Ultrasonic-assisted cladding assembly and cladding device

Abstract

The present application relates to an ultrasonic-assisted cladding assembly (10) and a cladding device. During use, a smelting furnace (11) heats a first cladding material to be within a preset temperature range; and a first moving mechanism (13) drives a carrier (12) to move into the smelting furnace (11) to cause a workpiece (20) to be immersed in the first cladding material, and a second moving mechanism also drives an ultrasonic assembly (14) to move such that an ultrasonic welding horn (141) abuts against a surface of the workpiece (20). In this way, the ultrasonic welding horn (141) can apply ultrasonic vibrations to the surface of the workpiece (20), such that sound field energy can be transmitted to the surface of the workpiece (20) through the ultrasonic welding horn (141) with little ultrasonic energy loss, and a cladded area of the workpiece (20) is subjected to a strong cavitation effect. The present application is more suitable for automatic surface cladding of materials that are difficult to wet, overcomes the problem of pollution caused by conventional electroplating technology, and achieves a high equipment production efficiency, good product uniformity, and high quality of a cladded layer.

Description

Ultrasonic assisted cladding components and cladding devices

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the Patent Office of China on April 2, 2024, with application number 2024104015245 and titled “Ultrasonic Assisted Cladding Component and Cladding Device,” and the entire contents of the patent application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasonic assisted cladding, and in particular to an ultrasonic assisted cladding component and a cladding device. Background Art

[0004] In recent years, with the continuous development and popularization of communications electronics, communications devices have become increasingly widespread. For example, antenna elements and other components are often made from lightweight, inexpensive materials with excellent thermoelectric properties, such as aluminum alloys. However, aluminum components have poor solderability, and electroplating is often required to modify their surface before brazing. However, electroplating processes are associated with significant pollution and high energy consumption.

[0005] In order to solve the pollution and high energy consumption problems caused by the electroplating process, ultrasonic-assisted cladding technology has been proposed in related technologies. When implementing this technology, an ultrasonic vibration device is applied to the molten tin pool. The ultrasonic energy is transmitted to the surface of the workpiece through the entire molten tin pool. The ultrasonic cavitation effect can be used to form a cladding layer on the vibrator and terminal surface, thereby avoiding the environmental pollution problems caused by electroplating. However, there is currently a lack of mature and stable automated ultrasonic-assisted cladding equipment on the market. The cladding consistency of the workpiece is poor, and the cladding quality of the workpiece is not high. Especially when the number of workpieces is large or the volume of the workpiece increases, the cladding consistency will be even lower, and the cladding quality of the workpiece will be even lower, making it impossible to achieve high-efficiency and high-quality mass production.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to various embodiments of the present application, the present application provides an ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly and a cladding device.

[0008] An ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly, comprising:

[0009] a furnace, the furnace being used to load a first cladding material and maintain the first cladding material at a preset temperature;

[0010] A carrier, the carrier being used to place the workpiece to be processed;

[0011] a first moving mechanism connected to the carrier, configured to drive the carrier so that the area to be processed of the workpiece is immersed in the first cladding material, and to drive the carrier so that the workpiece is moved out of the furnace;

[0012] an ultrasonic assembly, the ultrasonic assembly comprising an ultrasonic horn; and

[0013] A second moving mechanism is connected to the ultrasonic assembly and is used to drive the ultrasonic horn to move to the surface of the workpiece, so as to transmit ultrasonic energy to the surface of the workpiece through the ultrasonic horn.

[0014] In one embodiment, the ultrasonic component further includes an ultrasonic generator and a pressure sensor, both of which are connected to the ultrasonic welding head. The ultrasonic generator is used to transmit ultrasonic energy to the ultrasonic welding head, and the pressure sensor is used to sense the pressure applied by the ultrasonic welding head to the workpiece.

[0015] In one embodiment, the ultrasonic generator, the pressure sensor, and the second moving mechanism are all connected to a controller.

[0016] In one embodiment, the ultrasonic welding head, the ultrasonic generator and the pressure sensor are all provided in plurality, each ultrasonic generator is provided corresponding to each ultrasonic welding head, each pressure sensor is provided corresponding to each ultrasonic welding head, and a plurality of the workpieces can be placed on the carrier, and each ultrasonic welding head is provided corresponding to each workpiece.

[0017] In one embodiment, the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly further includes a third moving mechanism and a first scraper movably disposed on the top of the furnace, the third moving mechanism is connected to the first scraper, and the third moving mechanism is used to drive the first scraper to move.

[0018] In one embodiment, the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly further includes a sensing probe disposed on the carrier; the sensing probe and the first moving mechanism are both used to connect to a controller, and the sensing probe and the first moving mechanism cooperate under the control of the controller to achieve control of the immersion depth of the workpiece.

