Electrical discharge machining apparatus

Abstract

The application provides an electro-erosion machining device, belonging to the technical field of electro-erosion machining. The electro-erosion machining device comprises a rack, a workpiece is transported by a conveying line, a tool electrode is rotatably installed on the rack and located above the conveying line, the tool electrode has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface, the outer peripheral surface is provided with an electro-erosion pattern corresponding to the shape of a to-be-machined removed part of the workpiece, a driving mechanism is used for driving the tool electrode to rotate, a control system controls the conveying speed of the conveying line and the rotating speed of the tool electrode, the tool electrode is connected with an electric circuit, the conveying line is provided with an electric connection structure for connecting the workpiece to the electric circuit, so that the tool electrode can electro-erode the workpiece, the tool electrode can electro-erode the workpiece in a transporting and moving state, the machining efficiency is high, and the problem of environmental pollution caused by chemical etching is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electro-erosion processing technology, specifically to an electro-erosion processing device. Background Technology

[0002] Industrial production involves forming metal patterns on the surface of insulating substrates, such as in the production of PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) or FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits) mounted on rigid boards. Taking PCB production as an example, the first step is to produce a copper-clad laminate (CCL). The CCL consists of an insulating substrate and a copper layer covering its surface. Parts of the copper layer are removed, leaving the copper layer to form the desired circuit pattern. PCBs are used in very large quantities, requiring high production efficiency. Currently, the mainstream production method for PCBs is chemical etching. The CCL is placed in an etching solution, which etches away the unwanted parts of the copper layer, leaving the circuitry. While chemical etching offers high production efficiency, it also presents the technical challenge of significant environmental pollution from the etching solution. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application provides an electro-erosion processing device to solve the technical problem that traditional chemical etching causes serious environmental pollution.

[0004] This application provides an electrical erosion machining apparatus, comprising: frame; A conveyor line for conveying the workpiece to be processed relative to the frame; A tool electrode is rotatably mounted on the frame and located above the conveyor line. The tool electrode has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on the axis of rotation. The outer peripheral surface is provided with an electro-erosion pattern corresponding to the shape of the part to be removed from the workpiece. A drive mechanism is used to drive the tool electrode to rotate; A control system for controlling the conveying speed of the conveyor line and the rotation speed of the tool electrode; The tool electrode is connected to the circuit, and the conveyor line has an electrical connection structure. The electrical connection structure is used to electrically connect the workpiece to the circuit, so that the workpiece on the conveyor line can form a workpiece electrode, so that the tool electrode can discharge the workpiece through the electrical erosion pattern to perform electrical erosion processing.

[0005] In one embodiment, the tool electrode includes a substrate and a patterned electrode detachably covered on the substrate. The substrate is rotatably mounted on the frame to enable the tool electrode to be rotatably mounted on the frame. The electro-etching pattern is disposed on the patterned electrode. Alternatively, the tool electrode is a roller rotatably mounted on the frame, and the outer cylindrical surface of the roller constitutes the outer peripheral surface of the tool electrode.

[0006] In one embodiment, the rotation axis of the tool electrode extends in the horizontal direction; the rotation axis of the tool electrode is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor line, or the rotation axis of the tool electrode forms an angle with the conveying direction of the conveyor line, and the angle is not equal to 90°.

[0007] In one embodiment, the electrical connection structure includes a conductive clamping element movably disposed on the conveyor line. The electro-erosion machining equipment further includes a conductive slide rail fixed relative to the frame, the conductive slide rail being connected to the circuit. The conveyor line has a loading position, a working position, and a unloading position in its conveying stroke. At the loading position, the conductive clamping element does not engage with the conductive slide rail, allowing the workpiece to be placed between the conductive clamping element and the conveyor line. At the working position, the conductive clamping element engages with the conductive slide rail and is connected to the circuit, and the conductive slide rail forces the conductive clamping element to press the workpiece. The tool electrode performs electro-erosion machining on the workpiece at the working position. At the unloading position, the conductive clamping element disengages from the conductive slide rail.

[0008] In one embodiment, the voltage-conducting clamping member is pivotally connected to the conveyor line, and the rotation axis of the voltage-conducting clamping member extends along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. The voltage-conducting clamping member includes a first end and a second end located on both sides of the rotation axis to form a lever structure. In the working position, the second end is supported on the conductive slide rail, so that the first end can press the workpiece.

