Systems and methods for deformation compensation

Abstract

To provide a system configured to perform deformation compensation in real time during a heat treatment performed on a component.SOLUTION: The system comprises: a supporting structure; two or more clamping devices arranged with the supporting structure, one or more clamping devices including a clamp, a load cell and a motor; and a processing and control system configured to collect signals from a load cell and to send signals based on the detected loads to a motor to compensate for deformation due to the heat treatment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application No. 20382377.8, filed May 8, 2020. [Technical field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a system configured to compensate for deformations in components, particularly components for vehicle frameworks, that occur during heat treatment. The present disclosure further relates to a method for compensating for deformations during heat treatments performed on such components. [Background technology]

[0003] Vehicles such as automobiles include a structural framework designed to withstand all the loads that the vehicle may be subjected to during its life, and further designed to withstand and absorb shocks, for example in the event of a collision with another vehicle or an obstacle.

[0004] In this sense, the structural framework of a vehicle, for example an automobile, may include bumpers, pillars (A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar), side impact beams, rocker panels, shock absorbers. It has become common in the automotive industry to use so-called ultra-high strength steels (UHSS), which exhibit optimized maximum strength per unit of weight and advantageous forming properties, for the structural framework of a vehicle or at least for many of its components. The UHSS may have a maximum tensile strength of at least 1000 MPa, preferably up to about 1500 MPa or up to 2000 MPa or more.

[0005] An example of a steel used in the automotive industry is 22MnB5 steel.

[0006] The fabrication of automotive parts may involve forming metal sheets, particularly steel sheets, to impart a desired shape. Generally, forming may cause stresses to build up in areas of the part that are bent or deformed.

[0007] In the automotive industry, especially Hot Forming Die Quenching (HFDQ) is used. In the HFDQ process, a steel piece is heated above the austenitizing temperature, above Ac1 or above Ac3. After heating above the austenitizing temperature, the blank is placed in a hot forming press. The blank is deformed and simultaneously quenched. The cooling can usually be performed at a rate above the so-called critical cooling rate. The critical cooling rate for HFDQ steels is about 27 °C / s. As a result of quenching, the deformed blank can obtain a martensitic structure. Depending on the exact temperature and heating time, a completely martensitic structure can be obtained. The product obtained in this way can obtain high hardness and correspondingly high ultimate tensile strength and high yield strength. On the other hand, the maximum elongation (elongation at break) can be relatively low.

[0008] Once the vehicle part has the desired shape, it may undergo post-processing, which may include riveting, punching, calibrating, trimming, and many other operations.

[0009] Typical post-processing operations include heating a portion of a component to tailor or enhance the properties of the component. For example, the creation of a “soft zone” or “soft zones” (e.g., by laser) provides increased ductility to the treated area of ​​the component. By heating an area of ​​the component and then typically cooling it relatively slowly, the martensitic microstructure can be transformed into a more ferritic, pearlitic and / or bainitic microstructure. As a result, the hardness of the heat treated portion or area of ​​the component can be reduced, resulting in a more ductile material; i.e., the area can have a higher elongation to failure. At the same time, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength can be lower than with a martensitic microstructure.

[0010] When a part is subjected to such a heat treatment, it may distort due to the release of residual tensions built up from previous forming steps. For example, multiple regions of a hot-formed part may distort if a soft region forms in one area of ​​the hot-formed part.

[0011] Thus, as used herein, "forming" should be understood as any metal working process performed on vehicle components, including forming metal parts and objects by mechanical deformation. The workpiece is reshaped without adding or removing material, and its mass remains unchanged. Forming may include die forming, rolling, bending, among others, and any process that causes stresses to build up in the part.

[0012] Additionally, "heat treatment" as used herein shall be understood as any heating process performed on a vehicle part in which heat applied to the part relieves stresses accumulated in the part during a previous process performed on the part (i.e., "forming") and allows the part to deform due to the relieved stresses.

[0013] This problem is already known in the art. A possible way to address this problem is to adapt the forming process (e.g. HFDQ process) to provide a part that does not have the final desired dimensions: for example, a soft zone can be formed in the part, the deformations caused by the heating process can be observed, and the HFDQ process can be adapted for the subsequent part to compensate for the expected deformations due to the soft zone process. Thus, if this adjustment is done correctly, a part with exactly the desired shape and dimensions is obtained.

