TWI750106B - Method for making composite material structure using mechanical arm - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a method for manufacturing a composite material structure using a robotic arm. After heating a strip-shaped composite material, a first robotic arm drives a rotatable pressing wheel against the composite material, and the composite material is pressed tightly against the composite material. And fit a target object. Then the first mechanical arm drives the pressing wheel to move along the surface of the target, so that the composite material covers the target to form a composite structure. A buffer member is arranged between the first mechanical arm and the pressing wheel. When the buffer member makes the pressing wheel abut against the target, it can move toward the first mechanical arm to achieve a buffering effect. Finally, a cutting device is used to cut the composite material. Thereby, the present invention can increase the production speed, and can accurately control the position and angle of the composite material, so as to produce light-weight, high-strength and stable quality structural parts.

Description

Method for making composite material structure using mechanical arm

This creation relates to a method of making composite material structures, especially a device that combines laying, lamination and winding, in the form of composite material rolls, using automatic control equipment or robotic arms to form structures by pasting or winding method.

Existing composite material structures, such as composite material components used in the automotive or aerospace fields, or carbon fiber pressure vessel shells, are manufactured by manually covering multiple sheets of composite materials in a mold Then, the resin is coated on the composite material to form the shape of the structure, and then heated and cured, so that the composite material is formed into a strong structure.

However, artificially fabricating composite material structures has the following disadvantages:

First, the position repeatability of manual attachment is not good, that is, the position and angle of the composite material on each structure will be slightly different, resulting in unstable product quality and slow production speed.

Second, in the current manufacturing process of composite products, on-site personnel are in direct contact with organic solvents, potentially posing health hazards to on-site workers.

Third, when the composite material used is carbon fiber, the extension direction of the carbon fiber (that is, the angle at which the fiber is attached) will have a great impact on the strength of the structure. However, it is difficult to accurately control the carbon fiber in each position of the structure in the traditional manufacturing process. For the arrangement angle, the carbon fiber can only be attached to the mold in a horizontal, vertical, or approximately 45-degree oblique manner, and the strength of the carbon fiber cannot be fully utilized. Especially when the structure has a curved surface (such as the two ends of a pressure vessel), it is not easy to lay it on the curved surface using traditional manufacturing methods. More reinforcing materials must be used to increase the strength of the structure. In addition to increasing material costs and consuming process time, it also Affect the strength of the structure.

Therefore, although the composite material itself is a lightweight and extremely strong material, it can theoretically produce a structure that is lighter and stronger than the existing metal materials, but it is limited by the current traditional manufacturing methods, and usually can only be used It is used to make appearance components that do not require high strength, and cannot be used to make structural components that require strength.

Therefore, the processing equipment and methods for making composite material structures in the prior art really need to be improved and integrated.

In view of the aforementioned shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, this creation provides a processing equipment and method that combines paving, lamination and winding methods, which can use automated system equipment or robotic arms to make composite material structures, so that the production of composite material structures can be Automation, to improve product quality and production speed, and maintain the health of workers.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned creative purpose, this creation provides a method for making composite material structures using a robotic arm. After heating a strip of composite material, a first robotic arm drives a rotatable pressing wheel against the composite material. Material, and make the composite material close to and fit a target; then the first robotic arm drives the pressing wheel to move along the surface of the target, so that the composite material covers the target; the first robotic arm A buffer member is arranged between the pressing wheel and the pressing wheel can move toward the first robotic arm to achieve a buffering effect when the pressing wheel abuts against the target; finally, a cutting device is used to cut the composite material .

The advantages of the present invention are:

First, the first robotic arm can imitate the function of a human arm and can accurately and quickly paste the composite material along a specific path to cover the target, thereby increasing the production speed and providing stable product quality. This creation integrates the two types of equipment required for traditional laying, lamination and winding into a single equipment, which can be directly combined with traditional automatic control equipment and robotic arms.

Second, the processing process is carried out with the composite material prepreg tape coil method, which improves the environmental safety of the work site and reduces the risk of personnel exposure to organic solvents.

Third, the optimal fiber arrangement angle for each position on the structure can be estimated in advance according to the strength requirements of the structure, and the carbon fiber can be accurately covered on the surface of the target according to the estimated position and angle with the robot arm, even in the structure The position and angle of the carbon fiber can also be accurately controlled on the curved surface of the object. In this way, this creation can give full play to the strength of carbon fiber and produce structures that are lighter in weight, stronger, and stable in quality than existing composite materials. It is especially suitable for making I-beams or pressure vessels that require strength. Components.

Furthermore, in the method for manufacturing a composite material structure using a robotic arm, before heating the composite material, a gluing device is used to coat the composite material with an adhesive.

Furthermore, in the method for manufacturing a composite material structure using a robotic arm, a second robotic arm is used to move the target from a storage area to a processing area, and then the second robotic arm is used to change the The position and angle of the target in the processing area.

Please refer to Figure 1, Figure 4 and Figure 6, the processing equipment of the present invention using a robotic arm to make a composite material structure is used to attach a strip-shaped composite material M to a processing area W (as shown in Figure 6) One target in T. The target T in this embodiment is the inner bladder of a cylindrical pressure vessel. The present invention covers the composite material M outside the inner bladder to form a complete pressure vessel; but not limited to this, the target T can also be processed After completion, the mold must be separated from the composite material M.