[0009] In one embodiment, the conductive clamping member has an elastic drive structure between itself and the conveyor line. The elastic drive structure is used to drive the portion of the conductive clamping member that is used to cooperate with the workpiece away from the conveyor line. The conductive clamping member has a guide structure between itself and the conductive slide rail. The guide structure is used to guide the conductive clamping member to cooperate with the conductive slide rail when the conductive clamping member moves from the loading position to the working position.

[0010] In one embodiment, the conveyor line is a conveyor belt, and the electro-erosion machining equipment further includes a support structure. The support structure includes a support plate portion located on the side of the conveyor belt facing away from the tool electrode, for supporting the portion of the conveyor belt carrying the workpiece during electro-erosion machining. The support structure also includes an upturned portion formed by at least one side of the support plate portion folding up along the width direction of the conveyor belt, and the upturned portion constitutes the conductive slide rail.

[0011] In one embodiment, the conductive clamping member has an elastic floating pressure head at one end that mates with the workpiece, and the conductive clamping member clamps the workpiece through the elastic floating pressure head.

[0012] In one embodiment, the conveyor line is a conveyor belt, and the electro-erosion machining equipment further includes a support plate located on the side of the conveyor belt facing away from the tool electrode, for supporting the portion of the conveyor belt carrying the workpiece during electro-erosion machining.

[0013] In one embodiment, the electrical discharge machining equipment further includes a spraying system capable of spraying an insulating liquid onto the electrical discharge machining location.

[0014] According to the electro-erosion processing equipment in the above embodiments, when it is necessary to perform electro-erosion processing on a workpiece, the workpiece is placed on a conveyor line, the conveyor line carries the workpiece and moves it. When the workpiece reaches the bottom of the tool electrode, the tool electrode rotates and discharges onto the workpiece through the electro-erosion pattern to perform electro-erosion processing, removing the part of the workpiece that needs to be removed by electro-erosion. During the electro-erosion process, the control system can control the rotation of the tool electrode while controlling the conveyor line to transport the workpiece, thereby achieving high-efficiency electro-erosion processing and avoiding the technical problems of environmental pollution caused by chemical etching. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the workpiece installed in the electro-erosion machining equipment in some embodiments of this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electro-erosion machining equipment with the workpiece installed in some embodiments of this application; Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle; Figure 5 for Figure 3 A magnified view of a section at point C; Figure 6 for Figure 3 A magnified view of a section at point D; Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the electro-erosion machining equipment being adjusted via an adjustment plate in some embodiments of this application.

[0016] List of feature names corresponding to the labels in the figure: 10. Frame; 101. Liquid storage tank; 20. Conveyor line; 201. Conveyor belt drive shaft; 30. Workpiece; 301. Circuit pattern; 40. Electrical connection structure; 401. Conductive clamping element; 4011. First end; 4012. Second end; 4013. Elastic floating pressure head; 4014. Spring; 402. Elastic drive structure; 50. Tool electrode; 501. Electro-erosion pattern; 60. Drive mechanism; 70. Control box; 701. External wiring; 80. Conductive slide rail; 801. First guide slope; 802. Second guide slope; 90. Support plate section; 100. Roller lifting rod; 110. Drum lift motor; 120. Spraying system; 1201. Nozzle; 1202. Piping; 130. Adjustment board. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by related similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, certain operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of the present application with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0018] Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments, and the operational steps involved in each embodiment can also be rearranged or adjusted in a manner that is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the specification and drawings are only for clearly describing a particular embodiment and do not imply that they represent the necessary components and / or order.

[0019] The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first" and "second," are used only to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. The terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (linkages).

[0020] This application provides an electrical discharge machining (EDM) device. EDM, also known as electrical spark machining, involves a pulse power supply with one electrode connected to a tool electrode and the other to a workpiece electrode, both immersed in a liquid medium with a certain degree of insulation (commonly kerosene, mineral oil, or deionized water). During normal machining, the tool electrode and workpiece electrode maintain a very small discharge gap. When a pulse voltage is applied between the electrodes, it breaks down the liquid medium, forming a discharge channel. The discharge time is extremely short, resulting in a high concentration of energy. The instantaneous high temperature generated in the discharge area melts or even evaporates the material, achieving material removal from the target machining location.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 The electro-erosion machining equipment includes a frame 10, which constitutes the overall structure of the equipment and provides a mounting base for other working components. The structural form of the frame 10 is not unique and is not specifically limited here. The structural form of the frame 10 only needs to meet the requirement of serving as a mounting base for other functional components.

