Patent Application
20110188967
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnesium nut manufacturing method and a magnesium nut member produced thereby. More particularly, the present invention relates to a magnesium nut manufacturing method for a magnesium wire or rod in a directly-heating treatment to produce a magnesium nut member.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 20060130947, entitled “Magnesium-based alloy screw and method of manufacturing the same,” discloses a magnesium-based alloy screw manufacturing method, including the steps of: head-forging step and thread-rolling step. In the head-forging step a holding die is used to mount a magnesium alloy wire and a screw head is formed on the magnesium alloy wire by a punch member.
In the thread-rolling step both of the holding die and the punch member are heated in a predetermined temperature, ranging between 140 and 250 degrees Celsius. Accordingly, both of the heated holding die and the heated punch member further heat the magnesium alloy wire to the predetermined temperature such that the magnesium alloy wire is processed in indirectly-heating treatment.
However, the above-mentioned method requires preheating the holding die and the punch member in a predetermined temperature prior to processing the forging the screw head. After heated, the holding die and the punch member can be used to forge the magnesium alloy wire that results in sophistications in process. In addition, the holding die and the punch member must be repeatedly heated in maintaining the temperature (i.e. operation temperature) that may also result in energy waste and an increase of manufacturing cost.
Briefly, the manufacturing method described in No. 20060130947 is unsuitable for mass production. Hence, there is a need of providing a screw manufacturing method to improve the above problems of the complicated process, waste energy and increasing manufacture cost. In other words, there is a need of providing an improved screw manufacturing method suitable for mass production.
By way of examples, the conventional manufacturing method is suitable for ordinary materials (unsuitable for magnesium) for producing conventional nut members, including brass nuts, aluminum nuts, alloy nuts, stainless steel nuts, stainless steel flange nuts, stainless steel flange nylon insert lock nuts, stainless steel hex nuts, stainless steel heavy hex nuts, corten steel heavy hex nuts, nylon insert lock nuts, stainless steel nylon insert lock nuts, zinc die casting nuts, din and domed cap nuts, and flange nylon insert lock nuts.
As is described in greater detail below, the present invention provides a magnesium nut manufacturing method and a magnesium nut member produced thereby. A magnesium wire or rod is processed in a directly-heating process, a thermal insulation material coating and directly-heating procedure or a directly-heating and thermal insulation material coating procedure to produce the magnesium nut member in such a way as to mitigate and overcome the above problem.
The primary objective of this invention is to provide a magnesium nut manufacturing method and a magnesium nut member produced thereby. A magnesium wire or rod is processed in a directly-heating procedure, a thermal insulation material coating and directly-heating procedure or a directly-heating and thermal insulation material coating procedure to produce the magnesium nut member. Accordingly, the magnesium nut manufacturing method is successful in simplifying the entire process.
The magnesium nut manufacturing method in accordance with an aspect of the present invention includes the steps of:
providing a magnesium wire or rod with a predetermined diameter;
directly heating the magnesium wire or rod in a predetermined temperature; and
forming a nut blank and a through hole thereof from the magnesium wire or rod, with the through hole having an inner thread.
As is described above, a magnesium nut member comprises a nut body and a through hole thereof formed from a magnesium wire or rod with a predetermined diameter in a directly heating procedure, wherein the through hole has an inner thread.
The magnesium nut manufacturing method in accordance with a separate aspect of the present invention includes the steps of:
providing a magnesium wire or rod with a predetermined diameter;
thermal insulation material coating and directly heating the magnesium wire or rod, or directly heating and thermal insulation material coating the magnesium wire or rod; and
forming a nut blank and a through hole thereof from the magnesium wire or rod, with the through hole having an inner thread.
As is described above, a magnesium nut member comprises a nut body and a through hole thereof formed from a magnesium wire or rod with a predetermined diameter in a thermal insulation material coating and directly-heating procedure or a directly-heating and thermal insulation material coating procedure, wherein the through hole has an inner thread.
In yet a further separate aspect of the present invention, the magnesium wire or rod is made from a magnesium alloy material.
In yet a further separate aspect of the present invention, the predetermined temperature ranges between 100° C. and 300° C.
In yet a further separate aspect of the present invention, the thermal insulation material is selected from an inorganic material or an organic material.
In yet a further separate aspect of the present invention, the inorganic material is selected from graphite or boron nitride (BN).
In yet a further separate aspect of the present invention, the nut blank is formed in a forging procedure.
In yet a further separate aspect of the present invention, the inner thread is formed in the nut blank by a thread-forming procedure.
Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
It is noted that a magnesium nut manufacturing method in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention is suitable for producing various nuts, for example, including square nuts, hex nuts, heavy hex nuts, hex cap nuts, hex serrated nuts, hex flange nuts, hex slotted nuts, hex jam nuts, round nuts, domed cap nuts, U nuts, T nuts, anchor nuts, wheel nuts, wing nuts, eye nuts, kep nuts, clinch nuts, hex coupling nuts (or high nuts), pipe nuts, spring nuts, heavy duty wheel hub nuts, acorn cap nuts, all-metal prevailing torque type nuts, closed end acorn nuts, conical washer nuts, flat washer nuts, self-locking nuts, sliding nuts, self-locking nut (SLN), weld nuts, height strength nuts, structural nuts, hex machine screw nuts, big size nuts or other special nuts which are not limitative of the present invention.
A magnesium nut member produced by the magnesium nut manufacturing method in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention is made from magnesium or magnesium alloys which have a perfect degree of physical and chemical characteristics of magnesium metal. It will be understood that the magnesium nut member may not be made from other ordinary metals, including stainless steel, low-carbon steel (mild steel), medium carbon steel, alloy steel and bronze, for example.
Still referring to
Referring again to
With continued reference to
By way of example, the inner circumferential surface of the through hole may be formed with a single thread, a double thread, a high-low thread or a tri-lobular thread which is not limitative of the present invention. Referring again to
Turning now to
Referring to
In step S3B, after heating operation, the predetermined section of the heated magnesium wire or rod coated by the thermal insulation material is processed to form the magnesium nut member in the predetermined temperature without the need of further heating operation.
In the second preferred embodiment, the thermal insulation material may be selected from an inorganic material or an organic material. The inorganic material of the thermal insulation material may be selected from graphite or boron nitride (BN).
Turning now to
Still referring to
Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to its presently preferred embodiment(s), it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 099103099 | Feb 2010 | TW | national |
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/783,703, filed May 20, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12783703 | May 2010 | US |
| Child | 12945116 | US |
