Main equipment for hybrid molding of multiple materials with a single mold opening and closing

Abstract

The main body of the equipment for hybrid molding multi-component materials in a single mold opening and closing operation includes a main frame and an injection module, the injection module including a mounting plate, the mounting plate being detachably connected to the lower beam of the die set, the mounting plate being equipped with metal injection channel ports, non-metal injection channel ports, and bulging media ports, and the injection material can be efficiently replaced by replacing the mounting plate. Based on a universal integrated die set, the present invention integrates multiple different metal injection equipment and non-metal injection equipment into a single equipment main body by arranging different injection modules, thereby reducing equipment costs, improving molding efficiency, and enabling non-metal injection (e.g., plastics, fiber-reinforced resins, etc.), metal injection (e.g., aluminum / magnesium / aluminum-magnesium alloys), and injection of various bulging media in a single mold opening and closing operation.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing components such as vehicle tube beams, and specifically to a system for hybrid molding of multi-component materials in a single mold opening and closing operation. [Background technology]

[0002] The design and processing process of tube beam structural parts determine the evaluation indexes of the overall vehicle, such as safety, reliability, durability, and NVH. However, steel tube beam structures manufactured using traditional one-piece die-casting and stamping welding processes have certain limitations in improving the overall vehicle performance and weight reduction.

[0003] Although the one-piece die casting process is widely used in the automotive industry, it is limited to being suitable for casting materials such as aluminum alloys and magnesium alloys that lack sufficient strength and density (yield strength of around 300 MPa). It is therefore not suitable for manufacturing slender upper body tubular beam structural parts or subassemblies, such as subassembly parts such as A-pillars and B-pillars. When one-piece die casting large parts such as vehicle side panels, the clamping force of the equipment becomes very large, resulting in significant deformation of the parts and insufficient local strength for parts such as the slender A-pillar tubular beams, which complicates the manufacturing process and increases costs.

[0004] The conventional integrated injection molding process for pipe beams and connecting parts is limited to the injection molding of the finished pipe beam and the water expansion molding. The main load-bearing pipe material is not subjected to processes such as heating, gas expansion molding to adhere to the mold, and quenching. This makes it difficult to achieve the ideal shape and strength performance of special-shaped pipe beams. In addition, a new process is added to complete the connection without combining it with processes such as synchronized aluminum / magnesium casting.

[0005] Conventional liquid-filled hydroforming of pipes involves sealing both ends of a metal pipe in a cold state, injecting high-pressure liquid into the pipe, and forcing the original pipe material into a mold. This process typically involves liquid-filling machines, cold liquid filling, and materials with low yield strength. Ultra-high-strength titanium alloys with high yield strength are not suitable for water-filling because they cannot be cold-formed and have high requirements for the clamping force of the equipment.

[0006] Hybrid molding is aimed at parts that are molded in a cold state, such as some parts that require assembling plastic clips to metal structural parts (for example, dashboard brackets in automobiles). Traditional hybrid molding combines liquid-filled molding of tubular materials with injection molding to mold the entire structure in one process, but this method has simple temperature control, the molding temperature is only about 200 degrees, and a quenching process cannot be performed.

[0007] As mentioned above, traditional hot gas expansion molding, injection molding, die casting, and liquid-filled molding of tubing are all single-step processes that cannot mold parts with composite structures. Hybrid molding is intended for parts that are molded in a cold state and is not suitable for high-strength materials.

[0008] To meet the rigidity, strength, and weight requirements of vehicle body structures, the present invention provides a main body of hybrid molding equipment that can perform hybrid molding of multi-component materials, including metallic materials such as ultra-high-strength steel pipes, aluminum alloy pipes, and aluminum / magnesium, and non-metallic materials such as fiber-reinforced resins, in a single mold opening and closing operation. This enables the instantaneous heating of ultra-high-strength steel pipes (or aluminum alloy pipes, etc.), adhesion to the mold by gas expansion molding, quenching strengthening, injection molding (for non-metallic materials such as fiber-reinforced resins), and aluminum / magnesium (metal) injection, all in a single mold opening and closing operation, thereby significantly simplifying the vehicle body manufacturing process, reducing subsequent processes such as welding, and achieving weight reduction in tube-beam structural parts. This is suitable for the integrated manufacturing of ultra-high-strength tube-beam structures with special cross-sections. Summary of the Invention

