Method for manufacturing metal plate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10478903-B2
Application number	US-201815955926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2018
Priority date	Apr 26, 2017
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A metal plate includes a machining subject surface. The metal plate includes a first holding portion designed to be held by a chuck and a second holding portion located at a position separated from the first holding portion and designed to be held by the chuck. The method for manufacturing the metal plate includes performing reference surface machining that machines a surface of the second holding portion that is to be held by the chuck into a predetermined shape in a state in which the first holding portion is held by the chuck. The method includes releasing the first holding portion from the chuck and holding the second holding portion with the chuck. The method also includes machining the machining subject surface in a state in which the second holding portion is held by the chuck.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a metal plate, wherein the metal plate includes a machining subject surface in at least one of a front surface and a rear surface of the metal plate in a thickness-wise direction, the machining subject surface is machined in a state in which the metal plate is held by a chuck in the thickness-wise direction, and the metal plate includes a first holding portion designed to be held by the chuck in the thickness-wise direction and a second holding portion located at a position separated from the first holding portion and designed to be held by the chuck in the thickness-wise direction, the method comprising:
performing reference surface machining that machines a surface of the second holding portion that is to be held by the chuck into a predetermined shape in a state in which the first holding portion is held by the chuck;
after performing the reference surface machining, releasing the first holding portion from the chuck and holding the second holding portion with the chuck; and
machining the machining subject surface of the metal plate in a state in which the second holding portion is held by the chuck.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the metal plate is an end plate arranged on an end of a cell stack of a fuel cell in a cell stacking direction by coupling the end plate to a case that surrounds the cell stack;
the machining subject surface is one of a plurality of machining subject surfaces;
the plurality of machining subject surfaces include a coupling surface coupled to the case, an opposing surface that opposes the end of the cell stack in the cell stacking direction when the coupling surface is coupled to the case, and an opposite surface located at a side opposite to the opposing surface in the thickness-wise direction of the end plate when the coupling surface is coupled to the case;
the end plate includes a hole that opens in the opposing surface and the opposite surface to form a passage through which fluid supplied to and discharged from the cell stack flows; and
the method further comprises forming a resin layer through insert-molding to cover the opposing surface, a wall surface of the hole, and the opposite surface after machining each of the machining subject surfaces.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein:
the end plate is rectangular and includes two long sides and two short sides;
the first holding portion is one of a plurality of first holding portions, wherein the plurality of first holding portions include at least two first holding portions arranged on one of the two short sides of the end plate and at least one first holding portion arranged on the other one of the two short sides; and
the second holding portion is one of a plurality of second holding portions, wherein the plurality of second holding portions include at least two second holding portions arranged on one of the two short sides of the end plate and at least one second holding portion arranged on the other one of the two short sides.

Assignees

• Toyota Boshoku Kk

Inventors

• Yamaura Kunihiro
• Morita Hiroshi

Classifications

• B23B31/021 Primary

  Faceplates · CPC title

• B23Q1/0072

  using a clamping opening for receiving an insertion bolt or nipple · CPC title

• Y10T29/49996

  Successive distinct removal operations · CPC title

• B25B5/006

  Supporting devices for clamps · CPC title

• B23Q2230/008

  Machining the middle part and the ends of a workpiece consecutively · CPC title