JP2014024095A - Friction agitation joining apparatus and friction agitation joining method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a friction agitation joining apparatus and a friction agitation joining method capable of achieving one or more joining manners.SOLUTION: A friction agitation joining apparatus M1 rotates a joining tool 1 while pressing the joining tool 1 against a workpiece W, so as to generate frictional heat at a contact point between the joining tool 1 and the workpiece W, and joins the workpiece W by softening and agitating a material around the contact point. The friction agitation joining apparatus M1 individually moves fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of fulcrum mechanisms 6A and 6B so as to move or incline a central axis Q of the joining tool 1, thereby joining the workpiece W.

Description

  The present invention generates friction heat at the contact point between the welding tool and the work by rotating the welding tool against the work, softens the material around the contact point, and friction that joins the work by stirring. The present invention relates to a stir welding apparatus and a friction stir welding method.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the friction stir welding apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a pressure shaft 254 that moves the welding tool 251 in the axial direction on the slider of the offset shaft 255 that horizontally moves the welding tool 251. The swivel shaft 253 for rotating the welding tool 251 about its axis is placed on the slider of the pressure shaft 254. Further, the main body portion of the offset shaft 255 is supported by the base end portion 250 a of the L-shaped arm 250, the workpiece 252 is supported by the distal end portion 250 b of the arm 250, and the distal end of the joining tool 251 faces the surface of the workpiece 252. Yes. In the pushing operation for immersing the welding tool 251 into the work 252, the welding tool 251 is pressed by the pressure shaft 254 against the work 252 while rotating the rotating tool 253, and the welding tool 251 is immersed in the work 252 to a predetermined depth. When the welding tool 251 is immersed in the workpiece 252, a pressure force is applied from the workpiece 252 along the central axis of the welding tool 251 to the tip of the welding tool 251 as a reaction force. Note that the offset shaft 255 is stopped in the pushing operation.

  After the welding tool 251 is immersed to a predetermined depth of the workpiece 252, the pressing shaft 254 is moved slightly by stopping or holding the pressure, and the offset shaft 255 is driven to move the welding tool 251 toward the surface of the workpiece 252. I do.

  Further, Patent Document 2 describes a friction stir welding apparatus configured to rotate a welding tool while pressing it against a workpiece, and to stir by swinging angularly around an angular displacement axis that intersects the axis. ing.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, as shown in FIG. 17, a joining head 302 is fixed to a base end portion 301 a of an L-shaped arm 301, and the joining head 302 is lowered and a joining tool 303 is attached to the arm 301. A friction stir welding apparatus is described in which the joining head 302 swings in the direction of the arrow 306 with the swing shaft 305 as a fulcrum when pushed into a workpiece 304 held on the tip portion 301b side to a predetermined depth. Has been.

JP 2004-17128 A Japanese Patent No. 4286521 Japanese Patent No. 4511526

  By the way, in the friction stir welding apparatuses shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3, different joining modes are realized, but the mechanisms are different from each other, and two or more joining modes are realized with one apparatus. I couldn't.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, The objective is to provide the friction stir welding apparatus and friction stir welding method which can implement | achieve one or more joining aspects.

