Sheet metal working method and method for manufacturing sheet metal finished article

Abstract

To provide a sheet metal working method capable of holding a cut-out finished article in a skeleton state irrespective of a mass of the finished article or a plate thickness of a workpiece.SOLUTION: This sheet metal working method comprises: forming a slit (SL) by laser-cutting a sheet metal leaving a part of a contour line of a cut-out finished article (WP); in a state where an intermediate finished article (WPm) which is an inside part of the contour line is lifted, pressurizing the edge of the slit (SL) in a remaining material part (WS) to form a protrusion that protrudes to the lower surface side of the intermediate finished article (WPm) to support the intermediate finished article (WPm) and to form a bridge (1) having a base (11) facing the end surface (WPmt) of the intermediate finished article (WPm); pressurizing the base (11) to protrudingly form a pressing part (14) that presses the end surface (WPmt) of the intermediate finished article (WPm); laser-cutting a remaining part of the contour line to separate the finished article (WP) from the remaining material part (WS); and pinching and holding the finished article (WP) by the pressing part (14) in a state where it is supported by the protrusion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4C

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet metal processing method and a method for manufacturing a sheet metal product. [Background technology]

[0002] If a workpiece cut from a metal sheet can be held without climbing onto or sinking into the skeleton, which is the remaining material after cutting, it will be easier to handle during subsequent removal operations, etc. Therefore, various proposals have been made in the past.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which, after cutting a workpiece from a metal sheet, the skeleton locally applies pressure to the cutting edge on the skeleton in the thickness direction to form a protruding pressing portion on the cut end surface that presses against the end surface of the workpiece, thereby holding the workpiece in a sandwiched manner by the skeleton. Patent Document 2 describes a technique in which, while the cut workpiece is lifted by the thickness of the sheet, the skeleton locally applies pressure to the cutting edge in the thickness direction to form a protruding portion that penetrates into the underside of the workpiece, thereby supporting the workpiece from below. Furthermore, a mountain-shaped bridge portion is formed adjacent to the protruding portion on the cutting edge on the skeleton, with a height exceeding that of the lifted workpiece, to restrict horizontal movement of the workpiece. Furthermore, a holding protrusion is formed at the tip of the bridge portion that protrudes horizontally above the workpiece by applying local pressure in the thickness direction, thereby restricting lifting of the workpiece. This technique describes a technique in which the skeleton lifts the workpiece and holds it in a sandwiched manner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6868440 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7390222 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 holds the workpiece by friction with the pressing part without any support from below, so it becomes difficult to hold if the workpiece is large in size or has a large mass. The technology described in Patent Document 2 requires the formation of a bridge part with a height exceeding the plate thickness of the workpiece, so it is difficult to apply to thick plate workpieces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of one or more embodiments is a sheet metal processing method in which a slit is formed in a metal sheet by laser cutting, leaving a portion of the outline of a processed product to be cut out from the metal sheet, and an intermediate processed portion, which is the portion inside the outline, is lifted up, and pressure is applied to the edge of the slit in the remaining portion of the metal sheet that becomes the remaining material, to form a protrusion that protrudes toward the underside of the intermediate processed portion and supports the intermediate processed portion, and to form a bridge portion having a base that faces the end face of the intermediate processed portion supported by the protrusion, and pressure is applied to the base to form a protruding pressing portion that extends beyond the slit and presses against the end face of the intermediate processed portion, and the remainder of the outline is laser cut to separate the processed product from the remaining portion, and the separated processed product is supported by the protrusion and clamped and held by the pressing portion.

