exemplary terms "below" and "below" can include both upper and lower orientations. Furthermore, the device may also include other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatial descriptive terms used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0018] It should be noted that when one element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or connected to the other element through an intermediary element. In the following embodiments, "connection" should be understood as "electrical connection," "communication connection," etc., if the connected circuits, modules, units, etc., have the transmission of electrical signals or data between them.

[0019] When used herein, the singular forms of “a,” “an,” and “the” may also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” or “having,” etc., specify the presence of the stated feature, whole, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0020] Reference Figure 1 As shown, this application provides a master rod transfer device for VAD and extension combined processes, including a frame 1 and a chuck 2. The chuck 2 is mounted on the frame 1 and can be vertically lifted and lowered. The chuck 2 can reciprocate between the sintering furnace 4 and the extension machine 5. The chuck 2 is used to grab vertical rods and vertically place or remove the rods into or out of the sintering furnace 4 and the extension machine 5.

[0021] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the frame 1 provides the mounting base and support for the chuck 2. The chuck 2 can reciprocate horizontally between the sintering furnace 4 and the stretching machine 5 on the frame 1. In this embodiment, the horizontal movement trajectory of the chuck 2 is set as an arc. When arranging the sintering furnace 4 and the stretching machine 5, the sintering furnace 4 and the stretching machine 5 are arranged below the movement trajectory of the chuck 2 and spaced apart along the trajectory direction, so that the chuck 2 can reciprocate between the sintering furnace 4 and the stretching machine 5 when moving along the track. Furthermore, the deposition chamber 3 can also be arranged below the movement trajectory of the chuck 2, so that the deposition chamber 3, the sintering furnace 4, and the stretching machine 5 are arranged sequentially and spaced apart along the horizontal movement trajectory of the chuck 2. The mandrel can be vertically placed into or removed from the deposition chamber 3 through the chuck 2. At this time, the device can complete the mandrel transfer work between the deposition, sintering, and stretching processes.

[0022] The chuck 2 is a self-centering chuck 2 with a vertical axis, so as to accurately grasp the rod and achieve automatic centering of the rod, and accurately position the rod to be placed into the sintering furnace 4 and the stretching machine 5.

[0023] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the chuck 2 moves horizontally along an arc trajectory via the support arm 6. Specifically, one end of the support arm 6 is horizontally connected to the frame 1, and the chuck 2 is mounted on the other end of the support arm 6. The end of the support arm 6 connected to the frame 1 can rotate around a vertical axis, and a drive mechanism is provided on the frame 1 to control the rotation of the support arm 6. When the support arm 6 rotates, the chuck 2 rotates with the support arm 6 to move along the arc trajectory. The specific support arm 6 and its drive mechanism are conventional technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0024] To enable the chuck 2 to move vertically, the chuck 2 is connected to the support arm 6 via a lifting drive mechanism. The lifting drive mechanism can be a cylinder or an electric screw mechanism to achieve the lifting function of the chuck 2.

[0025] Furthermore, the chuck 2 is designed to rotate around the axis of the clamped mother bar, and the rotation of the chuck 2 drives the clamped mother bar to rotate. To achieve this function, the lifting drive component is connected to the support wall through the rotary drive component. Specifically, the rotary drive component can be driven by a direct motor or a motor gear mechanism. The connection method of the lifting drive component, the rotary drive component, and the chuck 2 is a conventional technical means, which will not be described in detail here.

[0026] With the above settings, the chuck 2 can reciprocate between the deposition chamber 3, the sintering furnace 4, and the stretching machine 5, and can vertically lift and rotate around the axis of the clamped rod. During processing, the rod initially gripped by the chuck 2 is a mandrel. The chuck 2 vertically places the mandrel into the deposition chamber 3, where it deposits to form a porous body. At this point, the rod held by the chuck 2 becomes a porous body. The chuck 2 then lifts the porous body from the deposition chamber 3 and moves it along a horizontal arc trajectory above the sintering furnace 4. The chuck 2 descends and places the porous body into the sintering furnace 4 for sintering. After sintering, a vitrified mother rod is formed, and the rod held by the chuck 2 at this point is the mother rod. Chuck 2 lifts the high-temperature mother rod from sintering furnace 4 and moves it along a horizontal arc trajectory to above the stretching machine 5. Then, chuck 2 descends and puts the still high-temperature mother rod into the stretching machine 5 for stretching processing. Since the mother rod still has a high temperature, it can be directly stretched, thereby effectively improving processing efficiency. During the stretching process, the rotation of the mother rod is driven by the rotation of chuck 2. After the stretching process is completed, a preform rod of the required diameter is obtained.

[0027] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in order to further reduce the temperature loss when the mother rod is transferred from the sintering furnace 4 to the elongation machine 5, a heating device 7 is also provided. The heating device 7 is connected to the frame 1. The heating device 7 moves back and forth between the sintering furnace 4 and the elongation machine 5 synchronously with the chuck 2, and does not move vertically up and down with the chuck 2. The heating device 7 is used to heat the mother rod when the chuck 2 transfers the mother rod from the sintering furnace 4 to the elongation machine 5.

[0028] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the heating device 7 is mounted on the support arm 6. When the support arm 6 rotates, it drives the heating device 7 and the chuck 2 to move synchronously along the arc trajectory, thereby realizing the synchronous movement of the heating device 7 and the chuck 2, and the height of the heating device 7 remains fixed.