The object described above is achieved by the following aspects.
(1) By rotating the welding tool while pressing it against the workpiece, frictional heat is generated at the contact point between the welding tool and the workpiece to soften the material around the contact point and to stir the workpiece by stirring. A friction stir welding apparatus
A pressure shaft for approaching / separating the joining tool from the workpiece;
A pivot for rotating the welding tool about its central axis;
Two fulcrum mechanisms for determining the posture of the welding tool,
The pressure shaft has a main body portion coupled to a base end portion of an arm, and a movable portion that slides in a direction in which the joining tool approaches / separates the workpiece relative to the main body portion,
Each fulcrum mechanism has a fulcrum guide part that guides the fulcrum shaft in one direction, and a fulcrum drive part, and is mounted on the movable part of the pressurizing shaft,
A friction stir welding apparatus for joining the workpieces by moving or tilting the central axis of the welding tool by moving the fulcrum shafts of the fulcrum mechanisms.
(2) The fulcrum shaft of each fulcrum mechanism is supported by a fulcrum support part,
One of the said fulcrum support parts is an elongate hole extended in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the said fulcrum axis | shaft, The friction stir welding apparatus as described in (1) characterized by the above-mentioned.
(3) Each said fulcrum drive part can move independently of the said movable part of the said pressurization axis | shaft, and the inclination which opposes the said inclined surface of the said 1st guide block which has an inclined surface, and the said 1st guide block A second guide block having a surface and a fulcrum support portion and mounted on the fulcrum guide portion, and an inclined direction linear motion guide bearing located between the inclined surfaces,
The movement of the first guide block independent of the movable part of the pressurizing shaft is converted into the movement of the second guide block in the one direction, thereby moving the fulcrum shaft. The friction stir welding apparatus according to 1) or (2).
(4) The friction stir welding apparatus according to (3), wherein an inclination angle of the inclined surface with respect to a moving direction of the first guide block is 45 ° or less.
(5) When two directions orthogonal to each other are defined as an X direction and a Y direction, the arm has an L shape or a C shape extending from the base end portion to the distal end portion via a curved portion extending in the X direction. The base end portion, the body portion, and the tip end portion are formed on an XY plane, and a work support portion is provided at the tip end portion.
The moving direction of the movable part of the pressing shaft is set in the X direction, and the guiding direction of the fulcrum guide part is set in the Y direction. Friction stir welding equipment.
(6) The joining tool is inclined perpendicularly to the workpiece or at an arbitrary angle, and after performing a pushing operation to immerse the joining tool into the workpiece, the two fulcrum shafts are moved by the same distance. By translating the central axis of the welding tool, an offset operation is performed to move the welding tool in the direction of the surface of the workpiece while keeping the welding tool vertical or maintaining a constant inclination angle. The friction stir welding apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the workpieces are joined.
(7) The joining tool is made perpendicular to the workpiece or inclined at an arbitrary angle, and after performing a pushing operation to immerse the joining tool into the workpiece, one or two fulcrum shafts are moved. Any one of (1) to (5), wherein the workpieces are joined by performing a swing operation in which the joining tool is moved in the surface direction of the workpiece by swinging the central axis of the joining tool. The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 1.
(8) In the offset operation or the swing operation, the joining tool is moved in a direction opposite to the displacement in the moving direction of the fulcrum shaft at the tip of the arm caused by the deformation of the arm during the pushing operation. The friction stir welding apparatus according to (6) or (7), which is characterized.
(9) The point where there is a straight line connecting the two fulcrum axes after performing a pushing operation to make the joining tool perpendicular to the workpiece or tilted at an arbitrary angle and immerse the joining tool into the workpiece. The workpieces are joined by performing an oscillating angular displacement operation that causes the joining tool to oscillate in the surface direction of the workpieces by moving them synchronously so as to oscillate around the workpiece (1). The friction stir welding apparatus according to any of (5) to (5).
(10) A ball screw-integrated linear motion guide unit in which a ball screw nut is formed on the slider of the linear motion guide bearing and the ball screw shaft is passed through the pressure shaft is used for the pressure shaft. The friction stir welding apparatus according to any one of (1) to (9).
(11) By rotating the welding tool while pressing the workpiece, frictional heat is generated at the contact point between the welding tool and the workpiece to soften the material around the contact point and stir the workpiece by stirring. A friction stir welding method,
The joining tool is configured such that the posture is determined by two fulcrum mechanisms,
The joining tool is tilted perpendicularly to the workpiece or at an arbitrary angle, and after performing a pushing operation to immerse the joining tool into the workpiece, the fulcrum shafts of the respective fulcrum mechanisms are moved respectively. A friction stir welding method, wherein the workpiece is joined by moving or tilting the central axis of the welding tool.
(12) If two directions orthogonal to each other are defined as an X direction and a Y direction, the arm that supports the workpiece has an L-shape extending from the base end portion to the distal end portion via a bent portion extending in the X direction, or C-shaped, the base end portion, the body portion and the tip end portion are formed so as to be positioned on the XY plane, and a workpiece support portion is provided at the tip end portion,
The friction stir welding method according to (11), wherein the welding tool is moved in the X direction to perform the pushing operation, and after the pushing operation is performed, the welding tool is moved in the Y direction.
(13) After performing the pushing operation, the workpiece is moved by performing an offset operation for moving the welding tool in the surface direction of the workpiece while keeping the welding tool vertical or maintaining a constant inclination angle. The friction stir welding method according to (11) or (12), characterized by joining.
(14) The friction according to (11) or (12), wherein after the pushing operation is performed, the workpiece is joined by performing a swing motion in which the joining tool is moved in the surface direction of the workpiece. Stir welding method.
(15) In the offset operation or the swing operation, the joining tool is moved in a direction opposite to the displacement in the moving direction of the fulcrum shaft of the tip of the arm caused by the deformation of the arm during the pushing operation. The friction stir welding method according to (13) or (14), which is characterized.
(16) After performing the pushing-in operation, the joining tool is swung in the surface direction of the workpiece by moving in a synchronized manner so that the straight line connecting the two fulcrum axes swings around a certain point. The friction stir welding method according to (11) or (12), wherein the workpiece is joined by performing a swing angle displacement operation.

  According to the invention described in (1) above, since the central axis of the welding tool can be moved or inclined by moving the fulcrum shafts of the respective fulcrum mechanisms, a plurality of types of welding can be performed with one friction stir welding device. Aspects can be realized.

  Further, according to the invention described in (2) above, when a difference occurs between the positions of the two fulcrum shafts in the movement direction of the fulcrum shaft, the change in the distance between the fulcrum shafts in a direction substantially orthogonal to the fulcrum movement direction. Although this occurs, this distance change can be absorbed because one of the fulcrum support portions fitted to the fulcrum shaft is a long hole.

  Further, according to the invention described in (3) above, since the wedge-shaped motion direction conversion mechanism is adopted for the fulcrum drive unit, the fulcrum drive unit can be arranged in the space between the turning shaft and the pressure shaft. Thus, the width of the friction stir welding apparatus can be reduced.

  Further, according to the invention described in (4) above, when the inclination angle of the inclined surface is 45 ° or less, for example, when the fulcrum drive unit is configured by a ball screw, the load acting on the ball screw is offset. It can be made smaller than the above. Therefore, it is possible to extend the life of the ball screw or to reduce the size of the ball screw. Further, by reducing the inclination angle, the load acting on the inclination direction linear motion guide bearing can also be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to extend the life of the tilt direction linear motion guide bearing or to reduce the size of the tilt direction linear motion guide bearing.

  According to the invention described in (5) above, the trunk portion of the C-shaped or L-shaped arm that supports the workpiece at the distal end extends in the X direction, and the base end portion, the trunk portion, and the distal end portion of the arm And the moving direction of the movable portion of the pressure shaft is set to the X direction, and the guide direction of the fulcrum guide portion is the Y direction with relatively high arm rigidity. Since the rigidity in the Y direction is much higher than the rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the XY plane, the displacement of the tip of the arm during the offset operation, swing operation or swing angle displacement operation is set. (Displacement due to an offset load or the like) can be kept small, and the amount of movement of the workpiece due to the bending and deformation of the arm can be kept small. Therefore, by suppressing the movement amount of the workpiece to be small, an error between the movement amount of the welding tool on the workpiece and the offset movement amount can be reduced, and high-precision bonding is possible.

  In addition, according to the inventions described in the above (6), (7), and (9), the workpieces can be joined while expanding the joining region in the most suitable joining mode depending on the type and application of the workpiece. .

  Further, according to the invention described in (8) above, a series of operations are performed by performing an offset operation or a swing operation in a direction opposite to the displacement of the arm tip portion caused by the deformation of the arm during the pushing operation in the workpiece surface direction. The movement of the workpiece held by the workpiece support portion and the workpiece support portion is reduced by this joining operation, and the error between the tool movement amount on the workpiece and the offset movement amount can be reduced and the load on the arm can be reduced. .

  Further, according to the invention described in (10) above, by using the ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit for the pressure shaft, it becomes possible to reduce the size and weight, and to reduce the size of the friction stir welding apparatus. it can. Therefore, the size of the robot arm can be reduced when the friction stir welding apparatus is attached to the robot arm.