[0009] In view of this, and to address the technical problems existing in the art, the present invention provides an equipment main body for hybrid molding of multi-component materials with a single mold opening and closing operation, the equipment main body including an upper beam, a slider, a lower beam, a mold, and an injection module, in which different molds for molding different parts are mounted, a lower mold of the mold is fixed to the lower beam, and an upper mold of the mold is fixed to the slider, and the slider drives the upper mold and the lower mold to close the mold, The mold includes a metal tube hot gas expansion forming chamber, a metal material forming chamber, and a non-metal material forming chamber, The injection module is fixed to the lower beam, and the lower beam has a plurality of holes; The injection module includes a mounting plate, and the mounting plate of the injection module is detachably connected to the lower beam, so that the injection material can be efficiently replaced by replacing the mounting plate; The mounting plate has a metal injection channel port and a non-metal injection channel port disposed therein; One end of the metal injection passage port and one end of the non-metal injection passage port pass through a portion of the hole in the lower beam and communicate with the inside of the mold, providing an equipment body for hybrid molding of multi-component materials with a single mold opening and closing.

[0010] A bulging media port is further disposed on the mounting plate, and one end of the bulging media port passes through a portion of the hole in the lower beam and communicates with the interior of the mold.

[0011] The metallic or non-metallic injection channel ports are connected to a media system, which is used for loading, packing and withdrawing bulging media at different pressures.

[0012] a side thrust cylinder is attached to each side of the upper end of the lower beam, and the two side thrust cylinders are used to seal both ends of the metal tube during the forming process; The metal tube has high-pressure expansion gas medium ports at its closed ends, which enable the loading, pressure holding and recovery of the ultra-high-pressure expansion medium during the hot gas expansion of the metal tube, and also allow the low-pressure expansion medium to be transported.

[0013] The non-metallic injection passage port is connected to a non-metallic material injection barrel, which contains the non-metallic medium required for part molding and has the functions of heating and stirring, and can melt the solid non-metallic medium into a liquid or semi-solid non-metallic medium for easy injection into the mold.

[0014] The metal injection passage port is connected to a metal material injection barrel, which contains the metal medium required for part molding and has the functions of heating and stirring, and can melt the solid metal medium into a liquid or semi-solid metal medium for easy injection into the mold.

[0015] The upper die and the lower die have a medium flow passage therein, and the medium flow passage is quenched by raising or lowering the temperature inside the die.

[0016] The peripheries of the upper beam and the lower beam are fixedly connected to four guide rods to form a main body frame, and the guide rods guide the movement of the slider.

[0017] The metallic material is aluminum, magnesium or an aluminum-magnesium alloy, and the non-metallic material is a plastic or composite material.

[0018] An electrode is attached to the lower beam, and one end of the electrode is connected to a high-power heating power source via a conductor for heating in the part molding process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] The molding equipment body of the present invention is based on a universal integrated equipment body and improves the injection module, integrating multiple different metal injection equipment and non-metal injection equipment into one equipment table, thereby reducing equipment costs and improving molding efficiency. The equipment body of the present invention can realize non-metal injection (e.g., plastic, fiber-reinforced resin, etc.), metal injection (e.g., aluminum / magnesium / aluminum-magnesium alloy), and injection of various bulging molding media.

[0020] The equipment of the present invention can complete multiple processes, such as instantaneous heating of an ultra-high strength metal tube (e.g., an aluminum alloy tube), adhesion to a mold by gas expansion forming, quenching strengthening, non-metal injection (e.g., plastic, fiber-reinforced resin, etc.), and metal injection (e.g., aluminum / magnesium / aluminum-magnesium alloy), within a single mold opening and closing process, making it suitable for the integrated production of automobile sub-assembly parts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of the main body structure of the equipment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the lower beam of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of an injection module of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow chart of the process of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] The technical solutions of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings, but it is clear that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and are not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0023] In describing the present invention, the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings and are intended merely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention, and are not intended to indicate or suggest that such devices or elements have a particular orientation or must be configured and operated in a particular orientation, and should not be understood as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are intended for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or suggesting relative importance.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "attach," "couple," and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected. They may be mechanically connected or electrically connected. They may be directly connected, indirectly connected via an intermediate medium, or internal communication between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be specifically understood by those skilled in the art.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the main body of the equipment capable of achieving hybrid molding of multi-component materials with a single mold opening and closing operation includes a drive unit 21, a mold clamping unit 22, an upper beam 23, a guide rod 24, a slider 25, a lower beam 26, and an injection module 27. The mold includes an upper mold 28 and a lower mold 29. The lower mold 29 is fixed to the lower beam 26, and the upper mold 28 is fixed to the slider 25. The slider drives the upper mold 28 and the lower mold 29 to close the mold. The injection module 27 is installed on the lower beam 26.

