Patent Application
20220297176
Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to a forming system and a forming method.
A forming system disclosed in the related art is known. The forming system has a heating unit that heats a metal material, and a forming die that forms the heated metal material. The forming device obtains a shape corresponding to a forming surface as the shape of the metal material by bringing the forming surface of the forming die into contact with the heated metal material.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a forming system including a forming device that forms a heated metal material with a forming die, a first scale removing unit that removes scales from a formed product removed from the forming die and cools the formed product, and a machining unit that machines the formed product that has been scale-removed and cooled by the first scale removing unit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a forming method including a forming process of forming a heated metal material with a forming die, a scale removing process of removing scales from a formed product removed from the forming die and cooling the formed product, and a machining process of machining the formed product that has been scale-removed and cooled in the scale removing process.
Here, the forming system in the related art forms a heated metal material with a forming die. Therefore, scales (oxidized scales) are generated on the surface of the formed product. Therefore, it is required to suitably remove the scales on the surface of the formed product. Additionally, the formed product taken out from the forming die is in a high-temperature state. In a case where the machining is performed in the high-temperature state, the machining accuracy decreases due to the influence of cooling contraction during a temperature fall. For that reason, it is required to improve the cooling efficiency of the formed product before the machining. In contrast, by providing a separate device for removing the scales and a separate device for cooling, each processing can be performed individually. However, in this case, the number of devices and facilities required is increased.
It is desirable to provide a forming system and a forming method capable of suitably removing scales of a formed product and improving cooling efficiency before machining of the formed product while suppressing an increase in the number of devices and facilities required.
The forming system includes a forming device that forms the heated metal material with the forming die. Since the heated metal material is used, there is a case where scales resulting from oxidation are generated in the formed product formed by the forming device. In contrast, the forming system includes the first scale removing unit that removes the scales from the formed product removed from the forming die and cools the formed product. Therefore, the first scale removing unit can remove the scales from the formed product. Here, the machining unit machines the formed product of that has been scale-removed and cooled by the first scale removing unit. That is, the first scale removing unit removes the scales from the formed product in the stage before the machining in the machining unit is performed. The first scale removing unit can cool the formed product simultaneously as the scales are removed. Therefore, the first scale removing unit can improve the cooling efficiency of the formed product before the machining. Moreover, in the forming system, the first scale removing unit can collectively perform the removal of the scales and the cooling. Therefore, the number of devices and facilities required can be reduced. From the above, it is possible to suitably remove the scales of the formed product and improve the cooling efficiency of the formed product before the machining while suppressing an increase in the number of devices and facilities required.
The forming system may include a forming device including a fluid supply unit that supplies a fluid to a heated metal pipe material as a metal material, and a forming die that forms a formed product by bringing the expanded metal pipe material into contact with a forming surface. Such a forming device is a device that performs so-called STAF forming. Immediately after the STAF forming, there is a case where the formed product is in a high-temperature state and the scales are generated. However, the first scale removing unit can suitably remove the scales from the formed product and cool the formed product.
The forming system may further include a second scale removing unit that removes the scales from the formed product machined by the machining unit. For example, in a case where there is a spot of the formed product in which the scales cannot be completely removed by the first scale removing unit, the second scale removing unit can remove the scales at the spot.
The first scale removing unit and the second scale removing unit may be constituted by a common device. In this case, the number of devices in the forming system can be reduced.
According to the forming method, the operation and effects having the meaning as that of the above-described forming system can be obtained.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the respective drawings, the same portions or corresponding portions are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.
The forming device 1 is a device that forms a heated metal material with a forming die. In the present embodiment, a STAF forming device, which performs the forming and hardening by supplying a fluid to a heated metal pipe material to bring the fluid into contact with a forming surface of the forming die, is adopted as the forming device 1. The detailed configuration of the forming device 1 will be described with reference to
The forming die 2 is a die that forms a metal pipe 140 from the metal pipe material 40, and includes a lower die 11 and an upper die 12 that face each other in the vertical direction. The lower die 11 and the upper die 12 are made of steel blocks. Each of the lower die 11 and the upper die 12 is provided with a recessed part in which the metal pipe material 40 is accommodated. With the lower die 11 and the upper die 12 in close contact with each other (die closed state), respective recessed parts thereof form a space having a target shape in which the metal pipe material is to be formed. Therefore, the surfaces of the respective recessed parts become the forming surfaces of the forming die 2. The lower die 11 is fixed to a base stage 13 via a die holder or the like. The upper die 12 is fixed to a slide of the drive mechanism 3 via a die holder or the like.