[0007] A second aspect of one or more embodiments is a method for manufacturing a sheet metal processed product, which includes laser-cutting a portion of the contour line of a sheet metal processed product to be cut out from the sheet metal to form a slit, lifting an intermediate processed portion, which is the portion inside the contour line, and pressurizing the edge of the slit in the remaining portion of the sheet metal that becomes the remaining material to form a protrusion that protrudes toward the underside of the intermediate processed portion and supports the intermediate processed portion, and forming a bridge portion having a base that faces the end face of the intermediate processed portion supported by the protrusion, pressurizing the base to form a protruding pressing portion that goes beyond the slit and presses the end face of the intermediate processed portion so as to form an indentation, laser-cutting the remainder of the contour line to separate the sheet metal processed product from the remaining portion, and clamping and holding the separated sheet metal processed product with the pressing portion supported by the protrusion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the sheet metal processing method and sheet metal processing die device of one or more embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the effect that the cut-out processed product can be held by the skeleton regardless of the mass of the processed product and the thickness of the workpiece. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a metal sheet W to be processed by a metal sheet processing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view for illustrating a first processing procedure in the sheet metal processing method of the first aspect of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the second processing procedure. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A is a plan view of the workpiece holder KB formed in the second processing step. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S4B-S4B in FIG. 4A. [Figure 4C] FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S4C-S4C in FIG. 4A. [Figure 4D] FIG. 4D is a view of the workpiece holder KB as seen from the arrow Y1. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a third processing procedure in the sheet metal processing method according to the first aspect of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a metal sheet WA to be processed by the sheet metal processing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a movement restricting portion KA formed on a metal plate WA by the sheet metal processing method of the second embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S7B-S7B in FIG. 7A. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an indentation M formed on an end face WPt of a workpiece WP processed by the sheet metal processing method of the first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] A sheet metal processing method as a first aspect according to one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a sheet metal W processed by the sheet metal processing method of the first aspect of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view for explaining a first processing procedure in the sheet metal processing method of the first aspect of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a plan view for explaining a second processing procedure. Fig. 4A is a plan view of a workpiece holding part KB formed in the second processing procedure. Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view at the S4B-S4B position in Fig. 4A. Fig. 4C is a cross-sectional view at the S4C-S4C position in Fig. 4A. Fig. 4D is a view of the workpiece holding part KB as viewed in the arrow Y1 direction. Fig. 5 is a plan view for explaining a third processing procedure in the sheet metal processing method of the first aspect of the present invention.

[0011] A first aspect of the sheet metal processing method of the present invention is a method for cutting a sheet metal workpiece from a sheet metal, in which the cut sheet metal workpiece is held without climbing onto or sinking into the remaining material portion, which is the skeleton of the workpiece, even if the workpiece is heavy or thick. In this sheet metal processing method, a workpiece holding portion KB is formed as described below. The workpiece holding portion KB can be formed by a known laser-punch combined processing machine using the mold described in Patent Document 2.

[0012] The metal sheet W is, for example, a cold-rolled steel sheet (SPCC) with a thickness of 2.0 mm, but the material and thickness are not limited to these. For convenience of explanation, two axes (X-axis and Y-axis) extending horizontally and intersecting at right angles are defined as shown by arrows in FIG. 1. The axis perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis (the axis perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1) is defined as the Z-axis. The Z-axis is an axis extending vertically.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the metal sheet W has a rectangular shape with its longitudinal axis in the X-axis direction. The cutting position of the sheet metal workpiece WP to be cut from the metal sheet W is set in advance by an allocation process. Hereinafter, the metal sheet workpiece WP will also be simply referred to as the workpiece WP. The workpiece WP is cut by a cutting process using a laser beam. The outline T of the workpiece WP is shown by a dashed line in Figure 1, and in this example, the workpiece WP has a rectangular shape with its longitudinal axis in the X-axis direction. The part of the metal sheet W other than the part that will become the workpiece WP becomes a skeleton, or a remainder part WS. In the following explanation, the part that will become the workpiece WP, surrounded by the outline T when part of the outline T is cut, is referred to as the intermediate processing part WPm (see Figure 2).

[0014] 2, a pair of contour lines T that face each other in the Y-axis direction and extend in the X-axis direction are cut by laser processing to form slits SL (SL1, SL2) among the contour lines T. One of the remaining pair of contour lines T is designated as a pre-final cutting line T1, and the other is designated as a final cutting line T2.

[0015] In the second processing step, the workpiece holder KB is formed. The workpiece holder KB holds the workpiece WP, which has been completely separated from the remaining material WS by cutting the entire outline T. The workpiece holder KB has a small shape compared to the overall shape of the sheet metal W, and is therefore indicated by a black triangle in Figure 3. In this example, the workpiece holder KB forms two workpiece holders KB1 and KB3 spaced apart in the X-axis direction in the slit SL1 on the remaining material WS side. Meanwhile, in the slit SL2 opposite slit SL1, workpiece holders KB2 and KB4 are formed at the same X-axis positions as the two workpiece holders KB1 and KB2.

[0016] Since the workpiece holders KB1 to KB4 have the same shape, the detailed shape of the workpiece holder KB1 will be described as a representative with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4D.