[0029] During the process of the chuck 2 moving the high-temperature mother rod from the sintering furnace 4 to the elongation machine 5, the mother rod is heated by the heating device 7 to keep the mother rod at a set high temperature during the transfer to the elongation machine 5. This can reduce the temperature loss of the mother rod during the transfer process from the sintering process to the elongation process. After the mother rod is transferred to the elongation process, it can be directly elongated to form a preform, thus improving the processing efficiency of the preform.

[0030] Reference and Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the heating device 7 includes two heating components 71 located on both sides of the lifting path of the chuck 2, forming a heating chamber 8 between them. The chuck 2 can pass between the two heating components 71 during lifting and lowering. The heating components 71 do not affect the normal lifting and lowering of the chuck 2. When the chuck 2 descends and passes between the two heating components 71, it can place the loose material into the sintering furnace 4 or place the master rod into the stretching machine 5. When the chuck 2 rises and passes between the two heating components 71, it can lift the master rod out of the sintering furnace 4. When the chuck 2 rises above the two heating components 71, the master rod is located in the heating chamber 8 formed between the two heating components 71. The master rod is heated by the two heating components 71 to maintain a high temperature so that it can be directly stretched after arriving at the stretching machine 5.

[0031] Reference and Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, specifically, the heating assembly 71 includes a housing and a heating element. The housing is an arc shape with a vertical axis. A single-sided chamber is formed on the inner side of the housing. The heating element is disposed on the side wall of the single-sided chamber. The heating cavity 8 includes a single-sided chamber.

[0032] The outer shell is made of high-temperature resistant materials such as stainless steel, and the heating element is made of silicon carbide tubes. The silicon carbide tubes extend circumferentially along the side wall of the single-sided chamber and are arranged in multiple axial directions to form a uniform high-temperature area in the single-sided chamber.

[0033] Furthermore, the two heating components 71 are designed to move closer to or further apart in the horizontal direction. The two heating components 71 can move closer to each other until their outer shells abut against each other, at which point the two single-sided chambers are joined to form a cylindrical heating cavity 8. This configuration allows adjustment of the space between the two heating components so that the chuck 2 can pass between the two heating components 71. When the chuck 2 rises and lifts the mother rod between the two heating components 71, the two heating components 71 can move closer to each other until they abut against each other. At this point, the two single-sided chambers are joined to form a closed cylindrical heating cavity 8. The cylindrical shape of the heating cavity 8 is adapted to the cylindrical shape of the mother rod to ensure that the mother rod is heated evenly.

[0034] During the design process, a bracket for mounting the heating device 7 can be set on the support arm 6. The relative movement of the two heating components 71 can be achieved by an electric linear module or an electric cylinder, which will not be elaborated here.

[0035] Furthermore, multiple heating devices 7 can be installed and distributed vertically at intervals, with each heating device 7 controlled independently. The number of heating devices 7 activated can be adjusted according to the length of the main rod to meet the overall heating requirements of the main rod and reduce energy consumption. This embodiment illustrates the use of a single heating device 7.

[0036] The transfer device in this embodiment can complete the transfer of the rod between the deposition, sintering and stretching processes. After the mother rod is sintered, it can be directly transferred to the stretching process. During the transfer process, the mother rod can be preheated so that the stretching process can start directly after arriving at the stretching process, which effectively shortens the processing time, reduces energy consumption and lowers the manufacturing cost of the precast slab.

[0037] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A master rod transfer device for VAD and extension combined processes, characterized in that, include: Rack (1); Chuck (2), the chuck (2) is mounted on the frame (1) and can be raised and lowered vertically, the chuck (2) can move back and forth between the sintering furnace (4) and the extension machine (5), the chuck (2) is used to grab vertical rods, put the rods vertically into or out of the sintering furnace (4), and put the rods vertically into or out of the extension machine (5); Heating device (7) is connected to the frame (1). The heating device (7) moves back and forth between the sintering furnace (4) and the extension machine (5) synchronously with the chuck (2) and does not move vertically up and down with the chuck (2). The heating device (7) is used to heat the mother rod when the chuck (2) transfers the mother rod from the sintering furnace (4) to the extension machine (5).

2. The mother rod transfer device for VAD and extension combined processes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating device (7) includes two heating components (71), which are located on both sides of the lifting path of the chuck (2). A heating cavity (8) is formed between the two heating components (71), and the chuck (2) can pass between the two heating components (71) when it is lifting.

3. The mother rod transfer device for VAD and extension combined processes according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heating assembly (71) includes a housing and a heating element. The housing is an arc shape with a vertical axis. A single-sided chamber is formed inside the housing. The heating element is disposed on the side wall of the single-sided chamber. The heating cavity (8) includes the single-sided chamber.

4. The mother rod transfer device for VAD and extension combined processes according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two heating components (71) can move closer to or further away from each other in the horizontal direction.

5. The mother rod transfer device for VAD and extension combination processes according to claim 4, characterized in that: The two heating components (71) can move close to each other until the outer shell abuts against each other, at which point the two single-sided chambers are joined together to form a cylindrical heating cavity (8).

6. The mother rod transfer device for VAD and extension combined processes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating device (7) is provided in multiple ways, and the multiple heating devices (7) are distributed at intervals in the vertical direction, and the multiple heating devices (7) are controlled independently.

7. The mother rod transfer device for VAD and extension combined processes according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chuck (2) can rotate around the axis of the clamped mother bar, and the rotation of the chuck (2) drives the clamped mother bar to rotate.

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