The drive mechanism 3 is a mechanism that moves at least one of the lower die 11 and the upper die 12. In
The holding unit 4 is a mechanism that holds the metal pipe material 40 disposed between the lower die 11 and the upper die 12. The holding unit 4 includes a lower electrode 26 and an upper electrode 27 that hold the metal pipe material 40 on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the forming die 2, and a lower electrode 26 and an upper electrode 27 that holds the metal pipe material 40 on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the forming die 2. The lower electrodes 26 and the upper electrodes 27 on both sides in the longitudinal direction hold the metal pipe material 40 by sandwiching the vicinity of an end portion of the metal pipe material 40 from the vertical direction. In addition, groove portions having a shape corresponding to an outer peripheral surface of the metal pipe material 40 are formed on an upper surface of the lower electrode 26 and a lower surface of the upper electrode 27. The lower electrode 26 and the upper electrode 27 are provided with drive mechanisms (not shown) and are movable independently in the vertical direction.
The heating unit 5 heats the metal pipe material 40. The heating unit 5 is a mechanism that heats the metal pipe material 40 by energizing the metal pipe material 40. The heating unit 5 heats the metal pipe material 40 in a state where the metal pipe material 40 is spaced apart from the lower die 11 and the upper die 12 between the lower die 11 and the upper die 12. The heating unit 5 includes the lower electrodes 26 and the upper electrodes 27 on both sides in the longitudinal direction described above, and a power supply 28 that allows an electric current to flow to the metal pipe material 40 through the electrodes 26 and 27. In addition, the heating unit may be disposed in the previous process of the forming device 1 and performs heating externally.
The fluid supply unit 6 is a mechanism that supplies a high-pressure fluid into the metal pipe material 40 held between the lower die 11 and the upper die 12. The fluid supply unit 6 supplies the high-pressure fluid to the metal pipe material 40 that has been brought into a high-temperature state by being heated by the heating unit 5, and expands the metal pipe material 40. The fluid supply unit 6 is provided on both end sides of the forming die 2 in the longitudinal direction. The fluid supply unit 6 includes a nozzle 31 that supplies fluid from an opening of an end portion of the metal pipe material 40 to the inside of the metal pipe material 40, and a drive mechanism 32 that moves the nozzle 31 forward and backward with respect to the opening of the metal pipe material 40, and a supply source 33 that supplies the high-pressure fluid into the metal pipe material 40 via the nozzle 31. In the drive mechanism 32, the nozzle 31 is brought into close contact with the end portion of the metal pipe material 40 in a state where the sealing performance is secured during fluid supply and exhaust, and at other times, the nozzle 31 is spaced apart from the end portion of the metal pipe material 40. In addition, the fluid supply unit 6 may supply a gas such as high-pressure air or an inert gas as the fluid. Additionally, the fluid supply unit 6 may be the same device including the heating unit 5 together with the holding unit 4 having a mechanism that moves the metal pipe material 40 in the vertical direction.
The cooling unit 7 is a mechanism that cools the forming die 2. By cooling the forming die 2, the cooling unit 7 can rapidly cool the metal pipe material 40 when the expanded metal pipe material 40 has come into contact with a forming surface of the forming die 2. The cooling unit 7 includes a flow path 36 formed inside the lower die 11 and the upper die 12, and a water circulation mechanism 37 that supplies and circulates cooling water to the flow path 36.
The control unit 8 is a device that controls the entire forming device 1. The control unit 8 controls the drive mechanism 3, the holding unit 4, the heating unit 5, the fluid supply unit 6, and the cooling unit 7. The control unit 8 repeatedly performs an operation of forming the metal pipe material 40 with the forming die 2.
Specifically, the control unit 8 controls, for example, the transport timing from a transport device such as a robot arm to dispose the metal pipe material 40 between the lower die 11 and the upper die 12 in an open state. Alternatively, in the control unit 8, a worker may manually dispose the metal pipe material 40 between the lower die 11 and the upper die 12. Additionally, the control unit 8 supports the metal pipe material 40 with the lower electrodes 26 on both sides in the longitudinal direction, and then controls the actuator of the holding unit 4 so as to lower the upper electrode 27 to sandwich the metal pipe material 40. Additionally, the control unit 8 controls the heating unit 5 to energize and heat the metal pipe material 40. Accordingly, an axial electric current flows through the metal pipe material 40, and the electric resistance of the metal pipe material 40 itself causes the metal pipe material 40 itself to generate heat due to Joule heat.
