Rotary slide with cooling and temperature-controlled zones

Abstract

A device for a press for shaping a sheet metal part with a section which can be shaped out separately as an undercut in the device. The device includes a press-side ram, a swage and a die which can be driven separately, serves to shape out the undercut, and interacts with an undercut contour which is arranged substantially in a filler slide which is mounted such that it can be moved rotationally in the swage. The filler slide can be transferred from a shaping-out position into a position which exposes the undercut in the sheet metal part, and vice versa. At least one temperature-control device is provided in the filler slide, by way of which temperature-control device the filler slide can be temperature-controlled at least in sections.

Claims

1. A device for a press for forming a sheet-metal part with a portion which, as an undercut, is separately moldable in the device, comprising: a press-side ram; a swage; a filler slide rotatably mounted in the swage about a rotation axis; and a die which is separately drivable, serves to mold the undercut, and interacts with an undercut contour, the undercut contour being disposed substantially in the filler slide, wherein the filler slide is transferable between a molding position and a position which exposes the undercut in the sheet-metal part, and a plurality of variable temperature control installations are arranged in the filler slide in a longitudinal direction of the filler slide, which is parallel to the rotation axis, each of the plurality of variable temperature control installations being variably temperature-controllable to a dissimilar temperature relative to one another, wherein the filler slide is temperature-controllable at least in portions via temperature control of at least one of the plurality of variable temperature control installations.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein individual portions of the filler slide are temperature-controllable, via the plurality of variable temperature control installations, to dissimilar or identical temperatures.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of variable temperature control installations are arranged sequentially in the longitudinal direction of the filler slide.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of variable temperature control installations are disposed beside one another in the longitudinal direction of the filler slide.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of variable temperature control installations are aligned so as to be substantially mutually parallel.

6. The device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of variable temperature control installations are aligned so as to be substantially parallel with a rotation axis about which the filler slide is rotatable.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of variable temperature control installations are configured as one or more of: a duct through which a temperature control medium is flowable, a depression in a shape-imparting surface of the filler slide, and an electric heating cartridge.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the temperature controlled medium is a gas or a fluid that flows through the duct.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of variable temperature control installations is configured with at least one of the duct through which the temperature controlled medium is flowable, wherein the temperature controlled medium flowable through respective one of the ducts is controlled to dissimilar temperatures relative to one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a filler slide, illustrated in cross section, in the molding position for an undercut, in a device which is generally indicated; and

(2) FIG. 2 shows the filler slide in a position exposing the molded undercut in a sheet-metal part.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(3) In FIG. 1, the device 1 (which is merely indicated) may be designed, for example, so as to be similar to that in FIG. 1 of the drawing of the above-mentioned EP 0 699 489 B1, for a press (not shown) for shaping a sheet-metal part 2. The sheet-metal part 2 preferably serves as a body panel, having a portion 4 of the body panel 2 which, as an undercut 3, is separately moldable (shaped) in the device 1. Beside a press ram (not shown), the device 1 includes a press swage 5 and a separately drivable die 6 which serves for molding the undercut 3.

(4) In order for the undercut 3 to be molded in a peripheral region 7 of the body panel 2 to be molded, a rotatably mounted filler slide 8 is disposed in the swage 5, in which filler slide 8 the contour 9 for the undercut 3 is configured so as to shape the body-panel periphery 7 by way of the die 6. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the filler slide 8 herein assumes the position 10 for shaping the undercut 3 on the body-panel periphery 7. As can be furthermore seen from FIG. 1, the rotatable filler slide 8 is equipped with the bearing faces 11 which are circumferentially disposed and designed in a flat planar manner. These bearing faces 11, by way of a rotation movement of the filler slide 8 according to the arrow A in the direction of the molding position 10, are brought to bear in a planar manner on support faces 12, likewise of a flat planar design, in a filler-slide receptacle 13 which is disposed in the swage 5. In order for the completely molded undercut 3 to be exposed, the filler slide 8, which is designed according to the invention, is rotated according to FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrow F to the exposing position 14.

(5) Temperature-control installations 100, herein illustrated as ducts, which run parallel with the rotation axis 15 of the filler slide 8 and thus perpendicularly to the drawing plane of FIGS. 1 and 2 are provided in the filler slide 8. A medium, for example a gaseous or liquid fluid, may flow through the ducts. This fluid is set to a predetermined temperature. On account thereof, the rotary slide 8 may be temperature-controlled, that is to say cooled, in a targeted manner. By passing media which are set to dissimilar temperatures through the individual ducts 100, the individual regions of the rotary slide may be temperature-controlled in a dissimilar manner, that is to say cooled in a dissimilar manner. This temperature during hot-forming of the sheet metal 2 is transferred to corresponding regions in the sheet metal 2. Regions having dissimilar mechanical properties may thus be generated in the sheet metal 2, in particular in the undercut region 3 of the sheet metal 2.

