EP-4737083-A1 - SLICING MACHINE, SLICING CELLULAR MANUFACTURING LINE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

Abstract

A slicing cellular manufacturing line, comprising a manufacturing line main body (1). The manufacturing line main body (1) is provided with a plurality of slicing machines (5), a transfer mechanism and a connection tool (4). Each slicing machine (5) comprises a slicing machine main body (51), a liquid path portion and an electric control portion, the slicing machine main body (51) being provided with a cutting chamber (52), the liquid path portion and the electric control portion being arranged on the outer side of the cutting chamber (52), and the configuration mode of the liquid path portion and the electric control portion enabling the slicing machine (52) to be provided with a clearance space, so that a workpiece can pass through the clearance space to achieve a feeding operation and/or a discharging operation. The transfer mechanism comprises a ceiling rail robot (31), a first transfer table and a second transfer table. The connection tool (4) comprises a first movable portion (41) and a carrying portion; the first movable portion (41) can move in the direction toward/away from the cutting chamber (52) of each slicing machine (5), and the first movable portion (41) is provided with at least one connection structure capable of fixedly connecting the first movable portion (41) to a workpiece; and the carrying portion can carry the workpiece. The slicing cellular manufacturing line, by means of multi-machine simultaneous slicing, satisfies the requirement for larger-scale slicing manufacturing. The present disclosure also relates to a control method of the slicing cellular manufacturing line.

Inventors

• CUI, Chenchen
• WU, Guangzhong
• TENG, Ning
• LIU, PENGFEI
• YU, Guochao
• LIU, XUJUN
• ZHANG, WEIXIAO
• TIAN, RUI

Assignees

• Qingdao Gaoce Technology Co., Ltd

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240628

Claims (20)