The control unit 8 controls the drive mechanism 3 to lower the upper die 12 and bring the upper die 12 closer to the lower die 11 to close the forming die 2. On the other hand, the control unit 8 controls the fluid supply unit 6 to seal the openings of both ends of the metal pipe material 40 with the nozzle 31 and supply the fluid. Accordingly, the metal pipe material 40 softened by heating expands and comes into contact with the forming surface of the forming die 2. Then, the metal pipe material 40 is formed so as to follow the shape of the forming surface of the forming die 2. In addition, in a case where a metal pipe with a flange is formed, a part of the metal pipe material 40 is made to enter a gap between the lower die 11 and the upper die 12, and then the die is further closed to crush the entering portion to form a flange portion. When the metal pipe material 40 comes into contact with the forming surface, hardening of the metal pipe material 40 is performed by being quenched with the forming die 2 cooled by the cooling unit 7.
A forming procedure of the forming device 1 will be described with reference to
The formed product 41 will be described with reference to
Returning to
The blasting device 50 is a device that removes scales from the formed product 41 removed from the forming die 2 of the forming device 1. The scales are an oxide film formed on the surface of the metal pipe material 40 by heating the metal pipe material 40 in the forming device 1. The blasting device 50 jets particles onto the surface of the formed product 41. The blasting device 50 removes the scales from the surface of the formed product 41 by the impact caused by the collision of the particles.
Additionally, the blasting device 50 also performs air blowing to the formed product 41 with the jetting of the particles. Here, in the forming device 1, the metal pipe material 40 is heated and expanded. Therefore, the formed product 41 taken out from the forming die 2 of the forming device 1 is in a state of having a higher temperature than room temperature unless natural cooling is performed by being left at room temperature for a long time. For that reason, the blasting device 50 also functions as cooling means for actively cooling the formed product 41. In addition, the active cooling means that the formed product 41 is cooled with a higher cooling capacity than that of leaving the formed product 41 at room temperature by performing active treatment on the formed product 41.
As shown in
The blockade wall 53 is a wall body that blocks the particles 55. The blockade wall 53 is disposed to surround the peripheries of the installation portion 51 and the nozzle 52. Accordingly, the blockade wall 53 can prevent the particles 55 from being scattered around the blasting device 50. That is, the blockade wall 53 can prevent the particles 55 from being scattered to the forming device 1 and the laser machining device 70. In addition, in addition to the blockade wall 53, a wall portion that partitions a space between the blasting device 50 and the forming device 1 and a wall portion that partitions a space between the blasting device 50 and the laser machining device 70 may be provided.
Returning to
The laser machining device 70 is a device that machines the formed product 41 from which the scales have been removed by the blasting device 50 with a laser beam. The laser machining device 70 irradiates the formed product 41 with a laser beam to perform machining such as cutting, drilling, and cutout formation.
The laser head 72 removes the gradual change portion 47 and the held portion 46 from the formed body portion 45 by cutting the vicinities of both end portions of the formed body portion 45 as shown in
Next, a forming method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to
Next, the operation and effects of the forming system 100 and the forming method according to the present embodiment will be described.
The forming system 100 includes a forming device 1 that forms the heated metal pipe material 40 with the forming die 2. Since the heated metal pipe material 40 is used, there is a case where scales resulting from oxidation are generated in the formed product 41 formed by the forming device 1. In contrast, the forming system 100 includes the blasting device 50 that removes the scales from the formed product 41 removed from the forming die 2 and cools the formed product 41. Therefore, the blasting device 50 can remove the scales from the formed product 41. Here, the laser machining device 70 machines the formed product 41 that has been scale-removed and cooled by the blasting device 50. That is, the blasting device 50 removes the scales from the formed product 41 in a stage before the machining is performed by the laser machining device 70. The blasting device 50 can simultaneously cool the formed product 41 as the scales are removed. Therefore, the blasting device 50 can improve the cooling efficiency of the formed product 41 before the machining. Moreover, in the forming system 100, the blasting device 50 can collectively perform the removal of the scales and the cooling. Therefore, the number of devices and facilities required can be reduced. From the above, it is possible to suitably remove the scales of the formed product 41 and improve the cooling efficiency of the formed product 41 before the machining while suppressing an increase in the number of devices and facilities required.
