Method for the transport and/or handling of components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12434291-B2
Application number	US-202017766697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2020
Priority date	Oct 10, 2019
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A method transports and/or handles components, in particular sheet metal parts, and a production plant includes a manipulator arrangement having a first manipulator arm and at least one second manipulator, wherein the first manipulator and the at least one second manipulator are designed to pick up, transport, hold and/or deposit a component, at least one processing device for carrying out processing steps on the component, wherein the component is transferred from the first manipulator to the at least one second manipulator after a first processing cycle at a predetermined re-gripping time, the re-gripping time being between the first processing cycle and at least one second processing cycle, wherein the component at least in portions rests on the processing device during the re-gripping time and is supported in a load-dissipating manner solely by the processing device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for transporting and/or handling components, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a manipulator arrangement with a first manipulator and at least one second manipulator, wherein the first manipulator and the at least one second manipulator are designed to grip, to transport, to hold and/or to deposit a component,
providing a processing device for performing processing steps on the component, the processing steps comprising a first processing cycle and at least one second processing cycle,
providing a regripping station comprising a handling device at the processing device, wherein the processing device comprises a waiting section and a regripping section for the handling device and wherein the waiting section is spaced apart from the regripping section in a horizontal direction,
gripping the component with the first manipulator,
performing the first processing cycle,
moving the handling device out of the waiting section into the regripping section,
after performing the first processing cycle, transferring the component from the first manipulator to the at least one second manipulator during a predefined regripping time by depositing the component with the first manipulator at the regripping station, resting the component at least in some sections on the processing device and supporting the component in a load-dissipating manner solely by the processing device and gripping the component from the regripping station with the at least one second manipulator, wherein the predefined regripping time is a period of time between the first processing cycle and the at least one second processing cycle,
performing the at least one second processing cycle, and
moving the handling device out of the regripping section into the waiting section after the regripping time.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the component comprises a first gripping surface and a second gripping surface different from the first gripping surface, wherein the step of gripping the component with the first manipulator further comprises gripping the component with the first manipulator on the first gripping surface and wherein the step of gripping the component from the regripping station with the at least one second manipulator further comprises gripping the component with the at least one second manipulator on the second gripping surface.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the first gripping surface is formed on an upper side of the component and the second gripping surface is formed on a bottom side of the component.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of gripping a second component with the first manipulator during the at least one second processing cycle.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of depositing the component with the at least one second manipulator apart from the processing device while a first processing cycle is performed on a second component.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of resting the component at least in some sections on the processing device and supporting the component in a load-dissipating manner solely by the processing device, during the predefined regripping time, further comprises resting the component, at least in some sections, on a tool of the processing device and supporting the component, at least in some sections on the tool.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the component is a sheet metal part, the at least one processing device is a bending machine, and the tool comprises an upper tool and a lower tool of the bending machine, further comprising the step of clamping the sheet metal part between the upper tool and the lower tool while the sheet metal part is gripped by the at least one second manipulator without contacting or impinging the sheet metal part with the first manipulator.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of performing the first processing cycle comprises a step of performing a first bending operation for producing a first deformation in the component and wherein the step of performing the at least one second processing cycle comprises a step of performing a second bending operation for producing a second deformation in the component, which second deformation extends in a mirror-inverted manner to the first deformation.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of displacing the first manipulator and the at least one second manipulator along a common travel path in a longitudinal direction parallel to the common travel path.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of displacing the first manipulator along a first travel path in a longitudinal direction parallel to the first travel path, and a step of displacing the at least one second manipulator along a second travel path, which second travel path extends in parallel with the first travel path, in the longitudinal direction.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of carrying out the at least one second processing cycle on a second processing device.

12. A production plant for carrying out the method according to claim 1 , comprising:
the manipulator arrangement having the first manipulator and the at least one second manipulator;
the processing device for performing processing steps on the component, wherein a rest section is provided on the processing device, in which rest section the component is supported in a load-dissipating manner during the regripping time,
wherein the regripping station is formed in the rest section, by which regripping station the component can be supported in a load-dissipating manner during the regripping time,
wherein the regripping station is formed as the handling device at the processing device, wherein the processing device comprises the waiting section and the regripping section for the handling device, and the waiting section and the regripping section are spaced apart from each other in the horizontal direction, and
wherein the handling device can be moved out of the waiting section into the regripping section and vice versa.

13. The production plant according to claim 12 , wherein a common travel path for the first manipulator and for the at least one second manipulator is provided.

14. The production plant according to claim 12 , wherein a first travel path for the first manipulator and a second travel path for the at least one second manipulator are provided.

15. The production plant according to claim 12 , further comprising a second processing device, on which the at least one second processing cycle is carried out.

Assignees

• Trumpf Maschinen Austria Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Angerer Gerhard
• Freudenthaler Klemens
• Hausmann Florian
• Hoerl Matthias
• Kovjenic Nenad
• Maier Florian
• Schernhammer Michael
• Steininger Verena
• Theis Helmut

Classifications

• B21D5/0281

  Workpiece supporting devices · CPC title

• B25J5/02

  travelling along a guideway · CPC title

• B21D43/026

  Combination of two or more feeding devices provided for in B21D43/04 - B21D43/18 · CPC title

• B21D5/02

  on press brakes without making use of clamping means · CPC title

• B21D43/105 Primary

  Manipulators, i.e. mechanical arms carrying a gripper element having several degrees of freedom · CPC title