Thermal forming device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a thermal forming device and method. The thermal forming method comprises the following steps that a plate is blanked into a blank with an outer contour; the blank is moved to the position above laser heaters arranged in an array mode through a feeding robot; the laser heater is used for heating the blank and austenitizing the blank, and the laser heater is provided with a plurality of heating areas; the austenitized blank is transferred into stamping equipment through a feeding robot; and the stamping equipment is used for performing hot stamping forming. According to the thermal forming device and method, the laser heaters arranged in an array mode are used, the laser heaters are provided with a plurality of heating areas, different powers are selected to adjust the heating temperature and the heating speed of the blank, the heating time is made to be consistent, the laser heaters are directly used for heating, and the transfer time of a thermal forming production line is shortened to be within 5 s; and the problem that the blank is oxidized in the air is solved, and the production takt of the whole thermal forming production line can be shortened to be within 20 s.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of stamping forming, and specifically, relates to a hot forming device and method. Background Art

[0002] The description in this part only provides background information related to the disclosure of the present invention, and does not constitute prior art.

[0003] Hot stamping forming is a part processing method. First, the blank is heated to the austenitizing state, and then it is stamped and held for quenching in a corresponding die by a stamping machine to obtain the required shape and simultaneously realize the phase transformation of the metal material. At present, the hot stamping processes in the traditional hot stamping industry are divided into direct hot forming and indirect hot forming. The direct hot forming process is blanking → austenite heating → transfer → hot stamping forming → part; the indirect hot forming process is blanking → cold stamping preforming → austenite heating → transfer → hot stamping forming → part. Usually, a production line needs to be composed of a loading robot, a loading platform, a heating furnace, an unloading platform, a transfer robot, a stamping machine table, a part-gripping robot, etc. The traditional hot forming production line is as follows: First, the robot places the blank on the stacking trolley onto the loading platform, and then rolls it into the heating furnace for austenitizing heating. After the heating is completed, the hot blank rolls out of the heating furnace and enters the unloading platform. Then, after the centering fingers center the hot blank to the specified position, the robot grabs the hot blank and places it into the stamping machine table. Finally, stamping forming is carried out. Due to the limitations of the production line, the production cycle of the traditional hot forming production line is generally above 20 s, usually 26 s - 28 s. The production line is relatively complex, the floor area is large, and the cost is high, etc.

[0004] It should be noted that the above introduction of the technical background is only for the convenience of clearly and completely explaining the technical solution of the present invention and facilitating the understanding of those skilled in the art. It cannot be considered that the above technical solutions are well-known to those skilled in the art just because these solutions are described in the background art part of the present invention. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a hot forming device and method, which reduce the steps of the heating furnace and the transfer from the heating furnace to the die, shorten the production cycle, reduce the oxidation problem of the blank in the air, and solve the problems of inaccurate feeding or non-entry of the hot blank into the die, thereby wasting the blank and damaging the die.

[0006] The present invention discloses a hot forming device, including:

[0007] A loading robot, wherein the loading robot includes an end effector provided on the front arm of the loading robot;

[0008] A laser heater, which is located between the loading robot and the stamping equipment, and is located below the end effector. The laser heater is arranged in an array and has a plurality of heating zones;

[0009] A stamping equipment, which performs stamping and forming on the blank to be processed after the laser heater completes laser heating of the blank to be processed. A mold for accommodating the blank is provided inside the stamping equipment, and the mold includes a horizontal device to keep the blank in a horizontal state;

[0010] A unloading robot, which is used to take out the formed parts from the stamping equipment.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned thermoforming device, the light spot of the laser heater is a rectangular light spot.

[0012] The present invention discloses a thermoforming method, which includes the following steps:

[0013] Blanking the sheet into a blank with an outer contour;

[0014] Using a loading robot to move the blank above the laser heater arranged in an array;

[0015] The laser heater heats the blank and austenitizes it. The laser heater has a plurality of heating zones;

[0016] Using a loading robot to transfer the austenitized blank into the stamping equipment;

[0017] The stamping equipment performs hot stamping and forming.

[0018] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned thermoforming method, in the step "The laser heater heats the blank and austenitizes it", during the heating process, the blank can move back and forth or left and right in the horizontal direction.

[0019] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned thermoforming method, in the step "The laser heater heats the blank and austenitizes it", during the heating process, the laser heater can move horizontally perpendicular to the moving direction of the blank.

