Flanging Tool

Abstract

A flanging tool has a working face which is designed to deform a flange of a metal sheet. The flanging tool is moved along the flange while the working face is in touching contact with the flange, wherein a spatial extent of the flanging tool in a direction perpendicular to the working face is within the range of 1 mm to 10 mm, and preferably 4 mm.

Claims

1. A flanging tool, comprising: a working face, which is configured to deform a flange of a metal sheet when the flanging tool is moved along the flange while the working face is in touching contact with the flange, wherein a spatial extent of the flanging tool in a direction perpendicular to the working face is within the range of 1 mm to 10 mm.

2. The flanging tool according to claim 1, wherein the spatial extent of the flanging tool in the direction perpendicular to the working face is 4 mm.

3. The flanging tool according to claim 1, wherein a length of the flanging tool extends in an advancing direction parallel to the working face, the length being within the range of 20 mm to 140 mm.

4. The flanging tool according to claim 1, wherein a width of the working face of the flanging tool extends in a direction parallel to the working face, the width being within the range of 5 mm to 30 mm.

5. The flanging tool according to claim 1, further comprising: a friction-minimizing and/or adhesion-minimizing coating provided on the working face.

6. The flanging tool according to claim 5, wherein the coating comprises tetrahedral amorphous carbon.

7. The flanging tool according to claim 1, wherein the working face is configured as a control screw face.

8. The flanging tool according to claim 1, wherein the working face is twisted by an angle within the range of 1 to 179 degrees.

9. The flanging tool according to claim 1, wherein two contradirectional working faces are provided, which are arranged one behind the other in a longitudinal direction.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 schematically shows a diagram of a flanged connection;

[0019] FIG. 2 schematically shows a perspective diagram of a flanging tool with a helical tool working face;

[0020] FIG. 3 schematically shows a further perspective diagram of a flanging tool with a helical tool working face; and

[0021] FIG. 4 schematically shows a diagram of the front of a flanging tool with a helical tool working face.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The basic structure of a flanged connection and the method for producing such a connection shall be explained with reference to FIG. 1. First, an outer sheet 10 is provided, the edge region of which forms a flange 11. Optionally, an adhesive (not shown in detail in the figure) can be applied thereto in the region of the flanged connection to be formed. An inner sheet 13 is then arranged relative to the outer sheet 10 such that an edge region of the inner sheet 13 comes to lie thereon in a region 12 of the outer sheet 10 that does not form the flange 11. The sheets 10 and 13 are positioned relative to one another using a device. The working face of a flanging tool is then brought to the flange 11, and the flanging tool is guided along the flange 11 in the direction of a longitudinal axis (L) of the flanged connection. In FIG. 1, the movement of the flanging tool is directed out of the drawing plane. During the movement of the flanging tool, it presses with its working face against the flange 11 and bends it over toward the inner sheet 13. FIG. 1 shows an end position of the flange 11 in which the flanged connection is finished.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the flanging tool 20, which is arranged on a main body 22. The main body 22 is used as a connection element or as a retainer for connecting the flanging tool 20, for example to a robot with which the production of the flanged connection can proceed in an automated manner. The flanging tool 20 has a working face 21 with which it is brought into touching contact with the flange 11 of the outer sheet 10.

[0024] The spatial extent of the flanging tool 20 in a direction D perpendicular to the helical working face 21 is within the range of 1 mm to 6 mm and preferably 4 mm. This results in a particularly slim flanging tool. The length L of the flanging tool 20 extends in an advancing direction A of the flanging tool 20 parallel to the helical working face 21 and is within the range of 20 mm to 140 mm. The width B of the working face 21 of the flanging tool 20 extends in a direction that is perpendicular to the advancing direction A and is oriented parallel to the working face 21 and is within the range of 5 mm to 30 mm. The direction in which the width B of the flanging tool 20 extends and the direction in which the length L of the flanging tool extends are perpendicular to one another and both run substantially parallel to the working face 21. The longitudinal axis of the flanging tool 20 corresponds to the advancing direction A in FIG. 2.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows the above-described flanging tool 20 in a further perspective view. The working face 21 is designed as a control screw face or helically, wherein the reference axis of this helical geometry runs in the advancing direction A. The working face 21 is designed as a counterclockwise screw face. In further embodiments (not shown in the drawings), the screw face can also run clockwise. As a result of the profile of the working face 21, the flange 11 is bent over continuously during the deforming process with the flanging tool 20, from a starting position, in which the flange 11 runs at a slight angle to the main region 12 of the outer sheet 10, to an end position as shown in FIG. 1. In the process, the flanging tool 20 is guided along and parallel to a flange edge in the advancing direction A (indicated by the arrow). In the process, the flange is deformed continuously toward the inner sheet 13 correspondingly to the angle of the working face 21 of the flanging tool 20. In FIG. 3, the angle is approximately 150, for example. A flange that is previously angled by 60, for example, is laid on the inner sheet 13 after deformation using the flanging tool 20. The angle therefore defines the change in angle that the flange 11 undergoes as a result of the flanging tool 20. The angle can also cover larger angle ranges, for example a range of 1-179.

[0026] While the flange is being deformed, it follows the helical working face 21, as a result of which the material is stretched, in particular at the trimming edge. The material stretching that occurs is influenced by the pitch of the working face, said pitch resulting from the working face length, the angle and the width B of the flange. A pitch that has been selected to be too small would cause excessive material stretching and thus waviness of the flanged connection. For a compact design of the flanging tool, the pitch should not be selected to be too large either. In experiments, for a flange width of 10 mm and an angle of 150 degrees, it has proven expedient to set the length of the working face at 60 mm, for example.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows an above-described flanging tool 20 in a front view for better illustration of the angle by which the working face 21 is twisted.

[0028] 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.