[0022] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 The electro-erosion machining equipment also includes a conveyor line 20. The conveying direction of the conveyor line 20 is defined as a first direction. The conveyor line 20 is provided with an electrical connection structure 40 for electrical connection with the workpiece 30 being processed, allowing the workpiece 30 to be connected to a corresponding circuit via the electrical connection structure 40. The conveyor line 20 carries the workpiece 30 and moves it relative to the frame 10 along the first direction. Generally, the first direction is horizontal and defined as a front-to-back direction; the conveyor line 20 carries the workpiece 30 from back to front.

[0023] The following description uses PCB (Printed Circuit Board) processing as an example to introduce the electro-erosion processing equipment. Workpiece 30 is a copper-clad laminate, comprising an insulating substrate and a copper layer covering the insulating substrate. The copper layer on the insulating substrate is a relatively thin film. The purpose of electro-erosion processing is to remove a portion of the copper layer; this removed portion is the part to be processed in workpiece 30, leaving the copper layer to form the desired circuit pattern 301. In other embodiments, the electro-erosion processing equipment can also be used to process other workpieces 30 suitable for this processing.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 The electro-erosion machining equipment also includes a tool electrode 50, which is rotatably mounted on the frame 10 and is arranged opposite to the conveyor line 20. The opposite arrangement here means that the tool electrode 50 is located above the conveyor line 20, and the conveyor line 20 can carry the workpiece 30 through the tool electrode 50.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 2 The tool electrode 50 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface. The axial dimension of the outer peripheral surface is approximately equal to the width dimension of the workpiece 30 in the left-right direction. The outer peripheral surface is provided with an electro-erosion pattern 501 corresponding to the shape of the portion to be removed from the workpiece 30. The electro-erosion pattern 501 is a three-dimensional pattern, allowing the tool electrode 50 to discharge onto the workpiece 30 through the electro-erosion pattern 501. Here, "shape corresponding" means that after the outer peripheral surface of the tool electrode 50 is unfolded into a plane, the electro-erosion pattern 501 in the planar state has the same shape and size as the portion to be removed on the workpiece 30. Alternatively, even if the shape and size of the electro-erosion pattern 501 in the planar state are not the same as the portion to be removed on the workpiece 30, the electro-erosion pattern 501 satisfies the requirement that, through the relative movement of the tool electrode 50 and the workpiece 30, the desired circuit pattern 301 can be processed on the workpiece 30. Those skilled in the art will understand that the perimeter of the tool electrode 50 is not less than the dimension of the desired circuit pattern 301 on the workpiece 30 along the first direction.

[0026] To drive the tool electrode 50 to rotate, the electrochemical etching equipment also includes a drive mechanism 60 for the tool electrode 50, enabling the tool electrode 50 to rotate around its own centerline under the drive of the drive mechanism 60. The centerline of the tool electrode 50 is the axis of the outer circumference of the cylindrical shape; that is, the tool electrode 50 rotates around its own centerline. The drive mechanism 60 can be a servo motor.

[0027] Electrical EDM equipment also includes a control system; please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 The electro-erosion machining equipment is equipped with a control box 70 for installing the control system hardware. The control system can control the conveying speed of the conveyor line 20 and the rotation speed of the tool electrode 50. The control box 70 has an operating interface for the operator. The control box 70 is connected to the circuitry of the electro-erosion machining equipment via an external power cable 701.

[0028] Both the tool electrode 50 and the electrical connection structure 40 are connected to a circuit, which is a pulse circuit. By connecting to the circuit, the workpiece 30, which is electrically connected to the electrical connection structure 40, can be energized to form a workpiece electrode.

[0029] During electro-electro-optical machining (EED), the tool electrode 50 is positioned at a suitable height. This suitable height means that when the workpiece 30 is directly below the tool electrode 50, the distance between the lowest point of the EED pattern 501 on the tool electrode 50 and the workpiece 30 meets the EED discharge distance. The control system controls the conveyor line 20 to transport the workpiece 30 from back to front. Simultaneously, the control system also controls the drive mechanism 60 to drive the tool electrode 50 to rotate. The workpiece 30 passes under the tool electrode 50, and the lowest point of the EED pattern 501 on the tool electrode 50 discharges onto the workpiece 30, performing EED for material removal. After the workpiece 30 has passed under the tool electrode 50 with the conveyor line 20, the EED is complete, and the required circuit pattern 301 is machined onto the workpiece 30.

