The present invention relates to joining the edges of inner and outer body panels by a hemmed joint, and more particularly to the use of roller hemming and die hemming in a single press.
It is known in the manufacture of motor vehicle panels, for example an engine compartment hood, to attach an inner panel and an outer panel via a hemmed joint in which a flange provided on the outer panel is bent over an edge portion of the inner panel.
As one alternative, the prior art employs press-mounted hemming dies to bend the outer panel flange over the edge portion of the inner panel.
As another alternative, the prior art employs a robot to move rollers around the periphery of the outer panel to bend the outer panel flange over the edge portion of the inner panel.
It would be desirable to obtain improvements in the apparatus and method for forming hem joints in order to improve manufacturing efficiencies and improve product quality.
Method and apparatus is provided for hemming the edges of inner and outer panels by bending a peripheral flange of the outer panel over edge portions of the inner panel to form a panel assembly. A press apparatus has a lower platen and an upper platen. The outer panel is placed onto the lower platen and the inner panel is placed onto the lower panel with the peripheral flange of the outer panel surrounding the inner panel. The upper platen is lowered to capture the inner panel atop the outer panel. A first portion of the peripheral flange is hemmed by closing hemming dies over the first portion of the peripheral flange to bend the flange onto the inner panel. A second portion of the peripheral flange is hemmed by passing a hemming roller mechanism along the second portion of the peripheral flange to bend the flange onto the inner panel.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating exemplary embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of certain exemplary embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
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It will be understood that the inner panel 38 and the outer panel 20 are to be joined together by hemming the peripheral flange 24 over the edge portion 40 of the inner panel 38, to thereby form a hood assembly.
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After the right and left roller hemming mechanisms 76 and 78 have completed the hemming of the side edges of the hood assembly, the roller hemming mechanisms 76 and 78 are returned to the forward position of
The foregoing description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations thereof are intended to be within the scope of the invention. For example, roller hemming mechanisms may be the roller hemming mechanisms of U.S. Published Patent 2005-0284204 A1, or other roller mechanisms of the prior art. Furthermore, the hemming die mechanisms 44 and 46 may be chosen from the prior art, and are known to have various mechanical and hydraulic actuating mechanisms and to be mounted on the upper platen, lower platen, or elsewhere to reach inside the press.
Although the foregoing example performs the hemming die operation prior to the roller hemming operation, it may be desirable in some applications to perform the roller hemming operation prior to the hemming die operation.
Although the drawings show the example of a vehicle hood, it will be understood that the method and apparatus herein may also be used for other panel assemblies such as doors, rear closures, sunroof panels, fenders, and others. Although the drawings show the hemming die mechanisms at the front and rear of the hood assembly, and the roller hemming mechanisms at the side of the hood assembly, it may be desirable in some products to have the hemming die mechanisms at the side of the panel assembly and the roller hemming mechanisms at the front and rear of the panel assembly. Furthermore, in some applications, it may be desirable to have the hemming die mechanisms on only one side of the panel assembly and the roller hemming mechanisms at the other three sides. Or it may be desirable to have the hemming die mechanisms at the three sides of the panel assembly and the roller hemming mechanisms at one of the sides. Thus hemming die mechanisms may be employed on at least one side or portion of a side and the roller hemming mechanism employed on at least one side or side portion of the panel assembly.
The hemming die mechanism is not limited to the particular mechanism shown in the drawings, but rather may be a hemming die actuated by the various mechanical and hydraulic actuating mechanisms known in the industry. The track mechanism by be chosen from the various known devices such as a hydraulic mechanisms or a ball screw or a rack and pinion or other linear translation drive devices. The multi-axis manipulator may contain a drive motor that moves the multi-axis manipulator along the tracks 92. Or, alternatively, the tracks 92 may be driven fore and aft along side the lower platen to in turn move the multi-axis manipulator fore and aft. In addition, the roller hemming mechanism is not limited to being mounted on the track mechanism shown in the drawings, but rather may be a robotic or other mechanism known to manipulate a roller mechanism along a peripheral flange.
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