Combination laser cutting and blank welding apparatus and method

Details Combination laser cutting and blank welding apparatus and method Combination laser cutting and blank welding apparatus and method

1997-10-28

2000-02-29

Evans, Geoffrey S.

Electric heating

Metal heating

By arc

21912164, B23K 2600

Patent

active

060311991

ABSTRACT:
A combination cutting and welding apparatus for fabricating tailor welded blanks and the like wherein sheets of metal are placed end-to-end in an abutting relationship and welded together along the resulting seam to form a blank for subsequent metal processing. The machine includes two halves which are positioned relative to each other in either a cutting position or a welding position. Each half secures a sheet metal workpiece. At least one of the workpieces is cut so that the workpieces respectively secured by the first and second halves include adjacent edges that mate when the halves are moved from the cutting to the welding position. The workpieces are not unclamped between cutting and welding operations to facilitate the precise mating of the workpiece forward edges. The halves of the apparatus are able to communicate workpieces and finished blanks to each other via crossover conveyor assemblies that allow the workpieces and finished blanks to span a space between the halves. Sensing and positioning assemblies accurately position the workpieces for cutting operations. Offal supports are selectively deployed to support the offal formed by cutting.

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