Clamp and system

Abstract

Provided is a technique for improving the durability of a jig. A jig for placing a workpiece, wherein a surface treatment based on metal spraying is performed on a part of the jig.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to clamps and systems. Background Technology

[0002] There are known techniques for applying decorative films to workpieces such as motor vehicle parts to create various decorative effects. When applying such decorative films to workpieces, it is necessary to trim off any excess material.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a method of removing excess areas by irradiating a laser along the outline of the area to be decorated.

[0004] Existing technical documents Patent documents Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-110873. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The problem that the invention aims to solve However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, since the cutting is performed on the ends of the film or on the parts of the film not attached to the fixture holding the workpiece, there is no influence of the laser on the fixture, and the durability of the fixture does not need to be considered. On the other hand, when the film is attached to both the workpiece and the fixture, it is necessary to irradiate the fixture with a laser for cutting, but irradiating the fixture with a laser may affect the fixture.

[0006] The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a technique for improving the durability of fixtures.

[0007] means for solving problems In one aspect of the present invention, a fixture for holding a workpiece is provided to achieve the above-mentioned objective, wherein, A portion of the fixture undergoes a surface treatment based on metal sputtering.

[0008] Invention Effects According to the present invention, the durability of the clamp can be improved. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the decorative film, the workpiece, the workpiece holding fixture, and the base fixture in one embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 This is an illustration of a laser device and a metal coating based on metal sputtering, according to one embodiment.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the metal spraying range on a base fixture according to one embodiment.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the metal spraying range on a workpiece holding fixture according to one embodiment.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a plurality of holes on a workpiece holding fixture according to one embodiment.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a clamping device for holding a workpiece according to one embodiment.

[0015] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 100: Decorative film; 101: Workpiece; 102: Workpiece holding fixture; 103: Base fixture; 203: Metal coating; 501~504: Hole; 601: Holding device; 605, 606: Holding pin. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the invention as defined in the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Any combination of two or more features described in the embodiments may be used. Additionally, identical or identical components are labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0017] <Overall Composition> First, refer to Figure 1 The relationship between the decorative film, the workpiece, the workpiece holding fixture, and the base fixture according to one embodiment will be explained. In this embodiment, the fixture is configured as a segmented fixture, including a workpiece holding fixture 102 and a base fixture 103. Furthermore, this embodiment uses two segmented fixtures as an example for explanation, but it may also be a single integrated fixture instead of segmented fixtures, or it may be three or more segmented fixtures.

[0018] The base fixture 103 is a large fixture that serves as a base platform, and a workpiece holding fixture 102 is mounted and fixed on top of the base fixture 103. The base fixture 103 has one or more recesses 1031 and one or more protrusions 1032 on its upper surface. On the other hand, the workpiece holding fixture 102 has protrusions (not shown) and recesses (not shown) on its bottom surface that correspond to the recesses 1031 and protrusions 1032.

[0019] The recess 1031 of the base clamp 103 engages with the protrusion on the bottom surface of the workpiece holding clamp 102, and the protrusion 1032 of the base clamp 103 engages with the recess on the bottom surface of the workpiece holding clamp 102, thereby positioning and fixing each clamp. Various workpiece holding clamps 102 can be placed on top of the base clamp 103. A set of workpiece holding clamps 102 and workpieces 101 is prepared in advance, the workpiece holding clamp having a shape corresponding to the shape of the workpiece 101 to which the decorative film 100 is to be applied. Then, by changing the workpiece 101 and the set of workpiece holding clamps 102 dedicated to that workpiece 101, the application of the decorative film 100 to various workpieces 101 can be easily performed without changing the base clamp 103.

[0020] The workpiece holding fixture 102 has one or more recesses 1021 on its upper surface, which engage with the convex shape of the bottom surface (not shown) of the workpiece 101. Thus, the workpiece 101 placed above the workpiece holding fixture 102 is positioned and fixed. Alternatively, the workpiece holding fixture 102 may have one or more protrusions (not shown) instead of one or more recesses 1021 on its upper surface; in this case, they may also engage with the concave shape of the bottom surface (not shown) of the workpiece 101. Furthermore, the workpiece holding fixture 102 may have one or more recesses 1021 and one or more protrusions; in this case, they may engage with one or more convex shapes and one or more concave shapes of the bottom surface (not shown) of the workpiece 101 respectively.

[0021] Workpiece 101 is, for example, a car body part; as an example, it is a vehicle bumper. Furthermore, in Figure 1 In the text, only half of the quantity of the workpiece 101, the workpiece holding fixture 102 and the base fixture 103 is described, which are symmetrical from left to right. In fact, there is another half in the X direction.

[0022] With the workpiece holding fixture 102 placed on the base fixture 103, and the workpiece 101 placed on the workpiece holding fixture 102, a decorative film 100 is applied to the top of the workpiece 101 using a vacuum application device (not shown). The decorative film 100 can be made of various colors, patterns, etc., and the object can be easily decorated by vacuum application.

