Method for manufacturing a metal component as well as metal component

Abstract

Method for manufacturing a metal component (1) in which the metal component (1) is first directly and / or indirectly hot-formed (WU) and subsequently subjected to at least one further processing step (B), characterized in that the metal component (1) is processed directly and / or indirectly by means of ultrasonic waves (2) in the at least one further processing step (B), wherein in the at least one further processing step (B) an opening is made in the metal component (1), wherein in a region of the opening the hot-formed metal component (1) is locally heated by means of ultrasonic waves (2), and the opening is made in the region by means of a tool.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a metal component and to a metal component according to the preambles of the independent claims.

[0002] Such a method for manufacturing a metal component is already known from DE 10 2011 009 891 A1, in which the metal component is first hot-formed directly and / or indirectly and then subjected to at least one further processing step. In this further processing step, the metal component is joined to another component by material-bonded and / or force-fit joining.

[0003] German patent DE 10 2009 017 248 A1 discloses an ultrasonic unit for material processing, comprising a block sonotrode. This unit is clamped between a workpiece and the table of a machine tool and transmits mechanical vibrations to process material more efficiently. The aim is to reduce thermal damage, improve machining quality, and increase the material removal rate.

[0004] DE 10 2010 005 230 A1 discloses a device and a method for ultrasonic processing in which a converter and a sonotrode are used to transmit mechanical vibrations to a material. The sonotrode generates uniform amplitudes along a process zone, which is particularly advantageous for applications such as ultrasonic cutting and welding.

[0005] EP 2 787 089 A1 discloses a method for surface hardening of components, particularly for turbomachinery, by a combination of ultrasound and intermittent heating. The treatment increases surface hardness and strength, leading to improved service life and reliability of the components.

[0006] Finally, DE 42 06 584 C2, DE 10 2012 106 491 A1 and DE 20 2011 108 504 U1 disclose processes worthy of mention involving ultrasonic processing, EP 0 305 827 A1, WO 2005 018 848 A1, DE 37 287 71 A1, DE 10 2010 054 617 A1, DE 602 13 131 T2 disclose processes worthy of mention involving ultrasonic cleaning and DE 10 2006 016 368 A1 and WO 99 / 16 578 A1 disclose processes worthy of mention involving ultrasonic polishing to the state of the art. Document DE 10 2011 052 252 A1 describes a tool head and a method for machining, document DE 10 2011 054 358 A1 describes a method for forming a workpiece, and document DE 10 2013 212 763 A1 describes a device and a method for joining fiber-reinforced components.

[0007] The object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a metal component and a metal component which can be further processed particularly advantageously by means of at least one further processing step.

[0008] This problem is solved according to the invention by a method for manufacturing a metal component and by a metal component having the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims and the description.

[0009] To create a method for manufacturing a metal component of the type mentioned above, by which the metal component can be further processed particularly advantageously by means of at least one additional processing step, it is provided according to the invention that the metal component is processed directly and / or indirectly by means of ultrasonic waves in the at least one additional processing step. This means that ultrasonic waves, which are sound waves with frequencies above the audible frequency range of a human, are applied directly and / or indirectly to or introduced into the metal component. On the one hand, the ultrasonic waves can be applied directly to a surface of the metal component; on the other hand, the metal component can be processed by means of an ultrasonically excited tool, for example a sonotrode or a punch, or an ultrasonically excited functional element.The ultrasonically excited functional element can be inserted into the metal component, where it acts as a sonotrode. Using ultrasonic waves, the directly and / or indirectly heat-formed metal component can be further processed particularly easily in at least one additional machining step.

[0010] According to the invention, in at least one further processing step, the metal component is locally heated using ultrasonic waves. This means that ultrasonic waves are applied to or introduced into the metal component. This allows the metal component to be heated locally, which, for example, results in the strength of the metal component being locally modified. For example, locally varying strength zones can thus be introduced as required. Alternatively, the entire surface of the metal component can be heated using ultrasonic waves in order to modify its strength across the entire surface. For example, tempering is carried out using ultrasonic waves by heating the metal component, at least locally, to a temperature of approximately 400 °C.Alternatively, the metal component can be subjected to a stress-relief annealing process by heating at least some areas using ultrasonic waves. This allows for at least local modification of the component's microstructure. Furthermore, the component's susceptibility to edge cracking, at least at cutting edges, can be reduced.

