Incremental forming apparatus

Abstract

The present invention comprises a main body unit mounted on a robot arm and accommodating an elastic member inside; It includes a stopper unit connected to the main body unit, which moves elastically in the up-and-down direction as a load is applied from the robot arm and receives the elastic force applied as the elastic member is compressed; a load sensor unit fixedly installed inside the stopper unit and measuring the load in the direction of pressure applied to the main body unit using the elastic force transmitted from the elastic member; and a tool body unit coupled to the stopper unit, having a plurality of tools rotatably mounted thereon, which comes into close contact with the material by the movement of the main body unit and selectively uses the tools according to a preset shape to form the material.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a progressive forming device, and more specifically, to a progressive forming device that enables the effective forming of products with complex shapes, such as burrs, weld flanges, and undercuts, which cannot be formed with conventional round bar shaped tools, by utilizing a multi-tool capable of responding to the shape of the material. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, the matching die forming method, in which a sheet metal is placed between a pair of male and female dies and pressed to form the material, is the most widely used for sheet metal forming.

[0003] However, the aforementioned matching die forming method has several drawbacks: not only is it difficult to manufacture and modify molds, but molds must also be changed frequently to suit the product; precision gradually decreases due to mold wear upon repeated use; and, particularly for large molds, enormous time and cost are required for mold production.

[0004] Accordingly, economical and flexible manufacturing technologies capable of replacing the existing mold-based metal processing industry are being continuously developed.

[0005] As an example, scalable systems capable of agilely responding to various products can be cited; a representative forming technology based on such scalable systems is incremental forming.

[0006] Generally, progressive forming is a forming technique capable of producing various shapes by deforming a material with small incremental deformations. It involves rotating or moving the material and the tool separately to bring them into partial contact, thereby forming the material locally, and then gradually advancing this process toward the desired area of ​​the material to manufacture a metal product of the desired shape.

[0007] Unlike conventional forming processes that require punches and dies, this progressive forming technology fundamentally utilizes numerical control based on CAD data and programs to form products using operating principles similar to those of CNC lathes or machining centers.

[0008] Therefore, the aforementioned progressive forming technology can be considered an efficient forming technology capable of realizing small space, low cost, low noise, and low vibration due to the ease of modifying the product design process through digital processes utilizing IT technology, as well as the characteristics of the forming technology that imposes local deformation on the material and utilizes low energy.

[0009] In particular, since it can overcome the elongation limit of the material, it is applicable to difficult-to-form materials and can be usefully applied to the manufacturing of micro-components. Furthermore, it is suitable for manufacturing extra-large parts for which mold production is difficult, and can also be applied in various other fields. The problem to be solved

[0010] The objective of the present invention is to provide a progressive forming device that can improve defects that may occur on a material due to a load by providing a tool body unit comprising a finger tool similar to a conventional round bar shape tool, together with a rotatably mounted flat roller and a round roller, and by using such a tool body unit to effectively form a material with a complex shape such as a burr, weld flange, or undercut, and by measuring the load applied to the tool body unit in real time through a load sensor when the stopper moves up and down due to the compression of a gas spring, and selectively mitigating the applied load if necessary. means of solving the problem

[0011] The progressive forming device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a main body unit mounted on a robot arm and containing an elastic member inside; a stopper unit connected to the main body unit that moves elastically in the up-and-down direction as a load is applied from the robot arm and receives an elastic force applied as the elastic member is compressed; a load sensor unit fixedly installed inside the stopper unit and measuring a load in the direction of pressure applied to the main body unit using the elastic force transmitted from the elastic member; and a tool body unit coupled to the stopper unit, having a plurality of tools rotatably mounted thereon, and which is in close contact with the material by the movement of the main body unit and selectively uses the tools according to a preset shape to form the material.

[0012] Here, the tool body unit comprises a main body coupled to a load sensor housing for fixing the load sensor unit inside the stopper unit, a round roller tool provided to be axially rotatable on one side of the main body and having an outer surface formed in a rounded shape for forming a material, and a flat roller tool provided to be axially rotatable on the other side of the main body and having an outer surface formed in a flat shape for forming a material.

[0013] The above tool body unit is coupled to protrude from the lower part of the main body, and further comprises a finger tool having a plurality of semicircular tip members of different sizes interchangeably coupled thereto, which enables forming through point contact with the material.

[0014] And, the tool body unit is detachably coupled to the stopper unit.