[0030] Because the electro-erosion machining of workpiece 30 is completed by the rolling of the tool electrode 50 while workpiece 30 is in motion, it has very high electro-erosion machining efficiency. Furthermore, the tool electrode 50 can be used 5,000 to 30,000 times, enabling streamlined production. Especially in PCB manufacturing, the copper layer of workpiece 30 is only 0.03mm-0.07mm thick, with a maximum thickness of only 0.1mm, resulting in very low consumption of the tool electrode 50. The tool electrode 50 can be used more than 100,000 times, fully meeting the processing needs of large batches of workpiece 30. This allows the electro-erosion machining equipment in this application to perform high-efficiency processing on large batches of workpiece 30. Such electro-erosion machining equipment can avoid the environmental pollution caused by chemical etching in PCB production.

[0031] Furthermore, electro-erosion machining (EEM) offers high machining accuracy, reaching ±0.01mm, enabling its application in high-precision machining fields. Additionally, because the tool electrode 50 rolls above the workpiece 30, the EEM pattern 501 is formed through uniform linear EEM on a planar surface. If the EEM current is uneven across the pattern 501, localized EEM will result in a transition from the finished copper layer to the unfinished copper layer, ensuring uniform EEM across the entire plane. Therefore, using this EEM equipment enables low-cost, high-efficiency, and environmentally friendly machining production.

[0032] In some embodiments, the centerline of the tool electrode 50 extends along a second direction, which is a horizontal direction and perpendicular to the first direction. The electro-erosion pattern 501 on the tool electrode 50, after being unfolded into a planar state, has the same shape as the portion to be removed on the workpiece 30. In this case, during electro-erosion machining, the control system controls the conveyor line 20 to move the workpiece 30 at the same speed as the linear velocity of the lowest point on the outer circumferential surface of the tool electrode 50 when it rotates. This same speed includes both the same magnitude and the same direction. Of course, in other embodiments, by reversing the design of the electro-erosion pattern 501 on the tool electrode 50, the direction of the linear velocity at the lowest point when the tool electrode 50 rotates can be made opposite to the conveying direction of the conveyor line 20.

[0033] In some other embodiments, the electro-erosion pattern 501 can be scaled down or enlarged proportionally along the circumference of the tool electrode 50. In this case, during electro-erosion machining, the rotational speed of the tool electrode 50 can be adaptively adjusted relative to the conveying speed of the conveyor line 20. Based on the correspondence between the electro-erosion pattern 501 on the tool electrode 50 and the shape of the material to be removed on the workpiece 30, the rotation axis of the tool electrode 50 can also form an angle with the first direction, with the angle value being greater than or less than 90°.

[0034] Regarding the structural form of the tool electrode 50, in some embodiments, the tool electrode 50 includes a substrate and a patterned electrode detachably covered on the substrate. The substrate can be a cylinder or a cylindrical tube, and the patterned electrode can be a flexible metal sheet with an electro-etched pattern 501 on its surface. The patterned electrode is detachably covered on the substrate, and the substrate is rotatably mounted on the frame 10, allowing the tool electrode 50 to be rotatably mounted on the frame 10. This structural form of the tool electrode 50 allows for convenient replacement of the patterned electrode; when electro-etching different workpieces 30, only the patterned electrode of the corresponding shape needs to be replaced. In other embodiments, the tool electrode 50 is a roller rotatably mounted on the frame 10. The tool electrode 50 itself is a single roller, and the outer surface of the roller constitutes the outer peripheral surface of the tool electrode 50. That is, the electro-etched pattern 501 is directly formed on the outer peripheral surface of the roller.

[0035] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4The electrical connection structure 40 includes a conductive voltage clamping member 401 movably disposed on the conveyor line 20. The electro-erosion machining equipment also includes a conductive slide rail 80 fixed relative to the frame 10. The conductive slide rail 80 is disposed beside the conveyor line 20 along a second direction and has a certain length along a first direction. The conductive slide rail 80 is connected to the circuit. The conductive voltage clamping member 401 can be a conductive voltage clamping plate, a conductive voltage clamping rod, etc. The conductive voltage clamping member 401 can be made entirely of conductive material or partially of insulating material, and has a conductive portion, sufficient to allow the workpiece 30 to be connected to the circuit. Similarly, the conductive slide rail 80 can also be made entirely of conductive material or partially of insulating material, but has a conductive portion.

