Aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of aluminium alloy casting transfer mechanism, including sequentially communicating flared mouth collection end and narrow mouth conveying end. Two active transfer shafts located in upper portion are provided between the opposite two end plates of flared mouth collection end, and the synchronous opposite rotation is realized by active motor and chain mechanism installed on one end plate thereof, and its axle roll surface is covered with elastic material layer. Flared mouth collection end lower part is equipped with the tapering passage leading to narrow mouth conveying end. Narrow mouth conveying end lower part is equipped with multiple groups of rotatable rolling shafts at intervals, its rolling surface is flush with the bottom surface of tapering passage, and rolling shaft surface has predetermined roughness to constitute the burr polishing station of aluminium alloy sphere. The utility model integrates efficient collection, orderly transfer, preliminary arrangement and online burr polishing function, compact structure, high degree of automation, significantly improves production efficiency and product quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a transfer mechanism, and more particularly to an aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] Aluminum alloy spheres are widely used in valves, bearings, transmission mechanisms, and precision instruments due to their excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and lightweight characteristics. During the casting process of aluminum alloy spheres, the cast spheres need to be transferred from the casting mold or cooling station to the next process, such as inspection, finishing, or packaging.

[0003] Currently, the transfer of such small spherical castings is often achieved using methods such as vibratory feeders, screw feeders, or simple inclined slides. However, these traditional methods have many drawbacks:

[0004] Vibratory feeders and slides rely mainly on gravity and vibration. For spheres with sand or slight burrs on the surface, they are prone to jamming and clogging, affecting the continuity of production.

[0005] Traditional transfer devices are only responsible for conveying and do not have any processing capabilities. The gates, flash, and burrs produced by casting require separate subsequent processes for treatment, such as using a dedicated tumbler grinder or manual grinding. This increases equipment investment, floor space, and labor costs, and extends the production cycle.

[0006] The spheres falling from the previous process (such as a casting machine) are often disordered, and traditional methods are difficult to achieve efficient and orderly collection and arrangement, which is not conducive to subsequent automated processing.

[0007] Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field for a new mechanism that can overcome the above-mentioned defects, achieve efficient and smooth transfer, and integrate preliminary surface treatment functions, thereby improving the automation level and production efficiency of aluminum alloy sphere post-casting treatment. Utility Model Content

[0008] To address the shortcomings of the aforementioned technologies, this utility model provides an aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism.

[0009] To solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: an aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism, comprising: a flared collection end and a narrow conveying end connected in sequence; The flared collecting end includes a first end plate and a second end plate arranged opposite to each other. At least two parallel active transfer shafts located at the same height are arranged between the upper parts of the first end plate and the second end plate. The surface of the roller of the active transfer shaft is covered with an elastic material layer. An active motor is fixedly installed on the outer side of the first end plate or the second end plate. The output shaft of the active motor and the shaft extension end of the active transfer shaft are both provided with a chain. The chain meshes with all the sprockets to achieve synchronous opposite rotation of the active transfer shaft. The lower part of the flared collecting end forms a gradually narrowing channel leading to the narrow conveying end; the narrow conveying end is connected to the outlet of the gradually narrowing channel, and multiple sets of rotatable rolling shafts are spaced apart at the lower part of it. The upper rolling surface of the rolling shaft is at the same height as the bottom surface of the gradually narrowing channel, and the surface of the rolling shaft is rough to simultaneously polish the burrs of the aluminum alloy ball.

[0010] Furthermore, there are two active transfer axes, and the gap between the two active transfer axes is smaller than the diameter of a single aluminum alloy sphere.

[0011] Furthermore, guide baffles are provided on both sides of the narrow-mouth conveyor end, and the width between the guide baffles is greater than the diameter of a single aluminum alloy ball but less than the diameter of two aluminum alloy balls.

[0012] Furthermore, the rolling shaft is rotatably supported on the side wall of the narrow conveying end by bearings, and the rolling shaft is a free roller.

[0013] Furthermore, the cross-section of the tapering channel is V-shaped, U-shaped, or trapezoidal, and the inner wall of the tapering channel is smooth.

[0014] Furthermore, the predetermined roughness of the rolling shaft surface is achieved by sandblasting, roughening, or wrapping with abrasive cloth.

[0015] Furthermore, the elastic material layer is made of polyurethane, rubber, or silicone.

[0016] This utility model discloses an aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism. Compared with the prior art, this utility model can efficiently and actively transfer materials, eliminating jamming. By driving the opposing rotating elastic transfer shafts with an active motor, a positive and controllable traction force is provided to the ball, enabling the mechanism to efficiently grab and swallow the ball from the previous process. Even if the ball surface has slight defects or contains some casting residue, the elastic shaft roller can effectively adapt and complete the conveying, fundamentally solving the common jamming problem of vibratory feeders and slides.