[0015] In addition, the progressive forming device according to the present invention further includes a plurality of partial shape tool units that are in close contact with a material by the movement of the main body unit to enable press forming, wherein the partial shape tool units are replaced and coupled at a separated position as the tool body unit is separated from the stopper unit.

[0016] Meanwhile, the stopper unit comprises a first stopper that accommodates the load sensor unit internally and is equipped with a load sensor housing for fixing the load sensor unit, a second stopper that is selectively movable within the first stopper and is formed such that the movable position is limited by a locking member, and a guide pin that is provided in the first stopper in plurality and inserted into a connection hole provided in the main body unit to guide the movable of the first stopper.

[0017] In addition, the progressive forming device according to the present invention further includes a signal collection unit connected to the load sensor unit, which measures load information for the main body unit in real time and transmits it to an external device for controlling the robot arm. Effects of the invention

[0018] The present invention comprises a tool body unit including a finger tool similar to a conventional round bar shape tool, together with a rotatably mounted flat roller and a round roller, and enables easy forming of a material having complex shapes such as burring, welding flange, undercut, etc. using such a tool body unit.

[0019] In addition, since the present invention enables material forming through a tool body unit, it has the effect of preventing in advance the problem of tool marks occurring within the material that may occur when forming a material using a round bar-shaped tool as in the conventional method.

[0020] In addition, the present invention has the effect of improving defects that may occur on the material due to the load by measuring the load applied to the tool body unit in real time through a load sensor when the stopper moves up and down due to the compression of the gas spring, and selectively mitigating the applied load if necessary.

[0021] In addition, the present invention enables the tool body unit to be replaced with a partial shape tool having a predetermined size and shape, and by applying pressure to the material through such partial shape tool, it has the effect of enabling forming such as a press. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a progressive forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing for showing the structure of a progressive forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a drawing for showing the operation of a progressive forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4a and 4b are drawings for showing the replacement of a partial shape tool unit for a point forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0023] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0024] The advantages and features of the present invention and the method for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] However, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms, and these embodiments are provided merely to make the disclosure of the present invention complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0026] In addition, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that related known technologies, etc., may obscure the essence of the present invention, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a progressive forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a progressive forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Also, FIG. 3 is a drawing for showing the operation of a progressive forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b are drawings for showing the replacement of a partial shape tool unit of a progressive forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the progressive forming device according to the present embodiment includes a main body unit (100), a stopper unit (200), a load sensor unit (300), and a tool body unit (400).

[0030] The main body unit (100) has a predetermined length and is mounted on a robot arm (not shown), and accommodates an elastic member (110) made of a spring inside.

[0031] Here, the elastic member (110) is fixed in position inside the main body unit (100) by means of the elastic member bracket (102) and the connecting bracket (104), and serves to absorb the load applied by the lifting of the robot arm during molding of materials such as panels, side outers, and roofs.

[0032] The stopper unit (200) is connected to the main body unit (100) and moves elastically along the up and down direction as a load is applied from the robot arm, and receives the elastic force applied as the elastic member (110) is compressed.

[0033] That is, when the main body unit (100) is lowered by the operation of the robot arm, the main body unit (100) and the stopper unit (200) come into contact with each other. At this time, the stopper unit (200) receives the elastic force acting as the elastic member (110) is compressed and moves elastically in the direction of descent, thereby pressing the tool body unit (400).

[0034] To this end, the stopper unit (200) is equipped with a first stopper (210), a second stopper (220), and a guide pin (230).

[0035] The first stopper (210) accommodates a load sensor unit (300) inside, and a load sensor housing (302) for fixing the load sensor unit (300) is mounted on its lower part.

[0036] The first stopper (210) is formed with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the main body unit (100) and is spaced apart from the main body unit (100) at an initial position with a predetermined distance.

[0037] Additionally, the second stopper (220) is provided to be optionally raised and lowered within the first stopper (210), but is formed so that the raising and lowering position is limited by a locking member (222).

[0038] In this way, the second stopper (220) is connected to the connecting bracket (104) and can move up and down inside the first stopper (210) by the elastic force applied as the elastic member (110) is compressed.

[0039] Guide pins (230) are provided in plurality on the first stopper (210) and are inserted into a connection hole (H) provided in the main body unit (100) to guide the lifting and lowering of the first stopper (210).

[0040] The guide pin (230) is formed with a predetermined length and serves to connect the main body unit (100) and the first stopper (210) at the initial position of the first stopper (210). When the main body unit (100) is lowered for material processing, the guide pin is drawn into the interior of the connection hole (H) accordingly and can guide the path for the main body unit (100) to lower.