  According to the invention described in (11) above, the center axis of the welding tool can be moved or inclined by moving the fulcrum shafts of the respective fulcrum mechanisms. Various types of joining modes can be realized.

  According to the invention described in (12) above, the body of the C-shaped or L-shaped arm that supports the workpiece at the distal end extends in the X direction, and the proximal end, the trunk, and the distal end of the arm And the moving direction of the movable portion of the pressure shaft is set to the X direction, and the guide direction of the fulcrum guide portion is the Y direction with relatively high arm rigidity. Since the rigidity in the Y direction is much higher than the rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the XY plane, the displacement of the tip of the arm during the offset operation, swing operation or swing angle displacement operation is set. (Displacement due to an offset load or the like) can be kept small, and the amount of movement of the workpiece due to the bending and deformation of the arm can be kept small. Therefore, by suppressing the movement amount of the workpiece to be small, an error between the movement amount of the welding tool on the workpiece and the offset movement amount can be reduced, and high-precision bonding is possible.

  In addition, according to the inventions described in the above (13), (14), and (16), the workpieces can be joined while expanding the joining region in the most suitable joining mode according to the type and application of the workpiece. .

  Further, according to the invention described in (15) above, a series of operations are performed by performing an offset operation or a swing operation in a direction opposite to the displacement of the arm tip caused by the deformation of the arm during the pushing operation in the workpiece surface direction. The movement of the workpiece held by the workpiece support portion and the workpiece support portion is reduced by this joining operation, and the error between the tool movement amount on the workpiece and the offset movement amount can be reduced and the load on the arm can be reduced. .

It is a side view of the friction stir welding apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is an II direction arrow line view of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit which comprises a pressurization axis | shaft. It is explanatory drawing of the fulcrum mechanism seen from the II direction of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the fulcrum drive part of an upper fulcrum mechanism. It is an operation | movement figure of the joining tool at the time of offset operation | movement. It is an operation | movement diagram of the fulcrum drive part in offset operation | movement, (a) is before offset operation, (b) is in offset operation. It is an operation | movement figure of the joining tool at the time of swing operation | movement. It is an operation | movement diagram of the fulcrum drive part in swing operation | movement, (a) is before swing operation | movement, (b) is in swing operation | movement. It is an operation | movement figure of the joining tool at the time of rocking | fluctuation angle displacement operation | movement. It is an operation | movement figure of the fulcrum drive part in rocking | fluctuation angle displacement operation | movement. It is an operation | movement figure of the joining tool at the time of offset operation | movement of a modification. It is explanatory drawing of the bending of an arm. It is a graph which shows the displacement of the front-end | tip part of the arm in joining. For the inclination angle is a graph showing a counter offset load ratio of the linear guide load F _L and the ball screw load F _B. It is a perspective view which shows the friction stir welding apparatus of patent document 1. It is a side view which shows the friction stir welding apparatus of patent document 3.

Hereinafter, a friction stir welding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a side view of a friction stir welding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a ball screw integrated linear motion guide constituting a pressure shaft. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the unit, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the fulcrum mechanism viewed from the II direction of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a fulcrum drive unit of the fulcrum mechanism.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the friction stir welding apparatus M1 of the present embodiment includes a pressure shaft 2 that moves the welding tool 1 for friction stir welding close to / separated from the workpiece, and the welding tool 1 at its center axis. A pivot 4 that rotates about Q and two fulcrum mechanisms 6A and 6B that determine the posture of the welding tool 1 (hereinafter referred to as an upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and a lower fulcrum mechanism 6B when referring to the respective fulcrum mechanisms). And a C-shaped arm 50.

  The arm 50 has a C-shape extending from the base end portion 50a to the tip end portion 50c via the body portion 50b extending from the base end portion 50a to the tip end portion 50c, assuming that the two directions perpendicular to each other are the X direction and the Y direction. The end part 50a, the body part 50b, and the tip part 50c are formed so as to be positioned on the XY plane, and a backing member 52 as a work support part is provided inside the tip part 50c.

  The pressure shaft 2 has a guide rail (main body portion) 13 coupled to the base end portion 50 a of the arm 50 and a slider (movable portion) 14 that slides in the X direction along the guide rail 13. . A pressure shaft table 20 is attached to the slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2. The pressure shaft table 20 extends in the X direction, and arm portions 23, 23 extend in the Y direction so as to surround the opening 22 from a fixed portion 21 attached to the slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2. The arm parts 23, 23 extend in the Y direction from the X direction intermediate part of the fixed part 21.

  The two fulcrum mechanisms 6A and 6B are mounted on the slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2 via the pressure shaft table 20, and the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A is positioned above the arm portions 23 and 23, and the lower side The fulcrum mechanism 6B is located below the arm portions 23 and 23 and is vertically symmetric with respect to the arm portions 23 and 23. Each fulcrum mechanism 6A, 6B employs a wedge-type motion direction conversion mechanism in which a Y-direction linear motion guide bearing (fulcrum guide portion) 110 that guides fulcrum shafts 67, 67, which will be described later, and a fulcrum drive portion 60 are combined. doing.

  Here, a ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit 10 is used for the pressure shaft 2. The ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit 10 is configured by combining a linear motion guide bearing 11 and a ball screw 12 as shown in FIG. The linear motion guide bearing 11 is disposed between a guide rail 13 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, a slider 14 disposed in a U-shaped recess of the guide rail 13, and between the guide rail 13 and the slider 14. A plurality of rolling elements 15. The guide rail 13 has a rolling surface 16A on the inner side surface of each sleeve portion 13A arranged to face the slider 14, and the slider 14 has a rolling surface 16B arranged to face the rolling surface 16A of the guide rail 13. And a rolling element (roller in the figure) 15 is interposed between the rolling surface 16A of the guide rail 13 and the rolling surface 16B of the slider 14, so that the slider 14 and the guide rail 13 are relative to each other. It is possible to move straight.

