Domestic Appliance Contour Welding Using Marking-Guided Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing domestic appliances, particularly for joining sheet-like components like oven muffles, face challenges in achieving precise and efficient welding, especially when one component is hidden from the welding area, leading to inaccuracies and increased manufacturing costs due to the need for direct detection and measurement of both contours.
Innovation Solution
A method involving positioning and prefixing of component parts with matching contours, using a detection device to locate and control a laser welding seam along one contour, allowing for hidden butt joints to be formed by applying laser energy from one side, thus eliminating the need for direct visibility of both components during welding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If direct detection and measurement of both contours is performed during welding, then welding precision can be maintained, but manufacturing complexity and costs increase due to the need for access to both sides of the joint
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a marking (such as a contour line or geometric feature) transferred onto the visible component as a copy of the hidden contour. This marking serves as a surrogate that contains all necessary positional information, eliminating the need to directly detect the hidden contour while maintaining welding precision through optical detection of the marking.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking acts as an intermediary between the hidden contour and the detection system. Instead of directly measuring the hidden contour, the system detects the marking which mediates the transmission of positional information, simplifying the detection system while maintaining accuracy.
2Productivity
If welding is performed from one side only, then manufacturing effort and time are reduced, but achieving precise welding seams becomes difficult when one component is hidden
Solution Approach 1:
By creating a visual copy (marking) of the hidden contour on the visible side, the system enables single-side welding while maintaining precision. The marking provides all necessary guidance information for the welding head to accurately follow the hidden contour without requiring access to both sides of the joint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical access requirements with optical detection. Instead of requiring physical access to both sides for measurement, the system uses optical detection of the marking to guide the welding process, enabling single-side operation while maintaining precision.
3Measurement precision
If both contours are directly detected during welding, then accurate welding seam placement is achieved, but the process requires access to both sides of the joint increasing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The marking serves as a copy of the hidden contour that can be detected from the visible side. This copying approach maintains measurement precision by preserving all positional information while eliminating the need for physical access to the hidden side during detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking acts as an intermediary that transfers contour information from the hidden side to the visible side. This allows the detection system to operate from one side only while maintaining accurate measurement capability through the mediating marking.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method ensures precise and accurate welding seams, reduces manufacturing effort and costs by allowing welding from one side, and enhances the quality of the welded joints, particularly suitable for oven muffles and other household appliances, by compensating for manufacturing tolerances and ensuring smooth surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
detecting, in particular via a detection device, at least one of a location and course of at least a section of a marking representative for only one of the first and second contour
Implementation Method 2
generating a welded, in particular laser-welded, seam to join the first and second component along the first and second contour based on the detected location and/or course of the marking
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a domestic appliance at least comprising the following steps:—at least one positioning and/or prefixing step comprising positioning and/or prefixing of at least a first component part (3) of the domestic appliance relative to at least a second component part (2) of the domestic appliance, the first component part (3) comprising a first contour (32), and the second component (2) part comprising a matching second contour (21), respectively, the positioning and/or prefixing comprising positioning and/or prefixing the second contour (21) in a pre-defined arrangement at the first contour (32);—at least one welding step comprising welding together the first and second component parts (3, 2) along at least one of the first and second contour (32, 21); wherein the welding being controlled by a control device and carried out by:—detecting, in particular via a detection device, at least one of a location and course of at least a section of a marking representative for only one of the first and second contour; and—generating a welded seam to join the first and second component along the first and second contour based on the detected location and/or course of the marking.