[0041] Meanwhile, the load sensor unit (300) is fixedly installed inside the stopper unit (200) and measures the load in the pressure direction on the main body unit (100) using the elastic force transmitted from the elastic member (110).

[0042] The load sensor unit (300) is seated in the load sensor housing (302) inside the first stopper (210) and is connected to the second stopper (220) while its position inside the first stopper (210) is aligned by the load sensor bracket (304).

[0043] Here, load information measured through the load sensor unit (300) can be transmitted to the signal collection unit (500).

[0044] That is, the signal collection unit (500) is mounted on one side of the main body unit (100) and connected to the load sensor unit (300). When load information is transmitted through the main body unit (100), more specifically, when the elastic member (110) is compressed, the elastic force is transmitted to the second stopper (220), the load information corresponding to the elastic force is measured by the load sensor unit (300). At this time, the measured load information is measured in real time and transmitted to an external device (not shown) for controlling the robot arm.

[0045] Accordingly, the signal collection unit (500) can control the load applied to the main body unit (100) using external equipment according to load information, that is, if it is determined that the load applied to the load sensor unit (300) through external equipment is relatively excessive and damage or defects to the material are occurring, the operation of the robot arm is controlled to mitigate the applied load, thereby preventing problems such as damage or defects that may occur on the material.

[0046] Meanwhile, the tool body unit (400) is coupled to the stopper unit (300), and a plurality of tools (420, 430) are rotatably mounted and are in close contact with the material by the main body unit (100), so that the material is formed by selectively using the tools (420, 430) according to a preset shape.

[0047] This tall body unit (400) is equipped with a main body (410), a round roller tool (420), and a flat roller tool (430).

[0048] The main body (410) is provided with a rotation axis (412) arranged along the horizontal direction inside and is coupled to the lower part of the load sensor housing (302) through a fastening member (not shown).

[0049] Additionally, the round roller tool (420) is rotatably mounted on a rotating shaft (412) protruding from one side of the main body (410), and the outer surface for forming the material is formed in a rounded shape.

[0050] In other words, conventionally, forming was performed on a material placed on a material receiving die using different semicircular shaped tips, but in this case, since forming is performed through point contact between the material and the semicircular shaped tip, there was a problem in that forming marks occurred along the formed area processed by the semicircular shaped tip.

[0051] In addition, although conventional tools are equipped with multiple tools of different sizes, they all have semicircular tip shapes. Consequently, when machining curved surfaces, forming occurs on the side of the semicircular tip rather than at the point of contact with the material, leading to problems such as the material accumulating to one side due to an excessive contact area.

[0052] To this end, in this embodiment, a round roller tool (420) is formed with a rounded outer surface to process a material corresponding to a shape set such as an undercut shape or a burring flange shape. By selectively using the round roller tool (420), it is possible to easily form a material with a complex shape.

[0053] The flat roller tool (430) is rotatably mounted on a rotating shaft (412) protruding from the other side of the main body (410), and the outer surface for forming the material is formed in a flat shape.

[0054] Since this flat roller tool (430) can form the material using a flat outer surface when forming the material into a shape set, such as a side wall shape, it can be selectively applied together with the round roller tool (420) when forming the material, thereby enabling the formation of an automobile exterior panel with a complex shape compared to the conventional method.

[0055] In addition, a finger tool (440) is attached to the main body (410), and this finger tool (440) is identical to a conventional semicircular tip, and by selectively replacing finger tools (440) having different sizes, effective forming can be achieved when point contact is required in forming a material.

[0056] Accordingly, in this embodiment, material processing is not performed by selectively replacing multiple semicircular tips as in the conventional method, but rather by using a single tool body unit (400) to selectively use a round roller tool (420), a flat roller tool (430), and a finger tool (440) to process the material through point contact or line contact, even for materials with relatively complex shapes. Therefore, while preventing the occurrence of forming marks during forming, material forming into sidewall shapes, undercuts, burring shapes, etc., can be done through a single tool body unit (400), thereby improving work convenience and reducing the amount of work.

[0057] Meanwhile, in the case of the main body (410) equipped with a round roller tool (420), a flat roller tool (430), and a finger tool (440) as described above, it can be separated from the load sensor housing (302) by releasing a fastening member (not shown), and a partial shape tool unit (600) can be selectively coupled to the corresponding location by fastening a fastening member (not shown).