[0019] In one embodiment, the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly further includes a rangefinder disposed on the carrier, and the rangefinder is used to measure the liquid level of the furnace.

[0020] In one embodiment, the carrier includes two split panels that can be spliced ​​and connected;

[0021] The carrier is provided with an opening for placing the workpiece, and the opening is provided as one or more;

[0022] The edge of the carrier is provided with a protrusion which is snap-fitted with the edge of the notch of the furnace.

[0023] In one embodiment, the workpiece is a radiation element or a phase shifter.

[0024] A cladding device comprises the ultrasonic assisted cladding component.

[0025] In one embodiment, the cladding device further includes an infiltration component, the ultrasonic assisted cladding component is used to perform ultrasonic cladding treatment on the workpiece; and the infiltration component is used to perform infiltration treatment on the workpiece after the ultrasonic cladding treatment.

[0026] In one embodiment, the infiltration assembly includes an infiltration furnace, which is used to install a second cladding material and maintain the second cladding material at a preset temperature; the first moving mechanism is also used to drive the carrier to immerse the area to be processed of the workpiece into the second cladding material, and drive the carrier to move the workpiece out of the infiltration furnace.

[0027] In one embodiment, the infiltration assembly further includes a fourth moving mechanism and a second scraper movably disposed on the top of the infiltration furnace; the fourth moving mechanism is connected to the second scraper, and the fourth moving mechanism is used to drive the second scraper to move.

[0028] In one embodiment, the cladding device further includes an air blowing component, and the air blowing component is used to perform air blowing treatment on the workpiece after the infiltration treatment.

[0029] In one embodiment, the air blowing assembly includes an air knife assembly, and the air knife assembly is used to be arranged relative to the surface of the workpiece to perform air blowing treatment on the cladding layer on the surface of the workpiece.

[0030] In one embodiment, the air knife assembly includes an air knife duct, an air knife nozzle, a temperature sensor and a heater; the air knife duct is connected to the air knife nozzle; the temperature sensor is used to sense the gas temperature in the air knife duct, and the heater is used to heat the gas in the air knife duct; the cladding device also includes a controller, and the temperature sensor and the heater are both connected to the controller.

[0031] In one embodiment, the cladding device further includes a preheating component, which is used to preheat the workpiece before the ultrasonic cladding treatment step.

[0032] In one embodiment, the preheating assembly includes a preheating furnace for preheating the workpiece;

[0033] The preheating assembly further includes a guide rail and a movable seat movably arranged on the guide rail, the movable seat can place the carrier, the guide rail passes through the preheating furnace, and the movable seat can drive the carrier to move in and out of the preheating furnace.

[0034] In one embodiment, the cladding device further includes a blanking assembly, and the first moving mechanism is further used to transfer the workpiece and the carrier processed by the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly or the infiltration assembly to the blanking bracket.

[0035] The details of one or more embodiments of the present application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG1 is a structural diagram of a cladding device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] FIG2 is a structural diagram showing the carrier in the structure shown in FIG1 being placed on a movable seat and ready to be transferred to the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly.

[0038] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a working state of the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly in the structure shown in FIG1 .

[0039] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another working state of the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly in the structure shown in FIG1 .

[0040] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of the infiltration component in the structure shown in FIG1 .

[0041] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of the blanking bracket in the structure shown in FIG1 .

[0042] 10. Ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly; 11. Furnace; 12. Carrier; 121. Split plate; 122. Opening; 123. Lifting lug; 13. First moving mechanism; 131. Lifting rod; 1311. Lifting fixture; 14. Ultrasonic assembly; 141. Ultrasonic welding head; 15. First scraper; 16. Induction probe; 17. Distance meter; 20. Workpiece; 30. Preheating assembly; 31. Preheating furnace; 32. Guide rail; 33. Moving seat; 40. Infiltration assembly; 41. Infiltration furnace; 42. Air knife assembly; 50. Unloading bracket; 51. First support plate; 52. Second support plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description sets forth many specific details to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0044] As mentioned in the background technology, the workpiece in the related art has poor cladding consistency and low cladding quality. The inventors have found that the reason for this problem is that in the related art, the ultrasonic welding head is connected to the molten pool, and the ultrasonic energy is transmitted along the molten pool and the liquid solder. Specifically, the welding head of the ultrasonic vibration device is usually applied to the molten tin pool, and the ultrasonic energy needs to be transmitted to the surface of the workpiece through the entire molten tin pool, that is, the sound field propagation path involves the entire molten pool and all the solder. The sound field energy loss is serious, the ultrasonic energy transmitted to the surface of the workpiece is very limited, and the cladding efficiency is low, so that the ultrasonic tinning device can only be adapted to the flux-free tinning of workpieces with good solder wettability, and it is difficult to achieve surface cladding of difficult-to-wet workpieces; in addition, the sound pressure intensity of the workpiece at different positions in the molten tin pool is different and the cavitation effect in the edge area of ​​the cladding layer is weak, which makes the cladding consistency and quality poor. However, adding multiple ultrasonic welding heads to the molten tin pool can enhance the ultrasonic energy in the molten pool to a certain extent, but adding multiple groups of sound sources in the molten pool is prone to mutual interference between sound waves. The mutual coupling between the strong vibration area and the weak vibration area in the molten pool can easily lead to the generation of stronger strong vibration area or weaker weak vibration area in the molten pool, making it difficult to ensure the cladding quality.