The present invention includes: a first robotic arm 10 (as shown in FIG. 6), a feeding device 20, a heating device 30, a laminating device 40, and a cutting device 50; and in this embodiment, it further includes There is a gluing device 60, a force sensor 70, and a second robotic arm 80 (as shown in FIG. 6). The composite material M is preferably a prepreg unidirectional carbon fiber cloth mixed with resin, but is not limited to this. The composite material M may also be glass fiber or other composite material prepreg cloth (roll tape) mixed with resin.

One end of the aforementioned first robotic arm 10 has a movable and rotatable coupling seat 11, the aforementioned feeding device 20, heating device 30, laminating device 40, cutting device 50, gluing device 60, and tension sensor 70 are all located in the joint base 11. The first robotic arm 10 is specifically a multi-axis arm, so that the joint base 11 has multiple directions of movement and rotation degrees of freedom. In this embodiment, the first robotic arm 10, the second robotic arm 80, and each device on the coupling base 11 are electrically connected to a control unit, and the control unit integrates and controls the actions of each device.

Please refer to FIGS. 2 to 4 in which the aforementioned feeding device 20 conveys the composite material M toward the laminating device 40. In this embodiment, the feeding device 20 has a feeding shaft 21, a feeding motor 22 and a plurality of guide wheels 23. The feeding shaft 21 and the guide wheel 23 are rotatably connected to the coupling seat 11; the composite material M to be processed is wound into a loop outside the feeding shaft 21; the feeding motor 22 drives the feeding shaft 21 to rotate, so that the composite material M is moved along A transmission path sequentially passes through the guide wheels 23 and is conveyed to the laminating device 40, and the tension of the composite material M can be changed by adjusting the torsion force of the feeding motor 22.

The aforementioned heating device 30 is located between the laminating device 40 and the feeding device 20 and heats the composite material M so that the composite material M can be shaped and attached to the target T after preheating. In this embodiment, the heating device 30 includes two electric heating rods 31, which are respectively located on two opposite sides of the composite material M, and one of the electric heating rods 31 contacts the composite material M for heating, but it is not limited to this, and the heating device 30 also The composite material M can be heated by laser or hot air.

The aforementioned gluing device 60 is located between the heating device 30 and the feeding device 20. The gluing device 60 can apply an adhesive to the composite material M to enhance the effect of the composite material M on the target T. The adhesive is preferably a resin. The composite material M in this embodiment is pre-impregnated carbon fiber mixed with resin, which can be shaped and attached to the target T after proper heating. There is no need for the glue device 60 to coat the adhesive, but by setting the glue device 60, The present invention can be applied to the composite material M that needs to be additionally coated with an adhesive.

Please refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. The aforementioned bonding device 40 has a buffer 41 and a pressing wheel 42. The buffer member 41 has a fixed end 411 and a moving end 412. The fixed end 411 is fixedly provided with the coupling seat 11, and the moving end 412 is movably connected to the fixed end 411. The pressing wheel 42 is rotatably disposed at the moving end 412 of the buffer member 41, and the outer ring surface of the pressing wheel 42 is pressed against the composite material M so that the composite material M is pressed against and adheres to the target T.

In this embodiment, the buffer member 41 is an electronically controlled cylinder, which is electrically connected to the first robot arm 10 through the control unit. The control unit changes the position of the moving end 412 relative to the fixed end 411 according to the position and angle of the first robot arm 10 through program control, so as to control the force of the pressing wheel 42 against the composite material M, so that even if the target T The surface is a curved surface, and the pressing wheel 42 can also apply appropriate pressure to the composite material M, so that the composite material M can be attached to the target T well. In other preferred embodiments, the buffer 41 can also be other types of electronically controlled actuators, or even a passive buffer element such as a spring.

The aforementioned tension sensor 70 abuts and detects the tension of the composite material M. The tension sensor 70 is electrically connected to the feeding motor 22 of the feeding device 20 through the aforementioned control unit, so that the feeding motor 22 adjusts the output torque according to the detected tension to control the tension of the composite material M within a set range.

The aforementioned cutting device 50 is used to cut the composite material M. In this embodiment, the cutting device 50 uses a laser to cut the composite material M at the pressure wheel 42, but it is not limited to this, and the cutting device 50 may also be in other forms such as a cutter.

In this embodiment, the composite material M at the feeding device 20 is attached with a layer of release paper K to prevent the composite material M from sticking in the wound state, but the release paper K needs to be peeled off before heating. Therefore, the present invention further has a release paper rewinding device 55, which has a rewinding shaft 551 and a servo motor 552; the rewinding shaft 551 is rotatably arranged on the coupling base 11; the servo motor 552 drives the rewinding shaft 551 to rotate to remove The release paper K is wound around the rewinding shaft 551.