1. A slicer, characterized in that the slicer comprises: a slicer body formed with a cutting chamber; a liquid path part; and an electric control part; wherein the liquid path part and the electric control part are configured on the outside of the cutting chamber, and the liquid path part and the electric control part are configured such that the slicer creates an avoidance space, so that workpieces can be fed and/or discharged through the avoidance space.
2. The slicer according to claim 1, wherein the electric control part comprises a first electric control cabinet and a second electric control cabinet, which are arranged concentratedly or separately, and the liquid path part comprises a liquid supply cylinder and a liquid path system; the liquid path system comprises a first liquid path unit and a second liquid path unit, which are arranged concentratedly or separately; preferably, the first liquid path unit and the second liquid path unit are separately arranged on both sides of the cutting chamber, and the first electric control cabinet and the second electric control cabinet are respectively arranged above the first liquid path unit and the second liquid path unit, so that the avoidance space is formed between the first electric control cabinet and the second electric control cabinet; preferably, a reserved space is formed below the first liquid path unit, and the liquid supply cylinder is arranged in the reserved space; preferably, the first liquid path unit and the second liquid path unit are concentratedly arranged to form a first assembly, and the first electric control cabinet and the second electric control cabinet are concentratedly arranged to form a second assembly; the first assembly and the second assembly are separately arranged on both sides of the cutting chamber so that the avoidance space is formed between them; preferably, the liquid supply cylinder is arranged between the second assembly and the second assembly; preferably, the first liquid path unit and the second liquid path unit are concentratedly arranged to form a first assembly, and the first electric control cabinet and the second electric control cabinet are concentratedly arranged to form a second assembly; the first assembly and the second assembly are arranged on one side of the cutting chamber along a feeding and discharging direction of workpiece by being longitudinally stacked, so that the avoidance space that is open is formed between the cutting chamber and said one side; preferably, the liquid supply cylinder is arranged on the side of a structure formed by the longitudinal stacking of the first assembly and the second assembly, and is projected toward the cutting chamber along the feeding and discharging direction of workpiece; the cutting chamber and the liquid supply cylinder at least partially overlap with each other; preferably, the first liquid path unit and the second liquid path unit are concentratedly arranged to form a first assembly, and the first electric control cabinet and the second electric control cabinet are concentratedly arranged to form a second assembly; the first assembly is arranged on one side of the cutting chamber along the feeding and discharging direction of workpiece, and the second assembly and/or the liquid supply cylinder are configured in a movable manner to the cutting chamber, so that the avoidance space that is open is formed above the first assembly.
3. A slicing cellular production line, characterized in that the production line comprises: at least one production line body; at least one slicer according to claim 1 or 2, which is configured on the production line body; and a transfer mechanism, which is capable of carrying workpieces and at least capable of delivering/removing the workpieces to/from the slicer through the avoidance space, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises one or more of ceiling rail robot, ground rail robot, truss robotic arm, AGV, RGV, and opening and closing assembly; preferably, the transfer mechanism comprises at least one ceiling rail robot, which is at least capable of carrying the workpieces and delivering and/or removing them to/from the slicer through the avoidance space.
4. The slicing cellular production line according to claim 3, wherein the production line body is provided with a feeding assembly and a discharging assembly, and the transfer mechanism can move between a feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and a discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; and/or the transfer mechanism can move within the feeding area and/or the discharging area.
5. The slicing cellular production line according to claim 4, wherein the transfer mechanism can move close to/ away from the slicer at a certain position between the feeding area and the discharging area; and/or the transfer mechanism can move close to/ away from the slicer in a vertical direction.
6. The slicing cellular production line according to claim 3, wherein the production line body is provided with a transition tooling, which can be arranged on the transfer mechanism, and the workpieces can be carried onto the transition tooling; the transition tooling comprises: a first movable part, which can move in a direction close to/away from the cutting chamber of the slicer, and which is provided with at least one docking structure that can fix the first movable part to the workpieces; a carrying part, which can carry the workpieces, so that when the workpieces are carried on the carrying part, the carrying part and the workpieces move along with the movement of the first movable part; preferably, the carrying part comprises a second movable part, which comprises a first part and a second part, between which a relative movement can be generated in a direction of moving close to/ away from each other to tightly hold the workpieces; and a tooling base, on which the first movable part is arranged.
7. The slicing cellular production line according to claim 6, wherein the workpiece is carried on a crystal holder, and the docking structure can be matched with the crystal holder to achieve a fixed connection between the workpiece and the first movable part; the crystal holder comprises an operating end, and the docking structure can be fixedly connected to the crystal holder by extending into the operating end; preferably, the first movable part is a strip-shaped structure, which is provided with multiple docking structures along its length direction; the strip-shaped structure has a first end and a second end; the strip-shaped structure is provided with the docking structure at the first end or at a position near the first end, and the strip-shaped structure is provided with the docking structure at the second end or at a position near the second end.
8. The slicing cellular production line according to claim 7, wherein the transition tooling comprises: a first driving component, which is capable of driving the first movable part to move in a direction close to/away from the cutting chamber; preferably, the first driving component drives the first movable part to move close to/away from the cutting chamber through the first screw and nut mechanism; and a second driving component, which is capable of driving the first part and/or the second part to move; preferably, the screw of the second screw and nut mechanism has two threaded segments with opposite screwing directions, and the second driving component can drive the first part and the second part to move close to/away from each other through the second screw and nut mechanism.