[0045] Based on the above reasons, the present application provides an ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly and a cladding device, which can improve the cladding efficiency and at the same time improve the workpiece cladding consistency and workpiece cladding quality.

[0046] Referring to Figures 1, 3, and 4, Figure 1 shows a structural diagram of a cladding device according to one embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a working state of the ultrasonic-assisted cladding assembly 10 in the structure shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of another working state of the ultrasonic-assisted cladding assembly 10 in the structure shown in Figure 1. An embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic-assisted cladding assembly 10, which includes: a furnace 11, a carrier 12, a first moving mechanism 13, an ultrasonic assembly 14, and a second moving mechanism (not shown). The furnace 11 is used to load a first cladding material and heat the first cladding material. When the first cladding material is heated to a preset temperature range, the first cladding material inside the furnace 11 is in a molten state, thereby forming a cladding layer on the wall surface of the workpiece 20. The workpiece 20 includes, but is not limited to, a radiation unit or a phase shifter. In addition, specifically, the furnace 11 is, but is not limited to, a temperature-controlled furnace, and a PID or PLC temperature controller can be used to achieve precise control and regulation of the temperature of the first cladding material. Furthermore, the furnace 11 has a heat-insulating function. Due to its excellent heat-insulating effect, it can prevent the heat of the first cladding material from leaking outward, thereby saving energy. The first cladding material is solder, including but not limited to tin or silver. After being clad on the surface of the workpiece 20 to form a flux layer, it can facilitate soldering connections with other components.

[0047] In addition, the carrier 12 is used to place the workpiece 20 to be processed. The first moving mechanism 13 is connected to the carrier 12 and is used to drive the carrier 12 to immerse the area of ​​the workpiece to be processed in the first cladding material, and to drive the carrier 12 to move the workpiece 20 outside the furnace 11. The ultrasonic component 14 is capable of generating immersion driving energy and includes an ultrasonic horn 141. The second moving mechanism is connected to the ultrasonic component 14 and is used to drive the ultrasonic horn 141 to move to the surface of the workpiece 20, so that the ultrasonic horn 141 and the surface of the workpiece 20 abut each other, and the ultrasonic horn 141 applies ultrasonic vibration to the surface of the workpiece 20, or, after the surface cladding treatment of the workpiece 20 is completed, separate the ultrasonic horn 141 from the surface of the workpiece 20.

[0048] When the above-mentioned ultrasonic assisted cladding component 10 is in use, the furnace 11 heats the first cladding material so that the first cladding material is heated to a preset temperature range; the first moving mechanism 13 drives the carrier 12 to move to the inside of the furnace 11, so that the workpiece 20 is immersed in the first cladding material, and at the same time, the second moving mechanism drives the ultrasonic component 14 to move, and the ultrasonic welding head 141 abuts against the surface of the workpiece 20, so that the ultrasonic welding head 141 can apply ultrasonic vibration to the surface of the workpiece 20, so that the sound field energy can be transmitted to the surface of the workpiece 20 through the ultrasonic welding head 141, the ultrasonic energy loss is small, and the cladding area of ​​the workpiece 20 is subjected to a strong cavitation effect, which is more suitable for the automatic cladding of the surface of difficult-to-wet materials, overcoming the pollution problem caused by conventional electroplating technology. The equipment has high production efficiency, good product consistency, and high cladding layer quality.

[0049] Among them, when the second moving mechanism drives the ultrasonic component 14 to move, it pushes the ultrasonic welding head 141 to contact with the workpiece 20 to apply ultrasonic vibration to the surface of the workpiece 20. By flexibly adjusting and controlling the pressure applied by the ultrasonic welding head 141 to the workpiece 20, the cladding quality of the first cladding material on the surface of the workpiece 20 can be improved accordingly.

[0050] Referring to Figures 3 and 4 , in one embodiment, the ultrasonic assembly 14 further includes an ultrasonic generator (not shown) and a pressure sensor (not shown). Both the ultrasonic generator and the pressure sensor are connected to the ultrasonic horn 141. The ultrasonic generator is used to transmit ultrasonic energy to the ultrasonic horn 141, and the pressure sensor is used to sense the pressure applied by the ultrasonic horn 141 to the workpiece 20.