[0026] The peripheries of the upper beam 23 and the lower beam 26 are fixedly connected to four guide rods 24, respectively, to form an integrated frame. The drive unit 21 and mold clamping unit 22 are attached to the upper beam 23. The drive unit provides power for moving the slider 25 and mold closing force for the equipment body, and a hydraulic cylinder or a motor is preferable as the drive unit. The mold clamping unit 22 is used to lock the mold closed state of the equipment body, and the mold clamping unit improves adhesion inside the mold and provides auxiliary mold closing force, reducing the output power of the drive unit 21. The guide rods 24 guide the movement of the slider 25.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, a side thrust cylinder 261 is attached to each side of the upper end of the lower beam, and the two side thrust cylinders 261 are used to seal both ends of the metal tube during the molding process. An electrode 262 is attached to the lower beam, one end of which is connected to a high-power heating power source via a conductor, and the other end of which is electrically connected to an electrode located inside the mold for heating during the part molding process. An injection module 27 is detachably connected to the lower beam 26, and the lower beam has a number of holes.

[0028] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the injection module 27 includes a mounting plate 271. The mounting plate 271 of the injection module 27 is removably connected to the lower beam 26. The mounting plate 271 is equipped with a metal injection channel 272, a non-metal injection channel 273, and a bulging media port. By replacing the mounting plate, the injection material can be efficiently replaced. The discharge conveyor line 3 transports the molded workpieces and temporarily stores the parts. The discharge conveyor line is typically made of stainless steel or steel plate chain. The metal injection channel 272, the non-metal injection channel 273, and the bulging media port communicate with the interior of the mold through multiple holes in the lower beam.

[0029] The metal tube has high-pressure expansion gas medium ports at its closed ends, which enable the loading, pressure holding and recovery of the ultra-high-pressure expansion medium during the hot gas expansion of the metal tube, and also allow the low-pressure expansion medium to be discharged. The expansion medium may be any of gas, water, oil and low-melting-point metal, and preferably the expansion medium is nitrogen or an inert gas, and the low-melting-point metal is tin.

[0030] The upper mold 28 and the lower mold 29 have media flow paths inside, which raise or lower the temperature of the parts inside the mold.

[0031] The non-metallic injection channel port 273 is connected to a non-metallic material injection barrel, which contains the non-metallic medium required for part molding and has the functions of heating and stirring, so as to melt the solid non-metallic medium into a liquid or semi-solid non-metallic medium for easy injection into the mold.

[0032] The metal injection passage port 272 is connected to a metal material injection barrel, which contains the metal medium required for part molding and has the functions of heating and stirring, and can melt the solid metal medium into a liquid or semi-solid metal medium for easy injection into the interior of the mold.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows the core steps of the manufacturing method using the equipment for hybrid molding the above-mentioned multi-component materials in a single mold opening and closing operation, specifically including the following steps:

[0034] S1: The metal tube is held inside the mold.

[0035] S2: The driving device drives the slider 25 to close the mold, and the side thrust cylinder operates to seal both ends of the metal tube with the plugs on both sides.

[0036] S3: The metal tube is heated to a first predetermined temperature by an electrode.

[0037] Preferably, the order of steps S3 and S2 is interchanged.

[0038] S4 Metal tube stretch forming: A first-pressure, high-pressure stretch forming medium (e.g., high-pressure gas) is injected into one of the openings of the metal tube, and the first-pressure, high-pressure stretch forming medium adheres the wall of the metal tube to the mold through high-pressure stretch forming. Furthermore, a first-pressure stretch forming medium (e.g., low-pressure gas) is injected into the interior of the mold and into the space outside the metal tube to control the amount of deformation at localized positions on the metal tube. Preferably, the first-pressure stretch forming medium is injected and withdrawn via the metal injection channel 15 and the non-metal injection channel 13.

[0039] S5 Metal Injection: The first pressure-expanding medium is released and recovered. The temperature inside the mold is adjusted to a second predetermined temperature, which is lower than the first predetermined temperature. A liquid or semi-solid metal, such as an aluminum-magnesium alloy, is injected through the metal injection barrel into the metal injection space inside the mold and outside the metal tube, thereby forming and bonding the metal material integrally onto the metal tube after expansion. A third pressure-expanding medium is injected into the metal tube to control the amount of deformation at a local position on the tube throughout the metal injection process. Furthermore, a second pressure-expanding medium is injected into spaces other than the metal injection target space inside the mold and outside the metal tube to control the amount of deformation at a local position on the tube throughout the metal injection process.