[0014] However, this method is not very accurate and does not take into account the individuality of each part. No two parts are exactly the same. Inevitably, different blanks will not have an exactly constant thickness across their length and width. Also, blanks are not cut to exactly the same shape, and there may be very slight differences in the steel composition from one blank to the next. This is due to the inevitable variations and tolerances in the industrial process.

[0015] Therefore, each part is unique in nature in that the stresses accumulated in the part depend on several factors such as the part thickness, microstructure, etc. The previous processes that each component has undergone, e.g. forming, will create different residual stresses in each component depending on the particularities of each component.

[0016] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Accordingly, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide methods and systems that avoid or at least reduce some of the aforementioned problems. Summary of the Invention

[0017] In a first aspect, a system for compensating for deformations in real time during a heat treatment performed on a part is provided. The system includes a support and one or more clamping devices disposed with the support. The clamping devices include clamps configured to clamp the part and a motor to drive the clamps; and a load cell connected to the clamps and configured to detect a load due to a heat treatment performed on the part. The system further includes a processing and control system configured to collect a signal from the load cell of the clamping device and send a signal based on the detected load to the motor of the clamping device to compensate for deformations due to the heat treatment.

[0018] A processing and control system is configured to collect signals from the load cells and send signals to the (servo) motors based on the detected load to compensate for deformations due to heat treatment.

[0019] The system makes it possible to release residual stresses built up in components by subjecting them to heat treatment and to correct deformations occurring in the component, taking into account the individual characteristics of the part, in real time.

[0020] Using a load cell as a sensor to detect the force applied to the part allows a direct measurement of the effect of the release of stress on the part. Also, the load cell can detect relatively small forces on the part. Thus, the system allows accurate compensation of deformations over a wide range of applied forces. In some examples, the motor consumption (e.g. current level) when the motor is driving one of the clamps may also be measured and taken into account. The motor consumption for moving the clamp may indicate the resistance noticed by the motor when moving the clamp to deform the part. These measurements may therefore be an indication of how the part is deforming while undergoing a heat treatment.

[0021] In some examples, the one or more clamp devices further comprise a linear encoder connected to the clamp, the linear encoder configured to measure a position of the clamp, and the processing and control system further configured to collect a signal from the linear encoder.

[0022] This configuration allows the absolute position of the clamp to be known independent of the accuracy of the servo motor. The position of the clamp can be obtained from the motor (e.g. via an encoder or resolver), but if there are intermediate parts between the (servo) motor and the clamp, the position given by the (servo) motor may not be as accurate as needed or desired. Therefore, using a linear encoder connected to the clamp makes it possible to have a more accurate clamp position.

[0023] In some examples, the motor may be operatively connected to the clamp via a linear drive mechanism, including, for example, a spindle. In these cases, the clamp may be moved along a single direction, for example, substantially vertically. In some examples, the motor with the drive mechanism may be rotatably mounted, for example, the motor may be mounted in a socket. The motor may then occupy a suitable position within the socket such that the direction of movement of the clamp may be fixed in a suitable manner. In different embodiments of the present disclosure, the clamp may be driven substantially horizontally, substantially vertically, diagonally, or combinations thereof.

[0024] In some embodiments, the motor may be operatively connected to the clamp with a more complex drive mechanism having one or more degrees of freedom. For example, the operative connection may include several different actuators. In this case, instead of the motor rotating and changing direction, the drive mechanism may make adjustments to drive the clamp in a desired direction.

[0025] In a second aspect, a method is provided for performing real-time deformation compensation during a heat treatment performed on a part. The method includes providing a part and a system according to any of the disclosed examples herein. The method further includes clamping the part with one or more clamping devices, performing a heat treatment on the part, and measuring one or more loads with one of the load cells connected to one of the clamps. The clamps may then be moved as a function of the measured loads.

[0026] The method compensates in real time for deformations occurring in the part during heat treatment. Moreover, the compensation is adaptive and takes into account the particularities of each part, as mentioned above.

[0027] The use of one clamping device or two or more clamping devices allows the compensation to be tailored to the compensation requirements of a particular part and / or a particular heat treatment. For example, depending on the part undergoing heat treatment, e.g., material, size and / or thickness, as well as the extension and location of the heat treatment applied to the part, a certain number of clamping devices placed at specific locations on the support structure and clamped at specific areas of the part may be preferred.