[0051] Please refer to Figures 3 and 4. In one embodiment, the ultrasonic generator, the pressure sensor, and the second moving mechanism are all used to be electrically connected to the controller. In this way, the ultrasonic generator, the pressure sensor, and the second moving mechanism work in coordination under the control of the controller, so that the pressure applied by the ultrasonic welding head 141 to the workpiece 20 is within a preset range, thereby improving the processing quality of the workpiece 20. Among them, the pressure sensor can be used to sense and feedback the contact state between the ultrasonic component 14 and the workpiece 20. Specifically, when the pressure sensor senses that the pressure applied by the ultrasonic welding head 141 to the workpiece 20 is too small, the controller controls the second moving mechanism to drive the ultrasonic welding head 141 to press down and increase the pressure; conversely, when the pressure sensor senses that the pressure applied by the ultrasonic welding head 141 to the workpiece 20 is too large, the controller controls the second moving mechanism to drive the ultrasonic welding head 141 to move away from the workpiece 20 to reduce the pressure.

[0052] 3 and 4 , in some embodiments, the first moving mechanism 13 is electrically connected to a controller. Under the control of the controller, the first moving mechanism 13 drives the carrier 12 into the furnace 11 and immerses it in the first cladding material. After forming a cladding layer on the surface of the workpiece 20, the carrier 12 is moved out of the furnace 11.

[0053] In one embodiment, a plurality of ultrasonic horns 141, ultrasonic generators, and pressure sensors are provided, each ultrasonic generator being provided in correspondence with each ultrasonic horn 141, and each pressure sensor being provided in correspondence with each ultrasonic horn 141. A plurality of workpieces 20 can be placed on the carrier 12, and each ultrasonic horn 141 is provided in correspondence with each workpiece 20. Thus, when each ultrasonic horn 141 abuts against each workpiece 20, ultrasonic vibration can be simultaneously applied to each workpiece 20, thereby loading each ultrasonic horn 141 on the surface of each workpiece 20. The cavitation effect is intense, making it easier to achieve rapid cladding of difficult-to-wet materials, and synchronously forming a cladding layer on the surface of each workpiece 20, resulting in good product consistency and high production efficiency.

[0054] In this embodiment, the pressure sensor can be a tension-compression bidirectional sensor. In practice, when the contact pressure between the ultrasonic horn 141 and the workpiece 20 reaches a rated value, the controller controls the ultrasonic generator to initiate ultrasonic vibration. The ultrasonic generator frequency can be selected from 20kHz to 80kHz, the available power can be 50W to 5000W, and the vibration time can be selected from 0.1s to 100s.

[0055] Referring to FIG3 , in one embodiment, the ultrasonic-assisted cladding assembly 10 further includes a third moving mechanism (not shown) and a first scraper 15 movably disposed on the top of the furnace 11. The third moving mechanism is connected to the first scraper 15 and is configured to drive the first scraper 15 to move. Specifically, the first scraper 15 includes, but is not limited to, a scraper, a scraper, etc., as long as it can scrape off slag on the liquid surface during movement. Thus, before the first moving mechanism 13 drives the carrier 12 and the workpiece 20 thereon into the furnace 11, the third moving mechanism drives the first scraper 15 to reciprocate, thereby scraping off slag on the liquid surface. This ensures that after the first moving mechanism 13 drives the carrier 12 and the workpiece 20 thereon into the furnace 11, no slag remains in the first cladding material surrounding the workpiece 20. This improves the processing quality of the workpiece 20 and reduces the adverse effects of slag on the quality of the workpiece 20.

[0056] The oxidized slag, that is, the first cladding material at the liquid surface is oxidized by contact with air to form a metal oxide film.

[0057] In some embodiments, the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly 10 further includes a first collecting device disposed outside the furnace 11. The first collecting device includes, but is not limited to, a collecting cup, a collecting pool, a collecting box, etc. The first collecting device collects the slag scraped off the liquid surface by the first scraping member 15 and recycles it.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 3. In one embodiment, the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly 10 further includes a sensing probe 16 provided on the carrier 12. The sensing probe 16 and the first movable mechanism 13 are both used to be electrically connected to the controller. The sensing probe 16 and the first movable mechanism 13 cooperate with each other under the control of the controller to realize the control of the immersion depth of the workpiece 20. Specifically, when the sensing probe 16 contacts the liquid surface of the furnace 11, the controller controls the first movable mechanism 13 to stop the downward movement. In this way, by detecting the liquid surface position through the sensing probe 16 provided on the carrier 12 and feeding back to the controller in a timely manner, the controller can control the first movable mechanism 13 to stop moving accordingly, thereby realizing the precise control of the diving depth of the workpiece 20, which can be beneficial to improving the surface treatment quality of the workpiece 20.

