Method for marking workpieces and workpiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10086420-B2
Application number	US-201615140580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2016
Priority date	May 18, 2015
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

In an embodiment, the method includes providing a blank, applying a marking to the blank in places and heating the blank with the marking to a deformation temperature. The method further includes deforming the blank to form the workpiece and cooling the workpiece, wherein deforming is a hot forming, wherein the marking remains at the workpiece at least until after deforming and cooling, and is not destroyed by deforming, and wherein the marking has a difference in the degree of reflection and/or a difference in the degree of reflectance and/or a difference in albedo of at least 15 percentage points in at least part of the near ultraviolet, visible and/or near infrared spectral range both with respect to the blank and with respect to the workpiece.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a workpiece, the method comprising:
providing a blank;
applying a marking to the blank in places;
heating the blank with the marking to a deformation temperature; and
after heating, deforming the blank to form the workpiece and cooling the workpiece,
wherein deforming is a hot forming,
wherein the marking remains on the workpiece at least until deforming and cooling, wherein the marking is not destroyed by deforming,
wherein the marking has a difference in the degree of reflection and/or a difference in the degree of reflectance and/or a difference in albedo of at least 15 percentage points in at least part of a near ultraviolet, visible and/or near infrared spectral range both with respect to the blank and with respect to the workpiece,
wherein the marking is applied by at least one phosphor or comprises at least one phosphor which brings about the difference in a degree of reflection,
wherein the blank comprises an anti-scaling protective layer to which the marking is directly applied,
wherein a melting point of the marking is at least 25° C. above a melting point of the anti-scaling protective layer and both melting points are below the deformation temperature,
wherein the marking or at least one constituent of the marking is pressed into the anti-scaling protective layer while heating and cooling, and
wherein the marking differs from the blank and from the workpiece machine-readably at least in a visible spectral range.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the marking remains permanently on the workpiece, wherein the marking comprises a light-transmissive, inorganic matrix material, and wherein the marking is fixed to the blank and to the workpiece by the matrix material.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the matrix material is a light-transmissive inorganic material, and wherein the anti-scaling protective layer comprises aluminum, silicon, zinc, iron and/or a metal oxide.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising, after deforming and cooling, removing the marking in a dry process after step, wherein a material of the workpiece is not removed.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the marking comprises an organic matrix material, wherein the marking is fixed to the blank by the matrix material while applying the marking, and wherein the matrix material is decarbonized to the extent of at least 95% while heating and/or while deforming and cooling.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the marking, as seen in plan view, is formed by a plurality of punctiform, island-shaped partial regions having a mean diameter of at most 50 μm, wherein the marking, as seen in plan view and considered with all partial regions taken together, has a mean extent of at least 20 times the mean diameter, and wherein a mean roughness of a surface of the workpiece at the marking deviates from a mean roughness of remaining regions of the surface by at most a factor of 2.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the marking is formed by at least one continuous marking region, wherein the at least one marking region has a mean extent of at least 20 times a mean diameter of color pigments of the marking.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising applying, after deforming and cooling, at least one lacquer to the workpiece such that the lacquer completely covers the marking and the marking is no longer discernible to an observer through the lacquer.

9. A method for manufacturing a workpiece, the method comprising:
providing a blank;
applying a marking to the blank in places;
heating the blank with the marking to a deformation temperature;
after heating, deforming the blank to form the workpiece and cooling the workpiece,
wherein deforming is a hot forming,
wherein the marking remains on the workpiece at least until deforming and cooling, wherein the marking is not destroyed by deforming, and
wherein the marking has a difference in the degree of reflection and/or a difference in the degree of reflectance and/or a difference in albedo of at least 15 percentage points in at least part of a near ultraviolet, visible and/or near infrared spectral range both with respect to the blank and with respect to the workpiece; and
after deforming and cooling, removing the marking in a dry process after step, wherein a material of the workpiece is not removed.

10. A method for manufacturing a workpiece, the method comprising:
providing a blank;
applying a marking to the blank in places;
heating the blank with the marking to a deformation temperature; and
after heating, deforming the blank to form the workpiece and cooling the workpiece,
wherein deforming is a hot forming,
wherein the marking remains on the workpiece at least until deforming and cooling, wherein the marking is not destroyed by deforming,
wherein the marking has a difference in the degree of reflection and/or a difference in the degree of reflectance and/or a difference in albedo of at least 15 percentage points in at least part of a near ultraviolet, visible and/or near infrared spectral range both with respect to the blank and with respect to the workpiece,
wherein the blank comprises an anti-scaling protective layer to which the marking is directly applied, and
wherein the marking or at least one constituent of the marking is pressed into the anti-scaling protective layer while heating and cooling.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the marking remains permanently on the workpiece, wherein the marking comprises a light-transmissive, inorganic matrix material, and wherein the marking is fixed to the blank and to the workpiece by the matrix material.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the matrix material is a light-transmissive inorganic material, and wherein the anti-scaling protective layer comprises aluminum, silicon, zinc, iron and/or a metal oxide.

13. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising, after deforming and cooling, removing the marking in a dry process after step, wherein a material of the workpiece is not removed.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the marking comprises an organic matrix material, wherein the marking is fixed to the blank by the matrix material while applying the marking, and wherein the matrix material is decarbonized to the extent of at least 95% while heating and/or while deforming and cooling.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the marking, as seen in plan view, is formed by a plurality of punctiform, island-shaped partial regions having a mean diameter of at most 50 μm, wherein the marking, as seen in plan view and considered with all partial regions taken together, has a mean extent of at least 20 times the mean diameter, and wherein a mean roughness of a surface of the workpiece at the marking deviates from a mean roughness of remaining regions of the surface by at most a factor of 2.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the marking is formed by at least one continuous marking region, wherein the at least one marking region has a mean extent of at least 20 times a mean diameter of color pigments of the marking.

17. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising applying, after deforming and cooling, at least one lacquer to the workpiece such that the lacquer completely covers the marking and the marking is no longer discernible to an observer through the lacquer.

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Zeh Christoph
• Härtling Thomas

Classifications

• B05D2202/00

  Metallic substrate · CPC title

• B21D22/022

  by heating the blank or stamping associated with heat treatment (C21D takes precedence) · CPC title

• B21D22/201

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

• B05D7/26

  synthetic lacquers or varnishes (B05D7/08, B05D7/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• B41K99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title