[0020] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned thermoforming method, in the step "The laser heater heats the blank and austenitizes it", the heating time is between 10s and 60s, preferably 10s to 20s.

[0021] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned thermoforming method, in the step "The laser heater heats the blank and austenitizes it", it also includes spraying nitrogen gas on the surface of the blank using a nitrogen pipe.

[0022] Further, in the above hot forming method, in the step "the laser heater heats the blank and austenitizes it, and the laser heater is provided with a plurality of heating zones", different powers can be selected for the plurality of heating zones to adjust the heating temperature and rate of the blank.

[0023] Further, in the above hot forming method, in the step "transfer the austenitized blank to the stamping equipment by the loading robot", after heating is completed, the transfer time of the blank to the stamping equipment is less than 5 s.

[0024] Further, in the above hot forming method, the blank is a hot forming material. Preferably, the blank is a hot forming material with a strength of 1500 Mpa or 2000 Mpa.

[0025] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0026] For the hot forming device and method of the present invention, an array of laser heaters is used. The laser heater is provided with a plurality of heating zones, and different powers are selected to adjust the heating temperature and rate of the blank, so that the heating time is consistent. The blank is directly heated by the laser heater, and the transfer time of the hot forming production line 1 is shortened to within 5 s, reducing the problem of oxidation of the blank in the air. The entire hot forming production line can shorten the production cycle to within 20 s.

[0027] To make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following specific preferred embodiments are given, and detailed descriptions are made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows. Description of the Drawings

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a traditional hot stamping process in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a stamping process of a hot forming device and method in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a first laser heating method for a sill blank in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a second laser heating method for a sill blank in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the laser heating method for the B-pillar blank in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Reference numerals in the above drawings: 1, stacking trolley; 2, loading robot; 3, laser heater; 31, first heating zone; 32, second heating zone; 4, stamping equipment; 5, unloading robot; 6, conveyor belt; 7, blank. Detailed implementation manners

[0035] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0036] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and to distinguish similar objects, and there is no sequence between them, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In addition, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0037] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0038] Embodiment

[0039] Refer to Figures 2 to 5 , this embodiment provides a hot forming device, including:

[0040] A loading robot 2, and the loading robot 2 includes an end effector provided on the forearm of the loading robot 2;

[0041] A laser heater 3, the laser heater 3 is located between the loading robot 2 and the stamping equipment 4, and the laser heater 3 is located below the end effector. The laser heaters 3 are arranged in an array and are provided with a plurality of heating zones;

[0042] Stamping equipment 4, the stamping equipment 4 performs stamping on the blank 7 to be processed after the laser heater 3 completes laser heating of the blank 7 to be processed. A mold for accommodating the blank 7 is provided in the stamping equipment 4, and the mold includes a horizontal device to make the blank 7 in a horizontal state;

[0043] The blanking robot 5 is used to take out the formed parts from the stamping equipment 4. The laser heater 3 is located between the loading robot 2 and the stamping equipment 4. The loading platform, heating furnace and unloading platform are removed, saving production space and avoiding the problem of inaccurate centering of the blank 7 during unloading. Moreover, the laser heater 3 is located below the end effector of the loading robot 2. After the laser heater 3 finishes heating the blank, the end effector of the loading robot 2 directly transfers the blank into the machine table of the stamping equipment 4 for stamping, shortening the transfer time and saving production space in the factory.

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment, the light spot of the laser heater 3 is a rectangular light spot.

[0045] This embodiment also provides a hot forming method, including the following steps:

[0046] Blanking the sheet into a blank 7 with an outer contour, and stacking the blanked blanks 7 together with the stacking trolley 1 for convenient production;

[0047] Using the loading robot 2 to move the blank 7 above the laser heaters 3 arranged in an array;

[0048] The laser heater 3 heats the blank 7 and makes it austenitized. The laser heater 3 is provided with a plurality of heating zones;

[0049] Using the loading robot 2 to transfer the austenitized blank 7 into the stamping equipment 4;

[0050] The stamping equipment 4 performs hot stamping forming;

[0051] Using the blanking robot 5 to take out the formed blank from the stamping equipment 4, and then conveying the parts to the material box through the conveyor belt 6.