[0059] Referring to FIG3 , in one embodiment, the ultrasonic-assisted cladding assembly 10 further includes a rangefinder 17 disposed on the carrier 12. The rangefinder 17 is used to measure the liquid level of the furnace 11. Specifically, the rangefinder 17 includes, but is not limited to, a laser rangefinder, an ultrasonic rangefinder, and the like. Thus, by detecting the liquid level of the furnace 11 and judging whether the amount of the first cladding material in the furnace 11 exceeds a set range based on the detected liquid level, when the liquid level is low, that is, the amount of the first cladding material in the furnace 11 exceeds the set range, the first cladding material is added to the interior of the furnace 11.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 3 , in one embodiment, the carrier 12 includes two split panels 121 that can be spliced ​​and connected.

[0061] 3 , in one embodiment, the carrier 12 is provided with one or more openings 122 for placing the workpiece 20 . Thus, by providing the openings 122 , the workpiece 20 to be clad can be placed in mid-air.

[0062] In one embodiment, a protrusion is provided on the edge of the carrier 12 to engage with the edge of the slot of the furnace 11 .

[0063] In some embodiments, the carrier 12 is made of materials including but not limited to stainless steel, aluminum, and polymer materials, and can be flexibly selected and configured according to actual needs, which is not limited here.

[0064] In some embodiments, the carrier 12 is configured as a composite plate structure, ie, a structure composed of multiple plates assembled together.

[0065] Referring to Figures 3 and 4 , in some embodiments, the carrier 12 is provided with lifting ears 123 , for example, disposed at opposite ends of the carrier 12 , with at least one lifting ear 123 disposed on either end of the carrier 12 . The first moving mechanism 13 includes a lifting rod 131 , on which is disposed a lifting fixture 1311 corresponding to the lifting ear 123 . The lifting fixture 1311 cooperates with the lifting ear 123 to connect the carrier 12 , stably lifting the carrier 12 and driving the carrier 12 to move. Conversely, when the cladding process on the workpiece 20 on the carrier 12 is completed, the lifting fixture 1311 releases the lifting ear 123 , allowing the carrier 12 to be removed for unloading. In other embodiments, depending on the specific structure of the workpiece, an appropriate carrier structure can be selected as needed.

[0066] Driven by the control instructions of the controller, the first moving mechanism 13 can not only drive the carrier 12 to move up and down in the vertical direction (that is, the Z-axis direction as shown in Figure 3), but also drive the carrier 12 to move in the horizontal direction (that is, the X-axis direction as shown in Figure 3) to different workstations, thereby realizing, for example, loading actions, cladding treatments, infiltration and blowing treatments, unloading actions, etc. In some embodiments, the first moving mechanism 13 includes but is not limited to being set as a three-axis motion mechanism, that is, it can realize movement in the three directions of the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis. It should be noted that the implementation method of the first moving mechanism 13 can include any linear reciprocating motion mechanism such as a slide rail, an electric cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder or an electric push rod. In addition, the second moving mechanism is similar to the third moving mechanism and is not limited here.

[0067] Please refer to Figure 3. In addition, specifically, each split plate 121 has a lifting ear 123 at each of the opposite ends. There are four suspension rods 131, and each suspension rod 131 is correspondingly arranged with each lifting ear 123. The hangers 1311 of the four suspension rods 131 are respectively connected to the respective lifting ears 123 of the two split plates 121, thereby realizing the connection between the first moving mechanism 13 and the carrier 12, and can drive the carrier 12 to move along various directions including but not limited to the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis. One pair of suspension rods 131 is connected to one of the split plates 121, and the other pair of suspension rods 131 is connected to the other split plate 121. The first moving mechanism 13 can also drive one pair of suspension rods 131 to open and close with the other pair of suspension rods 131 to realize the opening and closing movement of the two split plates 121, thereby playing the role of loading or unloading each workpiece 20.

[0068] Please refer to FIG. 1 , FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 . In one embodiment, a cladding device is provided. The cladding device includes the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly 10 according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0069] When the above-mentioned cladding device is in use, the furnace 11 heats the first cladding material so that the first cladding material is heated to a preset temperature range; the first moving mechanism 13 drives the carrier 12 to move to the inside of the furnace 11, so that the workpiece 20 is immersed in the first cladding material, and at the same time, the second moving mechanism drives the ultrasonic component 14 to move, and the ultrasonic welding head 141 abuts against the surface of the workpiece 20, so that the ultrasonic welding head 141 can apply ultrasonic vibration to the surface of the workpiece 20, so that the sound field energy can be transmitted to the surface of the workpiece 20 through the ultrasonic welding head 141, the ultrasonic energy loss is small, and the cladding area of ​​the workpiece 20 is subjected to a strong cavitation effect, which is more suitable for the automatic cladding of the surface of difficult-to-wet materials, overcoming the pollution problem caused by conventional electroplating technology. The equipment has high production efficiency, good product consistency, and high cladding layer quality.

