Production line for machining at least one surface component and method for machining the at least one surface component in the production line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764436-B2
Application number	US-201514707642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2015
Priority date	May 8, 2014
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A production line for machining a surface component with a first machining station and a second machining station is disclosed. The first machining station includes a separating device configured to separate a surface component along a machining path. The second machining station includes a bending/forming device configured to form and/or bend the surface component in a bending/forming position. The first machining station and the second machining station are sequentially arranged one directly after the other and/or linked together.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A production line to machine a metal sheet for assembly into a vehicle body comprising:
a first machining station including at least one separating device configured to separate at least one surface component along at least a first machining path and a second machining path from the metal sheet, the first machining station including a first controller configured to actuate the at least one separating device, the first controller having a first data set and a second data set, the first controller executes the first data set to actuate the at least one separating device to separate the at least one surface component along the first machining path and the first controller executes the second data set to actuate the at least one separating device to separate the at least one surface component along the second machining path, with the second machining path different than the first machining path;
a second machining station including at least one bending/forming device configured to form the at least one surface component in at least one forming position, the second machining station including a second controller configured to actuate the at least one bending/forming device, the second controller having a third data set and a fourth data set;
wherein the first and second machining stations are sequentially arranged and/or linked together.

2. The production line according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one separating device comprises a jointed-arm robot with the at least one separating tool.

3. The production line according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one bending/forming device comprises a second jointed-arm robot with the at least one bending/forming tool.

4. The production line according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one bending/forming device comprises a jointed-arm robot with the at least one bending/forming tool.

5. The production line according to claim 1 , wherein the production line further comprises a third machining station including a forming device configured to flatly form a surface extension of at least one surface component.

6. The production line according to claim 5 , wherein the third machining station is sequentially arranged immediately before the first machining station and/or linked thereto.

7. The production line according to claim 1 further comprising:
the third data set configured to actuate the at least one controller for operating the bending/forming device so as to form the at least one surface component in at least one first bending/forming position; and
the fourth data set configured to actuate the at least one controller for operating the bending/forming device so as to form the at least one surface component in at least one second bending/forming position;
wherein the at least one first bending/forming position and the at least one second bending/forming position are different.

8. A method for machining at least one surface component in a production line according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one separating device separates the at least one surface component along the at least one machining path.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one bending/forming device forms the at least one surface component in the at least one bending/forming position.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the forming device flatly forms at least a portion of a surface extension of the at least one surface component.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one separating device and the at least one bending/forming device machine the at least one surface component in a synchronized manner.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one separating device and the at least one bending/forming device machine the at least one surface component without temporary storage thereof.

13. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising conveying the at least one surface component from the first machining station to the second machining station directly, immediately and/or without temporary storage thereof.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Ziegler Thomas
• Scherer Klaus

Classifications

• Y10T29/5136

  Separate tool stations for selective or successive operation on work · CPC title

• B23P23/06

  Metal-working plant comprising a number of associated machines or apparatus · CPC title

• B21D19/02

  by continuously-acting tools moving along the edge (edge-curling B21D19/12) · CPC title

• B25J11/005 Primary

  Manipulators for mechanical processing tasks · CPC title

• B23Q41/04 Primary

  Features relating to relative arrangements of machines · CPC title