Patent Application
20190076877
The present disclosure relates generally to stamping dies, and more particularly to applying a marking to parts formed in a stamping die process.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The application of metal alloys, such as aluminum, is emerging in manufacturing and assembly processes in the automotive industry due to strength, low weight, environmental benefits such as recycling abilities, and the ability to absorb crash-induced energy.
In the stamping industry, more formable aluminum alloys are used to stamp an automotive component, such as a panel, into shape. Once the vehicle component is formed into its shape, it can be heat treated to attain desired mechanical properties, such as stiffness and strength. Proper identification of successful heat treatment to aluminum components is important to the manufacturing and assembly of safe and reliable vehicles. If weaker non-heat treated aluminum panels are mistakenly identified as heat treated panels, the weaker non-heat treated panels may still be assembled into a vehicle.
Aluminum components before and after the heat treatment process are visually undistinguishable, which presents a challenge in verifying which components have undergone the heat-treatment process. This challenge, among other challenges in the use of aluminum in manufacturing and assembly processes in the automotive industry are addressed by the present disclosure.
The present disclosure provides a system for applying a marking to a part in a stamping die comprising a mechanical application device having a controlled volume of a marking medium that is coupled to movement of the stamping die. In one form, the marking medium is not regulated by either an external pneumatic source or an external electrical source. The marking medium may be thermo-chromatic ink.
In one form, the mechanical application device is mounted to an upper die of the stamping die for coupling the controlled volume of the marking medium to the movement of the stamping die.
In one variation, the mechanical application device comprises a housing defining an internal fluid reservoir and a flange disposed at a lower end portion. A ball is disposed within the housing and defines a seal at the lower end portion of the housing. A retaining member is secured to an upper portion of the housing and a resilient member is disposed within the housing. The resilient member is in contact with the ball and the retaining member. The device further includes a lower end surface applicator disposed at a lower portion of a plunger.
In another variation, the mechanical application device further comprises an o-ring disposed within the lower end surface of the housing and spaced radially away from the ball, wherein a void is defined between the ball, the void being configured to receive the thermo-chromatic ink. In another variation, the lower end surface of the housing may further comprise a peripheral ledge extending radially away from the lower end surface, and a void is defined between the ball and the peripheral ledge, the void being configured to receive the thermo-chromatic ink.
The system may further comprise a gravity-feed supply line in fluid communication with the mechanical application device.
In another form, the system includes a venting device operatively engaged with the mechanical application device. In still another form, the system includes a fluid control device, such as for example a low-pressure check valve, that operatively engages with the mechanical application device.
The present disclosure further provides a system for applying a marking to a part in a stamping die consisting of a mechanical application device having a controlled volume of a marking medium that is coupled to movement of the stamping die.
A method of applying a marking to a part in a stamping die is also provided by the present disclosure. The method comprises coupling a mechanical application device having a controlled volume of a marking medium to movement of the stamping die. The marking medium may be thermos-chromatic ink. In one form, the controlled volume of the marking medium is not regulated by either an external pneumatic source or an external electrical source.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.
Referring to
The marking medium may be any of a variety of mediums and in one form, the marking medium is a thermo-chromatic ink. Because thermo-chromatic ink undergoes a change in color when exposed to an increase or decrease in temperature, the part being stamped, such as a part formed from an aluminum alloy, can be visually identified as successfully heat treated by marking the part with the thermo-chromatic ink by determining if there is a change in color. It should be understood that use of thermo-chromatic ink is merely exemplary and other forms of a marking medium may be employed while still remaining within the scope of the present disclosure, such as by way of example, any substance that can mark the part 10 such as a fluid or a powder, among other substances.
Advantageously, the controlled volume of marking medium is not regulated by either an external pneumatic source or an external electrical source and is instead regulated by mechanical movement of the stamping die. Accordingly, in one form, the system 20 consists of the mechanical application device 22, and only the mechanical application device 22, having a controlled volume of marking medium that is coupled to movement of the stamping die.