[0058] That is, as illustrated in FIG. 4a, the partial shape tool unit (600) can be formed in a '—' shape to have a predetermined area and coupled to the load sensor housing (302), and accordingly, when applying pressure to a material having a relatively large area by operating a robot arm, the pressure on the material can be applied at once, thereby enabling the same forming as press forming.

[0059] In addition, as shown in FIG. 4b, the partial shape tool unit (600) can be formed in an L-shape and replaced with the load sensor housing (302), and accordingly, shapes such as weld flanges that cannot be formed by conventional point contact and line contact methods can be formed in the same way as press forming through surface contact.

[0060] The present invention comprises a tool body unit including a finger tool similar to a conventional round bar shape tool, together with a rotatably mounted flat roller and a round roller, and enables easy forming of a material having complex shapes such as burring, welding flange, undercut, etc. using such a tool body unit.

[0061] In addition, since the present invention enables material forming through a tool body unit, it has the effect of preventing in advance the problem of tool marks occurring within the material that may occur when forming a material using a round bar-shaped tool as in the conventional method.

[0062] In addition, the present invention has the effect of easily improving defects that may occur on the material by measuring the load applied to the tool body unit in real time through a force sensor when the stopper moves up and down due to the compression of the gas spring, and selectively mitigating the applied load when necessary.

[0063] In addition, the present invention enables the tool body unit to be replaced with a partial shape tool having a predetermined size and shape, and by applying pressure to the material through such partial shape tool, it has the effect of enabling forming such as a press.

[0064] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment(s) illustrated in the drawings, this is merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications may be made therefrom, and that all or part of the described embodiment(s) may be optionally combined. Accordingly, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0065] 100 : Main body unit 102 : Elastic member bracket 104 : Connecting bracket 110 : Elastic member 200: Stopper unit 210: First stopper 220 : Second stopper 222 : Locking member 230 : Guide pin 300 : Load sensor unit 302: Load sensor housing 304: Load sensor bracket 400: Tool body unit 410: Main body 412: Rotation axis 420: Round roller tool 430: Flat roller tool 440: Finger tool 500: Signal acquisition unit 600: Partial shape tool unit H: Connection hole

Claims

Claim 1 A progressive forming device characterized by comprising: a main body unit mounted on a robot arm and containing an elastic member; a stopper unit connected to the main body unit, elastically moving in an up-and-down direction as a load is applied from the robot arm, and receiving an elastic force applied as the elastic member is compressed; a load sensor unit fixedly installed inside the stopper unit and measuring a load in the direction of pressure applied to the main body unit using the elastic force transmitted from the elastic member; and a tool body unit coupled to the stopper unit, having a plurality of tools rotatably mounted thereon, and adhering to a material by the movement of the main body unit to selectively use the tools according to a preset shape to form the material. Claim 2 A progressive forming device according to claim 1, wherein the tool body unit comprises: a main body coupled to a load sensor housing for fixing the load sensor unit inside the stopper unit; a round roller tool provided to be axially rotatable on one side of the main body and having an outer surface formed in a rounded shape for forming a material; and a flat roller tool provided to be axially rotatable on the other side of the main body and having an outer surface formed in a flat shape for forming a material. Claim 3 A progressive forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the tool body unit is coupled to protrude from the lower part of the main body, and further comprises a finger tool having a plurality of semicircular tip members having different sizes interchangeably coupled thereto, and forming is achieved through point contact with a material. Claim 4 A progressive forming device according to claim 1, wherein the tool body unit is detachably coupled to the stopper unit. Claim 5 A progressive forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a plurality of partial shape tool units that enable press forming by adhering to a material by the movement of the main body unit, wherein the partial shape tool units are interchangeably coupled at a separated position as the tool body unit is separated from the stopper unit. Claim 6 A progressive forming device according to claim 1, wherein the stopper unit comprises: a first stopper that accommodates the load sensor unit inside and is equipped with a load sensor housing for fixing the load sensor unit; a second stopper that is selectively movable inside the first stopper and is formed such that the movable position is limited by a locking member; and a guide pin that is provided in plurality in the first stopper and is inserted into a connection hole provided in the main body unit to guide the movable of the first stopper. Claim 7 A progressive forming device according to claim 1, further comprising a signal acquisition unit connected to the load sensor unit and measuring load information for the main body unit in real time and transmitting it to an external device for controlling the robot arm.

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