[0036] The conveyor line 20 has a loading position, a working position, and a unloading position in its conveying stroke. The loading position is located behind the rear end of the conductive slide rail 80. At the loading position, the conductive voltage clamping member 401 does not cooperate with the conductive slide rail 80, so that the workpiece 30 can be placed between the conductive voltage clamping member 401 and the conveyor line 20. At the working position, the conductive voltage clamping member 401 cooperates with the conductive slide rail 80 and is connected to the circuit. The conductive slide rail 80 forces the conductive voltage clamping member 401 to press the workpiece 30. The tool electrode 50 performs electro-erosion machining on the workpiece 30 at the working position. The unloading position is located in front of the front end of the conductive slide rail 80. At the unloading position, the conductive voltage clamping member 401 disengages from the conductive slide rail 80, releasing the pressure of the conductive voltage clamping member 401 on the workpiece 30, making it easier to unload the processed workpiece 30 from the conveyor line 20. With this structure, the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 can reliably hold the workpiece 30 in position on the conveyor line 20 while connecting the workpiece 30 to the circuit. The installation, connection to the circuit, and unloading of the workpiece 30 on the conveyor line 20 are very convenient.

[0037] In some other embodiments, the structure for connecting the workpiece 30 to the circuit and the structure for holding the workpiece 30 in position on the conveyor line 20 can be relatively independent structures, i.e., there is a dedicated mounting structure to hold the workpiece 30 in position on the conveyor line 20. Of course, if the workpiece 30 can be held in position on the conveyor line 20 by itself, the mounting structure may not be necessary, and the electrical connection structure 40 only needs to be used to connect the workpiece 30 to the circuit.

[0038] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 4The voltage-conducting clamping member 401 is a voltage-conducting clamping plate, pivotally connected to the conveyor line 20, allowing it to rotate relative to the conveyor line 20 around its rotation axis. The rotation axis of the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 extends along the conveying direction (i.e., the first direction) of the conveyor line 20. The voltage-conducting clamping member 401 is a lever structure, including a first end 4011 and a second end 4012 located on both sides of the rotation axis. In the working position, the second end 4012 supports and presses against the conductive slide rail 80, enabling the electrical connection structure 40 to connect to the circuit. Simultaneously, the conductive slide rail 80 lifts the second end 4012, allowing the first end 4011 to press against the workpiece 30, ensuring a reliable electrical connection. Setting the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 as a lever reduces the height of the conductive slide rail 80. To ensure durability, the contact parts between the conductive slide rail 80 and the second end 4012 can be made of self-lubricating and conductive materials, such as graphite-based composite materials or copper-based materials.

[0039] In some other embodiments, the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 can also be movably mounted on the conveyor line 20, with the lower end used to clamp the workpiece 30 and the upper end used to cooperate with the conductive slide rail 80. Correspondingly, the position of the conductive slide rail 80 can be set relatively high so that the upper end of the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 can cooperate with the lower side of the conductive slide rail 80.

[0040] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 4 An elastic drive structure 402 is provided between the voltage-conducting clamp 401 and the conveyor line 20. The elastic drive structure 402 can drive the first end 4011 of the voltage-conducting clamp 401 away from the conveyor line 20, so that the voltage-conducting clamp 401 is opened relative to the conveyor line 20, which facilitates the placement of the workpiece 30 between the voltage-conducting clamp 401 and the conveyor line 20 at the loading position. Based on the pivot connection of the voltage-conducting clamp 401 on the conveyor line 20, the elastic drive structure 402 can be a torsion spring. In some other embodiments, the elastic drive structure 402 can also be a compression spring disposed between the first end 4011 and the conveyor line 20. Before the second end 4012 engages with the conductive slide rail 80, the compression spring is in an unfolded state, so that the first end 4011 is opened away from the conveyor line 20. After the second end 4012 engages with the conductive slide rail 80, the compression spring is compressed.

[0041] When the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 is movably mounted on the conveyor line 20, the elastic drive structure 402 can be a spring disposed between the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 and the conveyor line 20. When the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 is not engaged with the conductive slide rail 80, the spring keeps the lower end of the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 away from the conveyor line 20. After the upper end of the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 is engaged with the conductive slide rail 80, the conductive slide rail 80 forces the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 to move down and press against the workpiece 30 to achieve electrical connection.