[0040] S6 Non-metallic injection: The second pressure bulging medium is released and recovered. The temperature inside the mold is adjusted to a third predetermined temperature, which is lower than the first and second predetermined temperatures. A liquid or semi-solid non-metallic material, such as plastic, is injected into the non-metallic injection space inside the mold and outside the metal tube through the non-metallic injection barrel, thereby forming and bonding the non-metallic material integrally onto the bulged metal tube. During the entire non-metallic injection process, the ultra-high pressure medium system injects a fourth pressure bulging medium into the metal tube to control the amount of deformation at local locations on the tube.

[0041] Preferably, the S5 metal injection and S6 non-metal injection steps of the present invention may be performed simultaneously for efficiency.

[0042] S7 The bulging medium is released from the pressure and recovered, and then rapidly quenched in the mold.

[0043] It should be understood that the magnitude of the sequence number of each step in the embodiments of the present invention does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not in any way limit the execution procedure of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0044] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is limited by the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 21 drive unit (usually a hydraulic cylinder or motor), 22 mold clamping unit, 23 upper beam, 24 guide rod, 25 slider, 26 lower beam, 27 injection module, 28 upper mold, 29 lower mold, 261 side thrust cylinder, 262 electrode, 263 port, mounting plate 271, metal injection channel port 272, non-metal injection channel port 273

Claims

1. An equipment main body for hybrid molding of multi-component materials with a single mold opening and closing operation, the equipment main body including an upper beam, a slider, a lower beam, a mold, and an injection module, on which different molds for molding different parts are mounted, a lower mold of the mold is fixed to the lower beam, an upper mold of the mold is fixed to the slider, and the slider drives the upper mold and the lower mold to close the mold, The mold includes a metal tube hot gas expansion forming chamber, a metal material forming chamber, and a non-metal material forming chamber, The injection module is fixed to the lower beam, and the lower beam has a plurality of holes; The injection module includes a mounting plate, and the mounting plate of the injection module is detachably connected to the lower beam, so that the injection material can be efficiently replaced by replacing the mounting plate; The mounting plate has a metal injection channel port and a non-metal injection channel port disposed therein; One end of the metal injection passage port and one end of the non-metal injection passage port are connected to the inside of the mold by passing through a part of the hole in the lower beam.

2. The molding equipment body according to claim 1, characterized in that a bulging molding medium port is further disposed on the mounting plate, and one end of the bulging molding medium port passes through a portion of the hole in the lower beam and communicates with the interior of the mold.

3. The molding equipment body according to claim 1, characterized in that the metal injection channel port or the non-metal injection channel port is connected to a media system, and the media system is used for loading, holding and recovering bulging media of different pressures.

4. a side thrust cylinder is attached to each side of the upper end of the lower beam, and the two side thrust cylinders are used to seal both ends of the metal tube during the forming process; 2. The forming equipment body according to claim 1, characterized in that there are high-pressure expansion gas medium ports at the sealed ends of both ends of the metal base tube, and the high-pressure expansion gas medium ports enable loading, pressure holding and recovery of the ultra-high-pressure expansion medium during the hot gas expansion forming process of the metal base tube, and also enable the transport of the low-pressure expansion medium.

5. The molding equipment body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the non-metallic injection channel port is connected to a non-metallic material injection barrel, which contains a non-metallic medium required for part molding and has heating and stirring functions, and can melt a solid non-metallic medium into a liquid or semi-solid non-metallic medium for easy injection into the mold.

6. The molding equipment body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the metal injection channel port is connected to a metal material injection barrel, and the metal material injection barrel contains a metal medium required for part molding, and has functions of heating and stirring, and can melt the solid metal medium into a liquid or semi-solid metal medium to facilitate injection into the interior of the mold.

7. The molding equipment body described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the upper mold and the lower mold of the mold have a media flow path inside, and the media flow path is quenched by raising or lowering the temperature inside the mold.

8. The molding equipment body described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the peripheries of the upper beam and the lower beam are fixedly connected to four guide rods to form a main body frame, and the guide rods guide the movement of the slider.

9. The molding equipment body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the metal material is aluminum, magnesium or an aluminum-magnesium alloy, and the non-metal material is a plastic or a composite material.

10. The molding equipment body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that an electrode is attached to the lower beam, one end of the electrode is connected to a high-power heating power source via a conductor, and is used for heating in the part molding process.

Images