[0070] Referring to Figure 1 , in one embodiment, the cladding apparatus further includes a preheating assembly 30, an infiltration assembly 40, and an air blowing assembly. The preheating assembly 30 is used to preheat the workpiece 20; the ultrasonic-assisted cladding assembly 10 is used to ultrasonically clad the preheated workpiece 20; the infiltration assembly 40 is used to infiltrate the ultrasonically clad workpiece 20; and the air blowing assembly is used to blow air onto the infiltration workpiece 20. In this way, before the ultrasonic assisted cladding component 10 performs the ultrasonic cladding treatment step on the workpiece 20, the preheating component 30 is also used to preheat the workpiece 20, which can improve the cladding treatment quality of the workpiece 20 inside the furnace 11; in addition, after the ultrasonic assisted cladding component 10 performs the ultrasonic cladding treatment step on the workpiece 20, the infiltration component 40 is also used to infiltrate and blow the workpiece 20, which can help eliminate gaps / pores in the edge area of ​​the cladding layer, remove excess solder in the cladding layer, make the surface of the cladding layer smoother, improve the quality of the cladding layer, and significantly improve the equipment adaptability and cladding quality.

[0071] In some embodiments, since the first moving mechanism 13 can move in three axes, under the control of the controller, it can not only transfer the workpiece 20 and the carrier 12 that have been preheated by the preheating component 30 to the furnace 11, but also transfer the workpiece 20 and the carrier 12 that have completed the cladding treatment in the furnace 11 to the infiltration component 40, thereby realizing automated operation and high production efficiency.

[0072] It should be noted that the first moving mechanism 13 can be different transmission mechanisms of a transmission system to perform actions in each area, or it can be the same moving mechanism to drive the carrier in multiple areas (preheating treatment, ultrasonic cladding treatment, infiltration treatment, and blanking treatment).

[0073] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, in one embodiment, the preheating assembly 30 includes a preheating furnace 31 for preheating the workpiece 20. The preheating furnace 31 includes, but is not limited to, an infrared heating furnace that generates thermal radiation to fully preheat the workpiece 20. The preheating furnace 31 includes, but is not limited to, a furnace tube, wherein the workpiece 20 moves along the length of the furnace tube from one end thereof into the interior of the furnace tube. The heating duration is controlled by controlling the movement speed of the workpiece 20 within the furnace tube, thereby controlling the preheating effect of the workpiece 20, so that the workpiece 20 is fully preheated. When the heating duration of the workpiece 20 within the furnace tube reaches a set duration, the workpiece 20 moves outward through the other end of the furnace tube.

[0074] Referring to Figures 1 and 2 , in one embodiment, the preheating assembly 30 further includes a guide rail 32 and a movable base 33 movably disposed on the guide rail 32. The movable base 33 can accommodate the carrier 12. The guide rail 32 extends through the preheating furnace 31, and the movable base 33 can move the carrier 12 in and out of the preheating furnace 31. Thus, the movable base 33 can move the carrier 12, and the carrier 12 carries each workpiece 20 into the preheating furnace 31. After being heated in the preheating furnace 31, the workpiece 20 is removed from the preheating furnace 31.

[0075] Referring to Figures 1 and 5 , in one embodiment, the infiltration assembly 40 includes an infiltration furnace 41. The infiltration furnace 41 is used to load the second cladding material and heat the second cladding material to maintain a predetermined temperature. The first moving mechanism 13 is also used to drive the carrier 12 to immerse the workpiece 20 in the second cladding material and to move the carrier 12 out of the infiltration furnace 41 to move the workpiece 20.

[0076] In addition, the cladding device also includes an air knife assembly 42. The air knife assembly 42 is used to be positioned relative to the surface of the workpiece 20 and blow air onto the cladding layer on the surface of the workpiece 20, thereby helping to eliminate gaps / pores in the edge area of ​​the cladding layer and remove excess solder from the cladding layer, making the surface of the cladding layer smoother and improving the quality of the cladding layer. This significantly improves the adaptability of the equipment and the cladding quality.

[0077] In some embodiments, under the control of the controller, the first moving mechanism 13 enables the carrier 12 to enter the infiltration furnace 41 multiple times and to be taken out of the infiltration furnace 41 multiple times, that is, the first moving mechanism 13 reciprocates up and down along the Z axis to ensure that the cladding layer of the workpiece 20 is repeatedly immersed in the infiltration pool to complete infiltration. In addition, after each infiltration is completed, the carrier 12 drives the workpiece 20 to be taken out of the infiltration furnace 41 each time, and transfers the workpiece 20 to the blowing area. A plurality of high-temperature, gas-protected air knife assemblies 42 at different angles are arranged above the infiltration furnace 41. The nozzle can blow out a high-temperature, high-speed airflow to remove excess solder from the cladding layer, wherein the gas is a protective gas such as compressed nitrogen and argon. In this way, repeated infiltration and repeated blowing of the cladding layer on the surface of the workpiece 20 can improve the processing quality, so that it can help to eliminate pores / gaps in the edge area of ​​the cladding layer, improve the quality of the cladding layer, and significantly improve the adaptability of the equipment and the cladding quality.

