METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING WORKPIECES COMPRISING FIBRE COMPOSITE MATERIAL
20210260837 · 2021-08-26
Inventors
- Thomas Weiler (Aachen, DE)
- Richard Schares (Aachen, DE)
- Albert Wendt (Aachen, DE)
- Lazlo Giesgen (Aachen, DE)
- Ruben Johannes Matthias Timmermanns (Aachen, DE)
Cpc classification
B29C70/202
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B29C70/34
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B29C70/54
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B29C70/388
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
B29C70/38
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B29C70/34
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
In a method for producing workpieces comprising fibre composite material, in which a base unit (5) held by retaining means (97) of a conveying device is guided by at least one application station (2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29,2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29, 39-41, 67-72) and, in order to form the workpieces at the application station (2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29,2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29, 39-41, 67-72) or at least at one of the application stations (2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29,2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29, 39-41, 67-72), during a translational movement of the base unit (5) through the application station (2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29,2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29, 39-41, 67-72) in question at least one strip (6) belonging to the fibre composite material is placed on the base unit (5), it is proposed that the spatial orientation of the base unit (5) is altered by means of at least one rotation relative to the retaining means (97) before the application station (2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29,2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29, 39-41, 67-72) or before at least one of the application stations (2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29,2, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29, 39-41, 67-72) in the conveying direction. The invention furthermore relates to an apparatus suitable therefor.
Claims
1-23. (canceled)
24. A method for producing workpieces comprising fiber composite material, in which a) a base unit held by retaining means of a conveyor device is guided through at least one application station, and b) in order to form the workpieces at the application station, or at at least one of the application stations during a translational movement of the base unit through the application station in question, at least one strip belonging to the fiber composite material is laid onto the base unit, characterized in that c) the spatial orientation of the base unit is changed by means of at least one rotation relative to the retaining means in the conveying direction upstream of the application station or upstream of at least one of the application stations.
25. The method as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that the change in orientation takes place while the base unit is being conveyed on the conveyor device.
26. The method as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that a first layer consisting of at least one strip is laid onto a main base unit not belonging to the conveyor device.
27. The method as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that the at least one base unit in the conveyor device is acted upon with heat at least also outside the at least one application station.
28. The method as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that strip material for forming the at least one strip is kept ready in at least one supply container.
29. The method as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that at at least one of the application stations at least two of the supply containers are loaded with strip material in such a manner that, during a planned strip deposition with a predetermined laying pattern, said supply containers are exhausted simultaneously or at least approximately simultaneously.
30. The method as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that before a first of the supply containers is replaced by a second of the supply containers, the strip material of the second supply container is joined to the strip material of the first supply container.
31. The method as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that, by means of the introduction of predetermined separating points, at least a partial quantity of the strip material is divided into strip material sections which are easily separable from one another and the respective length of which corresponds precisely or at least substantially to the length of the strip to be formed therewith.
32. The method as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that at at least one of the application stations for laying the strip or at least one of the strips, the associated strip material is pressed against the base unit by a respective pressure element of a laying unit.
33. The method as claimed in claim 32, characterized in that before the strip material is pressed against the base unit, the strip material is acted upon from a region spaced apart from the pressure element in the pressure direction of the pressure element, in particular the strip material is pre-positioned, pretreated, in particular preheated, and/or attached to the pressure element in question before contact with the base unit.
34. The method as claimed in claim 32, characterized in that the pressure element is cooled by means of a cooling fluid flowing through the pressure element.
35. The method as claimed in claim 24, characterized in that at least two base units are conveyed simultaneously in the conveyor device, and the at least two base units are guided successively through at least two application stations, wherein preferably at at least two of the application stations, different laying patterns of the strips are provided.
36. A device for producing workpieces comprising fiber composite material, comprising a) at least one application station having at least one laying unit, wherein the laying unit is configured to lay at least one strip, which is formed from a strip material and belongs to the fiber composite material, onto at least one base unit in a predetermined laying pattern, and b) a conveyor device which is configured to convey the at least one base unit held on retaining means successively to at least two application stations spaced apart in the conveying direction or at least twice to the same application station, characterized by c) at least one orientation unit which is arranged upstream of the application station or upstream of at least one of the application stations and which is configured to change the spatial orientation of the base unit or of at least one of the base units by means of at least one rotation relative to the retaining means.
37. The device as claimed in claim 36, characterized in that the orientation unit is configured for receiving a stack of the base units.
38. The device as claimed in claim 36, characterized by at least one tempering unit which is configured for tempering at least one of the base units in the conveyor device.
39. The device as claimed in one of claim 36, characterized by at least one supply container for the strip material, said supply container being arranged at at least one of the application stations.
