A pipe hot blow molding system

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the medical instrument forming technical field discloses a kind of catheter hot blow forming system, comprising: control box, heater and air outlet device;Heater is equipped with air inlet and hot air outlet, the control box with the heater is electrically connected, to control the heating temperature of the heater;The middle part of the air outlet device is equipped with the through hole for the flexible driving section to pass through, annular air passage around the through hole is equipped in the air outlet device, the annular air passage with the hot air outlet is communicated, and the lateral wall of the through hole is evenly distributed with the gas outlet hole of annular air passage communication along circumference direction.The utility model is equipped with annular air passage around the through hole in the air outlet device, and the circumference direction of through hole is evenly arranged with multiple gas outlet holes, and annular heating can be realized when flexible driving section passes through through hole, so that pipe material whole circle can be heated evenly, reduce the appearance bad, eccentric, surface bubble, pit and other problems caused by uneven heating when artificial hot blowing, improve product production efficiency and pass rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of medical device molding technology, and more particularly to a catheter hot blow molding system. Background Technology

[0002] A flexible driven catheter is a type of vascular interventional catheter that uses an external device to control a magnetic field, indirectly manipulating the catheter's movement and shape within the body. It also performs intracardiac electrophysiological mapping within the heart chambers, collecting intracardiac electrical signals, and can be used for ablation therapy at necessary locations. The flexible driving segment of the flexible driven catheter is the core functional part, directly affecting its usability and therapeutic performance. Therefore, it requires a certain degree of flexibility and elasticity, maintaining relative position stability during deformation, and exhibiting high sensitivity to changes in the magnetic field.

[0003] The flexible drive section is mainly composed of annular magnetic units, hollow springs, annular electrodes, and thin-walled tubes (Pebax tubes). The annular magnetic units are connected by hollow springs. The outermost thin-walled tube is compressed onto the surface of the annular magnetic units and hollow springs through a thermoforming process, forming a bamboo-like shape. This ensures that the annular magnetic units are arranged at the designed spacing and do not slip in the conduit.

[0004] Currently, the main molding methods for interventional medical device catheters include extrusion molding, thermoforming, injection molding, and machining. Among these, thermoforming utilizes the fluidity of polymer materials when heated, heating the tubing to form the required size and shape under the constraint of an outer heat-shrink tubing. Because the outermost Pebax tubing is very thin and flexible with a low melting temperature, thermoforming significantly impacts the product's appearance.

[0005] Traditional thermoforming systems typically use a hot air gun to provide molding heat to the tubing. The front end of the hot air gun is an air nozzle, through which hot air is transferred to the part. The hot air gun's outlet is a unidirectional point heat source, but the part is tubular and needs to be heated evenly around the entire circumference. Therefore, during the molding process, the operator needs to continuously rotate the tubing. If the rotation speed is too fast, it will cause twisting; if the rotation speed is too slow, it will cause eccentricity, resulting in uneven tubing thickness and affecting the tubing's function. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide a hot blow molding system for conduits, which solves problems such as eccentricity, surface bubbles, and pits caused by uneven heating during the product thermoforming process, thereby improving product production efficiency and yield.

[0007] The technical solution provided in this application is as follows:

[0008] On one hand, a hot-blowing forming system for a conduit is provided for forming a flexible drive segment of a flexible drive conduit, comprising:

[0009] Control box;

[0010] The heater is equipped with an air inlet and a hot air outlet. The control box is electrically connected to the heater to control the heating temperature of the heater.

[0011] An air outlet is provided, with a through hole in the middle for the flexible drive section to pass through, and an annular air passage surrounding the through hole inside the air outlet. The annular air passage is connected to the hot air outlet, and air outlet holes communicating with the annular air passage are evenly distributed circumferentially on the sidewall of the through hole.

[0012] In some embodiments, a temperature sensor is also included, which is disposed inside the air outlet and electrically connected to the heater or the control box, for measuring the actual temperature of the air outlet.

[0013] In some embodiments, a hot air duct is also included, one end of which is fixedly connected to the heater and communicates with the hot air outlet, and the other end is fixedly connected to the air outlet and communicates with the annular air passage.