  In this case, between the rolling surface 16 </ b> A of the guide rail 13 and the rolling surface 16 </ b> B of the slider 14, there are two rolling passages 16 in which the rolling elements 15 move vertically in two rows, i.e., two-to-four as a whole. A line is formed. The slider 14 is formed with a return path 16D of the rolling element 15 and a direction changing path (not shown) that connects the return path 16D and the rolling path 16 so that the rolling element 15 changes direction with the rolling path 16. It circulates through an infinite circulation path composed of a path and a return path 16D.

  The ball screw 12 includes a ball screw nut 17 formed in parallel with the guide rail 13, a ball screw shaft 18 passing through the ball screw nut 17, a spiral groove of the ball screw nut 17, and a spiral groove of the ball screw shaft 18. And a plurality of balls 19 disposed between the two. The ball screw-integrated linear motion guide unit 10 directly forms the ball screw nut 17 that is an element of the ball screw 12 on the slider 14 that is an element of the linear motion guide bearing 11, whereby the ball screw 12 and the linear motion guide are formed. It is comprised as a mechanism component provided integrally with the bearing 11.

  The slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2 is driven by a ball screw 12, and the ball screw 12 of the pressure shaft 2 is driven by a pressure shaft motor 42 via a belt 41.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the Y-direction linear guide bearing 110 of each fulcrum mechanism 6A, 6B includes a guide rail 113 having two rail portions 113A, 113A arranged in parallel with each other with a space therebetween. The slider 114 has two slide portions 114A and 114A that slide while being guided by the rail portions 113A and 113A of the guide rail 113, and a plurality of sliders 114A and 113A disposed between the rail portions 113A and 113A and the slide portions 114A and 114A. Rolling elements (not shown). The guide rail 113 extends in parallel with the Y direction by attaching the rail portions 113A and 113A to the both arm portions 23 and 23 of the U-shaped pressure shaft table 20. These two rail portions 113A and 113A are arranged on both sides of a turning shaft motor 44 described later. In other words, the turning shaft motor 44 is accommodated between the two rail portions 113A and 113A, that is, in the opening 22 of the pressure shaft table 20 (see FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 5, both arm portions 66, 66 of the second guide block 62 of the fulcrum drive unit 60 constituting the fulcrum mechanisms 6A, 6B are provided on the slide portions 114A, 114A of the Y-direction linear guide bearing 110, respectively. It is attached. Both arms 66 and 66 are formed with long holes 68 and 68 for supporting the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67. The long holes 68 and 68 are longer in the X direction than in the Y direction. It is configured. In the movement direction (Y direction) of the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67, if a difference occurs between the positions of the fulcrum shafts 67, 67 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B, the fulcrum movement direction (Y direction) Although the distance change between the fulcrum axes occurs in a direction substantially orthogonal (X direction), this distance change can be absorbed by the long holes 68 and 68.

  A spindle 30 on which the joining tool 1 is rotatably mounted is fixed to the fulcrum shafts 67, 67 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B via a pivot shaft bracket 48. The welding tool 1 is rotatably held via a tool holder 35 by a spindle 30 that constitutes a turning shaft 4, and a tool base 1a that protrudes downward from a columnar tool base 1a and a shoulder 1b on the lower end surface of the tool base. A tool pin 1c having a smaller outer diameter is provided. The spindle 30 includes a plurality of bearings 31, a spindle housing 32 that accommodates the bearings 31, and a spindle shaft 33 that is rotatably held by the bearings 31. A tool holder 35 for holding 1 in a detachable manner is provided. The spindle shaft 33 is driven by a turning shaft motor 44 through a coupling.

Next, the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B having the same configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 by taking the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A as an example.
The fulcrum drive unit 60 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A is mounted on the first guide block 61 that can move in the X direction independently of the slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2, and the slide units 114A and 114A of the Y direction linear motion guide bearing 110. And a second guide block 62. The first guide block 61 is disposed between the ball screw nut 63, the ball screw shaft 64 extending through the ball screw nut 63 and extending in the X direction, and the spiral groove of the ball screw nut 63 and the spiral groove of the ball screw shaft 64. And a ball screw nut 63 of a ball screw 65 having a plurality of balls (not shown) formed integrally or separately. The ball screw shaft 64 is connected to a fulcrum drive motor 43 attached to the pressure shaft table 20 via a belt 46 and is driven by the fulcrum drive motor 43 to move the first guide block 61 in the X direction.

  The first guide block 61 has a wedge shape with a vertical surface 61a having a lower tip extending in the X direction and an inclined surface 61b inclined with respect to the X direction and intersecting the vertical surface 61a at an acute angle. In addition, the second guide block 62 is also formed with an inclined surface 62a extending in parallel with the inclined surface 61b so as to face the inclined surface 61b of the first guide block 61. The first guide block 61 and the second guide block 62 faces the inclined surface 61b and the inclined surface 62a.

  An inclined direction linear motion guide bearing 70 is provided between the inclined surface 61 b of the first guide block 61 and the inclined surface 62 a of the second guide block 62, and the guide rail 71 is provided on the inclined surface 62 a of the second guide block 62. The slider 72 is attached to the inclined surface 61 b of the first guide block 61. A rolling element (not shown) is interposed between the guide rail 71 and the slider 72, whereby the guide rail 71 and the slider 72 are relatively linearly movable.

  Further, the vertical surface 61a of the first guide block 61 faces the fixed portion 21 of the pressure shaft table 20 extending in the X direction. An X-direction linear motion guide bearing 80 is provided between the vertical surface 61 a of the first guide block 61 and the fixed portion 21 of the pressure shaft table 20, and the guide rail 86 is provided on the fixed portion 21 of the pressure shaft table 20. The slider 87 is attached to the vertical surface 61 a of the first guide block 61. A rolling element (not shown) is interposed between the guide rail 86 and the slider 87, whereby the guide rail 86 and the slider 87 are relatively linearly movable.