[0017] 4A, the workpiece holder KB1 has the shape of the part surrounded by the dashed line. Specifically, the workpiece holder KB1 has a bridge portion 1 and support portions 2 and 3.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 4D, the bridge portion 1 is formed by a so-called bridge process in which a die (not shown) is used to push up from below to form a pushed-up portion 10, and then the pushed-up portion is cut and squeezed. The bridge portion 1 has a base portion 11 that is pushed up so as to extend parallel to the upper surface WSa of the remnant material portion WS, and legs 12 and 13 that extend obliquely between both ends of the base portion 11 and the upper surface WSa. The height H1 of the upper surface 11a of the base portion 11 from the upper surface WSa of the remnant material portion WS, which is the amount of protrusion of the base portion 11, is set to be less than the thickness th of the sheet metal W.

[0019] Support portions 2 and 3 are formed adjacent to legs 12 and 13, respectively, of bridge portion 1. Support portion 2 is formed by lifting intermediate processed portion WPm by more than the thickness of the sheet metal W using a lower die (not shown) of a metal mold while pressing the upper surface WSa of remainder portion WS with an upper die (not shown) of the mold, and locally applying upward pressure to the lower surface WSb by coining to form recess 22. Plastic flow caused by the formation of recess 22 forms protrusion 21 that protrudes from end surface WSt of remainder portion WS toward slit SL1 and enters the lower surface WPb of the lifted intermediate processed portion WPm.

[0020] Support part 3 is also processed in the same manner as support part 2, and protrusions 21 and 31 are formed by plastic flow that occurs with the formation of recesses 22 and 32. As a result, intermediate processed part WPm is supported in one workpiece holding part KB in a state where it is lifted up by the plate thickness by two protrusions 21 and 31 that are spaced apart along slit SL.

[0021] The end of the intermediate processing portion WPm in the X-axis direction is connected to the remaining material portion WS because the final cutting line T1 and the final cutting line T2 have not yet been cut. Therefore, the position where the workpiece holding portion KB is formed is set at a position some distance away from the final cutting line T1 and the final cutting line T2 so that the intermediate processing portion WPm can be easily lifted by the workpiece thickness by the workpiece holding portion KB.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4C , the end surface WPt of the intermediate processing portion WPm is at a height position opposite the base portion 11 of the bridge portion 1. In this state, a recess 15 is formed in the bridge portion 1 by local pressure applied from above by coining, and a pressing portion 14 that protrudes toward the slit SL1 is formed by plastic flow associated with the formation of the recess 15. The amount of protrusion of the pressing portion 14 is set to at least exceed the width SLt of the gap of the slit SL1. In this way, the pressing portion 14 is formed so as to press the end surface WPt of the intermediate processing portion WPm.

[0023] As described above, the intermediate processing unit WPm is pressed inward by the workpiece holder KB. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate processing unit WPm is pressed across the slit SL1 by the workpiece holder KB1 and the workpiece holder KB3, and across the slit SL2 by the workpiece holder KB2 and the workpiece holder KB4. The workpiece holder KB1 and the workpiece holder KB2 are positioned opposite each other in the Y-axis direction. The workpiece holder KB3 and the workpiece holder KB4 are also positioned opposite each other in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the intermediate processing unit WPm is pressed and clamped in the Y-axis direction by the pressing unit 14 at two locations spaced apart in the X-axis direction.

[0024] After forming the workpiece holder KB as the second processing step, the third processing step involves laser cutting the final pre-cutting line T1 and then the final cut line T2, as shown in Figure 5. This connects the slits SL1-SL4, and the intermediate workpiece WPm becomes the workpiece WP, completely separated from the remaining material WS. As described above, the workpiece WP is supported by the support parts 2 and 3 of the workpiece holder KB in a state where it is lifted approximately by the thickness of the plate, and is clamped and pressed inward in the Y-axis direction by the pressing part 14. Therefore, the workpiece WP is held by the remaining material WS without any external forces other than gravity and pressing force, and is essentially integrated. This allows the remaining material WS and the workpiece WP to be transported together using a conveying device or the like, making them easy to handle.

[0025] According to the sheet metal processing method of the first aspect described above, the workpiece WP is supported from below by the support portions 2 and 3 of the multiple workpiece holding portions KB. Therefore, even if the workpiece WP is large in size and therefore has a large mass, it is firmly supported by the remnant portion WS. Furthermore, the height H1 of the bridge portion 1 formed on the workpiece holding portion KB does not need to exceed the thickness th of the sheet metal W. As long as it is equal to or less than the thickness th, the pressing portion 14 can press the end face WPt of the workpiece WP and clamp the workpiece WP. This allows the workpiece WP to be firmly held even if the sheet metal W is thick.