[0014] In some embodiments, the air outlet includes a first air outlet plate and a second air outlet plate stacked together. The first air outlet plate has a first groove and a second groove that are interconnected on the side facing the second air outlet plate. The sidewall of the first groove has a plurality of first openings evenly distributed in the circumferential direction.

[0015] The second air outlet plate has a third groove and a fourth groove that are interconnected on the side facing the first air outlet plate. The side wall of the third groove is evenly provided with a plurality of second openings along the circumference. When the first air outlet plate and the second air outlet plate are closed, the first groove and the third groove are aligned to form the annular air passage. The second groove and the fourth groove are aligned to form an air inlet passage that is connected to the hot air pipe. The first opening and the second opening are aligned to form the air outlet.

[0016] In some implementations, a cooling duct is also included;

[0017] The heater is provided with a hot air passage and a cold air passage, which are respectively connected to the air inlet;

[0018] The hot air outlet is connected to the hot air channel;

[0019] The air inlet of the cold air duct is connected to the cold air channel, and the air outlet of the cold air duct is located on the outlet side of the air outlet along the moving path of the flexible drive section, for cooling the formed flexible drive section.

[0020] In some embodiments, the air outlet of the cold air duct is located on the side of the air outlet closer to the heater, and the distance to the through hole is in the range of 4 to 8 cm.

[0021] In some embodiments, a moving mechanism is also included, which is disposed on the inlet side of the air outlet along the moving path of the flexible drive section, for uniformly conveying the flexible drive section to the air outlet.

[0022] In some embodiments, the moving mechanism includes a base, a moving member, and a driving member, wherein the moving member is movably disposed on the base, and the driving member drives the moving member to move on the base.

[0023] In some embodiments, the drive component includes a motor, a lead screw, and a nut. The lead screw is rotatably mounted on the base, the motor is drively connected to the lead screw, the nut is threadedly connected to the lead screw, and the moving component is fixedly connected to the nut.

[0024] In some embodiments, the moving mechanism further includes a limit sensor disposed at one end of the base near the heater, for controlling the moving distance of the moving component.

[0025] The technical effect of this application is that: the air outlet is provided with an annular air channel surrounding the through hole, and multiple air outlets are evenly arranged around the circumference of the through hole. When the flexible drive section passes through the through hole, it can achieve annular heating, so that the entire pipe can be heated evenly. This reduces the problems such as poor appearance, eccentricity, surface bubbles, and pits caused by uneven heating during manual hot blowing, and improves product production efficiency and pass rate. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a conduit hot blow forming system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the air outlet provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible drive segment provided in the embodiments of this application when it is not yet formed;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flexible drive segment after molding, as provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the air outlet provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first air outlet panel provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of another conduit hot blow forming system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the moving mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0035] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0036] 10. Flexible drive section; 11. Annular magnetic unit; 12. Hollow spring; 13. External guide tube;

[0037] 100. Control box; 200. Heater; 300. Air outlet; 310. First air outlet plate; 311. First groove; 312. Second groove; 313. First opening; 320. Second air outlet plate; 301. Through hole; 302. Annular air passage; 303. Air outlet; 304. Air inlet passage; 400. Support column; 410. Perforation; 500. Temperature sensor; 600. Hot air duct; 610. Connecting part; 700. Cold air duct; 800. Moving mechanism; 810. Base; 820. Moving part; 830. Lead screw; 840. Limit sensor; 900. Control host. Detailed Implementation

[0038] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application can also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the specific implementation methods of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings and other implementation methods can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0040] To keep the drawings concise, each drawing only schematically shows the parts relevant to this application, and they do not represent the actual structure of the product. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, in some drawings, only one of the components with the same structure or function is schematically shown, or only one is labeled. In this document, "one" not only means "only one," but can also mean "more than one."

[0041] It should also be further understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0042] In this document, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linkage" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; or they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0043] In the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, the directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, and back) are relative rather than absolute when describing the structure and movement of the various components, and are not intended to limit the direction of the product during actual use.

[0044] Furthermore, in the description of this application, ordinal numbers, such as "first" and "second," are used only to distinguish related objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying the relative importance or order between related objects.