40. The device as claimed in claim 39, characterized in that two supply containers are in each case provided for at least one of the laying units.
41. The device as claimed in claim 40, characterized by joining means which are configured to join a beginning of the strip material of one of the two supply containers to an end of the strip material of the other of the two supply containers.
42. The device as claimed in claim 39, characterized in that at least one of the supply containers has strip material having predetermined separating points which divide at least a partial quantity of the strip material into strip material sections which are easily separable from one another.
43. The device as claimed in claim 36, characterized in that at least one pressure element arranged at the laying unit or at one of the laying units is cooled by means of a cooling fluid, wherein the pressure element is a pressure-exerting roller which is mounted on a fixed axle secured in a roller holder, wherein the pressure-exerting roller comprises a casing element, which is provided for contact with the strip material, and at least part of a cooling fluid line runs between the axle and the casing element or is formed by at least one chamber arranged between casing element and axle.
44. The device as claimed in claim 43, characterized in that the mounting of the casing element is arranged within a working width of the pressure-exerting roller.
45. The device as claimed in claim 36, characterized by at least one actuator which is suitable for acting on the at least one pressure element or on strip material which has not yet been laid, in particular for attaching the beginning of a strip material piece, which is provided for one of the pressure elements, to the pressure element and/or for introducing heat, wherein the at least one actuator is arranged in such a manner that, in the use situation, it grips the pressure element from a region arranged below a conveying plane for the at least one base unit.
46. The device as claimed in claim 36, characterized in that the application station or at least one of the application stations has at least two laying units which are stationary in the production process, wherein laying sites of the laying units are arranged at a distance from one another in the conveying direction.
Description
[0047] In the figures, schematically
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[0066] In addition, the first stacking device 7 has a rotation device 12, which is symbolized here only by arrows, with which the carrier element 8 and thus the entire stack of the base units 5 can be rotated in order to provide the stack and thus the uppermost base unit 5 with a certain orientation before entry into the application station 2. The first stacking device 7 thus serves simultaneously as the orientation unit 11. After leaving the application station 2, the base unit 5 is supplied to a second stacking device 9 in which, in turn, the base units 5 can be received in a stack on a second carrier element 10.
[0067] After leaving the application station 2, the base units 5 can be returned from the second stacking device 9 by a second conveyor subunit, not illustrated here, to the first stacking device 7 in order, after a possibly changed orientation, to be covered again in the application station 2 with strips 6. Accordingly, the base units 5 to the right of the application station 2 in
[0068] However, from the second stacking device 9, the base units 5 can also be supplied to further applications, i.e. to a further application station, not illustrated in
[0069] The stacking devices 7 or 9 for the base units 5 have the advantage that they can be used as buffers in the production sequence. In principle, the orientation of the base units 5 before entry into the application station 2 can, however, also take place individually in each case at the base units 5 by other orientation measures that are not illustrated here. Stacking is not required.
[0070]
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[0072] According to the illustration in
[0073] However, it can also be desirable for the strips that are to be laid in an application station to at least partially butt against one another at their edges, thus resulting in a closed layer which exceeds the width of the individual strips.
[0074] By means of the laying sites 30 being offset in the conveying direction, the associated laying units, not illustrated here, can be configured to be wider than the width of the strip that is to be laid, which has considerable simplifications in respect of the design of the laying units.
[0075] Furthermore, the offset arrangement of laying sites 30 permits lateral access to the laying units 3 (not illustrated in
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[0077] The supply reels 4 have different quantities of strip material 31. The quantity of strip material 31 in the central supply reels 4 of the series of reels 32 and 33 is substantially higher than in the supply reels 4 arranged at the respective edge. The quantity of strip material 31 present in the supply reels 4 is in each case adapted here to the strip pattern that is to be laid and is selected in such a manner that, during the planned laying of the strips 6, the supplies of the strip material 31 in all of the reels 4 end at the same time. This has the advantage that the supply reels 4 can all be exchanged simultaneously without significant residues of strip material 31 still remaining in one of the reels 4.
[0078] In order to be able to carry out an exchange of supply reels 4 without having to interrupt the production process or being able to keep the interruption as small as possible, the strip material 31 of two different supply reels 4 can be joined together by the method illustrated in
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[0082] The strip material 50 is guided via a buffer region 63 which decouples the advancing of the strip material 50 toward the pressure-exerting roller 53 from the mass inertia of the supply reel 4.
[0083] The strip material 50 is cut in advance into strip material pieces which are joined together loosely at contact points 56 forming predetermined separating points, for example by means of a binder that melts below the melting point of the plastics matrix of the strip material 50. Other mechanisms, for example a perforation, the resting of the strip material pieces on a backing material or the connection of the strip material pieces by means of easily releasable connecting elements, are likewise conceivable. The complexity of a cutting process within the laying unit 3 can thereby be avoided. The strip material pieces can also be separated from one another by means of the photonic heating unit 54.
