Temperature control station for partially thermally treating a metal component

Abstract

Disclosed is a tempering station for the partial heat treatment of a metal component, the station including a processing plane arranged in the tempering station, at least one nozzle, aligned to the processing plane, for discharging of a fluid flow for the cooling of at least a first sub-area of the component, and at least one nozzle box, arranged above the processing plane. The at least one nozzle box forms at least one nozzle area in which the at least one nozzle is at least partially arrangeable and/or which at least partially delimits a propagation of the fluid flow, with the at least one nozzle box being at least partially formed with a ceramic material. The tempering station permits a sufficiently reliable thermal delimitation of heat treatment measures partially acting on the component and/or a sufficiently reliable thermal separation of different heat treatment procedures partially acting on the component.

Claims

1. A tempering station for partial heat treatment of a metal component, which defines a first sub-area and a second sub-area, with a processing plane arranged in the tempering station, in which the component is arrangeable, at least one nozzle for cooling the first sub-area of said metal component, which is vertically aligned with the processing plane, and is provided and arranged for discharging a fluid flow for cooling at least a first sub-area of the component, at least one heat source, which is provided and arranged to provide heat energy to at least the second sub-area of the component, and at least one nozzle box, which is arranged above the processing plane, wherein the at least one nozzle box forms at least one nozzle area wherein the at least one nozzle at least partially extends into the nozzle area or is even arranged completely in the nozzle area, and wherein the at least one nozzle box forms at least one heating area separate from the at least one nozzle area, in which at least one heating area the at least one heat source is at least partially arrangeable and/or at least partially limits propagation of heat energy, wherein said nozzle area of said nozzle box is shaped so as to span an area of said processing plane in which said first sub-area of said component has been arranged and to span said area as soon as said component has been arranged in said processing plane and aligned with respect to said nozzle box, wherein said heating area of said nozzle box is shaped such as to span said second sub-area of said component, and wherein the at least one heat source is at least one radiant-heat source.

2. Tempering station according to claim 1, wherein the at least one nozzle box is at least partially formed with a fiber-reinforced ceramic material.

3. Tempering station according to claim 1, wherein the at least one nozzle box is at least partially formed with an alumina ceramic.

4. Tempering station according to claim 1, wherein a nozzle field comprising a plurality of nozzles is at least partially arranged in at least one nozzle area.

5. Tempering station according to claim 1, wherein the at least one nozzle area is shaped so as to span an area of the processing plane in which said first sub-area of said component is arrangeable.

6. Tempering station according to claim 1, wherein the at least one nozzle box comprises thermally-insulating material.

7. Tempering station according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the at least one nozzle box is double-walled.

8. An apparatus comprising a tempering station for partial heat treatment of a metal component, which defines a first area and a second area, by heating the metal component while cooling the metal component, the metal component having been arranged on a processing plane within the tempering station, wherein said tempering station comprises a nozzle for cooling said first area of said component, a nozzle box that forms a nozzle area and a heating area, and a radiant-heat source that is arrangeable on a processing plane within the tempering station for heating said second area of said component, wherein said nozzle is arranged in said nozzle area to discharge fluid along a direction that is vertical relative to said processing plane for cooling a first area of said component, wherein said radiant-heat source is arranged within said heating area so as to enable said nozzle box to limit lateral propagation of radiant-heat energy, thereby impressing upon the metal component a temperature profile in which a distinct temperature difference between said first and second areas of said metal component delimits said first and second areas from each other, wherein said nozzle area of said nozzle box is shaped so as to span an area of said processing plane in which said first area of said component has been arranged and to span said area as soon as said component has been arranged in said processing plane and aligned with respect to said nozzle box, and wherein said heating area of said nozzle box is shaped such as to span said second area of said component.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a furnace, said furnace being disposed upstream from said tempering station.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising first and second furnaces, said first furnace being disposed upstream from said tempering station and said second furnace being disposed downstream from said tempering station.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a furnace being disposed downstream from said tempering station and press-hardening tool downstream from said furnace.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1: is a schematic representation of a tempering station according to the invention,

(2) FIG. 2: shows a schematic representation of a further tempering station according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 3: shows a perspective view of a nozzle box shown in section, which can be used in a tempering station according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 4: shows a schematic representation of an apparatus according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a tempering station 1 for the partial heat treatment of a metal component 2. In the tempering station 1 a processing level 3 is arranged, in which the component 2 is located. By way of example, the tempering station 1 has a nozzle 4, which is aligned towards the processing plane 3 and provided and arranged for discharging a fluid flow 5 for the cooling of at least a first sub-area 6 of the component 2. In addition, the tempering station 1 has by way of example a heat source 9, which is provided and arranged to provide heat energy to at least a second sub-area 10 of the component 2. The heat source 9 is formed here by way of example in the manner of a resistance heating wire. In addition, the tempering station 1 has a nozzle box 7, which is arranged above the processing plane 3. The nozzle box 7 here forms a nozzle area 8, in which the nozzle 4 is at least partially arranged. In addition, the nozzle box 7, as shown in FIG. 1, forms a heating area 11 separate from the nozzle area 8, in which the heat source 9 is at least partially arranged.