[0011] It is also provided according to the invention that the hot-formed metal component is heated in a region of the opening using ultrasonic waves, and the opening is created in this region using a tool. This means that the metal component is heated by ultrasonic waves in the area where the opening is to be created. The heating is achieved by applying and / or introducing ultrasonic waves onto or into the metal component. Once the area is heated, the metal component exhibits lower strength in that area compared to another area of ​​the metal component that has not been heated by ultrasonic waves. Therefore, the opening can be created in this area particularly easily using the tool.The tool used could be, for example, a punch or a flow drill, which, due to the localized heating of the area, is particularly easy to insert into the metal component. Without heating the area where the opening is to be made, the metal component is so rigid that drilling with the punch requires significant force, causes wear and / or impact, or the metal component does not flow, or only minimally flows, into the opening created with the flow drill. This has the disadvantage that any adhesive applied between the metal component and the workpiece can seep into the opening and contaminate it. Consequently, heating the area can locally modify the rigidity of the metal component, allowing it to flow in that area when the flow drill is inserted.

[0012] Therefore, it is possible that an opening is created in the metal component using ultrasonic waves in at least one further processing step. The ultrasonic waves enable particularly easy creation of the opening in the metal component, as they allow the opening to be created in the hot-formed metal component, which is especially hard, with minimal force. For example, the metal component can be heated locally or across its entire surface before the opening is created to facilitate the most forceful possible process.

[0013] In this context, it has proven advantageous to create the opening in the metal component using ultrasonic cutting or ultrasonic punching. This allows for the advantageous production of a particularly flat cut surface at the edge of the opening. Furthermore, ultrasonic cutting and ultrasonic punching are both very low-wear machining methods, in which the ultrasonic device used for the cutting and / or punching process experiences minimal wear during the creation of the opening in the metal component. Ultrasonic punching or cutting can be performed, for example, using an ultrasonic sonotrode. The ultrasonic sonotrode comprises an ultrasonic element that is set into vibration and thus excited by ultrasonic waves.The ultrasonic excitation of the ultrasonic element of the ultrasonic sonotrode allows it to vibrate into the metal component. In the area of ​​the opening, material of the metal component is displaced laterally by the ultrasonic element, enabling the sealing of multiple layers, particularly an adhesive layer sandwiched between two metal sheets. Advantageously, the ultrasonic sonotrode allows for the creation of the opening with minimal force. Furthermore, damage to the metal component during the creation process can be prevented.

[0014] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, it has proven beneficial to introduce the ultrasonically excited functional element into the metal component in the specified area. This means that the functional element, which can be a flow-drilling screw, is set into vibration by means of ultrasonic waves and introduced into the metal component by means of these vibrations. The area into which the functional element is to be introduced can be heated, and then the ultrasonically excited functional element or the ultrasonically excited flow-drilling screw can be introduced into the area of ​​the metal component. Advantageously, the flow-drilling screw provides a means of joining the metal component to another component. For example, the other component is held to the metal component at least by means of the flow-drilling screw.The additional component can be further secured to the metal part, for example, with an adhesive. The use of ultrasonically excited flow drill screws offers the advantage of requiring very little force to insert the screw into the metal part. The flow drill screw seals an opening created in the metal part. Furthermore, the ultrasonically excited flow drill screw prevents damage to the metal part during insertion, as it is inserted very gently.

[0015] In this context, it has proven advantageous to locally heat the metal component using an ultrasonic sonotrode. The ultrasonic sonotrode makes it particularly easy to locally heat the formed metal component.

[0016] In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the metal component is cleaned by ultrasonic cleaning and / or polished by ultrasonic polishing. This means that the metal component is cleaned and / or polished by being exposed to ultrasonic waves. For example, during cleaning and / or polishing of the metal component, oxides that are present on a surface of the metal component due to a hot forming process are removed. Oxides prevent good contact between the metal component and another component, for example, during a welding process. Furthermore, oxides can contaminate a weld seam between the metal component and the other component. In addition, the oxides cause thermal conductivity problems, resulting in a particularly high contact resistance during welding and thus a particularly low strength at the weld point.This can be avoided by ultrasonic cleaning and polishing. Furthermore, oxides can impede adhesive adhesion when joining the metal component and the component using the flow-drill screw. Cleaning or polishing the metal component with ultrasonic waves thus facilitates the execution of at least one additional processing step.