[0045] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in one or more embodiments, this disclosure provides a duct hot blow forming system, including a control box 100, a heater 200, and an air outlet 300; the heater 200 is provided with an air inlet and a hot air outlet, and the control box 100 is electrically connected to the heater 200 to control the heating temperature of the heater 200; the air outlet 300 is provided with a through hole 301 in the middle for the flexible drive section 10 to pass through, and an annular air passage 302 surrounding the through hole 301 is provided inside the air outlet 300, the annular air passage 302 is connected to the hot air outlet of the heater 200, and the sidewall of the through hole 301 is uniformly distributed with air outlet holes 303 communicating with the annular air passage 302 along the circumference.

[0046] Specifically, the duct hot-blowing forming system includes a control box 100, a heater 200, and an air outlet 300. The control box 100 and the heater 200 are electrically connected via a cable for controlling the heating temperature of the heater 200. The heater 200 heats the air entering the heater 200 to a set temperature according to the instructions of the control box 100. In one example, the control box 100 and the heater 200 are two independent components. The control box 100 may be equipped with a display screen, interface, and control switch, etc. The display screen can adjust and display information such as temperature and air outlet speed. The control box 100 can be electrically connected to the heater 200 via the interface. The control switch can control the opening and closing of the heater 200. In another example, the control box 100 and the heater 200 are integrated into one component, that is, the heater 200 is located inside the control box 100, and the operation of the heater 200 is controlled by the control box 100. Regardless of whether the control box 100 and the heater 200 are integrated, they are both within the scope of protection of this application.

[0047] Because different products use tubing with varying temperature sensitivities, the heating temperature of the heater 200 needs to be adjustable. In this embodiment, the temperature of the heater 200 can be adjusted from 0°C to 300°C, offering highly flexible parameter adjustment to meet the heating requirements of different polymer tubing materials. In practical applications, the operator can adjust the heating temperature of the heater 200 according to the material, wall thickness, and other characteristics of different polymer tubing materials, as well as the actual requirements for the molded appearance. In this embodiment, for Pebax thin-walled tubing, the recommended hot air blowing temperature is 150–160°C. The control box 100 can adjust and control the hot air outlet flow rate and velocity of the heater 200.

[0048] The heater 200 is equipped with an air inlet and a hot air outlet. The air inlet can be directly connected to external air. Unheated external air enters the heater 200 and is heated. The heated air then enters the air outlet 300 through a pipe between the hot air outlet and the air outlet 300. Alternatively, the control box 100 is equipped with an air inlet and an air outlet. The air outlet of the control box 100 is connected to the air inlet of the heater 200 through a pipe. Compressed air enters the control box 100 through the air inlet, then enters the heater 200 through the air outlet of the control box 100 and the air inlet of the heater 200, where it is heated.

[0049] The air outlet 300 has a circular through hole 301 in the middle, and the unformed flexible drive section 10 can be inserted into the through hole 301. Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the unformed flexible drive segment 10. The unformed flexible drive segment 10 refers to the annular magnetic unit 11 and the hollow spring 12 located inside the outer conduit 13 (thin-walled tube). At this time, the outer conduit 13 (Pebax thin-walled tube) has not been thermoformed onto the surface of the annular magnetic unit 11 and the hollow spring 12, and a heat-shrinkable tube for shaping is sleeved on the outside of the outer conduit 13 (Pebax thin-walled tube). During thermoforming, the heat-shrinkable tube shrinks under heat, constraining the shape of the polymer material. After heating stops, the outer conduit 13 of the polymer material cools and solidifies. Removing the outer heat-shrinkable tube for shaping yields the desired flexible drive segment 10 product. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the formed flexible drive segment. Since the flexible drive segment 10 comes in various specifications, the inner diameter of the through hole 301 can be customized according to the outer diameter of the flexible drive segment 10. This embodiment does not specifically limit the inner diameter of the through hole 301. However, to improve the forming effect of the flexible drive segment 10, it is necessary to reasonably set the gap between the outer wall of the flexible drive segment 10 and the through hole 301 to avoid the gap being too large, resulting in insufficient product surface temperature and poor shrinkage effect; or the gap being too small, resulting in excessively high product surface temperature, causing problems such as over-melting, bubbles, and pits. In this embodiment, it is necessary to ensure that the single-sided gap between the outer wall of the flexible drive segment 10 and the through hole 301 is within the range of 5–10 mm. Preferably, a single-sided gap between the outer wall of the flexible drive segment 10 and the through hole 301 within the range of 6–8 mm results in better heat shrink forming.

