METHOD FOR PRODUCING A PLASTIC COMPONENT, PLASTIC COMPONENT, AND MACHINING SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing plastic components for a vehicle, wherein the plastic components are at least partially painted in a painting step and are subsequently connected to further components on the non-painted surfaces, wherein at least one region, which is used to connect to the further components, is freed of impurities by a removal method using laser light.

Claims

1. A method for producing plastic components for a vehicle, the plastic components being at least partially coated in a coating step and subsequently being connected to further components on the uncoated surfaces, wherein at least one region, which is used for connection to the further components, is freed of contaminants by removal method with laser light.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least the front side of the plastic component is coated, and contaminants due to overspray on the inner side are removed with laser light.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the coating step, a processing step, in which stamping and/or boring is combined with laser ablation, is carried out.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic component is kept upright for the processing step.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the processing step, the plastic component is connected in a further combination step to further components made of plastic and/or of metal and/or of composite material in the regions for connection.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the regions for connection extend continuously along the plastic component con-tour.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein regions for functions are cleaned of contaminants.

8. A plastic component produced by the method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic components are tailgates or front modules or rear modules or sill trims of a vehicle.

9. A processing system for a plastic component produced by a method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing system comprises at least one station for cleaning with laser light.

10. The processing system for a plastic component as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing system contains a station for mechanical processing with stamping and/or boring tools.

11. The processing system for a plastic component as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing system contains a station for laser boring.

12. The processing system for a plastic component as claimed in claim 9, wherein the station and the station have a common laser.

13. The processing system for a plastic component as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing system can be equipped with tools from a storage column.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0031] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 1 shows an example of a vehicle tailgate,

[0033] FIG. 2 schematically shows production steps,

[0034] FIG. 3 schematically shows a processing station.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] FIG. 1 represents the main parts of a tailgate 1, which is used as an example of large-area plastic components. A carrier part 2, which is made for example from fiber-reinforced plastics, is used as a base of the tailgate. The stiffening frame 3 has a closed shape or any desired unclosed shape made of a polyurethane material or other composite materials. The trim parts 4 are connected to the carrier part 2. For stiffening of the tailgate, stiffening elements 5 are provided, which in this exemplary embodiment are made from metal and are arranged in the region 3a. They are connected separately to the carrier part 2.

[0036] The trim parts 4 are in this case coated on their visible surfaces 4a. The coating may in this case naturally also include edge regions of the trim parts 4 which remain visible after assembly.

[0037] Provided on the inner side 4b of the trim parts 4, there are regions 6 which must be freed of contaminants for connection of the trim part 4 to the carrier part 2.

[0038] The trim part 4 furthermore may also comprise regions 7 that need to be prepared in order to receive sensors, and are likewise freed of contaminants.

[0039] The trim parts 4 are examples of plastic components which are mounted on the vehicle with externally visible coated surfaces.

[0040] FIG. 2 schematically represents the processing method in the three main steps. The processing method is not in this case intended to be limited only to these three main steps. In a first processing step, the coating step S1, or in a first processing station, the plastic components, for example the trim parts 4, are coated. In this case, the plastic components 4, as likewise represented very schematically below the method steps, are processed in different orientations x, y, z. Particularly when using coating robots as well as robotic arms, which carry the components with or without a frame, the plastic components 4 are held and thus coated in a very wide variety of orientations.

[0041] The processing system 10 in the processing step S2 receives the coated plastic component 4 automatically or manually and contains at least one processing station 10, in which the plastic component 4 is freed of contaminants on the uncoated inner side 4b. In this case, a CO.sub.2 laser is used in order to free regions 6, which are needed for connection of the plastic component 4 to further components, of contamination.

[0042] Furthermore, regions 7 which are intended for the mounting of functional components, for example sensors, are also freed of contamination.

[0043] In the processing step S2, further processing operations may also be provided, such boring of holes and stamping of recesses. In this case, boring of holes is also possible with a laser, in which case a single laser may be used for removal of the contaminants and for boring of the holes. As an alternative, two different lasers are used for this.

[0044] The processing system used in the processing step S2 preferably processes the plastic component 4 in the vertical direction, i.e. as indicated in FIG. 2 in an orientation along the x-axis.

[0045] This upright arrangement economizes on installation space during production. A storage column 15 for different stamping tools and/or boring tools, with which the station may be automatically equipped, may furthermore be provided in the vicinity of the processing system 10 of the processing step S2.

[0046] In this way, it is possible to process very different plastic components 4 in the processing step S2 at this station, since replacement of the tools may be carried out straightforwardly and the CO.sub.2 laser may easily be adapted for different cleaning tasks.

[0047] In the next processing step S3, the prepared plastic component 4 is connected to further parts and further components.

[0048] The processing system 10 is likewise represented schematically in FIG. 3. The processing system 10 in this case comprises a station 11 for cleaning with laser light.

[0049] The processing system 10 furthermore contains a station for mechanical processing with stamping and/or boring tools. This station 12 has automatic access to the tools that are held in the storage column 15.

[0050] In the exemplary embodiment, the processing system 10 furthermore contains a station 13 which is configured for the laser boring or laser cutting.

[0051] The stations 11 and 13, both of which operate by using laser light, may in this case be served by a single laser head, or alternatively by 2 laser systems optimized for the respective tasks.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0052] 1 component [0053] 2 carrier part [0054] 3 frame [0055] 3a region of the frame [0056] 4 trim part [0057] 4a visible surfaces [0058] 4b inner side [0059] 5 reinforcing part [0060] 6 regions for connection [0061] 7 regions for functions [0062] S1, S2, S3 processing steps [0063] 10 processing system [0064] 11 station for cleaning [0065] 12 station for mechanical processing [0066] 13 station for laser boring [0067] 15 storage column