[0017] This innovative design integrates the functions of transfer and grinding. At the narrow conveyor end, a rough rolling shaft forms a continuous, dynamic grinding station. As the spheres are conveyed forward, they continuously roll and rub against these rough surfaces, resulting in comprehensive grinding and removal of burrs and flash. This eliminates the need for a dedicated drum grinder and its loading / unloading system, which are essential in traditional processes, significantly reducing equipment investment, floor space, and energy consumption, and simplifying the production process.

[0018] From the disordered reception at the flared collection end, to the initial guidance through the gradually narrowing channel, and then to the forced single-row arrangement achieved by limiting the width at the narrow conveying end, this invention realizes fully automated processing of spheres from random to orderly. The single-row arrangement of spheres greatly facilitates subsequent automated operations, such as visual inspection, size measurement, automatic counting, and robotic grasping and packaging, significantly improving the overall automation level of the production line. The elastic rollers used at the flared collection end have flexible contact with the spheres, avoiding hard collisions and scratches. Simultaneously, the online polishing process is completed naturally as the spheres roll, with uniform force, avoiding localized over-polishing or damage that may occur with manual polishing, ensuring the consistency and high yield of product surface quality. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is the front view of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a top view of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is the left view of the present invention.

[0023] In the diagram: 1. Flared collection end; 101. First end plate; 102. Second end plate; 103. Active transfer shaft; 105. Active motor; 106. Chain; 107. Sprocket; 109. Gradual closing channel; 2. Narrow conveying end; 201. Rolling shaft; 203. Guide baffle; 3. Aluminum alloy ball. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0025] This patent discloses an aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism, which achieves a smooth transition from extensive collection to fine processing and arrangement through a two-section structure.

[0026] like Figure 1-4 As shown, the frame of the flared collecting end 1 includes a first end plate 101 and a second end plate 102, both machined from thick steel plates. Two active transfer shafts 103 are mounted in parallel on the upper part between the two end plates. The active transfer shafts 103 are mounted on the first end plate 101 and the second end plate 102 via ball bearing seats to ensure smooth rotation. The core of the active transfer shaft 103 can be a steel shaft, but its working surface is tightly covered with a layer of elastic material approximately 5-15 mm thick. The elastic material layer is polyurethane, rubber, or silicone, preferably polyurethane, which has excellent wear resistance, elasticity, and a high coefficient of friction, enabling reliable gripping and damage prevention.

[0027] On the outer side of the second end plate 102, a servo motor or a common three-phase asynchronous motor is installed as the drive motor 105. Sprockets 107 of the same size are installed on the output shaft of the drive motor 105 and the shaft extension end of one of the drive transfer shafts 103. The chain 106 meshes with both sprockets simultaneously. To ensure precise synchronous counter-rotation of the two drive transfer shafts 103, a sprocket is also installed on the shaft extension end of the other drive transfer shaft 103. The entire chain 106 transmission section can be completely enclosed by a metal protective cover.

[0028] The lower part of the flared collecting end 1 is a V-shaped tapering channel 109, integrally formed or welded. Its inner wall is polished, with a smooth surface and low coefficient of friction, ensuring that the ball can slide smoothly. The V-shaped structure design ensures that the ball can roll to the center line of the channel regardless of which direction it enters from.

[0029] The narrow-mouth conveying end 2 is bolted or welded to the outlet of the flared-mouth collecting end 1. Its main structure also consists of side panels. At the bottom of the side panels, a set of rolling shafts 201 are installed at regular intervals along the conveying direction, for example, at intervals of 1 / 2 to 2 / 3 of the sphere diameter. These rolling shafts 201 are supported on the side panels by deep groove ball bearings and can rotate freely. The upper rolling surfaces of all rolling shafts 201 are calibrated during installation using a laser level or precision level to ensure they are strictly on the same horizontal plane, and that this plane smoothly connects to the lowest point of the converging channel 109 without any height difference.

[0030] The rolling shaft 201 itself can be made of 45# steel shaft with a sandblasted surface, and the uniform rough surface formed by sandblasting can provide a good polishing effect. As an alternative, a layer of 80 to 120 mesh diamond abrasive cloth can be wrapped around the surface of the steel shaft to obtain a more aggressive or finer polishing effect. The abrasive cloth is fixed by pressure strips and screws.