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[0085] The fixed axle 58 has bores 59 through which a cooling fluid can be guided into a chamber 60 encircling the axle 58. The chamber 60 is sealed in relation to the bearings 102 by seals 105. The cooling fluid, the course of which is symbolized by arrows, can be fed in via an inlet (not visible here) arranged on the lever arm section 103 and can be guided to the static axle 58 via lever arm bores 62. The cooling fluid leaves the lever element 57 via an outlet 61 on the lever arm section 104. A front part 107 of the lever element 57 can be removed together with the pressure-exerting roller 48 via a partition 106 for the purpose of repair, maintenance or exchange.
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[0088] Triangular strip structures, as shown by strip pattern 82, can also be used, for example in application station 69 for the laying pattern 75. Triangular strip patterns or strip patterns 82 formed in another way can basically be supplied as endless material, for example on a backing material. However, all the strip patterns can also be supplied to the laying units as ready-trimmed strip pieces, for example via a magazine 83 which obtains the trimmed strip pieces (present there in stack 84) from a supply reel 4 and optionally via a trimming point, not illustrated here.
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LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS
[0091] 1 Conveyor subunit [0092] 2 Application station [0093] 3 Laying unit [0094] 4 Supply reel [0095] 5 Base unit [0096] 6 Strip [0097] 7 First stacking device [0098] 8 First carrier element [0099] 9 Second stacking device [0100] 10 Second carrier element [0101] 11 Orientation unit [0102] 12 Rotation device [0103] 13 First conveyor subunit [0104] 14 First application station [0105] 15 First orientation unit [0106] 16 Second conveyor subunit [0107] 17 Second application station [0108] 18 Second orientation unit [0109] 19 Third conveyor subunit [0110] 20 Third application station [0111] 21 Third orientation unit [0112] 22 Fourth conveyor subunit [0113] 23 Fourth application station [0114] 24 Fourth orientation unit [0115] 25 Fifth conveyor subunit [0116] 26 Fifth application station [0117] 27 Fifth orientation unit [0118] 28 Sixth conveyor subunit [0119] 29 Sixth application station [0120] 30 Laying sites [0121] 31 Strip material [0122] 32 First series of reels [0123] 33 Second series of reels [0124] 34 Deflecting rollers [0125] 35 Joining device [0126] 36 Conveyor subunit [0127] 37 Conveyor subunit [0128] 38 Conveyor subunit [0129] 39 Application station [0130] 40 Application station [0131] 41 Application station [0132] 42 Orientation unit [0133] 43 Orientation unit [0134] 44 Tempering arrangement [0135] 45 Thermal radiation [0136] 46 Conveyor subunit [0137] 47 Conveyor rollers [0138] 48 Pressure-exerting roller [0139] 49 Conveying plane [0140] 50 Strip material [0141] 51 Drive roller [0142] 52 Guide unit [0143] 53 Pressure-exerting roller [0144] 54 Heating unit [0145] 55 Proximity sensor [0146] 56 Contact point [0147] 57 Lever element [0148] 58 Axle [0149] 59 Bore [0150] 60 Chamber [0151] 61 Cooling fluid outlet [0152] 62 Lever arm bore [0153] 63 Buffer region [0154] 64 Retaining framework [0155] 65 Rail [0156] 66 Laying pattern [0157] 67 Application station [0158] 68 Application station [0159] 69 Application station [0160] 70 Application station [0161] 71 Application station [0162] 72 Application station [0163] 73 Laying pattern [0164] 74 Laying pattern [0165] 75 Laying pattern [0166] 76 Laying pattern [0167] 77 Laying pattern [0168] 78 Laying pattern [0169] 79 Strip pattern [0170] 80 Strip pattern [0171] 81 Strip pattern [0172] 82 Strip pattern [0173] 83 Magazine [0174] 84 Stack [0175] 85 Conveyor subunit [0176] 86 Conveyor subunit [0177] 87 Conveyor subunit [0178] 88 Conveyor subunit [0179] 89 Conveyor subunit [0180] 90 Conveyor subunit [0181] 91 Orientation unit [0182] 92 Orientation unit [0183] 93 Orientation unit [0184] 94 Orientation unit [0185] 95 Orientation unit [0186] 96 Main base unit [0187] 97 Retaining element [0188] 98 Latching means [0189] 99 Bores [0190] 100 Central bore [0191] 101 Casing element [0192] 102 Bearing [0193] 103 Lever arm section [0194] 104 Lever arm section [0195] 105 Seal [0196] 106 Partition [0197] 107 Front part of the lever element