[0028] The appropriate number and location of the clamping devices in the area of ​​the support structure and the parts to be clamped by the corresponding clamps can be selected according to computational simulations or on the basis of trial and error, and the direction of movement of the clamp or clamps can be adjusted as required.

[0029] This concept is also applicable to other situations where a part is deformed and it is desired to correct the deformation in real time, for example when a part or tool is modified which causes deformations in other parts of the part or tool, the present disclosure and proposed solution are also applicable.

[0030] Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying figures. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a system configured to perform real-time deformation compensation during a heat treatment performed on a vehicle component according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a clamping device according to one embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows a schematic of some of the connections between the clamping device and a processing and control system according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for compensating for deformations in real time during a heat treatment performed on a vehicle component.

[0032] The figures also refer to exemplary embodiments and are used only as an aid in understanding the claimed subject matter and are not limiting in any way. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system 100 configured to compensate for deformations in real time during a heat treatment performed on a vehicle component 130 .

[0034] The system 100 comprises a support structure 110, one or more clamping devices 120 supported by the support structure 110, and a processing and control system (310, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3).

[0035] The support structure 110 may be any type of structure or fixture useful for supporting or carrying one or more clamping devices 120. The size and shape of the structure may be adapted to the components that will undergo the heat treatment. Suitable components for a vehicle framework include, for example, B-pillars, A-pillars, bumpers, rockers, front and rear rails, etc.

[0036] For example, as shown in Figure 1, in one example, the support structure 110 may be comprised of a grid structure including two vertical bars that are substantially parallel to one another and five horizontal bars that are substantially parallel between them and substantially perpendicular to the vertical bars. The grid may be disposed on a substantially rectangular base having a substantially rectangular opening as shown in Figure 1. One or more of the horizontal bars may have an upwardly extending protrusion to which a support substructure for the clamping device 120 is attached.

[0037] It should be understood that the shapes, types and / or numbers of elements described in the above paragraphs are merely exemplary and other shapes, types and / or numbers of elements may be used. In some examples, the base and the bar may be a single component. In some other examples, the longitudinal bar may include one or more bars that are shorter than the longitudinal bar. In some other examples, the support structure 110 may be comprised of one or more substantially rectangular frames, and when there are at least two frames, two or more frames are attached therebetween. These and other configurations may be combined between them as desired.

[0038] This type of support structure 110 allows for a desired number of clamping devices 120 to be positioned at desired locations along the component 130 to be clamped, depending for example on the heat treatment to be performed on the component 130 and / or on the area of ​​the component 130 to which the heat treatment is applied. Thus, compensation of deformations can be optimized for the component 130 and the post-treatment heat treatment.

[0039] In some examples, the clamping device 120 may be located substantially in the center of the support structure 110. In some other examples, the clamping device 120 may be located at or near an end of the support structure 110. In general, any number of the clamping devices 120 may be located anywhere on the support structure 110. In this manner, the clamping device(s) 120 allow for compensation for deformation of the part 130 during heat treatment at any desired location of the part 130, whether that be along a portion of the part 130 or the entire part 130.

[0040] 2 is a schematic diagram of a clamping device 120 according to an embodiment. The clamping device 120 includes a clamp 121, a load cell 122, and a motor 124, such as a servo motor or a stepping motor. The clamp 121 is configured to clamp a part of the part 130, the load cell 122 is configured to detect a load that may be caused by a heat treatment performed on the part 130, and the clamp 121 is vertically movable by the motor 124.

[0041] The load cell 122 may be connected to the clamp 121. The clamp 121 may be a pneumatic clamp. In this example, the load cell 122 is below the clamp 121. In other examples, the load cell 122 may be located in a different position, for example, above the clamp 121. The position of the load cell 122 is such that the load cell 122 can measure a force applied to the part 130 by releasing stress accumulated in the part 130 due to a heat treatment on the part 130. Here, the term "force" should be understood to include, for example, force, weight, load, tension, compression, pressure, torque, or any suitable magnitude that one skilled in the art would understand to be measured by the load cell 122.

[0042] The value measured by the load cell 122 may be an absolute value or a relative value, for example with respect to a fixed reference or a previous measurement.

[0043] The load cell 122 is capable of withstanding tensile and / or compressive loads.