[0042] A guiding structure is also provided between the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 and the conductive slide rail 80. Through the guidance of this structure, the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 can automatically and smoothly slide onto the upper side of the conductive slide rail 80 and be supported by it when moving from the loading position to the working position. In some embodiments, please refer to... Figure 5 Based on the fact that the loading position is located behind the working position, the guiding structure includes a first guiding slope 801 located at the rear end of the conductive slide rail 80. The first guiding slope 801 is an inclined surface that gradually rises from back to front, which can guide the second end 4012 to slide onto the conductive slide rail 80. In some other embodiments, the first guiding slope 801 can be provided on the second end 4012 of the conductive voltage clamping member 401. The first guiding slope 801 can also be an arc-shaped surface. To prevent the second end 4012 of the conductive voltage clamping member 401 from snapping against the conveyor line 20 when it disengages from the conductive slide rail 80, the front end of the conductive slide rail 80 has a second guiding slope 802, which is an inclined surface that gradually decreases from back to front.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 In some embodiments, the conveyor line 20 is a conveyor belt, which is a circular rotary structure and is rotatably mounted on the frame 10. The upper layer conveys from back to front, and the lower layer rotates from front to back. Using a conveyor belt gives the conveyor line 20 the advantages of simple structure and easy layout. In other embodiments, the conveyor line 20 can also be a chain conveyor structure, which includes a moving conveyor chain with conveyor trays connected to it. Each conveyor tray has an electrical connection structure 40. The electrical connection structure 40 can also include a conductive spring piece riveted to one end of the conveyor line 20. The conductive spring piece presses the workpiece 30 onto the conveyor line 20 through elastic deformation of its free end. To enable the conductive spring piece to conduct electricity into the circuit, a conductive connection structure can be provided on the conveyor line 20. The conductive connection structure moves with the conveyor line 20 and is conductively connected to the circuit and the conductive spring piece.

[0044] Considering that the workpiece 30 needs to maintain a stable posture and a suitable distance from the tool electrode 50 during processing, the electro-erosion machining equipment also includes a support structure corresponding to the conveyor belt. This support structure includes a support plate portion 90, located on the side of the conveyor belt facing away from the tool electrode 50, specifically on the lower side of the upper layer of the annular conveyor belt. The support plate portion 90 supports the portion of the conveyor belt carrying the workpiece 30 during electro-erosion machining, ensuring the flatness of the conveyor belt and thus ensuring the stability of the workpiece 30's height. The support structure also includes an upward-folding portion formed by the upward-folding of the support plate portion 90 along both sides of the conveyor belt width direction (i.e., the second direction), comprising a vertical portion and a horizontal portion. The horizontal portion is located on the upper side of the conveyor belt and forms a conductive slide rail 80. This integrated arrangement of the conductive slide rail 80 and the support plate portion 90 allows for simultaneous manufacturing and installation of the conductive slide rail 80 and the support plate portion 90, facilitating the manufacturing of the electro-erosion machining equipment. Furthermore, since the support structure is fixed relative to the frame 10, the upward-folding portion can limit the conveyor belt in the second direction.

[0045] As described above, two conductive slide rails 80 are installed on the left and right sides of the conveyor belt. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 The electrical connection structure 40 includes four conductive clamping elements 401. These four elements are arranged in pairs, forming two columns, with the elements spaced apart from each other within each column. This arrangement ensures that the electrical connection structure 40 does not affect the interaction between the conveyor belt and the conveyor belt drive shaft 201 at the reversing point. In other words, the reversing rotation of the conveyor belt and the conveyor belt drive shaft 201 will not affect the electrical connection structure 40 on the conveyor belt. The number of electrical connection structures 40 on the conveyor line 20 can be either one or multiple locations spaced apart along the conveying direction of the conveyor line 20.

[0046] In some other embodiments, the support plate portion 90 can be set separately, that is, the support plate portion 90 is not an integral structure with the conductive slide rail 80, and the separately set support plate portion 90 is the support plate, which is used to support the conveyor belt.

[0047] To ensure stable conductive contact between the conductive clamping element 401 and the workpiece 30, in some embodiments, please refer to... Figure 6 The first end 4011 of the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 is provided with an elastic floating pressure head 4013, which is elastically and floatingly mounted on the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 by means of a spring 4014. The provision of the elastic floating pressure head 4013 also enables the voltage-conducting clamping member 401 to cooperate with workpieces 30 of different thicknesses.