(6) In order for the bearing faces 11 to bear on the support faces 12 in a kinematically flawless manner, without contact causing grinding wear, the bearing faces 11 of the rotatable filler slide 8 in the rotation direction toward the molding position 10 are each delimited by one radial line 16 which emanates from the rotation axis 15 of the filler slide 8, wherein each radial line 16 in relation to a respective bearing face encloses at least one right angle90, preferably of somewhat larger size such as approx. 92 to 95. The arrangement of the support faces 12, except for the alignment in parallel with the filler-slide side bearing faces 11 on the filler slide 8 in the case of a closed position or in the molding position 10, respectively, is freely selectable.

(7) In order for complex tuning work and cost-intensive tolerances in terms of production technology for the reciprocal alignment of the bearing faces 11 and of the support faces 12 to be reduced, the filler slide 8 has a rotary guide 17 with a bearing clearance which is enlarged to a predetermined size, on account of which flawless planar interaction between the bearing faces 11 and the corresponding support faces 12 is achieved in a simple manner.

(8) The afore-described effect by way of another design embodiment of the rotary guide 17 is achieved in that the rotary guide 17, instead of an enlarged clearance, is equipped with a radially resilient elastic intermediate element 18. The latter may be a rubber bush having a Shore hardness of 60 to 80, preferably of 70, or be a corrugated sheet-metal bush of a spring steel. A further design embodiment results in that the rotary guide 17 of the filler slide 8 is eccentrically disposed in the direction of the swage-side support faces 12, this being preferably advantageous with one of the aforementioned intermediate elements 18.

(9) Independently of the angular positions of the face pairs of bearing faces 11 and support faces 12, it is expedient for the filler slide 8 to be locked in a rotationally fixed manner in the molding position 10.

(10) With reference to the configuration of the rotary guide 17, the filler slide 8 may be mounted on an axle which penetrates the filler slide 8 across the length thereof and is fixedly disposed on both ends on the swage side. In another configuration, the filler slide 8 is rotationally guided by way of fulcrum pins 19 disposed at both ends in static bearings 20 which are disposed on the swage side. These, by means of an elastic intermediate layer (not shown), may be movable in the direction toward the filler-slide receptacle 13, in a manner relative to the swage 5, in order for the bearing faces 11 to flawlessly bear on the support faces 12.

(11) In the case of a filler slide 8 which is made from a cast-iron alloy, such as cast steel or gray iron, the bearing faces 11 and the support faces 12 are preferably configured separately on hardened strips 21, 22 from a case-hardened steel.

(12) With reference to clearance-free interaction between the bearing faces 11 and the support faces 12 it is also contemplated for the support faces 12 to be provided on pistons (not shown) which are disposed on the swage 5 so as to be hydraulically controlled and lockable, wherein the filler slide 8 is disposed at minimum clearance and in a flexurally rigid embodiment in the swage 5.

(13) In a device 1 having a plurality of filler slides 8 which are preferably disposed in an arcuate manner in one plane for configuring an arcuate undercut 3 in a sheet-metal part or a body panel 2, respectively, the dies 6 may be driven separately from the press ram (not shown) in order for the undercut 3 to be configured during the molding of the remaining body panel 2 which is caused by the press ram. Hydraulically or pneumatically effective piston/cylinder units (not shown) which are controlled by way of the movement of the press ram may be expedient for a linear drive of the dies 6 and of a rotation movement of the filler slides 8, which may optionally be combined with the former.

(14) However, in a manner corresponding to the number of filler slides 8 which are disposed in an arcuate manner, the device 1 may also include a corresponding number of wedge-driving tools which are not shown but which are known per se from EP 0 699 489 B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,386 B2, mentioned at the outset, and which, as is known, are directly controlled by the movement of the press ram. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 of the present description of the drawings, the die 6 which is referred to as an operational slide 24, which is movable to and fro on the swage portion 50 which is designed as the drive 23, by way of the wedge face 25 thereof is moved in a controlled manner relative to the filler slide 8 by a slide bed 26 which is disposed on the ram side and which is only partially indicated.

(15) Advantageously simple production of the device, in particular with a view to the filler-slide receptacle, without special machines and/or special tools is achieved by the invention.

(16) The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.