[0044] The motor 124 is operatively connected to the clamp 121. In FIG. 2, the motor 124 and the clamp 121 are operatively connected in a linear drive mechanism. Specifically, in this example, the motor is connected via a spindle 123 attached to the motor 124. In this example, a load cell 122 is disposed at the end of the shaft 126 of the spindle 123. Thus, to compensate for deformations occurring in the part 130, the servo motor 124 acts on the spindle 123, causing the shaft to move in or out of the spindle housing, thereby moving the clamp up or down. In this particular embodiment, all the clamps are arranged to be driven substantially vertically, but in other embodiments the clamps and motors may be arranged to drive the clamps in other linear directions or along more complex trajectories.

[0045] In some examples, the motor body may be rotatably or pivotally mounted to allow adjustment along the direction in which the corresponding clamp may be moved.

[0046] As described below, the movement of the motor 124 is performed based at least on a force previously measured by the load cell 122. This force is a direct result of the release of stresses accumulated in the part 130, which the load cell 122 is able to accurately detect. Thus, by responding to the force measured by the load cell 122 and driving the motor 124 accordingly, an accurate and robust system of deformation compensation can be achieved.

[0047] The motor 124 may be any motor suitable for this purpose, i.e. any motor 124 that allows automation of the movement of the clamp 121 by driving the shaft of the motor 124. For example, the motor 124 may be a stepper motor or a servo motor with an encoder or resolver.

[0048] In some examples, the clamping apparatus 120 may also include a reduction gear (not shown) attached to the motor 124. This allows the speed of the output shaft of the motor 124 relative to the actuator (e.g., spindle) to be slowed down but the torque increased, thus allowing a heavier weight to be moved. The reduction gear may be a gearbox, e.g., a planetary gearbox, attached to the servo motor 124 and spindle 123. In some examples, the reduction gear may be integral to the servo motor 124.

[0049] In some other embodiments, the clamping device 120 also includes a linear encoder 125 connected to the clamp 121 of the clamping device 120. The linear encoder 125 is configured to measure the absolute position of the corresponding clamp 121. That is, the absolute position of the clamp 121 can be obtained independent of the motor. The fact that the clamping device 120 is made up of multiple components, each of which may have its own defects or imperfections, can cause the position measurements obtained from the servo motor data to be less accurate than desired. The linear encoder 125 makes it possible to have a more accurate and robust measurement of the position.

[0050] In some examples, the clamping apparatus 120 includes a position sensor (not shown) configured to determine an initial reference position for one or more clamping apparatus 120. This allows the clamping apparatus 120 to be placed in an initial, known position that serves as a reference for subsequent movement of the clamping apparatus 120.

[0051] Any type of position sensor can be used to determine this initial reference position. However, for improved accuracy, a magnetic position sensor can be used. Magnetic sensors are generally more accurate than inductive sensors. Also, magnetic and inductive sensors are generally more robust than contact and optical sensors.

[0052] The previous embodiments may be combined, for example the clamping device 120 may consist of a gear box and a linear encoder 125 .

[0053] 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating connections and communication paths between clamping devices 120 and a processing and control system 310 according to one embodiment. The processing and control system 310 is responsible for receiving and collecting data from one or more clamping devices 120, processing the received data, and controlling the operation, e.g., movement, of one or more clamping devices 120. Generally, the processing and control system 310 collects data from and controls all clamping devices 120 in the system 100. The processing and control system 310 may be an industrial computer such as a programmable logic controller (PLC).

[0054] For example, the processing and control system 310 is configured to collect signals from the load cells 122 and send signals based on the detected load to the servo motors 124 to compensate for deformations due to heat treatments performed on the part 130. As used herein, the terms "data" and "signals" may be used interchangeably. Additionally, the terms "sensing," "collecting," "measuring," and "detecting" may be used interchangeably throughout this disclosure.

[0055] The processing and control system 310 may be comprised of three subsystems: a subsystem 311 that controls input signals, a subsystem 312 that controls the motor 124, i.e., the output signal, and a subsystem 313 that constitutes a central processing unit (CPU).

[0056] The subsystem 311 receives data from one or more clamping devices 120. For example, the subsystem 311 collects a signal from a load cell. The signal from the load cell 122 may be a force that a portion of the part 130 is experiencing due to a deformation caused by a heating process on the part 130 as measured by the load cell 122. In some examples, the subsystem 311 further collects a signal from a linear encoder 125. The signal from the linear encoder 125 may be an absolute position of the clamp 121 as measured by the linear encoder 125. As shown in FIG. 3, in some other examples, the subsystem 311 collects a signal from a motor 124. The signal from the motor 124 may be, for example, a current of the servo motor 124 and a position of the motor 124, e.g., an angular position provided by an encoder of the motor 124. In still some other examples, the subsystem 311 collects a signal from a position sensor configured to determine a reference initial position of the one or more clamping devices 120. All of these signals, or some of these signals, may be detected by the subsystem 311.

