Extruded Hollow Profiles Expanded Into Wide Thin Metal Sheets
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for producing metal sheets, such as casting and rolling, are cost-intensive and limited in producing wide, thin sheets due to the need for multiple rolling passes and the production of semi-finished products with varying wall thicknesses.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus that decouples the expansion process from extrusion, allowing for the production of metal sheets or hollow chamber plates from round or approximately round thin-walled extruded profiles by cutting and expanding the profiles into U-shapes using clamping devices or rollers, followed by a sizing and squeezing unit to achieve uniform thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional casting and rolling methods are used to produce metal sheets, then a deformable wrought structure can be achieved from cast structure, but the process requires a large number of rolling passes which makes it highly cost-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs the structure transformation action in advance by extruding the metal in a tubular form with controlled wall thickness directly from the melt, creating the desired wrought structure before the sheet formation step. This eliminates the need for subsequent rolling passes that would otherwise be required to transform the cast structure into a deformable wrought structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the structure transformation step from the traditional casting-rolling sequence and performs it separately during the extrusion process. By forming the tubular extruded body with controlled wall thickness distribution directly from the melt, the structure transformation is decoupled from the sheet thinning process, eliminating the need for multiple rolling passes.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple rolling passes are used to produce thin sheets, then the desired sheet thickness can be achieved, but the production process becomes highly cost-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs the thickness control action in advance during the extrusion process by forming the tubular body with precisely controlled wall thickness distribution. This preliminary thickness control eliminates the need for subsequent rolling passes that would be required to achieve the desired sheet thickness through traditional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the thickness control function from the rolling process and performs it during extrusion. By controlling the wall thickness distribution of the tubular extruded body directly during the extrusion process, the thickness control step is separated from the sheet formation process, eliminating costly multiple rolling passes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If semi-finished products with varying wall thicknesses are produced, then different sheet thicknesses can be achieved, but the production process becomes discontinuous and limited to relatively narrow parts
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a universal extrusion process that can produce tubular bodies with various wall thickness distributions and cross-sectional shapes from a single continuous process. The extrusion die can be designed to produce different thickness profiles, and the process can accommodate both narrow and wide sheets, making the process versatile and continuous rather than discontinuous and width-limited.
4Manufacturing precision
If a hollow profile is cut and deformed into a semi-finished product with stepped cross-section, then sheets with different wall thicknesses can be produced, but the process requires two complementary profiles and simultaneous rolling which increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the wall thickness profile control function from the post-extrusion processing steps and performs it during the extrusion process itself. By forming the tubular body with the desired wall thickness distribution directly in the extrusion die, the need for subsequent cutting, deformation, and complex roller arrangements is eliminated.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs the wall thickness profile formation action in advance during extrusion. The tubular extruded body is produced with the desired wall thickness distribution already established, eliminating the need for subsequent cutting and deformation operations that would require complex stepped roller arrangements and multiple profile preparations.
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 approach enables the production of very thin and wide metal sheets or hollow chamber plates with reduced production cycles, increasing efficiency and reducing costs by eliminating the need for multiple rolling passes and allowing for the production of thin sheets in a single process step.
Implementation Method 1
an extruder (1) for producing an extruded profile (7)
Implementation Method 2
an upstream heating unit (2) for heating the extrusion billet (8) to extrusion temperature
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for producing metal sheets from extruded profiles of small thickness or of hollow chamber plates of light metal, preferably of magnesium or magnesium alloys, comprises an extruder for producing an extruded profile which is open along a surface line. A separating device is provided for cutting the extruded profile to length corresponding to the length of the metal sheet to be produced, or the hollow chamber plate to be produced. A bending unit is used for deforming the extruded profile into a U-shaped profile. An expansion unit is provided for expanding the U-shaped profile into a flat metal sheet or a hollow chamber plate. A stacking unit is also provided. At least one expansion unit is arranged parallel to the extrusion line and thus the extrusion and expanding processes are decoupled from one another.