[0031] Guide baffles 203 are installed on both sides of the narrow-mouth conveyor end 2. The gap between these two baffles is wider than the diameter of a single aluminum alloy sphere 3 but smaller than the diameter of two aluminum alloy spheres. When the diameter D of the aluminum alloy sphere is 30mm, the width W can be designed to be 35mm to 55mm. This dimension forces the spheres to pass through in a single line only, preventing them from passing side by side, thus achieving automated arrangement.

[0032] The workflow of the entire organization is as follows: The cast and pre-cooled aluminum alloy spheres 3 are poured in batches into the inlet of the flared collection end 1. The spheres enter between two opposing rotating active transfer shafts 103. Because the gap between the two shafts is smaller than the diameter of the spheres, the spheres are held in place by an elastic material layer 104. The deformation of the elastic layer 104 not only increases the contact area and friction but also acts as a buffer. Under the action of friction, the spheres are quickly pulled away from the shaft area and enter the converging channel 109. Guided by the inclined surface of the channel and under the action of gravity, all the spheres converge towards the outlet at the center of the channel. The spheres enter the narrow conveying end 2 one by one from the outlet of the converging channel 109. Due to the width limitation of the guide baffle 203, the spheres are forced to automatically arrange themselves into a single row. The spheres 3 arranged in a single row roll forward in the narrow conveying end 2. When they come into contact with the rough surface of the rolling shaft 201, the rolling of the spheres drives the free roller to rotate. During this process, the entire surface of the spheres undergoes continuous and random friction and scraping with the rough shaft surface. This process functions similarly to a miniature, continuously passing tumbler mill, effectively removing gate residue, mold flash, and small burrs from the surface of the spheres. The spheres tumble continuously during transport, ensuring uniform surface treatment. The polished, neatly arranged spheres exit from the narrow conveyor end 2, ready for the next process, such as cleaning, inspection, or packaging.

[0033] In another embodiment, to provide a more stable conveying speed, especially when handling heavier balls or balls requiring higher surface friction, the rolling shafts at the narrow conveyor end can be designed as drive rollers. In this case, a smaller drive motor is installed on one side of the conveyor end, connected via a timing belt (or chain) and driving all the rolling shafts to rotate synchronously in the same direction. The speed of the drive motor should be linked to the speed of the main motor to ensure that the conveying speed matches and to prevent balls from piling up at the junction.

[0034] In summary, this utility model, through its unique structural design, successfully solves several pain points in the post-cast transfer and processing of aluminum alloy spheres, providing a highly efficient, integrated, and reliable automated solution. It not only improves production efficiency and reduces overall costs but also enhances product quality, demonstrating high practical value and promising market prospects.

[0035] The above embodiments are not intended to limit the present utility model, nor is the present utility model limited to the examples given above. Any changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical solution of the present utility model are also within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism, characterized in that, include: A flared collection end and a narrow conveying end are connected in sequence; The flared collecting end includes a first end plate and a second end plate arranged opposite to each other. At least two parallel active transfer shafts located at the same height are arranged between the upper parts of the first end plate and the second end plate. The surface of the roller of the active transfer shaft is covered with an elastic material layer. An active motor is fixedly installed on the outer side of the first end plate or the second end plate. The output shaft of the active motor and the shaft extension end of the active transfer shaft are both provided with a chain. The chain meshes with all the sprockets to realize the synchronous opposite rotation of the active transfer shaft. The lower part of the flared collecting end forms a gradually narrowing channel leading to the narrow conveying end; the narrow conveying end is connected to the outlet of the gradually narrowing channel, and multiple sets of rotatable rolling shafts are spaced apart at its lower part. The upper rolling surface of the rolling shaft is at the same height as the bottom surface of the gradually narrowing channel, and the surface of the rolling shaft is rough to simultaneously polish the burrs of the aluminum alloy ball.

2. The aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of active transfer shafts is two, and the gap between the two active transfer shafts is smaller than the diameter of a single aluminum alloy sphere.

3. The aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Guide baffles are provided on both sides of the narrow-mouth conveying end. The width between the guide baffles is greater than the diameter of a single aluminum alloy ball but less than the diameter of two aluminum alloy balls.

4. The aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rolling shaft is rotatably supported on the side wall of the narrow conveying end by bearings, and the rolling shaft is a free roller.

5. The aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross-section of the tapering channel is V-shaped, U-shaped, or trapezoidal, and the inner wall of the tapering channel is smooth.

6. The aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The predetermined roughness of the rolling shaft surface is achieved by sandblasting, roughening, or wrapping with abrasive cloth.

7. The aluminum alloy casting transfer mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic material layer is polyurethane, rubber, or silicone.

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