[0050] The interior of the air outlet 300 is provided with an annular air passage 302 surrounding the through hole 301. The annular air passage 302 is connected to the hot air outlet of the heater 200 and is used to receive and temporarily store high-temperature airflow. Multiple air outlets 303 are evenly distributed circumferentially on the side wall of the through hole 301. These air outlets 303 are all connected to the annular air passage 302 and blow the hot air in the annular air passage 302 evenly along the circumference to the surface of the flexible drive section 10, so that the flexible drive section 10 passing through at a uniform speed is heated evenly along the circumference and heat-shrinks into shape.

[0051] During thermoforming, the unformed flexible drive segment 10 is fixed to a metal rod. For example, the metal rod passes through the annular magnetic unit 11 and the hollow spring 12 to support the flexible drive segment 10. When the metal rod is delivered at a constant speed, the unformed flexible drive segment 10 can pass through the through hole 301 on the air outlet 300 at a constant speed. The flexible drive segment 10 is supported by the metal rod. Before forming, the center of the metal rod is aligned with the center of the through hole 301 to ensure that the flexible drive segment 10 will not become eccentric during movement, so that the entire circle of the flexible drive segment 10 is heated evenly, improving the forming effect.

[0052] Furthermore, such as Figure 1As shown, the air outlet 300 is also provided with support columns 400 on both sides. The support columns 400 are provided with through holes 410. The flexible drive section 10 can pass through the through holes 410 on the support columns 400. During the delivery of the flexible drive section 10, the two support columns 400 can support the flexible drive section 10 to prevent the flexible drive section 10 from drooping due to gravity, so that the distance between the flexible drive section 10 and the inner wall of the through hole 301 is fixed, thereby improving the product forming effect.

[0053] In this embodiment, a through hole 301 is provided on the air outlet 300, and an annular air passage 302 and an air outlet 303 are provided around the through hole 301 to make the annular air outlet more uniform and cover the entire circle of the flexible drive section 10. This ensures that the flexible drive section 10 receives a uniform heating effect in the circumferential direction when passing through the through hole 301, avoiding problems such as eccentricity and over-melting caused by changes in spacing and unstable speed during manual rotation. This improves the product qualification rate, reduces the proportion of product appearance defects, and lowers the appearance defect rate from 20% to 5%.

[0054] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the duct hot-blowing molding system also includes a temperature sensor 500, which is installed inside the air outlet 300 and electrically connected to the heater 200 or the control box 100 to measure the actual temperature of the air outlet 300. Before molding, the target temperature to be heated by the heater 200 is set on the control box 100. During the heating process, the actual temperature of the air inside the air outlet 300 is measured in real time by the temperature sensor 500. The control box 100 simultaneously displays the set target temperature and the measured actual temperature. When the measured actual temperature matches the target temperature and the measured temperature stabilizes, the flexible drive section 10 is then driven into the through hole 301 at a uniform speed for hot-shrink molding. In this embodiment, by installing the temperature sensor 500 inside the air outlet 300, the actual molding temperature can be made consistent with the set temperature, thereby effectively improving the stability of heat output and improving the product molding quality.

[0055] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the hot air blowing forming system also includes a hot air pipe 600. One end of the hot air pipe 600 is fixedly connected to the heater 200 and communicates with the hot air outlet. The other end of the hot air pipe 600 is fixedly connected to the air outlet 300 and communicates with the annular air passage 302.

[0056] The hot air duct 600 is a high-temperature resistant rigid pipe. One end of the hot air duct 600 is fixedly connected to the heater 200 and sealed to the hot air outlet. The other end of the hot air duct 600 is fixedly connected to the air outlet 300 and sealed to the annular air passage 302 of the air outlet 300, forming a closed airflow channel to guide the hot air generated by the heater 200 into the annular air passage 302 of the air outlet 300. The rigid design of the hot air duct 600 serves to support and fix the air outlet 300. To ensure efficient heat transfer, thermal insulation material can be installed on the inner or outer wall of the hot air duct 600.

