Method for Producing a Vehicle Structural Component, More Particularly a Body Structural Component of a Vehicle

Abstract

A method for producing a vehicle structural component includes providing a first component body and a second component body and additively building up a connecting body. The first component body and the second component body are connected by the connecting body during the additively building up of the connecting body at least in a portion to form the vehicle structural component.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method for producing a vehicle structural component, comprising the steps of: providing a first component body and a second component body; additively building up a connecting body; and connecting the first component body and the second component body by the connecting body during the additively building up of the connecting body at least in a portion to form the vehicle structural component.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle structural component at least in a portion is in a form of a body structural component or a chassis or a drive.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the vehicle structural component at least in a portion is in a form of a bulkhead or a passenger compartment or a luggage compartment or a vehicle pillar.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein a functional structure is formed in or on the connecting body and wherein the functional structure at least in a portion is built up in a course of the additively building up of the connecting body.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the functional structure is in a form of a portion configured to guide a medium or an interface for securing or for receiving an attachment body.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the functional structure at least in a use state of the vehicle structural component continues in a functional portion of the first component body or the second component body or corresponds to the functional portion of the first component body or the second component body and wherein the functional structure and the first component body or the second component body together form a portion designed to guide a medium.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein the connecting body is additively built up by an additive production process using a powdered construction material or an additive production process using a liquid construction material.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the connecting body is additively built up by a laser build-up welding process or by a plasma transferred arc build-up welding process.

24. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first component body or the second component body is produced in a non-additive production process and wherein the non-additive production process is a casting process or a machining process.

25. An apparatus for producing a vehicle structural component, comprising: a holding device, wherein a first component body and a second component body are holdable by the holding device; and a building-up device, wherein a connecting body is additively buildable up by the building-up device and wherein, during an additively building up of the connecting body, at least in a portion, the first component body and the second component body are connectable by the connecting body to form the vehicle structural component.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the holding device has a first holding means for holding the first component body and a second holding means for holding the second component body and wherein the first holding means is movable independently of the second holding means.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein at least one of the first component body and the second component body or the connecting body is at least temporarily connectable to the holding device by a force-fitting or a form-fitting or a materially bonded connection.

28. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the holding device has at least one holding means that is deployable from a floor region or a wall region of a construction space of the apparatus for additively building up the connecting body and wherein the at least one holding means is exclusively linearly movable.

29. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the holding device has a plurality of uniformly arranged holding means which are movable.

30. A vehicle structural component produced by the method according to claim 16.

31. The vehicle structural component according to claim 30, wherein the vehicle structural component is a body structural component.

32. The vehicle structural component according to claim 30, wherein a first portion is formed by the first component body, a second portion is formed by the second component body, and a third portion is formed by the connecting body and wherein a functional structure extends at least in a portion from the first portion to the third portion or from the second portion to the third portion.

33. The vehicle structural component according to claim 30, wherein a first portion is formed by the first component body, a second portion is formed by the second component body, and a third portion is formed by the connecting body and wherein a functional structure extends without interruption across the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a basic illustration of an apparatus for additively producing a connecting body and for connecting component bodies to connecting bodies according to one exemplary embodiment; and

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a basic illustration of a vehicle structural component, in particular a body structural component, according to one exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus 1 for carrying out a method for producing a vehicle structural component 2, in particular a body structural component of a vehicle (not shown). The method comprises the following method steps: a) providing at least one first and at least one further component body 3, 4, 5, b) additively building up at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″, the at least two component bodies 3, 4, 5 being connected by the at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ during the additive building-up of the at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ at least in certain portions, in particular completely, to form the vehicle structural component 1, in particular the body structural component. Therefore, in the embodiment according to FIG. 1, the first component body 3 is connected to the further component body 4 via the connecting body 6 and via the further connecting body 6″. In the final state, the vehicle structural component 2 shown in FIG. 1 comprises four component bodies 3, 4, 5, which are indirectly or directly connected respectively via connecting bodies 6, 6′, 6″.