9. The slicing cellular production line according to claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises: a feeding transfer mechanism, which is capable of at least transferring the workpieces in the feeding area close to/away from the slicer; and/or a discharging transfer mechanism, which is capable of at least transferring the workpieces in the discharging area close to/away from the slicer; preferably, the production line body is provided with a transfer platform, and the ceiling rail robot can deliver/remove the workpieces to/from the transfer platform; and/or the feeding transfer mechanism and/or the discharging transfer mechanism can deliver/remove the workpieces to/from the transfer platform; preferably, the transfer platform can be arranged in the feeding area and/or the discharging area; preferably, the transfer platform is arranged in a movable manner on the production line body; preferably, the feeding transfer mechanism and/or the discharging transfer mechanism comprise an opening and closing assembly, which can clamp and transfer the workpieces; preferably, the feeding transfer mechanism and/or the discharging transfer mechanism comprise a frame, and the opening and closing assembly can move along the frame; in a case where there are multiple production line bodies, the opening and closing assembly can switch between different production line bodies through its movement along the frame.
10. A control method for the slicing cellular production line according to any one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the slicing cellular production line comprises a production line body, which comprises a transfer mechanism and multiple slicers, and the control method comprises: obtaining the current slicing task; selecting at least one slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task, based on the current slicing task; and at least operating the transfer mechanism to deliver/remove the workpieces to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer; wherein the transfer mechanism comprises one or more of ceiling rail robot, ground rail robot, truss robotic arm, AGV, RGV, and opening and closing assembly; preferably, the production line body is provided with a feeding assembly and a discharging assembly, and comprises a transfer mechanism, a transition tooling, and multiple slicers; the transfer mechanism comprises a ceiling rail robot, a first transfer platform configured in a feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly, and a second transfer platform configured in a discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; the ceiling rail robot is capable of moving between the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly, as well as within the feeding area and/or the discharging area; correspondingly, the control method comprises: obtaining the current slicing task; selecting at least one slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task, based on the current slicing task; making the ceiling rail robot drive the first transfer platform and/or the second transfer platform to operate, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces placed on the first transfer platform and/or the second transfer platform to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer; and coordinating the operation of the transition tooling and the ceiling rail robot to deliver/remove the workpieces to/from a cutting area of the slicer; or the transfer mechanism comprises a ceiling rail robot, a truss robotic arm, and two transfer platforms respectively configured in a feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and a discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; one of the feeding area and the discharging area is provided with the truss robotic arm that can move within the corresponding feeding area or discharging area; the ceiling rail robot can move between the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly, and can move within the feeding area or discharging area which is not provided with the truss robotic arm; correspondingly, the control method comprises: obtaining the current slicing task; selecting at least one slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task, based on the current slicing task; making the ceiling rail robot drive the transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area which is not provided with the truss robotic arm to operate and/or coordinating the operation of the truss robotic arm and the transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area which is provided with the truss robotic arm, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces placed on the corresponding transfer platform to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer; and coordinating the operation of the transition tooling and the ceiling rail robot to deliver/remove the workpieces to/from the cutting area of the slicer; or the transfer mechanism comprises a ceiling rail robot, two transfer platforms and two truss robotic arms respectively configured in a feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and a discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; the ceiling rail robot can move between the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly, and the truss robotic arms can move within the corresponding feeding area or discharging area; correspondingly, the control method comprises: obtaining the current slicing task; selecting at least one slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task, based on the current slicing task; operating the ceiling rail robot and/or operating the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area or the discharging area and/or coordinating the operation of the truss robotic arm and the corresponding transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces placed on the corresponding transfer platform to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer; and coordinating the operation of the transition tooling and the ceiling rail robot to deliver/remove the workpieces to/from the cutting area of the slicer; or the transfer mechanism comprises a ceiling rail robot, two transfer platforms respectively configured in a feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and a discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly, and truss robotic arms configured in the feeding area and/or the discharging area; the ceiling rail robot can move between the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly, and can move within the feeding area or the discharging area which is not provided with the truss robotic arm; at least one of the truss robotic arms configured in the feeding area and/or the discharging area can move between at least two of the multiple production line bodies; correspondingly, the control method comprises: obtaining the current slicing task; selecting at least one slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task, based on the current slicing task; making the ceiling rail robot drive the transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area which is not provided with the truss robotic arm to operate; and/or coordinating the operation of the truss robotic arm and the transfer platform in the feeding area and/or the discharging area which is provided with the truss robotic arm; and/or moving the truss robotic arm between at least two of the multiple production line bodies, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces placed on the corresponding transfer platform to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer; and coordinating the operation of the transition tooling and the ceiling rail robot to deliver/remove the workpieces to/from the cutting area of the slicer.
11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the "selecting at least one slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task based on the current slicing task" comprises: selecting multiple created slicing tasks as the current slicing tasks; judging whether the multiple created slicing tasks can be performed simultaneously; and if yes, determining multiple slicers from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing tasks.