[0057] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the air outlet 300 includes a first air outlet plate 310 and a second air outlet plate 320 stacked together. The first air outlet plate 310 and the second air outlet plate 320 have the same structure. The first air outlet plate 310 has a first groove 311 and a second groove 312 that are interconnected on the side facing the second air outlet plate 320. The sidewall of the first groove 311 has a plurality of first openings 313 evenly distributed circumferentially. The second air outlet plate 320 has a third groove that is interconnected on the side facing the first air outlet plate 310 (with the same structure as the first groove 310). The first groove 311 is the same as the second groove 312) and the fourth groove (the structure is the same as the second groove 312). The side wall of the third groove is uniformly provided with multiple second openings (the structure is the same as the first opening 313) along the circumference. When the first air outlet plate 310 and the second air outlet plate 320 are closed, the first groove 311 and the third groove are aligned to form an annular air passage 302. The second groove 312 and the fourth groove are aligned to form an air inlet passage 304 that communicates with the hot air pipe 600. The first opening 313 and the second opening are aligned to form an air outlet 303.

[0058] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the end of the hot air duct 600 connected to the air outlet 300 has two outwardly protruding connecting parts 610, which are arranged opposite to each other, with the air outlet 300 sandwiched between them. A first air outlet plate 310 is fixedly connected to one connecting part 610, and a second air outlet plate 320 is fixedly connected to the other connecting part 610, thus achieving a fixed connection between the air outlet 300 and the hot air duct 600. After the air outlet 300 is fixedly connected to the hot air duct 600, the hot air generated in the heater 200 enters the air intake channel 304 through the hot air duct 600, and then enters the annular air passage 302 from the air intake channel 304. In this embodiment, the air intake channel 304 ensures that the hot air can flow smoothly into the annular air passage 302.

[0059] In this embodiment, the complex air passage structure inside the air outlet 300 can be simplified to a groove on a plane by the overlapping of the first air outlet plate 310 and the second air outlet plate 320, which greatly reduces the manufacturing difficulty and cost, and makes it easy to form a regular-shaped and precisely sized annular air passage 302 to ensure the uniformity of air outlet.

[0060] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the hot blow molding system for ducts also includes a cold air duct 700; the heater 200 is provided with a hot air channel and a cold air channel, which are respectively connected to the air inlet; the hot air outlet is connected to the hot air channel; the air inlet of the cold air duct 700 is connected to the cold air channel, and the air outlet of the cold air duct 700 is located on the outlet side of the air outlet 300 along the moving path of the flexible drive section 10, for cooling the molded flexible drive section 10.

[0061] The heater 200 has two independent channels inside: a hot air channel and a cold air channel. The hot air channel and the cold air channel share a common air inlet. Part of the air entering the heater 200 goes into the hot air channel, and the other part goes into the cold air channel. The hot air channel is equipped with a heating element to heat the air inside. The cold air channel is used to deliver unheated ambient temperature air or low-temperature air.

[0062] The air inlet of the cold air duct 700 is directly connected to the cold air channel inside the heater 200 to obtain cooling airflow. The air outlet of the cold air duct 700 is located downstream of the air outlet 300 along the moving path of the flexible drive section 10. After the flexible drive section 10 enters the through hole 301 of the air outlet 300 from the upstream side and is heat-shrinked, it exits from the downstream side of the air outlet 300. At this time, the ambient temperature air or low temperature air blown out from the cold air duct 700 can quickly cool and shape the formed flexible drive section 10 to improve production efficiency. In this embodiment, the airflow rate and wind speed of the cold air duct 700 can be adjusted by controlling the amount of air entering the cold air channel, and the opening and closing of the cold air duct 700 can be controlled by the control box 100.

[0063] Furthermore, the air outlet of the cold air duct 700 is located on the side of the air outlet 300 closer to the heater 200, and the distance from the air outlet of the cold air duct 700 to the through hole 301 is in the range of 4 to 8 cm. Within this distance range, not only can the cold air duct 700 quickly cool the formed flexible drive section 10, but the cold air blown out by the cold air duct 700 can also avoid affecting the heating effect of the air outlet 300 on the flexible drive section 10. Preferably, along the extension direction of the hot air duct 600, the distance from the air outlet of the cold air duct 700 to the through hole 301 is 5 cm.