[0032] The vehicle structural component 2, for example, at least in certain portions, in particular completely, may be in the form of at least one constituent part of a body, preferably in the form of a body structural component, and/or a chassis and/or a drive. For example, in FIG. 1 a first component body 3 forms a constituent part of a vehicle engine and a second component body 4 forms a constituent part of an electrical energy store and/or of a housing of an electrical energy store. Optionally, a third component body 5 may form a supporting structural element of a vehicle.

[0033] The vehicle structural component 2, in particular the body structural component, at least in certain portions, in particular completely, may be in the form of a bulkhead and/or a passenger compartment and/or a luggage compartment and/or a vehicle pillar, preferably an A-pillar and/or B-pillar and/or C-pillar and/or D-pillar.

[0034] A functional structure 7 may be arranged or have been arranged in or on the connecting body 6, 6′, 6″, for example. In FIG. 2, the functional structure 7 is in the form of a channel-like cavity of the connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ by way of example. The functional structure 7, at least in certain portions, in particular completely, may be built up or conjointly formed in the course of additively building up the at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″. As a result of the fact that the additive building-up enables a high degree of freedom in terms of the geometric configuration of the connecting body 6, 6′, 6″, it is possible, at least in certain portions, in particular completely, to conjointly build up the functional structure 7 in the course of the additive building-up by correspondingly actuating the additive manufacturing apparatus.

[0035] The functional structure 7, at least in certain portions, in particular completely, may be in the form of a portion 8 designed to guide an in particular liquid medium or in the form of a channel (cf. FIG. 2) and/or in the form of an interface 20 for securing and/or for receiving an attachment body 19. Preferably, the functional structure 7 and the in particular liquid medium that is guided or can be guided therein is used as heat exchanger. In FIG. 2, the portion 8 or the functional structure 7 of the connecting body 6 has a reservoir 18. In addition or as an alternative, the connecting body 6 may have an interface 20, via which an attachment body 19 can be secured by a form fit and/or force fit. According to FIG. 2, the attachment body 19 can be secured via a connecting-body-side interface 20 in the form of a recess; in this respect, the attachment body 19 has an engagement means corresponding to the recess.

[0036] As illustrated by way of example in FIG. 2, at least in the use state as intended of the vehicle structural component 2, the functional structure 7 of the connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ can continue in a functional portion 9, 10 of the first and/or of the at least one further component body 3, 4 and/or correspond to this functional portion 9, 10. Preferably, the connecting-body-side functional structure 7 and at least one component-body-side functional portion 9, 10 together form a portion designed to guide an in particular liquid or powdered medium. In FIG. 2, the functional portion 9 within the first component body 3 is in the form of a canal which extends there and continues in a functional structure 7, in the form of a channel portion, of the connecting body 6. Within the volume of main extent of the connecting body 6, the functional portion 7 has a region 11 of increased volume, which may be used, for example, as a reservoir 18 and/or as a retaining region for an in particular liquid or powdered medium that is guided or can be guided within the channel-like functional structure 7. Downstream of the region 11 of increased volume, the channel tapers toward the second component body 4 in such a way that a corresponding or stepless transition of the medium is produced in the region of the transition of the connecting body 6 to the functional portion 10 of the second component body 4.

[0037] The connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ may be built up, for example, by an additive production process using a powdered construction material and/or by an additive production process using a liquid construction material. Preferably, the connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ can be built up by a build-up welding process, particularly preferably by a laser build-up welding process or by a plasma transferred arc build-up welding process. For example, the robot devices 12, 12′ illustrated in FIG. 1 may be formed in such a way that they can carry out a laser build-up welding process within the construction space 13 of the apparatus 1.

[0038] The first and/or the at least one further component body 3, 4, 5 may be produced or have been produced, for example, in a non-additive production process, preferably in a casting process and/or in a machining process. As an alternative, the first and/or the at least one further component body 3, 4, 5 may have been built up at least in certain portions, in particular completely, in an additive production process different from the additive production process of the connecting body.