  The upper fulcrum mechanism 6A configured in this manner drives the fulcrum drive motor 43 to rotate the ball screw shaft 64 in one direction, whereby the first guide block 61 moves downward in the X direction. At this time, since the second guide block 62 is supported by the Y-direction linear motion guide bearing 110 so that the movement in the X-direction is restricted and guided in the Y-direction, both arms 66 and 66 of the second guide block 62 are supported. The fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 supported by the (long holes 68 and 68) also move in the direction away from the pressing shaft 2 along the Y direction, that is, in the direction of the arrow YA in FIG. On the other hand, the fulcrum supported by both arms 66 and 66 (long holes 68 and 68) of the second guide block 62 by driving the fulcrum drive motor 43 and rotating the ball screw shaft 64 in the reverse direction. The shafts 67 and 67 also approach the pressure shaft 2 along the Y direction, that is, move in the direction of the arrow YB in FIG.

  The lower fulcrum mechanism 6B is arranged vertically symmetrically with the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A, and the first guide block 61 is inclined with respect to the vertical surface 61a extending in the X direction and the vertical surface 61a with an acute angle with the vertical surface 61a. A wedge shape is formed by the inclined surface 61b intersecting with each other. An inclined direction linear motion guide bearing 70 is provided between the inclined surface 61b of the first guide block 61 and the inclined surface 62a of the second guide block 62, and the vertical surface 61a of the first guide block 61 and the pressure shaft table are provided. An X-direction linear motion guide bearing 80 is provided between the 20 fixed portions 21.

  The lower fulcrum mechanism 6B drives the fulcrum drive motor 43 to rotate the ball screw shaft 64 in one direction, so that the first guide block 61 moves upward in the X direction. At this time, since the second guide block 62 is supported by the Y-direction linear motion guide bearing 110 so that the movement in the X-direction is restricted and guided in the Y-direction, both arms 66 and 66 of the second guide block 62 are supported. The fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 supported by the (long holes 68 and 68) also move in the direction away from the pressing shaft 2 along the Y direction, that is, in the direction of the arrow YA in FIG. On the other hand, the fulcrum supported by both arms 66 and 66 (long holes 68 and 68) of the second guide block 62 by driving the fulcrum drive motor 43 and rotating the ball screw shaft 64 in the reverse direction. The shafts 67 and 67 also approach the pressing shaft 2 in the Y direction, that is, move in the direction of the arrow YB in FIG.

  Since the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B each have the fulcrum drive motor 43, both the ball screws 65 can be controlled independently. Further, since the pivot shaft bracket 48 is attached to the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A in the upper part and attached to the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B in the lower part, the fulcrum shaft of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A. By adjusting the movement distances 67 and 67 and the movement distances of the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B, the center axis Q of the welding tool 1 can be moved or inclined via the pivot axis bracket 48. it can.

  Returning to FIG. 1, a pressure detection means 51 and a backing member 52 are provided inside the tip 50 c of the arm 50 to which the guide rail 13 of the pressure shaft 2 is fixed. Then, by sandwiching the work between the joining tool 1 and the backing member 52, the joining tool 1 can apply pressure to the work. The workpieces to be joined are stacked on the backing member 52.

  The friction stir welding apparatus M1 configured as described above generates frictional heat at the contact point between the welding tool 1 and the workpiece by rotating the welding tool 1 against the workpiece (not shown), thereby surrounding the contact point. Of the welding tool 1 by softening and agitating the material, thereby moving the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the respective fulcrum mechanisms 6A and 6B after the pushing operation for immersing the welding tool 1 into the workpiece. The workpiece is joined by moving or tilting the central axis Q. In the friction stir welding apparatus M1, by moving or inclining the central axis Q of the welding tool 1, three types of bonding modes, offset bonding, swing bonding, and swing angle displacement bonding described below, are realized. Can do.

<Offset bonding>
As a first joining mode, offset joining will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, only the ball screw shaft 64 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A is rotated to move the first guide block 61 upward in the X direction. Thereby, the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A move in the YB direction from the neutral position (the initial position where the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B are aligned in the Y direction). At this time, since the ball screw shaft 64 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B is not rotating, the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B are located in the neutral position. As a result, the central axis Q of the welding tool 1 is rotated by a predetermined angle in the YB direction from the state orthogonal to the workpiece W and tilted (FIG. 7A). By inclining the welding tool 1 in this way, the shoulder portion 1b of the welding tool 1 can be brought into contact with the workpiece W at an angle with respect to the traveling direction of the welding tool 1 during the offset operation. As a result, the fluidized material of the workpiece W flows into the wedge portion 1b of the welding tool 1 in a wedge shape, so that the pressurizing shaft 2 is not moved greatly and the workpiece W is added to the workpiece W. The pressure can be maintained.

  Subsequently, in the push-in operation in which the joining tool 1 is rotated at a high speed by driving the turning shaft motor 44 and the joining tool 1 is immersed in the workpiece W, the pressing shaft motor 42 is driven and pressure is applied via the belt 41. By rotating the ball screw shaft 18 of the shaft 2, the slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2 is moved downward (FIG. 6A). When the slider 14 of the pressing shaft 2 is moved, the joining tool 1 is moved along the X direction in the direction approaching the workpiece W together with the spindle 30, and the joining tool 1 is pressed against the workpiece W while rotating at high speed, the contact point In addition, the material of the workpiece W is softened and agitated around it. And the joining tool 1 is immersed in the workpiece | work W to predetermined depth, stirring (FIG.6 (b)). Next, after immersing the welding tool 1 to a predetermined depth of the workpiece W, an offset operation is performed while the pressure shaft 2 is finely moved along with stopping or holding the pressure.

  In the offset operation, the fulcrum drive motors 43 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B are driven to have the same rotation angle in the same direction, and the ball screw shaft 64 is rotated via the belt 46, thereby The first guide block 61 of the fulcrum mechanism 6A is moved downward in the X direction, and the first guide block 61 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B is moved upward in the X direction. Accordingly, the fulcrum shafts 67, 67 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B move by the same distance in the YA direction (FIG. 7B). That is, the center axis Q of the welding tool 1 is translated while maintaining a predetermined inclination angle. By this movement, the contact point and the stirring area of the joining tool 1 with respect to the workpiece W move, and the workpiece W is joined in a linear shape (FIG. 6C). After the predetermined offset distance has been moved, the ball screw shaft 64 of the pressure shaft 2 is rotated in the direction opposite to the previous direction, whereby the joining tool 1 is moved in the direction away from the workpiece W along the X direction. (Fig. 6 (d)). Thus, the friction stir welding is performed by the pushing operation and the offset operation.

