Metal Blank Edge Deformations for Reliable One-at-a-Time Destacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for destacking metal blanks, such as aluminum, often result in multiple blanks being picked up simultaneously due to sticking issues, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage, particularly when using suction cups or expensive machinery.
Innovation Solution
A tool and process that form serrations or dimples on the edges of metal blanks to create a gap between adjacent blanks, allowing for consistent one-at-a-time destacking by using a deformer assembly with engagement elements and opposing surfaces to press deformations into the metal sheet, facilitating reliable separation with air blasts or suction cups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If suction cups are used to pick up blanks, then blanks can be transferred to the trimming, pressing, and/or stamping apparatus, but multiple blanks are simultaneously picked up due to sticking issues
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the contact surface between adjacent blanks by forming deformations (dimples, serrations, or grooves) along the edges of each blank. These deformations create physical separations that prevent the sticking of adjacent blanks, allowing the suction cups to reliably pick up only one blank at a time. The segmentation divides the otherwise continuous contact area into discrete zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformations are formed on the blanks before they are stacked and before the destacking operation occurs. This preliminary action of creating edge deformations during the blanking process ensures that when the blanks are later picked up by suction cups, the separations are already in place, preventing sticking issues before they can occur.
2Ease of operation
If jack hammering is used to separate blanks, then ease of separation is improved, but undesirable issues occur when blanks are placed between stamping dies
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying separation force at the moment of destacking (as with jack hammering), the invention performs the separation preparation in advance by forming deformations on the blank edges during the blanking process. These pre-formed deformations create gaps that facilitate easy separation without requiring any additional separation actions that could damage the blanks during subsequent stamping operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical impact force of jack hammering with a different mechanism: edge deformations that create physical gaps. Instead of using force to separate stuck blanks at destacking time, the deformation-based approach uses geometric modification to prevent sticking in the first place, eliminating the need for aggressive mechanical separation methods.
3Ease of operation
If a blade is pushed between edges to separate blanks, then separation is achieved, but expensive machinery is required and damage to blanks occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The blanks themselves provide the separation mechanism through their own edge deformations. The dimples, serrations, or grooves formed on the blank edges create gaps that enable easy separation without requiring external separation tools or machinery. The blanks are essentially self-servicing by incorporating their own separation features during manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the separation function from the destacking machinery and transfers it to the blank structure itself. Instead of using a blade or other external tool to create separation, the separation capability is built into the blank edges through deformations, eliminating the need for complex and expensive separation machinery.
4Ease of manufacture
If no deformations are formed, then the blanking process is simpler, but multiple blanks stick together and cannot be consistently picked up one at a time
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying the entire blank surface, the invention applies deformations only locally at the edges of the blanks. This localized approach maintains the simplicity of the overall blanking process while providing the specific functionality needed for separation. The edge deformations are sufficient to create gaps between adjacent blanks without requiring complex modifications elsewhere.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the blank edges by forming deformations such as dimples, serrations, or grooves. These parameter changes in edge geometry create the necessary gaps for separation while maintaining compatibility with standard blanking processes. The deformations alter the contact characteristics between adjacent blanks, enabling reliable one-at-a-time pickup.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool for manufacturing blanks and a process for stacking and destacking the blanks in a production line are provided. The tool is incorporated into a blanking die used to trim a metal sheet and form the blanks. When the blanks are stacked, the destacking formations provide gaps between the adjacent blanks. The gaps provide an entry to blast air and thus reliably separate the blanks for pick up, so that only one blank is picked up at a time. The tool includes a deforming unit that has an engagement element for pressing deformations into the metal sheet. The deformations are pressed adjacent to at least one edge of the metal sheet so that when the metal sheet is trimmed, and the blanks are stacked, they are spaced by the deformations by adjacently stacked blanks.