[0078] In some embodiments, similar to the melting furnace 11, the infiltration furnace 41 also has a heat preservation function. When the second cladding material is heated to a predetermined temperature range, the second cladding material inside the infiltration furnace 41 is kept in a molten state. In addition, due to its excellent heat preservation effect, it can prevent the heat of the second cladding material from leaking outward, thereby saving energy.

[0079] In some embodiments, the infiltration furnace 41 includes but is not limited to a temperature-controlled furnace. In addition, the liquid level in the infiltration pool should be higher than the liquid level in the cladding pool.

[0080] Referring to Figures 1 and 5, in one embodiment, the infiltration assembly 40 further includes a fourth moving mechanism and a second scraper movably disposed on the top of the infiltration furnace 41. The fourth moving mechanism is connected to the second scraper and is used to drive the second scraper to move. Specifically, similar to the first scraper 15, the second scraper includes, but is not limited to, a scraper, a scraper, etc., as long as it can scrape off the slag on the liquid surface during movement. In this way, before the first moving mechanism 13 drives the carrier 12 and the workpiece 20 thereon into the immersion furnace, the fourth moving mechanism drives the second scraper to reciprocate, thereby scraping off the slag on the liquid surface. After the first moving mechanism 13 drives the carrier 12 and the workpiece 20 thereon into the immersion furnace, no slag remains in the second cladding material in the area surrounding the workpiece 20. This improves the processing quality of the workpiece 20 and reduces the adverse effects of slag on the quality of the workpiece 20.

[0081] In some embodiments, the infiltration assembly 40 further includes a second collecting device disposed outside the furnace 11. The second collecting device includes but is not limited to a collecting cup, a collecting pool, a collecting box, etc. The second collecting device collects the slag scraped off the liquid surface by the second scraping member and recycles it.

[0082] In one embodiment, the air knife assembly 42 includes an air knife duct, an air knife nozzle, a temperature sensor and a heater. The air knife duct is connected to the air knife nozzle. The temperature sensor is used to sense the gas temperature in the air knife duct, and the heater is used to heat the gas in the air knife duct. The cladding device also includes a controller, and the temperature sensor and the heater are electrically connected to the controller. In this way, the gas temperature inside the air knife duct is sensed by the temperature sensor, and the controller controls the heater to work accordingly according to the gas temperature inside the air knife duct, so that the gas temperature is adjusted to a preset value, so that the nozzle can generate a high-temperature and high-speed airflow and act on the surface of the workpiece 20, thereby improving the quality of the surface cladding layer of the workpiece 20.

[0083] In some embodiments, the number of air knife assemblies 42 is configured accordingly based on the number of workpieces 20 on the carrier 12. Specifically, in one embodiment, one workpiece 20 corresponds to one air knife assembly 42, meaning that one air knife assembly 42 blows high-temperature, high-speed airflow onto the surface of one workpiece 20. In another embodiment, one workpiece 20 corresponds to at least two air knife assemblies 42, each of which blows high-temperature, high-speed airflow onto the surface of the workpiece 20 from different angles. In yet another embodiment, one air knife assembly 42 corresponds to each workpiece 20. Specifically, one air knife assembly 42 is equipped with multiple air knife ducts and multiple air knife nozzles, with at least one or more nozzles configured corresponding to one workpiece 20.

[0084] 1 and 6 , in one embodiment, the cladding apparatus further includes a blanking support 50 . The first moving mechanism 13 is further used to transfer the workpiece 20 and the carrier 12 processed by the ultrasonic cladding assembly 10 or the infiltration assembly 40 to the blanking support 50 .

[0085] Referring to Figures 1 and 6 , in some embodiments, the unloading support 50 includes two first support plates 51 spaced apart and arranged side by side, and a second support plate 52 connecting the two first support plates 51. The second support plate 52 is tilted relative to the horizontal plane. Thus, the first moving mechanism 13 places the workpiece 20, which has undergone cladding treatment or infiltration and air blowing treatment, along with the carrier 12, on the unloading support 50. The carrier 12 and the workpiece 20, which has undergone immersion plating, slide along the second support plate 52 for unloading.

[0086] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0087] In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of this application, if the term "plurality" appears, "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0088] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "connected," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, these terms may refer to fixed connections, removable connections, or integration; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0089] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, if a first feature is described as being "above" or "below" a second feature, or similar descriptions, this may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, when a first feature is described as being "above," "above," or "above" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. When a first feature is described as being "below," "below," or "below" a second feature, it may mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.