[0017] Another aspect of the invention relates to a metal component that has been manufactured using one of the methods described above. Advantages and advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention are to be regarded as advantages and advantageous embodiments of the metal component according to the invention. For this reason, the advantages and advantageous embodiments of the metal component according to the invention are not described again here.

[0018] Further features of the invention will become apparent from the claims, the figures, and the description of the figures. The features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as the features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown in the figures alone, are not only usable in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or on their own.

[0019] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to a preferred embodiment and the drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1. A process scheme for manufacturing a metal component, in which the metal component is first hot-formed and then subjected to at least one further processing step; and Fig. 2 a schematic sectional view of the metal component, wherein the metal component is subjected to ultrasonic waves in at least one further processing step.

[0020] In Fig. Figure 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a metal component 1. In this process, the metal component 1 is hot-formed in a first process step WU and further processed in at least one subsequent processing step B.

[0021] The metal component 1 can, for example, be a raw component of a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car. During the first processing step WU, the metal component 1 is hot-formed to achieve the desired shape and to harden it, meaning to give it particularly high strength. Subsequently, in at least one further processing step B, the metal component 1 is joined to another component (not shown), prepared for joining with the other component, or reshaped, for example, by a cutting or punching operation.

[0022] To enable particularly simple further processing of the metal component 1 by means of at least one further processing step B, the metal component 1 is subjected to ultrasonic waves 2 in the at least one further processing step B.

[0023] As in Fig. As shown in a schematic sectional view 2, the ultrasonic waves 2 are applied to a surface 4 of the metal component 1 by means of an ultrasonic device 3. In this case, the ultrasonic waves 2 penetrate the metal component 1. The ultrasonic device 3 can be configured to perform ultrasonic cutting, ultrasonic drilling, ultrasonic polishing, ultrasonic cleaning, ultrasonic tempering or annealing, and / or ultrasonic flow drilling.

[0024] The depicted ultrasonic device 3 comprises a rotary impact sonotrode, designated as ultrasonic sonotrode 5. In at least one processing step B, an opening, not shown in the present illustration, can be created in the metal component 1 by ultrasonic cutting or ultrasonic drilling using the ultrasonic device 3. Alternatively or additionally, in a region of the metal component 1 where the opening is to be created, the metal component 1 can be heated by ultrasonic waves 2, and the opening can be created in this region of the metal component 1 using a tool, which may be designed as a flow-drilling screw. Alternatively or additionally, in at least one further processing step B, the metal component 1 can be locally heated by ultrasonic waves 2, in this case to modify the strength of the metal component 1. The local heating can be carried out using the ultrasonic sonotrode 5.

[0025] After the hot forming process step WU, oxides are present on the surface 4 of the metal component 1. These oxides can be removed by ultrasonic cleaning and / or ultrasonic polishing to enable a coating process and / or welding of the surface 4 of the metal component 1. Furthermore, removing the oxides allows an adhesive to adhere particularly well to the surface 4 of the metal component 1. A disadvantage of oxides is that they prevent good contact between the metal component 1 and other materials. These other materials could be, for example, a coating, another component to which the metal component 1 is to be joined, or the adhesive itself. Additionally, oxides can contaminate the weld pool during welding and negatively affect the thermal conductivity at a weld point to such an extent that the contact resistance between the welding tool and the metal component 1 is particularly low.This can negatively affect the strength at the weld point.

[0026] By subjecting the metal component 1 to ultrasonic waves 2 in at least one further processing step B, costs can be kept particularly low, flexibility can be kept particularly high, and the metal component 1 can be joined particularly gently using ultrasonic flow drilling. Furthermore, the metal component 1 can be further processed in at least one further processing step B using the ultrasonic device 3, so that no additional tools are required.

Claims

[1] Method for producing a metal component (1) in which the metal component (1) is first directly and / or indirectly hot formed (WU) and then subjected to at least one further processing step (B), characterized by , that the metal component (1) is processed directly and / or indirectly by means of ultrasonic waves (2) in at least one further processing step (B), wherein in at least one further processing step (B) an opening is made in the metal component (1), wherein in an area of ​​the opening the hot-formed metal component (1) is locally heated by means of ultrasonic waves (2), and the opening is made in the area by means of a tool. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that the metal component (1) is heated locally by means of an ultrasonic sonotrode (5). [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by, that the metal component (1) is cleaned by ultrasonic cleaning and / or polished by ultrasonic polishing. [4] Metal component (1) which has been manufactured by a method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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