[0023] During this decoration process, a decorative film 100 is also attached around the workpiece 101, namely the workpiece holding fixture 102 and the base fixture 103. Unwanted film is removed by trimming around the workpiece 101 using a trimming device (not shown) (e.g., a laser irradiation device). However, if unwanted film is cut by laser irradiation, the workpiece holding fixture 102 and / or the base fixture 103, which are present under laser irradiation, may be damaged, sometimes affecting the durability of these fixtures. This is because the workpiece holding fixture 102 and the base fixture 103 are mostly made of resin, and in this case, there is a possibility that the fixtures may break due to exposure to UV light used by a CO2 laser to cure the decorative film 100 attached to the workpiece 101.

[0024] <Metal Spraying> Therefore, in this embodiment, at least a portion of the surfaces of the workpiece holding fixture 102 and / or the base fixture 103 are subjected to a surface treatment based on metal spraying. This improves the durability of the fixture. Metal spraying is a technique for protecting objects from corrosion; by melting metals such as zinc and aluminum and blowing their fine particles onto the surface of the object at high speed, a highly durable protective coating can be formed.

[0025] In this embodiment, metal sputtering using an aluminum alloy is performed. Generally, because aluminum has a high reflectivity, most of the light is reflected positively. Therefore, if a coating is formed solely from aluminum, the laser light reflected from the coating surface may damage the decorative film 100 and the workpiece 101. Therefore, by using metal sputtering to form the metal coating, metal is applied while creating an uneven surface. The laser light diffuses across the surface of the metal coating through this unevenness, preventing damage caused by reflected light.

[0026] Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram of the laser device and the metal coating based on metal sputtering involved in this embodiment. Figure 2 This depicts the trimming process where a decorative film 100 is cut using a laser 202 irradiated from a laser device 201. Figure 2 In this process, a metal coating 203 with an uneven shape is formed on a portion of the surface of the base fixture 103 by metal spraying, thereby performing surface processing on a portion of the base fixture 103.

[0027] <Spraying range> Next, refer to Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 An example of the metal sputtering range involved in this embodiment will be described.

[0028] Figure 3This diagram illustrates an example of the metal spraying range on the base fixture according to this embodiment. With a workpiece holding fixture 102 mounted above the base fixture 103, metal spraying is performed on a portion 302 of the upper surface of the base fixture 103, extending a predetermined distance (e.g., from the boundary 301 to 30 mm) from the boundary 301 of the two fixtures. This portion 302 corresponds to a portion of the area on the base fixture 103 exposed to space when the workpiece holding fixture 102 is mounted above the base fixture 103. Furthermore, Figure 2 For example, it could also be Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the location of region 303.

[0029] then, Figure 4 This diagram illustrates an example of the metal spraying range on the workpiece holding fixture according to this embodiment. Metal spraying is performed on a portion 401 of the side surface of the workpiece holding fixture 102. This portion 401 is the area exposed to space when the workpiece holding fixture 102 is mounted above the base fixture 103 and the workpiece 101 is mounted above the workpiece holding fixture 102. For example, the portion 401 may be a portion of the side surface of the workpiece holding fixture 102 extending a predetermined distance from the boundary 301 between the base fixture 103 and the workpiece holding fixture 102.

[0030] Therefore, when trimming the decorative film 100 attached to the base clamp 103 and / or the workpiece holding clamp 102, the area that may be irradiated by the laser can be covered by the metal coating with an uneven shape. Thus, the risk of damage to the base clamp 103 and / or the workpiece holding clamp 102 can be reduced, and the durability of these clamps can be improved.

[0031] <Control System> Next, refer to Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 An example of a holding system including the workpiece holding fixture and the holding device according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 5 This diagram shows an example of multiple holes on a workpiece holding fixture according to this embodiment. Figure 5 As shown, multiple holes 501-504 are provided on the side of the workpiece holding fixture 102. Each hole can be, for example, a bottomed cylindrical hole with a diameter of approximately 20 mm and a depth of approximately 50 mm. These holes can also be provided in... Figure 4 The side area other than the metal spraying area 401 shown (i.e., the upper area in the side).

[0032] then, Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a gripping device for holding a workpiece holding fixture according to this embodiment. Figure 6 Indicates in Figure 1 This is an external view of the gripping device 601 when viewed along the X-axis. The gripping device 601 has a first gripping part 603 and a second gripping part 604 on a guide rail 6021 provided on the support part 602. The first gripping part 603 is configured to slide along the Z-direction on the guide rail 6021 along the bidirectional arrow 607. Similarly, the second gripping part 604 is configured to slide along the Z-direction on the guide rail 6021 along the bidirectional arrow 608.

[0033] The first gripping part 603 has a gripping pin 605 at its end for gripping the workpiece holding clamp 102. Similarly, the second gripping part 604 has a gripping pin 606 at its end for gripping the workpiece holding clamp 102. Each pin can be, for example, a cylindrical pin with a diameter of about 8 to 18 mm. The control part (not shown) of the gripping device 601 can control the first gripping part 603 and the second gripping part 604 to move in a direction parallel to the Z direction.