[0052] By means of the above hot forming method, the end effector of the loading robot 2 directly grabs the blank 7 on the stacking trolley 1 and moves it to directly above the laser heater 3 in front of the stamping equipment 4, and then turns on the laser heater 3 for heating. In order to make the temperature of the blank 7 uniform, the end effector of the loading robot 2 can move back and forth, and the laser heater 3 moves perpendicular to the moving direction of the blank 7. After heating is completed, it is transferred into the machine table of the stamping equipment 4 for hot stamping forming. Compared with the traditional hot forming production line, the hot forming production line of this embodiment removes the loading platform, heating furnace and unloading platform, uses the laser heaters 3 arranged in an array, the laser heater 3 is provided with a plurality of heating zones, and different powers are selected to adjust the heating temperature and rate of the blank 7 to make the heating time consistent. The laser heater 3 is used for direct heating, and the transfer time of the traditional hot forming production line is shortened from 10 s to within 5 s, reducing the problem of oxidation of the blank in the air. The entire hot forming production line can shorten the production beat to within 20 s.

[0053] Specifically, in this embodiment, in the step of "the laser heater 3 heats the blank 7 and austenitizes it", during the heating process, the blank 7 can move back and forth or left and right in the horizontal direction, and the laser heater 3 can move horizontally perpendicular to the moving direction of the blank 7.

[0054] Specifically, in this embodiment, in the step of "the laser heater 3 heats the blank 7 and austenitizes it", the heating time is between 10 s and 60 s, preferably 10 s to 20 s.

[0055] Specifically, in this embodiment, in the step of "the laser heater 3 heats the blank 7 and austenitizes it", it further includes spraying nitrogen on the surface of the blank 7 using a nitrogen pipe, spraying nitrogen on the surface of the blank during laser heating to perform nitrogen protection and prevent the blank from oxidizing.

[0056] Specifically, in this embodiment, in the step of "the laser heater 3 heats the blank 7 and austenitizes it, and the laser heater 3 is provided with multiple heating zones", multiple heating zones can select different powers to adjust the heating temperature and rate of the blank 7. For a traditional heating furnace, if it heats blanks 7 with three cavities in one mold and the thicknesses of the three blanks 7 are different, usually the thickest blank 7 is selected to determine the heating time. For example, when a 1.4 mm thick blank 7 and a 2.0 mm blank 7 are heated simultaneously, the heating time of the 2.0 mm blank 7 is selected. In this way, the heating time of the 1.4 mm blank 7 is prolonged, the oxidation is serious, and the production rhythm is reduced. By selecting laser heaters 3 with different powers, the heating time can be made consistent.

[0057] Specifically, in this embodiment, in the step of "using the loading robot 2 to transfer the austenitized blank 7 into the stamping equipment 4", after heating is completed, the transfer time of the blank 7 into the stamping equipment 4 is less than 5 s. The short transfer time means a short oxidation time in the air, reducing the problem of blank oxidation in the air.

[0058] Specifically, in this embodiment, the blank 7 is a hot forming material. Preferably, the blank 7 uses a hot forming material with a strength of 1500 Mpa or 2000 Mpa.

[0059] The following specifically describes the present invention through specific embodiments:

[0060] Example 1:

[0061] Refer to Figure 3 , use the loading robot 2 to transfer the 1500 Mpa sill blank 7 with a thickness of 1.4 mm from the blanking trolley to the front of the stamping equipment 4, directly above the array laser heater 3;

[0062] Then, turn on the array - arranged laser heater 3 to heat the sill blank 7 and perform austenitization. The size of the laser head is 205mm * 110mm, the spot size is 210mm * 120mm, the power of each laser head is 20KW. Heat the blank 7 to 970°C, with a heating time of 10s. After heating, turn off the array laser heater 3;

[0063] Use the loading robot 2 to transfer the heated blank 7 into the stamping equipment 4 (and the press), and the transfer time is 3s;

[0064] Finally, the stamping equipment 4 presses down to complete the hot stamping forming.

[0065] Example 2

[0066] Refer to Figure 4 , use the loading robot 2 to transfer the 1.4mm 2000Mpa sill blank 7 from the stripping trolley to the front of the stamping equipment 4, directly above the array laser heater 3;

[0067] Turn on the array - arranged laser heater 3. The size of the laser head is 205mm * 110mm, the spot size is 120mm * 30mm, the power of each laser head is 6KW. The blank 7 moves horizontally back and forth on the end effector of the loading robot 2, and the laser heater 3 moves horizontally perpendicular to the moving direction of the blank 7. Heat the blank 7 to 970°C, with a heating time of 2s. After heating, turn off the array laser heater 3;

[0068] Use the loading robot 2 to transfer the austenitized blank 7 into the stamping equipment 4, and the transfer time is 3s;

[0069] Finally, the stamping equipment 4 presses down to complete the hot stamping forming.