As further shown, the mechanical application device 22 is mounted within a holding fixture 30 in one form, which includes a receiving base 32, two opposed arms 34, and a mounting plate 36. The mounting plate 36 is secured to an upper die 26 of the stamping die, thus coupling the movement of the stamping die to movement of the mechanical application device as described in greater detail below. Alternatively, the mechanical application device 22 may be mounted to a lower die of the stamping die (not shown), among other components of the stamping die, provided the controlled volume of marking medium is coupled to movement of the stamping die. In other words, when one or more components of the stamping die moves, the volume of marking medium is controlled by the movement.
A variety of devices may be employed to mount the mechanical application device 22 to the stamping die, and in form the mounting plate 36 is secured to the upper die 26 with bolts 27 that extend through mounting holes 28. It should be understood, however, that other mounting means or fixtures to hold the mechanical application devices 22 may be employed while still remaining within the scope of the present disclosure.
Referring to
The mechanical application device 22 further includes an o-ring 124 disposed within the lower end surface applicator 108 of the housing 100 and spaced radially away from the ball 102. The o-ring 124 makes contact with the part 10 to be marked as shown, and thus a void 126 is defined between the ball 102, the part, and the o-ring 124. The void 126 is configured to receive the marking medium as described in greater detail below.
In another form as shown in
The mechanical application device 22 further includes a displacement control spring 130 disposed against a bushing 131, which is secured to the upper die 26. The displacement control spring 130 engages the housing body 101 along a shoulder 107 and is sized to allow the lower end surface applicator 108 to remain against the part 10 to be marked during movement of the stamping die.
Referring now to
Referring to
The housing 201 defines an internal cavity 214, and the plunger 206 is disposed within a cavity 214 as shown. The plunger 206 defines a flange 220, which seats the plunger 206 within the housing 201. The distal end 232 of the plunger 206 extends beyond the lower end portion 226 of the housing 201 as shown and is secured to the nozzle 202. The plunger 206 also includes an o-ring 238 (or other equivalent sealing device) to seal the cavity 214 from the marking medium.
A retaining member 210 and a resilient member 212 are disposed within the cavity 214 of the housing 201. The retaining member 210 seals a top portion 216 of the cavity 214 and is in contact with the resilient member 212 as shown. The resilient member 212 in this form is a compression spring, however, other forms of resilient members may be employed while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. The resilient member 212 maintains a compressive force on the plunger 206 and biases the plunger 206 against the housing 201. More specifically, a lower surface 222 of the flange 220 makes positive contact with a shoulder 224 of the housing 200 when the resilient member 212 is biased. When the collar 204 of the mechanical application device 201 contacts a part being formed, or a portion of the stamping die 12, as described in greater detail below, the plunger 206 is displaced proximally, thus allowing a flow of marking medium into the housing 201. More specifically, the lower end portion 226 of the housing 200 defines an internal fluid reservoir 228 that surrounds a portion 234 of the plunger 206. The plunger 206 defines a passageway 242 that is in fluid communication with the internal fluid reservoir 228, through which the marking medium flows to the nozzle 206.
The mechanical application device 200 further comprises a supply line 238, which may be a gravity-feed supply line in one form of the present disclosure. In another form, the gravity-feed supply line is a passive-pressure supply line. The supply line 238 extends from a fluid reservoir assembly 240 (
Referring now to
Referring now to
As previously set forth, the controlled volume of marking medium is not regulated by either an external pneumatic source or an external electrical source and is instead regulated by mechanical movement of the stamping die 12.
In summary, the system 20 of the present disclosure applies a marking medium directly onto the part 10 during a stamping die operation. The marking medium in one form is thermo-chromatic ink, which allows for easy detection of successfully heat treated components. Application of the thermo-chromatic ink automatically during stamping die operations increases efficiency and reduces manufacturing costs associated with other ink application devices by reducing the amount of equipment, labor, handling, and shipping, among other resources.
It should be noted that the disclosure is not limited to the various forms described and illustrated as examples. A large variety of modifications have been described and more are part of the knowledge of the person skilled in the art. These and further modifications as well as any replacement by technical equivalents may be added to the description and figures, without leaving the scope of the protection of the disclosure and of the present patent.
