Pouring robotic arm is an automated equipment used in the industrial casting field to automatically complete metal liquid pouring operations. It can replace manual precise control of the pouring process, improve casting efficiency and safety. The following introduces its core functions, structural composition, characteristics, and application scenarios:
1、 Core functions
The core of the pouring robot is to solve the problem of "precise transportation and quantitative pouring of high-temperature metal liquid", and its main functions include:
Liquid extraction and transportation: High temperature metal liquid (such as molten iron, steel, aluminum water) in the furnace is grasped/received by fixtures or spoons, and stably transported along a predetermined path to the mold gate.
Quantitative pouring: By using weight sensors, flow control, or mechanical positioning, the amount of molten metal poured in a single shot can be accurately controlled to avoid excess (resulting in waste) or insufficient (resulting in casting defects).
Path planning: supports manual teaching or CNC programming, and can adjust the motion trajectory (such as translation, flipping, tilting) according to the position of the mold and the height of the gate, adapting to different casting molds.
Safety protection: It comes with high-temperature protection (such as high-temperature resistant coatings, heat shields) and emergency shutdown function to prevent metal splashing or equipment failure from causing safety accidents.
2、 Structural composition
The equipment structure is designed around "high temperature resistance, high precision, and high stability", with key components including:
The main body of the robotic arm is mostly a Cartesian coordinate or articulated structure (3-6 axes, the more axes there are, the higher the flexibility), and the material needs to be resistant to high and low temperatures (such as high-strength alloy steel) to ensure no deformation when carrying liquid metal.
End effector: The core working component, divided into two categories according to the pouring method:
Pouring spoon/bag: used to receive metal liquid, the spoon body is equipped with a tilting mechanism (driven by a motor/hydraulic cylinder) to control the outflow speed of the metal liquid;
Fixture: Used to grab standard casting packages and adapt to production lines with existing casting containers.
Drive system: composed of servo motors (or hydraulic/pneumatic systems) and reducers, providing precise power to control the position, speed, and force of the robotic arm, ensuring smooth movement.
Control system: including PLC controller, touch screen, sensors (weight sensor, temperature sensor, position sensor), can set pouring parameters (such as liquid volume, speed, path), and monitor the operation status in real time.
Protection system: including high-temperature resistant protective cover (protecting mechanical arm components), splash guard, smoke collection interface, as well as safety devices such as emergency stop button and overload protection.
3、 Core Features
Replacing manual labor and ensuring safety: Avoiding direct contact between operators and high-temperature metal liquids at 1000 ℃+completely solves the pain points of manual pouring in the casting industry, which are characterized by high temperature, high risk, and high strength.
High pouring accuracy: Through servo drive and sensor feedback, the quantitative error can be controlled within ± 2%, reducing defects such as shrinkage and missing meat in castings and improving product qualification rate.
Strong stability and high efficiency: It can operate continuously for 24 hours without fatigue problems. The pouring speed (such as 2-5 seconds/mold) is much higher than manual labor, and the pouring parameters are consistent each time, making it suitable for mass production.
Good flexibility: supports quick switching of pouring programs, adapts to castings of different sizes and shapes (such as switching from small parts to large components), without the need for significant equipment adjustments.