[0057] Subsystem 312 sends a signal to one or more of the servo motors 124 so that the motors 124 begin to operate and move the corresponding clamps 121 vertically to compensate for the released stress in the parts 130. The signal sent by subsystem 312 may be, for example, the angular position that the motors 124 should achieve, or in general, any signal that allows the motors 124 to move such that the corresponding clamps 121 are moved to the desired position. The signal sent by subsystem 312 may be generated in response to and according to at least the collected data from the load cells 122.

[0058] In some cases, the control signal may also include an adaptation of the motor orientation so that the clamps can be driven in different directions to compensate for the measured deformation.

[0059] Subsystem 313 is responsible for processing the measured data, for example from load cell 122, to obtain an output signal. Subsystem 313 may also be responsible for communication. For example, subsystem 313 may receive and / or transmit signals from one or more external devices. The external devices may include another processing and control system 310, for example a processing and control system 310 that controls a heating process running on part 130, and an external computer.

[0060] The processing and control system 310 may also include a memory (not shown). The memory typically stores instructions that are executed on collected input data that allow obtaining output data that, for example, drives the servo motor 124. The memory may also store data such as input signals and / or output signals.

[0061] Determining the appropriate position during processing may be based on an analysis of the deformation, the geometry of the component, and the processing being performed (including, for example, the remainder of the processing yet to be performed). In some examples, a machine learning process may be employed to train the processing and control system. After an appropriate learning phase, the machine learning algorithm may adapt the position of the clamps so that the resulting part shape is as desired.

[0062] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method 400 for performing real-time deformation compensation during a heat treatment performed on a vehicle component.

[0063] The method 400 includes, at block 410, providing a vehicle part 130 and a system configured to perform deformation compensation in real time during a heat treatment performed on the vehicle part, for example as disclosed in any of FIGS. 1-3.

[0064] The component 130 may be any molded vehicle component, for example, the component 130 may be a bumper, a pillar (e.g., A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar), a side impact beam, and a rocker panel.

[0065] The method further includes, at block 420, clamping the component 130 with one or more clamping devices 120. Clamps 121 clamp the component 130. Clamping may, in some examples, include applying an initial deformation of the component resulting from a previous forming step.

[0066] With the component 130 clamped by the one or more clamping devices 120, the method 400 may further include determining an initial reference position of the one or more clamping devices 120, at block 430. As discussed above, this initial position may serve as a reference for subsequent movement of the one or more clamping devices 120.

[0067] Once the part 130 has been clamped by the one or more clamping devices 120 and the initial reference position of the one or more clamping devices 120 is known, the method 400 further comprises initiating a heat treatment on the part 130 at block 440 .

[0068] The thermal post-treatment process may include heating the entire component 130 or may include a localized heat treatment, i.e., one or more regions are heated rather than the entire component 130. In other examples, the heat treatment may include annealing the entire component.

[0069] The heat treatment may change the microstructure of the component 130. For example, the localized heat treatment may include at least one of welding and forming a soft zone. In some examples, the component 130 is subjected to welding. The component 130 may be welded in multiple regions of the component 130 with partial or substantial overlap in time. The same or different welding techniques may be applied to different regions of the component 130. In some other examples, a soft zone is formed in the component 130. One or more soft zones may be created in the component 130, for example in different regions of the component 130. Two or more of the soft zone regions may at least partially overlap. It is also envisioned that the part 130 is subjected to two or more heat treatments. The two or more treatments may at least partially overlap in time.

[0070] Heat treatment may include heating with a laser, induction heating, heating by passing an electric current through the component, or any alternative heating method.

[0071] The method further includes measuring the load 440 with a load cell 122 connected to the clamp 121 at block 450. In general, every clamp 121 may have a load cell 122 connected thereto, and every load cell 122 measures a corresponding load. However, other configurations are possible in which not every clamp is movable and / or not every clamp has a load cell connected thereto.