[0090] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element. If any, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only embodiment.

[0091] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0092] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present patent application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly, comprising: a furnace, the furnace being used to load a first cladding material and maintain the first cladding material at a preset temperature; A carrier, the carrier being used to place the workpiece to be processed; a first moving mechanism connected to the carrier, configured to drive the carrier so that the area to be processed of the workpiece is immersed in the first cladding material, and to drive the carrier so that the workpiece is moved out of the furnace; An ultrasonic assembly, the ultrasonic assembly comprising an ultrasonic horn; and A second moving mechanism is connected to the ultrasonic assembly and is used to drive the ultrasonic horn to move to the surface of the workpiece, so as to transmit ultrasonic energy to the surface of the workpiece through the ultrasonic horn.

2. The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The ultrasonic component also includes an ultrasonic generator and a pressure sensor, both of which are connected to the ultrasonic welding head. The ultrasonic generator is used to transmit ultrasonic energy to the ultrasonic welding head, and the pressure sensor is used to sense the pressure applied by the ultrasonic welding head to the workpiece.

3. The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The ultrasonic generator, the pressure sensor, and the second moving mechanism are all connected to a controller.

4. The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The ultrasonic welding head, the ultrasonic generator and the pressure sensor are all provided in plurality, each ultrasonic generator is provided corresponding to each ultrasonic welding head, each pressure sensor is provided corresponding to each ultrasonic welding head, and multiple workpieces can be placed on the carrier, and each ultrasonic welding head is provided corresponding to each workpiece.

5. The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly further includes a third moving mechanism and a first scraper movably disposed on the top of the furnace. The third moving mechanism is connected to the first scraper and is used to drive the first scraper to move.

6. The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly also includes a sensing probe arranged on the carrier; the sensing probe and the first moving mechanism are both used to connect to a controller, and the sensing probe and the first moving mechanism cooperate under the control of the controller to control the immersion depth of the workpiece.

7. The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly further includes a rangefinder disposed on the carrier, and the rangefinder is used to measure the liquid level of the furnace.

8. The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The carrier includes two split panels that can be spliced ​​and connected; The carrier is provided with an opening for placing the workpiece, and the opening is provided as one or more; The edge of the carrier is provided with a protrusion which is snap-fitted with the edge of the notch of the furnace.

9. The ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The workpiece is a radiation unit or a phase shifter.

10. A cladding device, wherein: The cladding device comprises the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The cladding device according to claim 10, wherein: The cladding device further comprises an infiltration component, wherein the ultrasonic assisted cladding component is used to perform ultrasonic cladding treatment on the workpiece; and the infiltration component is used to perform infiltration treatment on the workpiece after the ultrasonic cladding treatment.

12. The cladding device according to claim 11, wherein: The infiltration assembly includes an infiltration furnace, which is used to install a second cladding material and maintain the second cladding material at a preset temperature; the first moving mechanism is also used to drive the carrier to immerse the area to be processed of the workpiece into the second cladding material, and drive the carrier to move the workpiece out of the infiltration furnace.

13. The cladding device according to claim 12, wherein: The infiltration component further includes a fourth moving mechanism and a second scraper movably arranged on the top of the infiltration furnace; the fourth moving mechanism is connected to the second scraper, and the fourth moving mechanism is used to drive the second scraper to move.

14. The cladding device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: The cladding device further comprises an air blowing assembly, which is used to perform air blowing on the workpiece after the infiltration treatment.

15. The cladding device according to claim 14, wherein: The air blowing assembly includes an air knife assembly, and the air knife assembly is used to be arranged relative to the surface of the workpiece to perform air blowing treatment on the cladding layer on the surface of the workpiece.

16. The cladding device according to claim 15, wherein: The air knife assembly includes an air knife duct, an air knife nozzle, a temperature sensor and a heater; the air knife duct is connected to the air knife nozzle; the temperature sensor is used to sense the gas temperature in the air knife duct, and the heater is used to heat the gas in the air knife duct; the cladding device also includes a controller, and the temperature sensor and the heater are both connected to the controller.

17. The cladding device according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein: The cladding device further includes a preheating component, which is used to preheat the workpiece before the ultrasonic cladding treatment step.

18. The cladding device according to claim 17, wherein: The preheating assembly includes a preheating furnace for preheating the workpiece; The preheating assembly further includes a guide rail and a movable seat movably arranged on the guide rail, the movable seat can place the carrier, the guide rail is arranged in the preheating furnace, and the movable seat can drive the carrier to move in and out of the preheating furnace. furnace.

19. The cladding device according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein: The cladding device further includes a blanking assembly, and the first moving mechanism is further used to transfer the workpiece and the carrier processed by the ultrasonic assisted cladding assembly or the infiltration assembly to the blanking bracket.

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