Please refer to FIG. 6, the aforementioned second robotic arm 80 can move the target T from a storage area S to a processing area W located between the first robotic arm 10 and the second robotic arm 80, and can change The position and angle of the target T in the processing area W. The second robotic arm 80 is preferably a multi-axis robotic arm, so that the present invention can process a target T with a complex shape.

The method for manufacturing a composite material structure using a robotic arm of the present invention is operated through the aforementioned processing equipment for manufacturing a composite material structure using a robotic arm, but is not limited to this. Methods as below:

Please refer to FIGS. 4-6. First, the target T is positioned in a processing area W; in this embodiment, the second robotic arm 80 is used to automatically move and position the target T from the storage area S In the processing area W, the feeding action is automatically completed by this, but it is not limited to this, and the second mechanical arm 80 may not be provided, and the target T is fixed to the processing area W by other methods such as manually.

Next, the feeding device 20 moves the composite material M toward the laminating device 40, and the heating device 30 heats the composite material M in the process. When necessary, the gluing device 60 first coats the composite material M with an adhesive and then uses the heating device 30 to heat it.

Then, the first robotic arm 10 drives the pressing wheel 42 of the laminating device 40 to press against the heated composite material M, and the composite material M is pressed against and adhered to the target T. Then, the first robotic arm 10 drives the pressing wheel 42 to move along the surface of the target T with the coupling seat 11 so that the composite material M covers the target T. When the cushion 41 makes the pressing wheel 42 abut against the target T, the pressing wheel 42 can move toward the first robot arm 10 to achieve a cushioning effect. Finally, the surplus composite material M is cut by the cutting device 50.

By using the first mechanical arm 10 to drive the pressing wheel 42, the present invention can attach the composite material M to any position of the target T at any angle, so as to fully exert the strength of the composite material M. In addition, the first robotic arm 10 can make the composite material M fit and cover the outer surface of the target T to form a structure such as an I-beam, or the first robotic arm 10 can also make the composite material M cover the columnar shape in a winding manner. The outer ring surface of the target T forms a cylindrical structure such as a pressure vessel; that is, the so-called covering also includes winding.

When the present invention is in use, the front end can be equipped with an automatic storage system, which can automatically move the target T to the storage area S for the second robotic arm 80 of the present invention to pick up. And the back end of the present invention can be equipped with automatic product appearance heating setting system, high-resolution image recognition and detection system, intelligent product appearance recognition analysis and inspection system, and automatic product shelf system to increase the degree of automation in processing, quality inspection and warehousing. .

In summary, the present invention heats and presses the composite material M through the heating device 30 and the pressing wheel 42 so that the composite material M is attached to the surface of the target T, and at the same time, the first robot arm 10 drives the pressing wheel accurately and quickly. 42 moves along the optimal path estimated in advance, so that the composite material M is attached to cover the target object T to form a structure. In this way, the present invention can increase the production speed of composite material structures, provide stable product quality, and avoid personal injury; in addition, the present invention can also produce lightweight and high-strength structural components.

The above are only the preferred embodiments of this creation, and do not limit the creation in any form. Although this creation has been disclosed as above in preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit this creation. Any technical field has Generally knowledgeable persons, without departing from the scope of this creative technical solution, can use the technical content disclosed above to make slight changes or modification into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, but any content that does not deviate from this creative technical solution shall be based on this Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments by the technical essence of the creation still fall within the scope of the technical solution for creation.

10: The first robotic arm 11: Combination seat 20: Feeding device 21: Feed shaft 22: Feed motor 23: guide wheel 30: heating device 31: electric heating rod 40: Fitting device 41: Buffer 411: fixed end 412: mobile 42: pressure wheel 50: Cutting device 55: Release paper rewinding device 551: Rewind Scroll 552: Servo motor 60: Gluing device 70: Tension sensor 80: The second robotic arm M: composite material K: Release paper T: target W: Processing area S: storage area

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional appearance of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the three-dimensional appearance of the present invention from another angle. Fig. 3 is an exploded schematic view of the three-dimensional element of the present invention. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are schematic diagrams of side view actions of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the side view of the use of the present invention.

10: The first robotic arm

11: Combination seat

20: Feeding device

21: Feed shaft

22: Feed motor

30: heating device

40: Fitting device

80: The second robotic arm

M: composite material

T: target

W: Processing area

S: storage area

Claims (3)

A method for manufacturing a composite material structure using a robotic arm. After heating a strip-shaped composite material, a first robotic arm drives a rotatable pressing wheel to press against the composite material, and the composite material is pressed tightly against the composite material. Fit a target; then the first robot arm drives the pressing wheel to move along the surface of the target, so that the composite material covers the target; a buffer is provided between the first robot arm and the pressing wheel When the buffer member makes the pressing wheel abut against the target, it can move toward the first mechanical arm to achieve a buffer effect; finally, a cutting device is used to cut the composite material. The method for manufacturing a composite material structure using a robotic arm as described in claim 1, wherein before heating the composite material, a gluing device is used to coat the composite material with an adhesive. The method for manufacturing a composite material structure using a robotic arm as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein a second robotic arm is used to move the target from a storage area to a processing area, and then the second robotic arm is used to move the target from a storage area to a processing area. Change the position and angle of the target in the processing area.

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