Metal fusion bonding – With means to handle work or product – Including means to orient work or position work portion...
Patent
1996-05-10
1997-02-25
Heinrich, Samuel M.
Metal fusion bonding
With means to handle work or product
Including means to orient work or position work portion...
228 57, B23K 3704
Patent
active
056052758
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the positional fixing of two metal sheets which are to be welded together along a joint, and comprises a support member provided for each sheet, and clamping means which are urgeable against the metal sheets disposed on the support members.
BACKGROUND ART
Increasingly far-reaching demands are placed in the automotive industry on the possibility of employing rational welding processes to fuse together sheet metal parts which later constitute the blanks in a pressing process. By such means, considerable material waste is avoided in that the blank may be given a configuration which corresponds to that of the finished part.
Those blanks which are under consideration here may many times consist of sheet metal materials of different thicknesses, and the sheet material may have different types of surface coatings. In such instance, it is then important that the surface coatings are damaged as little as possible, and that the effects of heat on the material are also kept within very narrow limits.
The prior art technology employed for welding in similar or identical practical applications to the present one has previously been resistance welding using copper wheels as electrodes (seam welding). Such a method is relatively simple and economical but does not guarantee high and uniform quality, since an overlap joint must be employed.
Laser welding has also previously been tried in practical applications of the type under consideration here. This welding method results in superior quality because of welding in a butt joint. However, productivity is low and investment costs are so high that this method can only be employed in exceptional cases.
Attempts have also been made in the art employing welding processes in which the welding heat is generated by resistive heating of the workpiece by using high frequency alternating current. In one such a welding process, the welding joint is heated simultaneously along its entire length, for which reason the workpieces must be aligned and advanced towards one another during the welding phase proper.
PROBLEM STRUCTURE
The present invention has for its object to realises an apparatus of the type disclosed by way of introduction, the apparatus being designed so as to permit welding by the employment of induction heating of the workpieces so that these may be accurately aligned in relation to one another prior to the welding phase, and, during the-welding process proper, be advanced towards one another at a predetermined rate and predetermined advancement length. The present invention further has for its object to realise an apparatus which displays high output capacity, which allows for accurate alignment and positional fixing of the workpieces, at the same time as investment costs may be kept at a reasonable level.
SOLUTION
The objects forming the basis of the present invention will be attained if the apparatus intimated by way of introduction is characterized in that there is disposed, in a region where the joint between the metal sheets is to be located, between closely adjacent edges of the support members, an abutment which is movable between an active position where it extends up over the upper sides of the support members to serve as an arrest on insertion of the metal sheets, and a passive position where it is located beneath this level; that the support members are movable in a relative advancement movement towards and away from one another; that the clamping members are provided with movement devices by means of which they are guided in movements towards and away from the support members, substantially transversely directed in relation to their plane of extent; and that the movement devices are, in themselves or in their anchorages in a frame for the apparatus proper, disposed to permit the clamping members to accompany the support members in their relative advancement movements.
These distinguishing features afford the major advantage that the metal sheets may simply be brought to a halt against
REFERENCES:
patent: 3593907 (1971-07-01), Hahne
patent: 4506821 (1985-03-01), Bernou et al.
patent: 4721241 (1988-01-01), Yuasa et al.
patent: 5536915 (1996-07-01), Peru et al.
AB Volvo
Heinrich Samuel M.
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