[0034] Therefore, the holding pin 605 and the holding pin 606 can be inserted into the... Figure 5 The workpiece holding fixture 102 shown is held by holes 503 and 501. Then, the lifting / lowering mechanism (not shown) is controlled by the control unit (not shown) of the holding device 601, which can raise or lower the workpiece holding fixture 102 away from the base fixture 103 and place it on the base fixture 103.

[0035] also, Figure 6 Each set of gripping parts is further arranged at a position away from the others along the X direction. The distance between these sets of gripping parts in the X direction can be freely adjusted by the control unit (not shown) of the gripping device 601. For example, it can be configured so that each set of gripping parts can move freely along a guide rail arranged along the X direction. Moreover, each gripping pin of each gripping part in the other set can be inserted into... Figure 5 The workpiece holding fixture 102 shown has holes 504 and 502 to hold the workpiece.

[0036] By holding the workpiece retaining fixture 102 in four positions (actually, a total of eight positions including the four positions extending along the X direction), the workpiece retaining fixture 102 can be stably held. This holding system allows the workpiece retaining fixture 102 to be freely placed on or moved away from the base fixture 103. Therefore, since various workpieces 101 and their dedicated workpiece retaining fixtures 102 can be placed on the base fixture 103 for decorative film application, various workpieces can be easily decorated without replacing the heavy base fixture 103.

[0037] As explained above, according to this embodiment, a portion of the fixture used to hold the workpiece undergoes a surface treatment based on metal sputtering. This prevents damage to the fixture from the laser during trimming of the decorative film. Therefore, the durability of the fixture is improved. Furthermore, the laser is scattered by the uneven metal coating formed by metal sputtering, thus attenuating the laser. As a result, damage to the decorative film and workpiece from the laser reflected by the fixture can be prevented or suppressed.

[0038] Furthermore, by making a portion of the fixture used for metal sputtering a part of the area exposed to space on the fixture when the workpiece is placed in the fixture, metal sputtering can be concentrated on the portion that may be irradiated with a laser during trimming. Therefore, the material costs required for metal sputtering can be reduced.

[0039] Furthermore, since metal spraying can be performed while avoiding the area where the workpiece and the fixture contact each other when the workpiece is placed in the fixture, it is possible to prevent the metal coating formed by metal spraying from peeling off due to contact during placement. Similarly, when the fixture is a split fixture, by performing metal spraying while avoiding the area where the fixtures contact each other, it is possible to prevent the metal coating formed by metal spraying from peeling off due to contact between the fixtures during placement when the workpiece is placed in the base fixture 103 using the holding fixture 102.

[0040] [Variation Example] In the above embodiments, the case where the fixture consists of two separate fixtures was described, but this is not a limitation of the example. The above embodiments can also be applied when a workpiece is placed on a single fixture and a decorative film is applied to the workpiece. That is, metal spraying can also be performed on a portion of the area of ​​the fixture exposed to space when the workpiece is placed on a fixture (for example, the area of ​​the fixture within a predetermined distance from the boundary between the workpiece and the fixture (i.e., the end of the fixture)).

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, an example of forming a metal coating on the surface of the fixture by performing metal sputtering was described, but it is not limited to metal sputtering. As long as it is possible to form an uneven surface on the fixture to scatter the laser and prevent the fixture from being damaged by the laser, a protective coating for the fixture can also be formed by methods other than metal sputtering.

[0042] <Other Implementation Methods> Furthermore, a program that implements one or more functions described in each embodiment is supplied to the system or device via a network or storage medium, and the computer controlling the system or device can read and execute the program. This is also how the present invention can be implemented.

[0043] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified and altered in various ways within the scope of the invention's intent.

Claims

1. A fixture for holding a workpiece, wherein, A surface treatment based on metal sputtering was performed on a portion of the fixture.

2. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein, The portion of the area is a part of the area on the fixture that is exposed when the workpiece is placed on the fixture.

3. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein, The clamp includes: A first clamp for holding the workpiece; and The second clamp is used to hold the first clamp. The portion of the area refers to a portion of the area on the first fixture and the area on the second fixture exposed when the workpiece is placed on the first fixture and the first fixture is placed on the second fixture.

4. The clamp according to claim 3, wherein, A portion of the area on the second clamp is the area on the second clamp within a predetermined distance range from the boundary between the first clamp and the second clamp when the first clamp is placed on the second clamp.

5. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein, The surface processing is a metal coating process based on the metal spraying.

6. The clamp according to claim 3, wherein, The first clamp is provided with multiple holes for inserting multiple holding pins for holding the first clamp.

7. The clamp according to claim 6, wherein, The plurality of holes are disposed in the area of ​​the first fixture on which the metal spraying has not been performed.

8. The clamp according to claim 6, wherein, The plurality of holes are provided on the side region of the first clamp when the first clamp is placed on the second clamp.

9. A system in which, The system has the following features: The clamp according to any one of claims 6 to 8; and The holding device.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein, The holding device includes the plurality of holding pins. The holding device holds the first clamp by inserting the plurality of holding pins into the plurality of holes of the first clamp.

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