<Swing joint>
Swing joining is demonstrated as a 2nd joining aspect based on FIG.8 and FIG.9.
In swing joining, the pushing operation is performed while the central axis Q of the joining tool 1 is orthogonal to the workpiece W (FIG. 9A). As in the case of offset welding, the center axis Q of the welding tool 1 may be inclined at a predetermined angle in the YB direction from a state orthogonal to the workpiece W. Similarly, the fluidized material of the workpiece W flows into the wedge 1b of the welding tool 1 in a wedge shape, and the pressure applied to the workpiece W is maintained without moving the pressing shaft 2 greatly. Will be able to.

  In the push-in operation for rotating the welding tool 1 at a high speed by driving the turning shaft motor 44 and immersing the welding tool 1 into the workpiece W, the pressure shaft motor 42 is driven and the pressure shaft 2 is moved via the belt 41. By rotating the ball screw shaft 18, the slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2 is moved downward (FIG. 8A). When the slider 14 of the pressing shaft 2 is moved, the joining tool 1 is moved along the X direction in the direction approaching the workpiece W together with the spindle 30, and the joining tool 1 is pressed against the workpiece W while rotating at high speed, the contact point In addition, the material of the workpiece W is softened and agitated around it. And the joining tool 1 is immersed in the workpiece | work W to predetermined depth, stirring (FIG.8 (b)). Next, after the welding tool 1 is immersed to a predetermined depth of the workpiece W, a swing operation is performed while the pressure shaft 2 is moved minutely in accordance with the pressure holding.

  In the swing operation, only the ball screw shaft 64 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A is rotated to move the first guide block 61 upward in the X direction. As a result, the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A move in the YB direction from the neutral position. At this time, since the ball screw shaft 64 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B is not rotating, the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B are located in the neutral position. As a result, the welding tool 1 rotates in the YA direction from a state where the central axis Q of the welding tool 1 is orthogonal to the workpiece W around the fulcrum shafts 67 and 67 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B. (FIG. 9B). By this movement, the contact point and the stirring area of the joining tool 1 with respect to the workpiece W move, and the workpiece W is joined in a linear shape (FIG. 8C). After rotating by a predetermined angle, the ball screw shaft 64 of the pressure shaft 2 is rotated in the opposite direction to the previous direction, so that the welding tool 1 is moved in the direction away from the workpiece W along the X direction. Detach (FIG. 8D). Thus, the friction stir welding is performed by the pushing operation and the swing operation.

<Oscillating angular displacement welding>
As a third joining mode, rocking angle displacement joining will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the swing angle displacement joining, the pushing operation is performed with the central axis Q of the joining tool 1 being orthogonal to the workpiece W.

  In the push-in operation for rotating the welding tool 1 at a high speed by driving the turning shaft motor 44 and immersing the welding tool 1 into the workpiece W, the pressure shaft motor 42 is driven and the pressure shaft 2 is moved via the belt 41. By rotating the ball screw shaft 18, the slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2 is moved downward (FIG. 10A). When the slider 14 of the pressing shaft 2 is moved, the joining tool 1 is moved along the X direction in the direction approaching the workpiece W together with the spindle 30, and the joining tool 1 is pressed against the workpiece W while rotating at high speed, the contact point In addition, the material of the workpiece W is softened and agitated around it. And the joining tool 1 is immersed in the workpiece | work W to predetermined depth, stirring. Next, after immersing the welding tool 1 to a predetermined depth of the workpiece W, a swing angle displacement operation is performed while the pressing shaft 2 is moved minutely in accordance with stopping or holding the pressure.

  In the swing angle displacement operation, when the welding tool 1 is immersed to a predetermined depth of the workpiece W, the line segment T1 drawn in the Y direction through the point S1 in the vicinity of the boundary between the tool pin 1c and the shoulder portion 1b is neutral. The upper fulcrum so that the line segment T2 swings about the intersection S2 of the line segment T2 connecting the fulcrum shafts 67, 67 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A and the fulcrum shafts 67, 67 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B. The ball screw shaft 64 of the mechanism 6A and the ball screw shaft 64 of the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B are driven synchronously. As a result, the center axis Q of the welding tool 1 swings around the point S1 at a predetermined swing angle (FIG. 11). By this movement, the contact point and stirring region of the joining tool 1 with respect to the workpiece W move, and the workpiece W is joined in a linear shape (FIGS. 10B and 10C). After rotating by a predetermined angle, the ball screw shaft 64 of the pressure shaft 2 is rotated in the opposite direction to the previous direction, so that the welding tool 1 is moved in the direction away from the workpiece W along the X direction. Detach (FIG. 10 (d)). Thus, the friction stir welding is performed by the push-in operation and the swing angle displacement operation.

  Thus, by selecting and performing friction stir welding by three joining modes, it is possible to increase the joining strength by enlarging the joining region according to the type and application of the workpiece. In the above-described embodiment, the offset direction, the swing direction, and the swing direction are set to the Y direction in the XY plane where the base end portion 50a, the trunk portion 50b, and the tip end portion 50c of the arm 50 are located. However, the Z direction may be orthogonal to the XY plane. However, setting in the Y direction has the following effects.

  Now consider a specific example. For example, when the material of the C-shaped arm 50 of the above embodiment is aluminum, the rigidity in the Y direction is 6.3 kN / mm, and the rigidity in the Z direction orthogonal to the Y direction is 0.38 kN / mm. Although it depends on the joining conditions, a force of about 500 N acts in the workpiece tangential direction during the offset operation. Therefore, assuming that the offset operation is performed in the Z direction, if the workpiece is not fixed by an external holding device, etc. 1.3 mm. On the other hand, when the offset operation is performed in the Y direction as in the present embodiment, the movement of the workpiece is 0.08 mm, and is suppressed to a value sufficiently small with respect to a value such as 3 mm to 5 mm assumed as the offset amount. You can see that

  Therefore, by setting the offset direction to the Y direction, a force is applied in the direction of high rigidity of the arm 50, and the displacement of the tip 50c of the arm 50 during the offset operation (displacement due to the offset load) is suppressed to a small value. Thus, the amount of movement of the work due to the bending and deformation of the arm 50 can be reduced. Therefore, since the movement amount of the workpiece can be suppressed to be small, an error between the movement amount of the welding tool on the workpiece and the offset movement amount can be reduced, and high-precision bonding is possible. The same can be said for swing bonding and swing angular displacement bonding.