12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the "judging whether the multiple created slicing tasks can be performed simultaneously" comprises: if not, re-selecting the current slicing task or taking at least one of the selected multiple created slicing tasks as the current slicing task; and determining a slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task.
13. The control method according to claim 12, wherein the "determining a slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task" comprises: during the slicing operation of the slicer, judging whether the remaining cutting time is smaller than a material pre-requesting time; and if yes, allowing the slicer to be determined as the slicer to perform the current slicing task.
14. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the "determining a slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task" comprises: during the slicing operation of the slicer, judging whether the slicer has issued a retracting signal; and if yes, allowing the slicer to be determined as the slicer to perform the current slicing task.
15. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the transition tooling comprises a first movable part, and at least one docking structure is provided on the first movable part; and the "coordinating the operation of the transition tooling and the ceiling rail robot to deliver/remove the workpieces to/from the cutting area of the slicer" comprises: fixing the docking structure to the workpieces, and moving the first movable part in a direction close to/away from the cutting chamber of the slicer, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces to/from the cutting area of the slicer.
16. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the slicer is capable of creating an avoidance space, and workpieces located at a position that matches the at least one slicer can be fed and/or discharged for the cutting area of the slicer through the avoidance space.
17. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the "making the ceiling rail robot drive the first transfer platform and/or the second transfer platform to operate, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces placed on the first transfer platform and/or the second transfer platform to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer" comprises: making the ceiling rail robot drive the first transfer platform and/or the second transfer platform to operate, so that before performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are delivered from the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly to the position that matches the at least one slicer; and/or after performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are removed from the position that matches the at least one slicer to the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; preferably, before the step of "before performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are delivered from the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly to the position that matches the at least one slicer", the control method comprises: operating the ceiling rail robot within the feeding area to transfer the workpieces from the feeding assembly to the first transfer platform in the feeding area; and preferably, after the step of "after performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are removed from the position that matches the at least one slicer to the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly", the control method comprises: at least moving the transfer mechanism within the discharge area to transfer the workpieces from the second transfer platform in the discharge area to the discharge assembly.
18. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the "making the ceiling rail robot drive the transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area which is not provided with the truss robotic arm to operate and/or coordinating the operation of the truss robotic arm and the transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area which is provided with the truss robotic arm, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces placed on the corresponding transfer platform to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer" comprises: making the ceiling rail robot drive the transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area which is not provided with the truss robotic arm to operate, so that before performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are delivered from the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly to the position that matches the at least one slicer; and/or after performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are removed from the position that matches the at least one slicer to the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; preferably, before the step of "before performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are delivered from the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly to the position that matches the at least one slicer", the control method comprises: at least moving the ceiling rail robot within the feeding area if the feeding area is not provided with the truss robotic arm, and at least moving the truss robot arm within the feeding area if the feeding area is provided with the truss robotic arm, so as to transfer the workpieces from the feeding assembly to the first transfer platform in the feeding area; and preferably, after the step of "after performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are removed from the position that matches the at least one slicer to the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly", the control method comprises: at least moving the ceiling rail robot within the discharging area if the discharging area is not provided with the truss robotic arm, and at least moving the truss robot arm within the discharging area if the discharging area is provided with the truss robotic arm, so as to transfer the workpieces from the second transfer platform in the discharging area to the discharging assembly.
19. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the step of "operating the ceiling rail robot and/or operating the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area or the discharging area and/or coordinating the operation of the truss robotic arm and the corresponding transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces placed on the corresponding transfer platform to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer" comprises: operating the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area or the discharging area, or making the ceiling rail robot drive the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area or the discharging area to operate, so that before performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are delivered from the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly to the position that matches the at least one slicer; and/or after performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are removed from the position that matches the at least one slicer to the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; preferably, before the step of "before performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are delivered from the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly to the position that matches the at least one slicer", the control method comprises: coordinating the operation of the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area and the truss robotic arm to transfer the workpieces from the feeding assembly to the transfer platform in the feeding area; and preferably, after the step of "after performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are removed from the position that matches the at least one slicer to the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly", the control method comprises: coordinating the operation of the transfer platform corresponding to the discharging area and the truss robotic arm to transfer the workpieces from the transfer platform in the discharging area to the discharging assembly.
20. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the step of "making the ceiling rail robot drive the transfer platform in the feeding area or the discharging area which is not provided with the truss robotic arm to operate; and/or coordinating the operation of the truss robotic arm and the transfer platform in the feeding area and/or the discharging area which is provided with the truss robotic arm; and/or moving the truss robotic arm between at least two of the multiple production line bodies, so as to deliver/remove the workpieces placed on the corresponding transfer platform to/from a position that matches the at least one slicer" comprises: operating the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area or making the ceiling rail robot drive the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area to operate, so that before performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are delivered from the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly to the position that matches the at least one slicer; and/or after performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are removed from the position that matches the at least one slicer to the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; preferably, before the step of "before performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are delivered from the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly to the position that matches the at least one slicer", the control method comprises: moving the ceiling rail robot within the feeding area, or coordinating the operation of the truss robotic arm and the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area, so as to transfer the workpieces from the feeding assembly to the transfer platform in the feeding area; wherein the truss robotic arm is capable of moving between at least two of the multiple production line bodies; and preferably, after the step of "after performing the slicing operation on the workpieces, the workpieces are removed from the position that matches the at least one slicer to the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly", the control method comprises: moving the ceiling rail robot within the feeding area, or coordinating the operation of the truss robotic arm and the transfer platform corresponding to the feeding area, so as to transfer the workpieces from the transfer platform in the discharging area to the discharging assembly; wherein the truss robotic arm is capable of moving between at least two of the multiple production line bodies.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wire cutting, and specifically provides a slicer, a slicing production line, and a control method therefor. TECHNICAL BACKGROUND Taking the workpiece to be processed (hard and brittle material) being a silicon rod as an example, a device for processing it usually includes a cutting machine that cuts the rod material (round rod) according to length specifications, a square cutter that cuts a round rod with a certain length into a square rod, a grinding machine that grinds (a grinding surface and chamfer of) the square rod (usually including rough grinding and fine grinding), and a slicer that slices the square rod that meets the precision standard after grinding. The working principle of the slicer is described as follows: after bonding the square rod to a crystal holder, the square rod is sliced by wire saw cutting through a wire network of the cutting machine (the silicon rod is fed toward the wire network, and the wire network reciprocates between adjacent cutting rollers) to produce silicon wafers. Correspondingly, each complete slicing operation of the wire network is called one cutting operation of the slicer. Taking the slicing operation as an example, the slicing operations of existing slicers are concentrated near the slicing station, and each cutting operation is a single machine operation for a single silicon rod. Since each cutting operation usually includes dozens of operation steps and is usually completed by one to two operators, this processing method often has the following problems: the operation of the slicer requires high professionalism and proficiency for the operators, and the large number of steps makes it easy for the operators to make mistakes; once the operator makes a mistake, it may lead to different degrees of cutting abnormalities. Taking the photovoltaic industry as an example, which is one of the application fields of silicon wafers, with the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry, there is inevitably a demand for continuous production expansion in the above silicon wafer processing chain including the slicing operation. As mentioned earlier, this will lead to a continuous increase in the shortage of operators who are already understaffed. Therefore, single machine products (slicers) corresponding to single machine operations are gradually unable to meet market demand. In view of this, after conducting sufficient research and analysis on the operations of slicers, the inventor has proposed a cellular structure framework that can achieve simultaneous operations of multiple slicers. Accordingly, there is a need for a group control logic for multiple slicers to ensure the operational reliability of the cellular structure framework. SUMMARY The present disclosure aims to provide a slicer, a corresponding production line capable of achieving slicing cellular operations completed by multiple slicers, and a group control logic for the production line. The present disclosure provides a control method for a slicing cellular production line, in which the slicing cellular production line includes a production line body, which is provided with a feeding assembly and a discharging assembly, and includes a transfer mechanism, a transition tooling and multiple slicers; the transfer mechanism includes a ceiling rail robot, a first transfer platform arranged in a feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly, and a second transfer platform arranged in a discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly; the ceiling rail robot can move between the feeding area corresponding to the feeding assembly and the discharging area corresponding to the discharging assembly, and can move within the feeding area and/or the discharging area; the control method includes: obtaining the current slicing task; selecting at least one slicer from the multiple slicers to perform the current slicing task, based on the current slicing task; making the ceiling rail robot drive the first transfer platform and/or the second transfer platform to operate, so that workpieces placed on the first transfer platform and/or the second transfer platform are delivered to/removed from a position that matches the at least one slicer; and coordinating the operation of the transition tooling and the ceiling rail robot so that the workpieces are delivered to/removed from a cutting area of the slicer. Through such an arrangement, it is possible to select a suitable single machine to complete the current slicing task in a case where the production line includes multiple single slicers. Based on this, it is expected to meet the demand for larger scale slicing production by simultaneously slicing through multiple machines. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS With reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below using an example in which the workpiece is a silicon rod (hereinafter referred