The forming system includes the forming device 1 including the fluid supply unit 6 that supplies the fluid to the heated metal pipe material 40 as a metal material, and the forming die 2 that forms the formed product 41 by bringing the expanded metal pipe material 40 into contact with the forming surface. Such a forming device 1 is a device that performs so-called STAF forming. Immediately after the STAF forming, there is a case where the formed product 41 is in a high-temperature state and the scales are generated. However, the blasting device 50 can suitably remove the scales from the formed product 41 and cool the formed product 41.
The operation and effects of the forming system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail. Since there is a case where the formed product 41 formed by the STAF forming is welded to other parts or there is a case where the formed product 41 is subjected to rust prevention treatment (ED coating), it is necessary to remove the scales from at least the outer peripheral surface. Additionally, the formed product 41 is cut to remove an unnecessary portion, or is machined to form drilling, a cutout, or the like. Here, when the blasting is performed on the outer peripheral surface of the formed product 41 after the drilling work is performed, the particles enter through the hole. In that case, there is a possibility that the particles enter an R portion of the flange portion 44. The particles that have entered such a spot may be difficult to remove even if air blowing or the like is performed.
In contrast, in the forming system 100, the blasting device 50 performs the blasting in the stage before the laser machining. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the particles enter through the hole formed by the drilling work. In addition, the present embodiment is effective in a case where it is not necessary to remove the scales on the inner peripheral surface of the formed product 41.
The forming system 100 can obtain a cooling effect by the blasting. For example, even in a case where the cooling process is executed before the laser machining, the time of the cooling process can be shortened due to the cooling effect exhibited by the blasting.
Next, a forming system 200 according to another embodiment will be described with reference to
As shown in
In addition, in a case where the laser machining device 70 performs the machining, there is a case where dross adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the formed product 41 or burrs appear on the inner peripheral side. The second blasting device 80 can also remove the dross and burrs by performing the blasting after the laser machining.
From the above, the forming system 200 further includes the second blasting device 80 that removes the scales from the formed product 41 machined by the laser machining device 70. The first blasting device 50 cannot completely remove the scales on the inner peripheral surface of the formed product 41, but the second blasting device 80 can remove the scales at the spot.
Here, the first blasting device 50 and the second blasting device 80 may be constituted by a common device. For example, the blast hose 56 of
A forming system according to still another embodiment has the same system configuration as the forming system 100 according to the one embodiment. In the forming system according to the embodiment, the blasting device in the stage before the laser machining device 70 performs the blasting with the particles of the dry ice. As described above, after the scales are removed, the dry ice becomes a gas and disappears. Therefore, the blasting device simultaneously jets the dry ice onto the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the formed product 41. Additionally, in a case where the blasting device performed the blasting with the dry ice before the laser machining, a higher cooling effect than blasting using abrasive grains such as sand can be obtained.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.
In the above-described embodiment, the blasting device has been exemplified as a scale removing unit. However, any device may be adopted as the scale removing unit as long as the device can remove the scales. For example, a method of jetting the fluid onto the formed product or removing the scales by ultrasonic cleaning may be adopted. Such a scale removing unit also has a cooling effect.
For example, the forming device that performs the STAF forming has been exemplified, but the forming device is not particularly limited as long as a forming method using a heated metal material is provided. For example, a forming method using hot stamping may be adopted. Therefore, the metal material is not necessarily the metal pipe material and may be a plate material or a pillar material.
The machining unit is not limited to the laser machining device, and a device using another machining method may be adopted.
The forming device 1 is not limited to the configuration shown in
As shown in
The nozzle 31 is a cylindrical member into which the end portion of the metal pipe material 40 is insertable. The nozzle 31 is supported by the drive mechanism 32 such that a center line of the nozzle 31 coincides with a reference line SL1. The inner diameter of a feed port 31a of an end portion of the nozzle 31 on the metal pipe material 40 side substantially coincides with the outer diameter of the metal pipe material 40 after expansion forming. In this state, the nozzle 31 supplies the high-pressure fluid from an internal flow path 63 to the metal pipe material 40. In addition, an example of the high-pressure fluid is gas or the like.
It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but may be modified into various forms on the basis of the spirit of the invention. Additionally, the modifications are included in the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-040975 | Mar 2020 | JP | national |
The contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-040975, and of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2021/008798, on the basis of each of which priority benefits are claimed in an accompanying application data sheet, are in their entirety incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2021/008798 | Mar 2021 | US |
| Child | 17833376 | US |