  Further, the direction of the offset operation may be a direction approaching the body 50b of the arm 50 along the Y direction, as shown by the arrow YB in FIG. At this time, the tilting direction of the turning shaft 4 is also the direction in which the welding tool 1 is offset (advanced), and thus is set opposite to the above embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 13, during the pushing-in operation, the tip of the backing member 52 is a fulcrum that connects the barrel portion 50b and the tip portion 50c by the applied pressure acting in the direction of the pressing shaft 2 (X direction). Therefore, the center A2 of the backing member 52 in the loaded state during the pushing operation is in the X direction with respect to the center A1 of the backing member 52 in the unloaded state before the pushing operation. It moves in the direction away from the base end part 50a along, and moves in the direction away from the trunk | drum 50b along the Y direction.

  Here, the offset load is set so that the direction of the offset operation approaches the body portion 50b along the Y direction, that is, the direction opposite to the displacement in the offset direction of the distal end portion 50c of the arm 50 caused by the deformation of the arm 50. Acts in the direction approaching the body part 50b along the Y direction, the tip of the backing member 52 moves in the direction approaching the body part 50b along the Y direction, and the tip part 50c of the arm 50 during the offset operation is moved. The displacement becomes smaller in the offset direction (see FIG. 14).

  Thus, by performing the offset operation in the direction opposite to the displacement of the backing member 52 in the offset direction caused by the deformation of the arm 50 during the pushing operation, the backing member 52 and the backing member in a series of joining operations. The movement of the workpiece held by the workpiece 52 is reduced, the error between the movement amount of the joining tool 1 on the workpiece and the offset movement amount can be reduced, and the load on the workpiece holding mechanism can be reduced. The same can be said for the swing junction.

  On the other hand, as in the friction stir welding apparatus M1 of the above embodiment, when the offset direction is the YA direction away from the body portion 50b along the Y direction, the displacement of the tip 50c of the arm 50 during the offset operation in the offset direction is as follows. growing. However, even in this case, compared to the conventional friction stir welding apparatus that performs an offset operation in a direction perpendicular to the Y direction, the movement of the workpiece is remarkably reduced, and the movement amount and offset movement of the welding tool 1 on the workpiece. The amount error can be reduced and the load on the workpiece holding mechanism can be reduced.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the inclination | tilt angle with respect to the X direction of the inclination direction linear motion guide bearing 70 interposed between the 1st guide block 61 and the 2nd guide block 62 is 45 degrees or less.

  Here, the force that acts on the fulcrum drive unit 60 of the upper fulcrum mechanism 6A during the offset operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

The inclination angle gamma, the offset load F _Y, the linear guide load and F _L, between the tilt angle gamma and both load holds the relational expression shown in equation (1).
F _L / F _Y = 1 / cos γ (1)

Also, the relational expression is established as shown in equation (2) between the offset load F _Y and the ball screw load F _B.
F _B / F _Y = tan γ (2)

Therefore, the inclination angle γ by 45 ° or less, can be reduced as compared to bow screw load F _B acting on the ball screw 65 of the upper pivot mechanism 6A in the offset load F _Y. Therefore, the life of the ball screw 65 can be extended or the ball screw 65 can be downsized. As shown in FIG. 15, in the tilt direction linear motion guide bearing 70 interposed between the first guide block 61 and the second guide block 62, the tilt direction linear motion guide is reduced when the tilt angle γ is reduced. it is possible to reduce the linear guide load F _L acting on the bearing 70. Therefore, by setting the inclination angle γ to 45 ° or less, the life of the inclination direction linear motion guide bearing 70 can be extended or the inclination direction linear motion guide bearing 70 can be downsized. The same applies to the lower fulcrum mechanism 6B.

  In addition, according to the above-described embodiment, the ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit 10 is used for the pressure shaft 2, so that the size and size of the robot arm on which the friction stir welding apparatus M1 is mounted can be reduced. Down is possible.

  Further, by disposing the fulcrum drive unit 60 of each fulcrum mechanism 6A, 6B between the turning shaft 4 and the pressure shaft 2 when viewed from the Z direction, the width (length in the Z direction) of the friction stir welding apparatus M1 is reduced. can do.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the pressure shaft 2 is configured by the ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit 10, but may be configured by an independent ball screw and linear motion guide bearing.

  In the above embodiment, the case where a roller is used as each rolling element has been described. However, a ball may be used, or the rolling element of a certain linear motion guide bearing is a roller, and the rolling element of another linear motion guide bearing is used. The moving body may be a combination such as a ball.

  In the above-described embodiment, the linear motion guide bearing 11 is a linear motion guide bearing having a direction changing path and a return path 16D and circulating the rolling elements 15 in the rolling path 16, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, a non-circulation type linear motion guide bearing that does not include a mechanism for circulating the rolling elements 15 may be used.

  In the above embodiment, a belt method is adopted as a method for transmitting the power of the pressure shaft motor 42 and the fulcrum drive motor 43 to the ball screw 18 of the pressure shaft 2 and the ball screw 65 of each fulcrum mechanism 6A, 6B. However, it may be directly coupled via a coupling or gear. Higher responsive control is possible by driving directly through the coupling.

