Metal fusion bonding – With means to juxtapose and bond plural workpieces
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-25
2001-01-09
Ryan, Patrick (Department: 1725)
Metal fusion bonding
With means to juxtapose and bond plural workpieces
C228S212000, C219S652000, C219S080000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170732
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for feeding, clamping and processing, particularly for geometric welding of car body components in a processing station, where the underbody group of the car body, if any, is brought jointly with at least one front wall through a car body conveyor system into the station for geometric welding and exactly positioned there, and with the car body side sections being laid into a side section clamping frame, positioned in the welding station, clamped with the components to be welded, and where car body side sections, underbody group and, if any, roof sections are joined to a car body structure by the aid of welding robots arranged laterally and/or above the car body by way of geometric welding and subsequently welded together completely, preferably in another welding station. The invention also relates to a device for feeding, clamping and processing, particularly for geometric welding of car body components in a processing station.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
From DE 2810 822 C2 and DE 32 30 455 C2 devices are known for welding of loosely joined car bodies for motor vehicles. The devices have a welding and a fixing place in which a transport track is located to transport the car body. Side section carriers are movable from a standby position into a working position and back and mounted at each side of the transport track by positioning devices pressable against the car body and having positioning arms adapted to the geometric shape of the car body to be welded. At least one welding device is located laterally of the transport track and provided with a welding head. The welding head is adjustable to the car body.
The positioning devices of each side are arranged at side section carriers which in a swivable arrangement are hung to rails running in the transport direction of the car body and are configured as a rotary axle. The side section carriers act as side section clamping frames for those car body side sections which have already before been loosely connected with the underbody in a separate working cycle. To exchange the side section carriers for a set of other side section carriers whose positioning device is adjusted to the geometric shape of another car body type, these side section carriers are moved along the rails in the car body transport direction. For loose joining of a car body, particularly for mounting of car body side sections and for subsequent geometric welding and, if required, for welding-out, independent stations are required which need much free space. Moreover, a changeover from one car body type to another is relatively extensive.
From WO95/32886 a generic method and a device are known for feeding, clamping and processing of car body components in a processing station where the components are clamped with one or several clamping frame(s) and where the clamping frames for the side section frames and the roof frames are handled and fed by one or more multipleaxle manipulator(
2
). By the aid of the manipulators, the clamping frames are supported against each other, positioned and locked, thus forming a clamping frame casing surrounding the component parts at least at four sides. The clamping frames are equipped with suitable positioning devices and form a self-carrying clamping frame casing which is preferably closed in annular or cubic form around the car body. It takes a great deal of space in a hall and geometric welding can not be started until the whole clamping frame casing is closed.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a generic method and a device for execution of this method in which said problems do not occur.
According to the invention, a method for feeding, clamping and processing, particularly for geometric welding of car body components in a processing station is provided. The underbody group of the car body, if any, is brought jointly with at least one front wall through a car body conveyor system into the station for geometric welding and exactly positioned there, with the car body side sections being laid into a side section clamping frame, positioned in the welding station, clamped with the components to be welded. Car body side sections, underbody group and, if any, roof sections are joined to a car body structure by the aid of welding robots arranged laterally and/or above the car body by way of geometric welding and subsequently welded together completely, preferably in another welding station. The side section clamping frames are brought into the geometric welding station by the aid of portal robots movable in X/Y direction at an elevated four-axle portal, positioned at both sides of the car body and clamped with the components to be welded. The welding robots are mounted laterally beside the car body conveyor system and are swung and/or moved towards the welding spots.
According to the invention, a device for feeding, clamping and processing, particularly for geometric welding of car body components in a processing station is also provided. The device has a car body conveyor system for transportation and exact positioning of the underbody group of the car body in the geometric welding station. Side section clamping frames for feeding of car body side sections, feeder units, if required, for the front and rear roof cross members are provided. Clamping devices are provided for joining and clamping of components to be welded, particularly of car body side sections, and formed of welding robots located beside the car body conveyor system in a swivable or movable arrangement for geometric welding of joined and clamped components. The geometric welding station has a four-axle portal at which at each side of the car body conveyor system at least one portal robot with side section clamping frames is movable in X and Y direction between a position for clamping and welding of the car body. The four-axle portal includes stationary rails arranged in parallel or rectangularly to the car body conveyor system, one or more cross members movable on the stationary rails, one or more portal robots movable in a longitudinal direction of the cross members, and side section clamping frames affixed vertically at the portal robot in movable arrangement and/or rotatably around a vertical axle.
The geometric welding system in accordance with this invention is a flexible combination-type tool concept for geometric welding of motor vehicle bodies (underbody, side sections, roof cross members, and roof plate) which is of a modular structure. By use of an elevated four-axle portal at which portal robots travel in X and Y direction, numerous tool deposits for side section clamping frames can be properly arranged in the area of the four-axle portal in such a manner that these are directly accessible for a portal robot. The number of car body models which can be welded by the system is preferably limited only by the number of car body side section tool deposits in the system, but can be extended flexibly.
The car body side sections laid manually and/or by a robot into the side section clamping frame can be positioned at both sides of the car body by one portal robot each which is adjustable in height and rotatable around a vertical axle and, if required, the body side sections can be clamped by the aid of stationary positioning and clamping elements with those parts to be welded. Subsequently, for geometric welding, the welding robots located laterally beside the car body conveyor system, are swung towards the welding spot and/or moved appropriately. As a result of the fact that the portal robots for the side section clamping frames hang at an elevated four-axle portal and are movable in X and Y direction, the welding robots standing laterally on the ground floor can be moved unrestrictedly for the welding process, and the whole space is well accessible for all the maintenance and handling work.
The four-axle portal in accordance with this invention consists of stationary rails arranged in parallel or rectangularly to the car body conveyor system, one or se
Ego Thomas
Erb Hans Peter
J{umlaut over (a)}ck Kurt
Lang Wolf Dieter
Rohling Bernd
Johnson Jonathan
McGlew and Tuttle , P.C.
Ryan Patrick
Thyssen Krupp Industries GmbH
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