Sheet metal blank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399132-B2
Application number	US-201815967702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2018
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A process includes flexible rolling of a strip made of a metallic material, wherein a thickness profile with different sheet thicknesses along the length of the strip is produced such that successive regions of the flexibly rolled strip each correspond to a target thickness profile of a sheet metal blank to be cut out of same; determining a measured thickness profile of a plurality of successive regions of the strip; calculating a target position in the strip for a sheet metal blank to be cut out of the strip depending on the generated measured thickness profile of at least two successive regions of the strip; cutting the flexibly rolled strip by at least one cutting device along the target position for producing the sheet meal blank. A plant is further provided for producing a sheet metal blank.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for producing a sheet metal blank from a strip to be provided to the apparatus and made of a metal based material, the apparatus comprising:
a rolling unit for flexibly rolling the strip such that the strip obtains a variable thickness along a length of the strip; and
a cutting unit for cutting individual sheet metal blanks out of the strip, wherein the cutting unit comprises a measuring device for measuring the thickness of the strip along the length of the strip, and at least one cutting device for cutting the flexibly rolled strip,
an electronic control unit (ECU) connected to the measuring device and the cutting device and configured to control the cutting device on the basis of values measured by the measuring device such that the electronic control unit is configured to determine, upon a determination that a distance between the measuring device and the cutting device is greater than double a target length of the sheet metal blank to be cut out of the strip, a measuring profile for each of a plurality of successive regions of the strip, and to calculate a target position for a sheet metal blank to be worked out of the strip depending on the target length for the blank to be cut from the strip and the measuring profile of at least two successive regions of the strip.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the measuring device comprises a thickness sensor and a length position sensor to continuously measure a thickness of the strip along a length of the strip, wherein, in respective measurements, a measured length position and a measured thickness position are associated with one another.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one cutting device is configured to be moveable along a plurality of axes independently of one another.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one cutting device is a laser cutting device that is configured to control at least one cutting parameter of a cutting beam depending on at least one of the thickness and a material property of the strip.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein several cutting devices are provided that are at least one of:
controllable by the electronic control unit such that several sheet metal blanks can be cut simultaneously out of the strip, and controllable by the electronic control unit so as to jointly cut a sheet metal blank out of the strip.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
further comprising a transport device for transporting the strip through the measuring device and the cutting device, wherein the transport device comprises a plurality of rolling contact members on which the strip is rollingly supported.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
further comprising a feed arrangement for feeding the strip, wherein the feed arrangement includes a first feed device that is arranged in front of the cutting device and a second feed device that is arranged behind the cutting device, wherein the first feed device and the second feed device are controllable such that the strip is tensionable between the first feed device and the second feed device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the measuring device comprises a thickness sensor and a length position sensor to measure the thickness of the strip along a length of the strip in a first region of the strip, and in a second region of the strip adjoining the first region,
wherein the electronic control unit (ECU) is connected to the thickness sensor and to the length position sensor to calculate the target position for the first sheet metal blank to be cut out of the strip depending on the measured thickness profile of at least the first region and the second region of the strip.

9. A system, comprising a strip made of a metal-based material and an apparatus for producing a sheet metal blank from the strip, the apparatus comprising:
a rolling unit for flexibly rolling the strip such that the strip obtains a variable thickness along a length of the strip; and
a cutting unit for cutting individual sheet metal blanks out of the strip, wherein the strip comprises a plurality of successive regions, from each of which a sheet metal blank is to be cut with a target length;
wherein the cutting unit comprises a measuring device for measuring the thickness of the strip along the length of the strip, at least one cutting device for cutting the flexibly rolled strip, and an electronic control unit (ECU) connected to the measuring device and the cutting device for controlling the cutting device on the basis of values measured by the measuring device;
wherein, when the measuring device and the cutting device are arranged so that a distance between them is greater than double the target length of the sheet metal blank to be cut out of the strip, the electronic control unit determines a measuring profile for each of the successive regions of the strip, and calculates a target position for a sheet metal blank to be worked out of the strip depending on the measuring profile of at least two successive regions of the strip.

10. The system of claim 9 ,
wherein the measuring device comprises a thickness sensor and a length position sensor to continuously measure a thickness of the strip along a length of the strip, wherein, in respective measurements, a measured length position and a measured thickness position are associated with one another.

11. The system of claim 9 ,
wherein the at least one cutting device is configured to be moveable along a plurality of axes independently of one another.

12. The system of claim 9 ,
wherein the at least one cutting device is a laser cutting device that is configured to control at least one cutting parameter of a cutting beam depending on at least one of the thickness and a material property of the strip.

13. The system of claim 9 ,
wherein several cutting devices are provided that are at least one of:
controllable by the electronic control unit such that several sheet metal blanks can be cut simultaneously out of the strip, and controllable by the electronic control unit so as to jointly cut a sheet metal blank out of the strip.

14. The system of claim 9 ,
further comprising a transport device for transporting the strip through the measuring device and the cutting device, wherein the transport device comprises a plurality of rolling contact members on which the strip is rollingly supported.

15. The system of claim 9 ,
further comprising a feed arrangement for feeding the strip, wherein the feed arrangement includes a first feed device that is arranged in front of the cutting device and a second feed device that is arranged behind the cutting device, wherein the first feed device and the second feed device are controllable such that the strip is tensionable between the first feed device and the second feed device.

16. The system of claim 9 ,
wherein the strip comprises at least a first region out of which a first sheet metal blank is to be cut, and a second region which adjoins the first region and out of which a second sheet metal blank is to be cut,
wherein the measuring device comprises a thickness sensor and a length position sensor to measure the thickness of the strip along the length of the strip in the first region of the strip, and in a second region of the strip adjoining the first region,
wherein the electronic control unit (ECU) is connected to the thickness sensor and to the length position sensor to calculate the target position for the first sheet metal blank to be cut out of the strip depending on the measured thickness profile of at least the first region and the second region

Assignees

• Muhr & Bender Kg

Inventors

• Schneider Christoph
• Eichner Harald
• Ivo Joachim

Classifications

• B21B38/04 Primary

  for measuring thickness, width, diameter or other transverse dimensions of the product · CPC title

• B23P23/04

  for both machining and other metal-working operations · CPC title

• B21B2205/02

  Tailored blanks · CPC title

• B21B37/165 Primary

  responsive mainly to the measured thickness of the product · CPC title

• B21B15/0007

  Cutting or shearing the product · CPC title