[0026] Next, a second embodiment of the second sheet metal processing method of the present invention, which is applicable when the shape of the sheet metal W has two corners bent inward at right angles, such as the sheet metal WA shown in Figure 6, will be described with reference to Figures 6, 7A, and 7B.

[0027] The metal sheet WA has a shape in which a pair of corners on the same side in the Y-axis direction are bent inward at a right angle. Fig. 6 shows a state in which one of a pair of contour lines T extending in the Y-axis direction at the extreme end in the X-axis direction is designated as a final pre-cutting line T3 and the other as a final cutting line T4, and the other contour lines T are cut by laser processing to form slits SL3 to SL8.

[0028] The shape of the workpiece WAP cut out from the metal sheet WA has a base WPc corresponding to the rectangular shape of the workpiece WP, and protruding portions WPd that partially protrude in a rectangular shape from each of a pair of ends in the X-axis direction of the base WPc. In the sheet metal processing method of the second aspect, two pairs of workpiece holding portions KB (KB5 to KB8) similar to those in the case of the workpiece WP, and movement restricting portions KA (KA1, KA2) that are new formation portions are formed on the base WPc.

[0029] 7A and 7B, the movement restricting portion KA has a bridge portion 5. The bridge portion 5 corresponds to the bridge portion 1 of the workpiece holding portion KB, which does not have the pressing portion 14 and the recessed portion 15. In other words, the bridge portion 5 has only a base portion 51 and legs 52, 53 formed in the same manner as the bridge portion 1. The height H2, which is the amount of protrusion of the base portion 51, is set to be equal to or less than the thickness th2 of the metal plate WA.

[0030] The movement restricting portion KA has a height H2 that is less than the thickness th2 of the metal sheet WA, so that at least a portion of the end face 51t of the base portion 51 of the bridge portion 5 on the slit SL4 side directly faces the end face WAPt of the lifted workpiece WAP. Therefore, even if the workpiece WAP moves in the X-axis direction, movement beyond the width of the slit SL4 is restricted. This allows the workpiece WAP to be more securely held by the remnant portion WAS. Of course, the movement restricting portion KA can be formed even if the metal sheet W is thick, and it restricts any horizontal movement of the workpiece WP and helps the remnant portion WAS hold the workpiece WAP.

[0031] The multiple workpiece holding parts KB press the end faces WPt, WAPt of the opposing sides of the workpieces WP, WAP so that their respective pressing parts 14 sandwich them. As a result, indentations M are formed on the end faces WPt, WAPt as shown in Fig. 8. The indentations M are areas pressed by the pressing parts 14, and are visually recognized as areas with a surface condition different from the cut marks DL in other areas.

[0032] The cut surface cut by laser processing generally has dragline cut marks DL. The dragline cut marks DL extend in the thickness direction of the cut surface and are visually recognized as a pattern of multiple linear concaves and convexes arranged finely in the cutting direction. The indentations M are visually recognized as a relatively flat, slightly recessed area where the dragline is crushed by the pressing portion 14 pressing against a portion of the area where the dragline cut marks DL are formed. Furthermore, since the pressing portion 14 is usually formed on the tip side of the base portion 11 of the bridge portion 1 as shown in FIG. 4C , the position and range where the indentations M are formed on the end faces WPt, WAPt are formed in a partial area in the thickness direction of the end faces WPt, WAPt, biased toward the upper faces WPa, WAPa.

[0033] Therefore, in a sheet metal processing method, when it is clear that the method of holding the cut workpiece WP is a method of lifting and holding the workpiece WP or the intermediate processed part WPm by the support parts 2, 3 of the workpiece holding part KB, whether or not it constitutes one aspect of the present invention can be determined by the presence or absence of indentations M on the end face WPt by the multiple pressing parts 14. In other words, if there are no indentations M, it can be assumed that a conventional method, such as that described in Patent Document 2, was used, and if there are indentations M, it can be assumed that a sheet metal processing method according to one aspect of the present invention was used.

[0034] One aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention is not limited to the configurations described above, and may be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0035] The number of workpiece holding portions KB formed on each side is not limited to two as described above, but may be one or three or more. The number is determined based on the size, shape, and mass of the workpiece WP so that the pressing portion 14 can adequately hold the workpiece WP.