M1 Friction stir welding apparatus 1 Joining tool 2 Pressure shaft 4 Rotating shaft 6A Upper fulcrum mechanism (fulcrum mechanism)
6B Lower fulcrum mechanism (fulcrum mechanism)
10 Ball Screw Integrated Linear Motion Guide Unit 11 Linear Motion Guide Bearing 12 Ball Screw 13 Guide Rail (Main Body)
14 Slider (movable part)
17 Ball screw nut 18 Ball screw shaft 50 Arm 50a Base end part 50b Body part 50c Tip part 52 Backing member (work support part)
60 fulcrum drive part 61 1st guide block 61b inclined surface 62 2nd guide block 62a inclined surface 68 oblong hole (fulcrum support part)
70 Inclination direction linear motion guide bearing 110 Y direction linear motion guide bearing (fulcrum guide portion)
Q Center axis of welding tool W Workpiece

Claims (16)

Friction stirring that joins the workpieces by rotating while pressing the welding tool against the workpiece, generating frictional heat at the contact point between the welding tool and the workpiece, softening and stirring the material around the contact point A joining device,
A pressure shaft for approaching / separating the joining tool from the workpiece;
A pivot for rotating the welding tool about its central axis;
Two fulcrum mechanisms for determining the posture of the welding tool,
The pressure shaft has a main body portion coupled to a base end portion of an arm, and a movable portion that slides in a direction in which the joining tool approaches / separates the workpiece relative to the main body portion,
Each fulcrum mechanism has a fulcrum guide part that guides the fulcrum shaft in one direction, and a fulcrum drive part, and is mounted on the movable part of the pressure shaft,
A friction stir welding apparatus for joining the workpieces by moving or tilting the central axis of the welding tool by moving the fulcrum shafts of the fulcrum mechanisms. The fulcrum shaft of each fulcrum mechanism is supported by a fulcrum support part,
2. The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the fulcrum support portions is a long hole extending in a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the fulcrum shaft. Each fulcrum drive unit is movable independently of the movable part of the pressure shaft and has a first guide block having an inclined surface, and an inclined surface and a fulcrum facing the inclined surface of the first guide block. A second guide block having a support portion and mounted on the fulcrum guide portion, and an inclined direction linear motion guide bearing located between the inclined surfaces,
The fulcrum shaft is moved by converting the movement of the first guide block independent of the movable portion of the pressure shaft into the movement of the second guide block in the one direction. Item 3. The friction stir welding apparatus according to Item 1 or 2.   The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an inclination angle of the inclined surface with respect to a moving direction of the first guide block is 45 ° or less. When two directions orthogonal to each other are defined as an X direction and a Y direction, the arm has an L shape or a C shape that extends from the base end portion to the distal end portion via a bent portion extending in the X direction, The base end portion, the body portion, and the tip end portion are formed so as to be positioned on an XY plane, and a work support portion is provided at the tip end portion,
The moving direction of the movable part of the pressure shaft is set in the X direction, and the guiding direction of the fulcrum guide part is set in the Y direction. Friction stir welding equipment.   The joining tool is moved perpendicularly with respect to the workpiece or inclined at an arbitrary angle, and after the pushing operation is performed to immerse the joining tool into the workpiece, the two fulcrum shafts are moved by the same distance, and the joining tool is moved. The workpiece is moved by performing an offset operation to move the welding tool in the direction of the surface of the workpiece while keeping the welding tool vertical or keeping the inclination angle constant. The friction stir welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the friction stir welding apparatus is joined.   The joining tool is inclined perpendicularly to the workpiece or at an arbitrary angle, and after performing a pushing operation to immerse the joining tool into the workpiece, one or two fulcrum shafts are moved to move the joining tool. The workpiece is joined by performing a swing operation in which the joining tool is moved in the surface direction of the workpiece by swinging the center axis of the workpiece. Friction stir welding equipment.   In the offset operation or the swing operation, the joining tool is moved in a direction opposite to a displacement in a moving direction of the fulcrum shaft of the end of the arm caused by the deformation of the arm during the pushing operation. The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 6 or 7.   After the joining tool is inclined perpendicularly to the workpiece or at an arbitrary angle, and the pushing tool is operated to immerse the joining tool into the workpiece, a point connecting a straight line connecting the two fulcrum axes is the center. 6. The workpieces are joined by performing a swing angle displacement operation of swinging the welding tool in the surface direction of the workpieces by moving them synchronously so as to swing. The friction stir welding apparatus according to any one of the above.   A ball screw integrated type linear motion guide unit in which a ball screw nut is formed on a slider of a linear motion guide bearing and the ball screw shaft is penetrated through the ball screw nut is used for the pressure shaft. The friction stir welding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Friction stirring that joins the workpieces by rotating while pressing the welding tool against the workpiece, generating frictional heat at the contact point between the welding tool and the workpiece, softening and stirring the material around the contact point A joining method,
The joining tool is configured such that the posture is determined by two fulcrum mechanisms,
The joining tool is tilted perpendicularly to the workpiece or at an arbitrary angle, and after performing a pushing operation to immerse the joining tool into the workpiece, the fulcrum shafts of the respective fulcrum mechanisms are moved respectively. A friction stir welding method, wherein the workpiece is joined by moving or tilting the central axis of the welding tool. If two directions orthogonal to each other are defined as an X direction and a Y direction,
The arm that supports the workpiece has an L-shape or a C-shape that extends from the base end portion to the tip end portion via a curved portion extending in the X direction, and the base end portion, the trunk portion, and the The tip portion is formed so as to be located on the XY plane, and a workpiece support portion is provided at the tip portion,
The friction stir welding method according to claim 11, wherein the joining tool is moved in the X direction to perform the pushing operation, and after the pushing operation is performed, the joining tool is moved in the Y direction.   After performing the pushing operation, the workpieces are joined by performing an offset operation of moving the joining tool in the surface direction of the workpiece while keeping the joining tool vertical or maintaining a constant inclination angle. The friction stir welding method according to claim 11 or 12.   13. The friction stir welding method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein after the pushing operation is performed, the workpiece is joined by performing a swing operation in which the joining tool is moved in the surface direction of the workpiece.   In the offset operation or the swing operation, the joining tool is moved in a direction opposite to a displacement in a moving direction of the fulcrum shaft of the end of the arm caused by the deformation of the arm during the pushing operation. The friction stir welding method according to claim 13 or 14.   Oscillation that causes the joining tool to oscillate in the direction of the surface of the workpiece by moving in synchronism so as to oscillate around a point where there is a straight line connecting the two fulcrum axes after performing the pushing operation. The friction stir welding method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the workpieces are joined by performing an angular displacement operation.

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