[0048] Since the distance between the tool electrode 50 and the workpiece 30 needs to be adjusted when machining workpieces 30 of different thicknesses, the tool electrode 50 is mounted on the frame 10 in an adjustable vertical position via a lifting mechanism. In some embodiments, please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 The lifting mechanism includes a roller lifting rod 100 mounted on the frame 10. The roller lifting rod 100 is driven to move up and down by a roller lifting motor 110. A drive mechanism 60 is connected to the lower end of the roller lifting rod 100. Thus, the roller lifting rod 100 can drive the tool electrode 50 to adjust its position up and down, and the drive mechanism 60 drives the tool electrode 50 to rotate. In some other embodiments, the lifting mechanism may also include a guide rail mounted on the frame 10. The drive mechanism 60 cooperates with the guide rail through a slider. The lifting mechanism also includes a power mechanism that drives the slider to move up and down along the guide rail. The power mechanism may be a drive cylinder, a drive chain, etc.

[0049] During electro-electro-optical machining (EED), an insulating medium is required between the tool electrode 50 and the workpiece 30. Therefore, the EED equipment also includes a spraying system 120, which includes a nozzle 1201 and a pipe 1202 connected to the nozzle 1201. During machining, the nozzle 1201 sprays an insulating liquid medium towards the mating area between the tool electrode 50 and the workpiece 30. Kerosene, mineral oil, or deionized water are commonly used as the insulating liquid medium. Because the sprayed insulating medium is in a flowing state, it can carry away the metal powder generated during EED, preventing metal powder accumulation from affecting the EED accuracy, and also achieving heat dissipation. To better carry away the metal powder generated during EED, the insulating liquid medium can be sprayed horizontally or at a certain angle to the horizontal. Based on the clamping of the conductive clamping member 401, the workpiece 30 is reliably held in position and is not affected by the insulating liquid medium.

[0050] Given that workpiece 30 has a certain width, please refer to the following embodiments: Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 7 The nozzle 1201 has a flat outlet structure, which increases the spraying area of ​​the nozzle 1201. The frame 10 has a liquid storage tank 101 located below the conveyor line 20. The liquid storage tank 101 can collect insulating medium and metal powder generated by electro-erosion, which facilitates the recycling of metal powder.

[0051] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 7 The EDM equipment is also equipped with an adjustment plate 130. The size of the adjustment plate 130 is the same as that of the workpiece 30, and it is conductive. Before processing, the EDM equipment can be adjusted using the following method: The adjustment board 130 is installed on the conveyor line 20 through the electrical connection structure 40. The interface operation is performed on the control box 70 (the control box 70 contains a circuit control unit for controlling the electro-erosion processing equipment). The adjustment mode is started, the current of the electrode is set, the horizontal stroke is set, and the rotation of the tool electrode 50 is set to ensure that the circumferential stroke of the tool electrode 50 corresponds to the horizontal stroke of the conveyor line 20. Then, the vertical stroke control is set. After setting, the roller lifting motor 110 is run. The adjusted vertical stroke control will cause the tool electrode 50 to descend. When it descends to a point where the electro-erosion pattern 501 on the tool electrode 50 is about to contact the adjusting plate 130 but has not yet made contact (e.g., a distance of 0.5mm), an electro-erosion spark will occur between the electro-erosion pattern 501 and the adjusting plate 130. At the same time, the spraying system 120 sprays an insulating medium. At this point, the circuit control unit will control the tool electrode 50 to stop descending. Then, the circuit control unit will automatically record the vertical position of the tool electrode 50 as it descends, and then control the tool electrode 50 to rise. When it rises to the highest position, it stops, and the spraying system 120 is turned off. At this point, the adjusting plate 130 can be replaced with the workpiece 30 that needs to be processed.

[0052] This application also provides an electro-erosion machining method. When implementing this method, the electro-erosion machining equipment described in the above embodiments can be used to process the workpiece 30. During operation, the workpiece 30 to be processed is placed on the conveyor line 20. As mentioned above, the tool electrode 50 has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface and is rotatable. The outer peripheral surface is provided with an electro-erosion pattern 501 corresponding to the shape of the portion to be removed from the workpiece 30. The control system controls the conveyor line 20 to transport the workpiece 30 and controls the tool electrode 50 to rotate to perform electro-erosion machining on the workpiece 30, which is in motion and transported by the conveyor line 20. This electro-erosion machining method may also include the aforementioned machine adjustment method.