[0072] The method 400 further includes moving the clamps 121, eg, 460, by corresponding servo motors 124 in response to and according to the measured loads.

[0073] For this purpose, the load measured by the load cell 122 is transmitted to the processing and control system 310. The processing and control system 310 detects the load measured by the load cell 122 and processes it. Based on this load, the processing and control system 310 determines the action to be performed by the motor 124. A typical action is to move the clamp 121 vertically. This action is indicated by a signal to the corresponding motor 124.

[0074] It may occur that the processing and control system 310 concludes that the clamp 121 does not need to be moved. In this case, the processing and control system 310 may not send any signal to the corresponding servo motor 124, preventing the servo motor 124 from operating. In some other examples, a signal may be sent to the corresponding servo motor 124 indicating that the clamp 121 does not need to be moved.

[0075] The processing and control system 310 may collect data from any load cells 122 and may send signaling to any servo motors 124 .

[0076] In some examples, the frequency at which measurements are taken may be between 1 and 1000 Hz.

[0077] Generally, steps 450 and 460 are performed multiple times, i.e., the system 100 continuously receives measurements by the load cell(s) 122 and continuously determines and sends adjustment(s) to the position of the clamp(s) 121 by the servo motor(s) 124 to compensate for the release stress in the part 130.

[0078] The method 400 allows for robust and accurate deformation compensation of the released stresses built up in the part 130 .

[0079] Optionally, method 400 may further include attaching one or more clamping devices 120 to support structure 110. That is, in some examples, support structure 110 may fix one or more clamping devices 120 to support structure 110, e.g., where one or more clamping devices 120 cannot move along or on support structure 110.

[0080] In some other examples, the one or more clamping devices 120 may be positioned anywhere on the support structure 110, for example, if the one or more clamping devices 120 are movable along or on the support structure 110, the one or more clamping devices 120 may be positioned anywhere on the support structure 110. For example, the number and / or positions and / or orientations of the one or more clamping devices 120 may be selected according to computational simulations.

[0081] By selecting the number of clamping devices 120 and / or the position of one or more clamping devices 120 according to computational simulations, the compensation can be tailored, for example, to the heat treatment applied to the part 130, to the part 130 and its features and / or to the area(s) of the part 130 to which the treatment is applied. In other words, the method 400 is optimized.

[0082] Only some examples are disclosed herein, but other alternatives, modifications, uses, and / or equivalents are possible. Moreover, all possible combinations of the described embodiments are covered. Thus, the scope of the disclosure should not be limited by the specific examples, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A system for compensating for deformations in real time during a heat treatment performed on a part, A support; Two or more clamping devices disposed with the support. a clamp configured to clamp the part; A motor that drives the clamp; two or more clamping devices, each having a load cell connected to the clamp and configured to detect a load resulting from the heat treatment performed on the part; a processing and control system configured to collect a signal from the load cell of the clamping device, send a signal to the motor of the clamping device based on the detected load, and compensate for deformation due to heat treatment.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the motor is a servo motor having an encoder or a resolver.

3. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the motor is a stepper motor.

4. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the motor is operatively connected to the clamp via a linear drive mechanism, optionally including a spindle.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the motor is rotatably or pivotally mounted.

6. one or more clamping devices further comprising a linear encoder coupled to the clamp; the linear encoder is configured to measure a position of the clamp; The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing and control system is configured to collect signals from the linear encoder.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more clamping devices further comprises a position sensor configured to determine a reference initial position of the one or more clamping devices.

8. 1. A method for real-time deformation compensation during a heat treatment performed on a vehicle component, comprising: Providing a system according to any one of claims 1 to 7; clamping a part with the two or more clamping devices; subjecting the component to a heat treatment; measuring one or more loads by one of the load cells connected to one of the clamps; and moving the clamp as a function of the measured load to compensate for deformation due to heat treatment.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining an initial reference position of the one or more clamping devices for subsequent movement of the one or more clamping devices.

10. 10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the heat treatment comprises a localized heat treatment.

11. 11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the heat treatment is a heat treatment for changing the microstructure of the part.

12. 12. The method of any of claims 8 to 11, wherein the heat treating comprises at least one of welding and forming regions in the component having different microstructures.

13. 13. A method according to any of claims 8 to 12, wherein the part is made from hardened ultra-high strength steel (UHSS).

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the part is obtained from a hot forming die quench process.

15. 15. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein the part is a part of a vehicle frame.

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