Method for producing highly dimensionally accurate half-shells and apparatus for producing a half-shell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10065229-B2
Application number	US-201414784950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2014
Priority date	Apr 15, 2013
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing highly dimensionally accurate half-shells from a tailored blank, wherein, in a first die, with optional use of at least one hold-down means, the half-shell is subjected to pre-shaping by deep drawing, wherein the first die has at least one punch, a die base, a die rest surface and a jacket region, and wherein the pre-shaped half-shell is subsequently subjected to final shaping in a second die, in particular in a calibration tool. The object of specifying a method which simplifies the production of highly dimensionally accurate half-shells is achieved in that, before the deep drawing, the blank is tailored by cutting, taking into consideration the desired final shape of the pre-shaped and/or finally shaped half-shell, with a positive dimensional deviation in the predefined tolerance range, the die base of the first die is moved relative to the die rest surface, the blank is clamped between the die base and the punch of the first die, and the blank is deep-drawn in a guided manner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a highly dimensionally accurate half-shell from a tailored blank, comprising:
cutting a blank to a predefined tailored shape having a positive dimensional deviation in a predefined tolerance range;
positioning the tailored blank on a die rest surface of a first die, by positive locking means, such that said blank positioning is reproducible, the first die further including at least one punch, a die base cooperatively operable with the at least one punch, and a jacket region defined adjacent to the die base;
moving the die base of the first die towards the die rest surface on which the tailored blank is positioned;
clamping the tailored blank between the die base and the punch of the first die;
deep-drawing the tailored blank in a guided manner in the first die to form a pre-shaped half-shell; and
final shaping the pre-shaped half-shell in a second die that is a calibration tool.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after said positioning step, applying at least one hold-down means of the first die to at least a portion of the tailored blank positioned therein, so as to maintain a position tailored blank in the first die.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, before the deep-drawing step, raising the die base of the first die above an edge of the die rest surface.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said clamping step is also a stamping step that results in the blank being stamped in a region of the die base clamped adjacent the blank.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein a vertical spacing defined between the at least one hold-down means and the die rest surface is set to the actual thickness of the tailored blank, and wherein during the deep drawing step, any force exerted on the blank by the at least one hold-down means is sufficiently small so as to substantially prevent ironing of the blank.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predefined tailored shape of the cut blank is configured such that, after said deep-drawing step, the dimensions of the deep-drawn pre-shaped half-shell are within a predefined range that eliminates a need for at least one of a rim or edge trimming operation after said deep-drawing step.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-shaped half-shell resulting from said deep-drawing step has excess material, and wherein, during said final shaping step in the second die, impacting the excess material with a calibrating punch.

8. An apparatus for producing a half-shell, comprising:
at least one first die configured to produce a pre-shaped half-shell from a tailored blank,
said at least one die having,
a die cavity defined in said first die,
at least one punch configured to force the tailored blank into the die cavity so as to form the tailored blank into a pre-shaped half-shell,
a die rest surface configured to support the tailored blank prior to and during a deep-drawing process of the tailored blank to form the pre-shaped half-shell,
positive-locking means in communication with said die rest surface and configured to permit reproducible positioning of the tailored blank in said first die prior to and during the deep-drawing process,
a die base disposed within said die cavity and displaceable relative to said die rest surface, said die base being cooperatively operable with said at least one punch to clamp the tailored blank and guide the clamped blank into said die cavity during the deep-drawing process so as to help form the blank into the pre-shaped half-shell,
a jacket region defined by a gap between sidewalls of said at least one punch and interior sidewalls of said die cavity, said jacket region configured to permit material from the tailored blank to form a jacket of the pre-shaped half-shell during the deep-drawing process.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said die rest surface and said at least one hold-down means are configured to be displaceable relative to one another.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said die base has a shape which is suitable for providing excess material of the pre-shaped half-shell.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising:
at least one second die configured to form to a final shape the pre-shaped half shells formed in the deep-drawing process by said at least one first die; and
means for transferring the preformed half-shell from said first die to said second die.

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe Ag

Inventors

• Flehmig Thomas
• Savvas Konstantinos
• Brüggenbrock Michael
• Gorschlüter Jörg

Classifications

• B21D22/201

  Work-pieces; preparation of the work-pieces, e.g. lubricating, coating · CPC title

• B21D22/20 Primary

  Deep-drawing (special deep-drawing arrangements in, or in connection with, presses B21D24/00) · CPC title

• B21D22/30

  to finish articles formed by deep-drawing · CPC title