(6) In FIG. 1, the nozzle box 7 with or the walls 18 of the nozzle box 7 are formed of a ceramic material. The ceramic material used here is exemplified by a fiber-reinforced alumina ceramic. In addition, it is shown in FIG. 1 that the nozzle box 7 is double-walled around the heating area 11 and has an insulating material 13 between the walls 18 forming the double-walled area of the nozzle box 7.

(7) According to the illustration according to FIG. 1, it is furthermore shown that the nozzle area 8 is shaped such that it spans an area of the processing plane 3 in which the first sub-area 6 of the component 2 is arranged as soon as the component 2 is arranged in the processing plane 3 and is aligned with respect to the nozzle box 7. In addition, the heating area 11 is shaped such that it spans an area of the working plane 3 in which the second sub-area 10 of the component 2 is arranged. In other words, a cross-section of the nozzle area 8 aligned perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing and parallel to the processing plane 3 has a shape that corresponds to the shape or geometry (to be achieved) of the first sub-area 6. Accordingly, a cross-section of the heating area 11 aligned perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing and parallel to the processing plane 3 has a shape that corresponds to the shape or geometry (to be achieved) of the second sub-area 10.

(8) The nozzle area 8 and the heating area 11 are separated from each other (thermally) by means of the nozzle box, so that the component 2 can be impressed with a temperature profile with differently tempered sub-areas which are as exactly delimited as possible from one another. Due to the fact that a distinct temperature difference between the first sub-area 6 and the second sub-area 10 is set in the first sub-area 6 by the cooling by means of the nozzle 4, after a hardening in a tempering station 1 downstream press-hardening tool (not shown here) in the sub-areas 6, 10 set different material structure and/or strength properties, wherein in the cooled first sub-area 6 a ductile structure and/or a lower hardness can be set than in the second sub-area 10.

(9) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a further tempering station 1 for the partial heat treatment of a metal component 2. Since the reference numerals are used uniformly, only the differences from the tempering station shown in FIG. 1 will be discussed here. In addition, reference is made to the explanations of FIG. 1, which are fully incorporated herein by reference. A first difference is that two nozzles 4 are shown here, which are arranged in the nozzle field 12.

(10) Moreover, FIG. 2 illustrates by way of example that the nozzle area 8 can also be formed such that it limits the propagation of the fluid flow 5 at least partially, for example laterally, without the nozzle(s) themselves having to be arranged in the nozzle area 8. In an analogous manner, the heating area 11 is here exemplarily formed by the nozzle box 7 so that it at least partially limits the propagation of heat energy, for example, laterally. For this purpose, for example, thermal radiation, which is indicated in FIG. 2 by means of dotted lines, can be reflected on the inner walls 18 of the heating area 11.

(11) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a nozzle box 7 shown in section, which can in an inventive tempering station (not shown here) are used. The nozzle box 7 here is by way of example a plurality of nozzle areas 8, in which nozzles (not shown here) can be placed and/or it can be blown into the nozzles. In addition, the nozzle box 7 forms a plurality of heating areas 11, in which one or more heat sources (not shown here) are arrangeable. In addition, the nozzle areas 8 are separated from the heating areas 11 by means of the walls 18 of the nozzle box 7 and by means of insulating material 13.

(12) FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of an inventive device 14 for heat treating a metal component 2. The apparatus 14 has a heatable first furnace 15, a tempering station 1 (directly) arranged downstream of the first furnace 15, a heatable second furnace 16 (directly) arranged downstream of the tempering station 1, and a press hardening tool 17 (directly) arranged downstream of the second furnace 16. The apparatus 14 here represents a thermoforming line for (partial) press hardening.

(13) A tempering station and a device for the heat treatment of a metal component are disclosed herein, which at least partially resolves problems identified by the prior the art. In particular, the tempering station and the apparatus permit a sufficiently reliable thermal delimitation of heat treatment measures partially acting on the component and/or a sufficiently reliable thermal separation of different heat treatment procedures partially acting on the component.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(14) 1 Tempering station 2 Component 3 Processing plane 4 Nozzle 5 Fluid flow 6 First sub-area 7 Nozzle box 8 Nozzle area 9 Heat source 10 Second sub-area 11 Heating area 12 Nozzle box 13 Insulating material 14 Apparatus 15 First furnace 16 Second furnace 17 Press-hardening tool 18 Wall