[0064] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7As shown, it also includes a moving mechanism 800, which is positioned on the inlet side of the air outlet 300 along the moving path of the flexible drive section 10, and is used to uniformly convey the flexible drive section 10 to the air outlet 300. In the prior art, the flexible drive section 10 is moved manually. When the moving speed is too fast, the product surface does not shrink properly, and the magnetic unit cannot be effectively fixed; when the moving speed is too slow, the product surface shrinks unevenly and is eccentric, affecting the shape of the conduit during the procedure. In this embodiment, by replacing manual hand-held movement with the moving mechanism 800, the flexible drive section 10 can move at a stable speed, effectively improving the problem of uneven lateral heating or over-melting of the component, reducing the high probability of rework caused by unstable moving speed, improving the product qualification rate, and making the finished product appearance more stable and controllable.

[0065] The moving speed of the moving mechanism 800 can be adjusted and controlled by the control host 900. The control host 900 and the control box 100 can be integrated into one unit or separated into two independent components. The specific moving speed of the moving mechanism 800 can be designed according to the characteristics of the product to determine the optimal speed. For example, in this embodiment, the flexible drive section needs to ensure that the moving mechanism 800 moves forward at a speed of 15 mm / min.

[0066] Specifically, such as Figure 8 As shown, the moving mechanism 800 includes a base 810, a moving member 820, and a driving member. The moving member 820 is movably disposed on the base 810, and the driving member drives the moving member 820 to move on the base 810. The moving member 820 is used to fix a metal rod with a flexible drive section 10. For example, a slot may be provided on the moving member 820, and the metal rod may be fixed in the slot, or the metal rod may be directly fixed to the moving member 820 by adhesive or snap-fit. The driving member is controlled by a control host 900. The driving member may be an electric telescopic rod or a motor, which directly drives the moving member 820 to move and controls the moving speed of the moving member 820. Alternatively, the driving member includes a motor, a lead screw 830, and a nut. The lead screw 830 is rotatably disposed on the base 810, the motor is connected to the lead screw 830 via a transmission connection, the nut is threadedly connected to the lead screw 830, and the moving member 820 is fixedly connected to the nut. When the motor drives the lead screw 830 to rotate, it drives the moving part 820 to move along the extension direction of the lead screw 830 to transport the flexible drive section 10, wherein the extension direction of the lead screw 830 is consistent with the transport direction of the flexible drive section 10.

[0067] Furthermore, such as Figure 8As shown, the moving mechanism 800 also includes a limit sensor 840, which is located at one end of the base 810 near the heater 200 and is used to control the moving distance of the moving component 820. The limit sensor 840 can limit the moving distance of the moving component 820 according to the length of the flexible drive section 10. Assuming the length of the flexible drive section 10 is 10cm, the moving component 820 needs to move a distance of 15cm so that the flexible drive section 10 can completely pass through the through hole 301 on the air outlet 300 for heat shrink molding. During this process, the limit sensor 840 monitors the moving distance of the moving component 820 in real time. When the moving distance of the moving component 820 reaches the set value (e.g., 15cm), the limit sensor 840 will immediately send a signal to the control host 900 to control the drive component to stop running, thereby preventing the moving component 820 from moving excessively and detaching from the base 810.

[0068] The working process of the flexible drive section of the conduit hot-blowing forming system in the above embodiment is as follows:

[0069] (1) Select an air outlet 300 with a single-sided gap of about 8mm between the inner diameter of the through hole 301 and the outer diameter of the flexible drive section 10.

[0070] (2) Turn on heater 200, set target temperature, and measure the actual temperature of hot air in air outlet 300 through temperature sensor 500. After the measured temperature is consistent with the target temperature, proceed to the next step.

[0071] (3) Set the moving speed of the moving part 820 according to the parameters obtained from multiple experiments. If necessary, it can be set to move in one direction or in two directions. After setting the relevant parameters, check whether the moving part 820 moves as required. After confirming that there are no errors, the next step can be carried out.