[0039] The apparatus 1 for producing a vehicle structural component 2, in particular a body structural component of a vehicle, may, for example, in particular using a method according to one of the preceding claims, be characterized by a) a holding device 14 for holding a first and at least one further component body 3, 4, 5, b) a building-up device 15 for additively building up at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″, wherein, during the additive building up of the at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ at least in certain portions, in particular completely, the at least two component bodies 3, 4, 5 are connected and/or can be connected by the at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ to form the vehicle structural component 2, in particular the body structural component. The building-up device 15 may comprise, for example, at least one robot device 12, 12′, in particular a multiplicity of robot devices, which make it possible to build up a connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ within a construction space 13.

[0040] The holding device 14 may comprise, for example, a first holding means 16 for holding the first component body 3, and a further holding means 17 for holding the at least one further component body 4. Preferably via the first holding means 16, the first component body 3 can be moved, in particular positioned and/or aligned, independently of the at least one further component body 4, 5 held by the second holding means 17.

[0041] At least one component body 3, 4, 5, in particular all of the component bodies 3, 4, 5, and/or at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ may be at least temporarily connected and/or connectable to the holding device 14, in particular to at least one holding means 16, 17, by a force-fitting and/or form-fitting and/or materially bonded connection. As an alternative or in addition, the at least one component body 3, 4, 5 and/or the at least one connecting means 6, 6′, 6″ may rest on the holding means 16, 17, that is to say, for example, that the component body 3, 4, 5 and/or the at least one connecting means 6, 6′, 6″ rests on the holding means 16, 17 by virtue of its own weight and therefore as a result of gravity, preferably in a statically specific or stationary way.

[0042] The holding device 14 may comprise, for example, at least one holding means 16, 17 which can be deployed from a floor region 18 and/or from a wall region of a construction space 13 of the apparatus 1 for additively building up the connecting body 6, 6′, 6″. Preferably, the at least one holding means 16, 17 is in the form of a linearly movable holding means 16, 17, in particular an exclusively linearly movable holding means. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the holding device 14 may comprise, for example, a multiplicity of in particular uniformly arranged holding means 16, 17 that can be deployed linearly out of the floor region 18 of the construction space 13 of the apparatus 1 for additively building up the connecting body 6, 6′, 6″. The holding means 16, 17 serve to hold and/or support at least one component body 3, 4, 5 and/or the at least one connecting body 6, 6′, 6″. In FIG. 1, for the purpose of illustration and by way of example, a row of holding means 16, 17 that are next to one another and are moved out of the floor region 18 at different heights in the Z direction are shown in front of the vehicle structural component 2.

[0043] Apart from the method and the apparatus 1, the invention relates to a vehicle structural component 2, in particular a body structural component, produced in a method described in the present document. For example, the vehicle structural component 2 may comprise a first portion formed by a first component body 3 and a second portion formed by a further component body 4, 5 and a third portion formed by an additively built-up connecting body 6, 6′, 6″, wherein a functional structure 7 extends at least in certain portions, in particular completely, from the first portion to the third portion and/or from the second portion to the third portion, the functional structure 7 preferably extends in particular without interruption across the first, the second and the third portion. According to FIG. 2, the functional structure 7 extending over the three portions is formed by the functional structure 7 of the connecting body 6, 6′, 6″ and the adjoining functional portions 9, 10 of the first and the further component body 3, 4.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference characters: 1 Apparatus 2 Vehicle structural component 3 First component body 4 Second component body 5 Third component body 6, 6′, 6″ Connecting body 7 Functional structure 8 Portion of 7 9 Functional portion of 3 10 Functional portion of 4 11 Region of 7 12, 12′ Robot device 13 Construction space of 1 14 Holding device 15 Building-up device 16 First holding means 17 Further holding means 18 Floor region 19 Attachment body 20 Interface 21 Reservoir