[0036] The positions of the pair of workpiece holders KB (e.g., workpiece holders KB1 and KB2) sandwiching the intermediate processing unit WPm in the Y-axis direction do not necessarily have to be the same in the X-axis direction. They may be formed at offset positions as long as no significant moment is generated around the center of gravity of the intermediate processing unit WPm. For example, in Figure 3, workpiece holder KB3 may not be formed, and workpiece holder KB1 may be formed in the center in the X-axis direction.

[0037] The workpiece holding portion KB may be formed on only one of the opposing sides, with the other side being a movement restriction portion KA. In this case, the workpiece WP is pressed by the pressing portion 14 of one of the workpiece holding portions KB and abuts against the other movement restriction portion KA, thereby being sandwiched. Furthermore, the protrusions 21, 31 and the pressing portion 14 of the workpiece holding portion KB protrude at least twice the width SLt of the slit SL.

[0038] As described above in detail, a first aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention is a sheet metal processing method in which a sheet metal W is laser-cut to form a slit SL, leaving a portion of the contour line T of a workpiece WP to be cut out from the sheet metal W, and an intermediate processing portion WPm, which is the portion inside the contour line T, is lifted up, and pressure is applied to the edge of the slit SL in the remainder portion WS, which becomes the remainder of the sheet metal W, to form a protrusion 21 that protrudes toward the underside of the intermediate processing portion WPm and supports the intermediate processing portion WPm, and to form a bridge portion 1 having a base 11 that faces the end face WPmt of the intermediate processing portion WPm supported by the protrusion 21, and pressure is applied to the base 11 to form a protruding pressing portion 14 that extends beyond the slit SL and presses the end face WPmt of the intermediate processing portion WPm, and the remainder of the contour line T is laser-cut to separate the workpiece WP from the remainder portion WS, and the separated workpiece WP is supported by the protrusion 21 and clamped and held by the pressing portion 14.

[0039] As a result, the workpiece WP is supported by the protrusion 21 and is held by being clamped by the pressing portion 14, so that the cut workpiece WP can be held well by the remaining material portion WS regardless of the mass and thickness of the workpiece WP.

[0040] Furthermore, in this first aspect, when the protrusion 21, bridge portion 1, and pressing portion 14 are included in the workpiece holding portion KB, the workpiece holding portion KB may be formed on the edge of each of a pair of slits SL1, SL2 that face each other in the first direction (Y-axis direction) of the intermediate processing portion WPm of the slit SL.

[0041] As a result, the workpiece WP is firmly clamped in the first direction and stably held by the remainder portion WS.

[0042] Furthermore, a pair of workpiece holding portions KB1, KB2 formed on the edges of each of the pair of slits SL1, SL2 may be formed to face each other at the same position in a second direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the first direction (Y-axis direction).

[0043] As a result, no moment is substantially generated on the workpiece WP held by the workpiece holding portions KB1 and KB2, so that the workpiece WP is more stably held by the remainder portion WS.

[0044] In addition, the slit SL may include a pair of slits SL4, SL6 facing each other in a second direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the first direction (Y-axis direction), and a movement control portion KA having a base 51 facing the end face WPmt of the intermediate processing portion WPm may be formed at the edge of the pair of slits SL4, SL6 facing each other in the second direction (X-axis direction) in the remainder portion WS.

[0045] As a result, movement of the processed product WP in the second direction is restricted, and the processed product WP is held more stably by the remainder portion WS.

[0046] In the first mode, the height H1 of the upper surface 11a of the base 11 from the upper surface WSa of the remainder portion WS may be set to be equal to or less than the height of the upper surface WPa of the workpiece WP lifted and supported by the protrusion 21.

[0047] This eliminates the need to push the bridge portion 1 up beyond the thickness th of the metal plate W, making it easy to form the bridge portion 1, and the processed product WP can be stably held even if the thickness th of the metal plate W is relatively large.