[0072] (4) Fix one end of the metal rod with the flexible drive section 10 installed on the moving part 820, and align the other end with the through hole 410 of the support column 400. Start the moving program, and the moving part 820 will push the flexible drive section 10 at a constant speed and pass through the through hole 301 on the air outlet 300. The outer guide tube 13 of the flexible drive section 10 will shrink under the action of the annular hot air to form the desired appearance. During the heat shrink molding process, the cooling system can be turned on to cool down the molded flexible drive section 10; or the cooling system can be turned on after the flexible drive section 10 has been completely thermoformed and the molded flexible drive section 10 has been cooled down. After it has been completely cooled, the flexible drive section 10 can be removed and the outer heat shrink tube used for shaping can be peeled off, thus completing the thermoforming process of the flexible drive section 10.

[0073] In this application, by using the conduit hot-blowing forming system of the above embodiments to form the flexible drive section, not only is the pass rate of hot forming improved and the proportion of appearance defects reduced, with the appearance defect rate decreasing from 20% to 5%; but the efficiency of the product hot forming process is also improved. The equipment hot-blowing efficiency is 40% higher than that of manual labor, and it can form in one step, and the number of rework can be reduced, shortening the total working time by 65%; furthermore, after using the conduit hot-blowing forming system, employees only need to set the parameters according to the requirements of the work instructions, with a short learning cycle and high acceptance, avoiding reliance on experience and manual operation, and can quickly master the operation of this step.

[0074] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0075] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A hot-blowing forming system for a conduit, used for forming a flexible drive segment of a flexible drive conduit, characterized in that, include: Control box; The heater is equipped with an air inlet and a hot air outlet. The control box is electrically connected to the heater to control the heating temperature of the heater. An air outlet is provided, with a through hole in the middle for the flexible drive section to pass through, and an annular air passage surrounding the through hole inside the air outlet. The annular air passage is connected to the hot air outlet, and air outlet holes communicating with the annular air passage are evenly distributed circumferentially on the sidewall of the through hole.

2. The conduit hot-blowing forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a temperature sensor, which is installed inside the air outlet and electrically connected to the heater or the control box, for measuring the actual temperature of the air outlet.

3. The conduit hot-blowing forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a hot air duct, one end of which is fixedly connected to the heater and communicates with the hot air outlet, and the other end is fixedly connected to the air outlet and communicates with the annular air passage.

4. The conduit hot-blowing forming system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The air outlet includes a first air outlet plate and a second air outlet plate stacked together. The first air outlet plate has a first groove and a second groove that are interconnected on the side facing the second air outlet plate. The sidewall of the first groove has a plurality of first openings evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. The second air outlet plate has a third groove and a fourth groove that are interconnected on the side facing the first air outlet plate. The side wall of the third groove is evenly provided with a plurality of second openings along the circumference. When the first air outlet plate and the second air outlet plate are closed, the first groove and the third groove are aligned to form the annular air passage. The second groove and the fourth groove are aligned to form an air inlet passage that is connected to the hot air pipe. The first opening and the second opening are aligned to form the air outlet.

5. The conduit hot-blowing forming system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes air conditioning ducts; The heater is provided with a hot air passage and a cold air passage, which are respectively connected to the air inlet; The hot air outlet is connected to the hot air channel; The air inlet of the cold air duct is connected to the cold air channel, and the air outlet of the cold air duct is located on the outlet side of the air outlet along the moving path of the flexible drive section, for cooling the formed flexible drive section.

6. A conduit hot-blowing forming system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The air outlet of the cold air duct is located on the side of the air outlet closer to the heater, and the distance to the through hole is 4 to 8 cm.

7. A conduit hot-blowing forming system according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, It also includes a moving mechanism, which is disposed on the inlet side of the air outlet along the moving path of the flexible drive section, for uniformly conveying the flexible drive section to the air outlet.

8. A conduit hot-blowing forming system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The moving mechanism includes a base, a moving component, and a driving component. The moving component is movably disposed on the base, and the driving component drives the moving component to move on the base.

9. A conduit hot-blowing forming system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The driving component includes a motor, a lead screw, and a nut. The lead screw is rotatably mounted on the base. The motor is connected to the lead screw via a transmission. The nut is threadedly connected to the lead screw. The moving component is fixedly connected to the nut.

10. A conduit hot-blowing forming system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The moving mechanism also includes a limit sensor, which is located at one end of the base near the heater and is used to control the moving distance of the moving component.

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