[0070] Example 3

[0071] Refer to Figure 5 , for the B - pillar blank 7, adopt the laser welding method. The upper part is 1.4mm 1500Mpa hot stamping material, and the lower part is 2.0mm 1500Mpa hot stamping material;

[0072] Use the loading robot 2 to transfer the B - pillar blank 7 from the stripping trolley to the front of the stamping equipment 4, directly above the laser heater 3;

[0073] Turn on the laser heaters 3 arranged in the first heating zone 31, and arrange them in a shape corresponding to the upper part (1.4 mm) of the B-pillar blank 7, with a spot size of 210 mm * 120 mm. Set the power of each 12KW laser head to 4KW; turn on the laser heaters 3 arranged in the second heating zone 32, and arrange them in a shape corresponding to the lower part (2.0 mm) of the B-pillar blank 7, with a spot size of 210 mm * 120 mm, and the power of each laser head is 12KW;

[0074] Turn on the laser to heat the B-pillar blank 7 and perform austenitization. The heating temperature reaches 950 °C, and the heating time is 15 s. At the same time, turn on the nitrogen pipe next to the laser to spray nitrogen to prevent the blank 7 from oxidizing. After heating is completed, turn off the laser;

[0075] Use the loading robot 2 to transfer the heated and austenitized blank 7 into the stamping equipment 4 for stamping and forming.

[0076] In the present invention, specific embodiments are applied to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the technical solution and its core idea of the present invention; at the same time, for those of ordinary skill in the art, according to the idea of the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation manner and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

Claims

1. A hot forming device, characterized in that, it includes: a loading robot, the loading robot includes an end effector provided on the front arm of the loading robot; a laser heater, the laser heater is located between the loading robot and the stamping equipment, and the laser heater is located below the end effector, the laser heaters are arranged in an array and are provided with a plurality of heating zones; stamping equipment, the stamping equipment performs stamping forming on the workpiece to be processed after the laser heater completes laser heating of the workpiece to be processed, a mold for accommodating the workpiece is arranged in the stamping equipment, and the mold includes a horizontal device to make the workpiece in a horizontal state; an unloading robot, the unloading robot is used to take out the formed part from the stamping equipment.

2. The hot forming method according to claim 1, characterized in that, the light spot of the laser heater is a rectangular light spot.

3. A hot forming method using the hot forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, it includes the following steps: blanking the sheet into a workpiece with an outer contour; using the loading robot to move the workpiece above the laser heaters arranged in an array; the laser heaters heat the workpiece and make it austenitized, and the laser heaters are provided with a plurality of heating zones; using the loading robot to transfer the austenitized workpiece into the stamping equipment; the stamping equipment performs hot stamping forming.

4. The hot forming method according to claim 3, characterized in that, in the step "the laser heaters heat the workpiece and make it austenitized", during the heating process, the workpiece can move back and forth or left and right in the horizontal direction.

5. The hot forming method according to claim 4, characterized in that, in the step "the laser heaters heat the workpiece and make it austenitized", during the heating process, the laser heaters can move horizontally perpendicular to the moving direction of the workpiece.

6. The hot forming method according to claim 3, characterized in that, in the step "the laser heaters heat the workpiece and make it austenitized", the heating time is between 10s and 60s, preferably 10s to 20s.

7. The hot forming method according to claim 3, characterized in that, in the step "the laser heaters heat the workpiece and make it austenitized", it further includes spraying nitrogen gas on the surface of the workpiece using a nitrogen pipe.

8. The hot forming method according to claim 3, characterized in that, in the step "the laser heaters heat the workpiece and make it austenitized, the laser heaters are provided with a plurality of heating zones", the plurality of heating zones can select different powers to adjust the heating temperature and rate of the workpiece.

9. The hot forming method according to claim 3, characterized in that, in the step "using the loading robot to transfer the austenitized workpiece into the stamping equipment", after the heating is completed, the transfer time of the workpiece into the stamping equipment is less than 5s.

10. The hot forming method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The blank is a hot forming material. Preferably, the blank uses a hot forming material with a strength of 1500 Mpa or 2000 Mpa.

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