[0053] The above examples illustrate this application only to aid understanding and are not intended to limit its scope. Those skilled in the art to which this application pertains can make various simple deductions, modifications, or substitutions based on the ideas presented.

Claims

1. An electro-erosion machining equipment, characterized in that, include: frame; A conveyor line for conveying the workpiece to be processed relative to the frame; A tool electrode is rotatably mounted on the frame and located above the conveyor line. The tool electrode has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface centered on the axis of rotation. The outer peripheral surface is provided with an electro-erosion pattern corresponding to the shape of the part to be removed from the workpiece. A drive mechanism is used to drive the tool electrode to rotate; A control system for controlling the conveying speed of the conveyor line and the rotation speed of the tool electrode; The tool electrode is connected to the circuit, and the conveyor line has an electrical connection structure. The electrical connection structure is used to electrically connect the workpiece to the circuit, so that the workpiece on the conveyor line can form a workpiece electrode, so that the tool electrode can discharge the workpiece through the electrical erosion pattern to perform electrical erosion processing.

2. The electro-erosion machining equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The tool electrode includes a substrate and a patterned electrode detachably covered on the substrate. The substrate is rotatably mounted on the frame to enable the tool electrode to be rotatably mounted on the frame. The electro-erosion pattern is disposed on the patterned electrode. Alternatively, the tool electrode is a roller rotatably mounted on the frame, and the outer cylindrical surface of the roller constitutes the outer peripheral surface of the tool electrode.

3. The electro-erosion machining equipment as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The axis of rotation of the tool electrode extends in the horizontal direction; The rotation axis of the tool electrode is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor line, or the rotation axis of the tool electrode is at an angle to the conveying direction of the conveyor line, and the angle is not equal to 90°.

4. The electro-erosion machining equipment as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The electrical connection structure includes a conductive clamping element movably disposed on the conveyor line. The electro-erosion machining equipment also includes a conductive slide rail fixed relative to the frame. The conductive slide rail is connected to the circuit. The conveyor line has a loading position, a working position, and a unloading position in its conveying stroke. At the loading position, the conductive clamping element does not engage with the conductive slide rail, allowing the workpiece to be placed between the conductive clamping element and the conveyor line. At the working position, the conductive clamping element engages with the conductive slide rail and is connected to the circuit, and the conductive slide rail forces the conductive clamping element to press the workpiece. The tool electrode performs electro-erosion machining on the workpiece at the working position. At the unloading position, the conductive clamping element disengages from the conductive slide rail.

5. The electrical erosion machining equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The voltage-conducting clamping member is pivotally connected to the conveyor line, and the rotation axis of the voltage-conducting clamping member extends along the conveying direction of the conveyor line. The voltage-conducting clamping member includes a first end and a second end located on both sides of the rotation axis to form a lever structure. In the working position, the second end is supported on the conductive slide rail, so that the first end can press the workpiece.

6. The electrical erosion machining equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The conductive clamping member has an elastic drive structure between itself and the conveyor line. The elastic drive structure is used to drive the part of the conductive clamping member that is used to cooperate with the workpiece away from the conveyor line. The conductive clamping member has a guide structure between itself and the conductive slide rail. The guide structure is used to guide the conductive clamping member to cooperate with the conductive slide rail when the conductive clamping member moves from the loading position to the working position.

7. The electrical erosion machining equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The conveyor line is a conveyor belt, and the electro-erosion machining equipment also includes a support structure. The support structure includes a support plate portion, which is located on the side of the conveyor belt away from the tool electrode. It is used to support the part of the conveyor belt that carries the workpiece during electro-erosion machining. The support structure also includes an upturned portion formed by at least one side of the support plate portion along the width direction of the conveyor belt. The upturned portion constitutes the conductive slide rail.

8. The electrical erosion machining equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The conductive clamping member has an elastic floating pressure head at one end that mates with the workpiece, and the conductive clamping member clamps the workpiece through the elastic floating pressure head.

9. The electro-erosion machining equipment as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The conveyor line is a conveyor belt, and the electro-erosion machining equipment also includes a support plate. The support plate is located on the side of the conveyor belt facing away from the tool electrode and is used to support the part of the conveyor belt that carries the workpiece during electro-erosion machining.

10. The electro-erosion machining equipment as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The electrical discharge machining equipment also includes a liquid spraying system, which is capable of spraying insulating liquid onto the electrical discharge machining position.

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