[0048] A second aspect of one or more embodiments of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a sheet metal processed product, in which a portion of the contour line T of a sheet metal workpiece WP to be cut out from the sheet metal W is laser-cut to form a slit SL, an intermediate processed portion WPm, which is the portion inside the contour line T, is lifted, and pressure is applied to the edge of the slit SL in the remainder portion WS, which becomes the remainder of the sheet metal W, to form a protrusion 21 that protrudes toward the underside of the intermediate processed portion WPm and supports the intermediate processed portion WPm, and a bridge portion 1 having a base 11 that faces the end face WPmt of the intermediate processed portion WPm supported by the protrusion 21, and pressure is applied to the base 11 to form a protruding pressing portion 14 that extends beyond the slit SL and presses the end face WPmt of the intermediate processed portion WPm so as to form an indentation M, and the remainder of the contour line T is laser-cut to separate the processed product WP from the remainder portion WS, and the separated sheet metal processed product WP is supported by the protrusion 21 and clamped and held by the pressing portion 14.

[0049] As a result, the processed product WP is supported by the protruding portion 21 and held between the pressing portion 14, so that the cut-out processed product WP can be well held by the remaining material portion WS regardless of the mass and thickness of the processed product WP. Furthermore, since the processed product WP has an indentation M formed on its end surface WPt, when it is clear that the processed product WP was produced by the method of lifting and holding it with the protruding portion 21, it can be easily identified as having been produced in the second manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Bridge section 10 Push-up section 11 Base 11a Top side 12,13 Legs 14 Pressing section 15 recess 2,3 Support part 21,31 Protrusion 22,32 recess 5 Bridge section 51 Base 51t end face 52,53 Legs DL cutting marks Height of H1, H2 Movement restriction parts of KA, KA1, KA2 Workpiece holding parts of KB, KB1~KB8 Indentation M Slits of SL, SL1~SL8 Width of SLt Contour line T Pre-final cutting lines of T1, T3 Final cutting lines of T2, T4 Thickness of th, th2 Sheet metal of W, WA Workpiece (sheet metal workpiece) of WP, WAP Upper surface of WPa, WAPa Lower surface of WPb Base part of WPc Overhanging part of WPd Intermediate processing part of WPm End face of WPmt End face of WPt, WAPt Remnant part of WS, WAS Upper surface of WSa Lower surface of WSb End face of WSt

Claims

1. forming a slit by laser cutting the metal sheet while leaving a portion of the outline of the workpiece to be cut out from the metal sheet; In a state where the intermediate processing portion, which is the portion inside the outline, is lifted, pressure is applied to the edge of the slit in the remaining portion that becomes the remaining material of the sheet metal, forming a protrusion that protrudes toward the underside of the intermediate processing portion and supports the intermediate processing portion, and forming a bridge portion having a base that faces the end face of the intermediate processing portion supported by the protrusion, a pressing portion that projects and presses the base portion beyond the slit against the end surface of the intermediate processed portion; A sheet metal processing method in which the remaining portion of the contour line is laser cut to separate the processed product from the remaining material portion, and the separated processed product is supported by the protruding portion and clamped and held by the pressing portion.

2. A sheet metal processing method as described in claim 1, wherein when the protrusion, the bridge portion, and the pressing portion are combined to form a workpiece holding portion, the workpiece holding portion is formed on the edge portion of each of a pair of slits that face each other in the first direction of the intermediate processing portion.

3. 3. The sheet metal processing method according to claim 2, wherein the pair of workpiece holding portions formed on the edges of the pair of slits are formed so as to face each other at the same position in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The sheet metal processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the height of the upper surface of the base from the upper surface of the remaining material portion is set to be equal to or less than the height of the upper surface of the workpiece lifted and supported by the protrusion.

5. A sheet metal processing method as described in claim 2, wherein the slit includes a pair of slits facing each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a movement control portion having a base facing the end face of the intermediate processing portion is formed at the edge of the pair of slits facing each other in the second direction in the remaining material.

6. A slit is formed on the sheet metal by laser cutting a part of the outline of a sheet metal processed product to be cut out from the sheet metal; In a state where the intermediate processing portion, which is the portion inside the outline, is lifted, pressure is applied to the edge of the slit in the remaining portion that becomes the remaining material of the sheet metal, forming a protrusion that protrudes toward the underside of the intermediate processing portion and supports the intermediate processing portion, and forming a bridge portion having a base that faces the end face of the intermediate processing portion supported by the protrusion, a pressing portion is formed to protrude and press the base portion to pass over the slit and press the end surface of the intermediate processed portion so as to form an indentation; A method for manufacturing a sheet metal processed product, comprising laser cutting the remaining portion of the contour line to separate the sheet metal processed product from the remaining material, and clamping and holding the separated sheet metal processed product with the pressing portion while supported by the protruding portion.

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