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Device for spot welding of structures formed of pressed sheet metal elements

  • US 5,400,943 A
  • Filed: 05/17/1994
  • Issued: 03/28/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1993
  • Status: Expired
First Claim
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1. Device for spot welding of structures formed of pressed sheet metal elements, particularly motor-vehicle bodies, comprising:

  • a welding station provided with programmable automatic welding means,a line for feeding the structures to be welded in sequence to the welding station,at least two pairs of locating gates provided at the welding station so as to be rapidly interchangeable at a work area, said gates carrying devices for locking the elements forming the structure to be welded in the proper assembling position relative to each other, the gates of each pair being provided with locking devices adapted to a respective type of structure to be welded, said pairs of gates being slidably mounted longitudinally on both sides of said line at the welding station, so that they are rapidly movable between a waiting area and said work area, said gates of each pair being also movable transversely of said line, when they are at the work area, between spaced apart inoperative positions and relatively close operative positions, in which the locking devices carried by said gates engage the structure which is at the work area,wherein;

    a) said locating gates are mounted on powered carriages which are guided along two tracks on both sides of said line,b) said line comprises support means for supporting the various elements forming each structure to be welded in a position close to the final assembling position, but with said elements being separate from each other,c) said guiding tracks have separate portions which are movable transversely of the longitudinal direction of said line at the work area, for displacing the two locating gates which are at the work area between their spaced apart inoperative positions and their relatively close operative positions,d) said support means comprises movable parts for supporting two side portions of the structure to be welded, said parts being movable between a first position, for travel along said line, in which said side portions are close to each other, and a second position, in which said side portions are spaced apart from each other and are adjacent to two locating gates provided in their spaced apart inoperative positions, so as to allow said side portions to be picked up by said locking devices of said locating gates and then to allow the various elements forming the structure to be welded to be locked as a result of the displacement of the locating gates into their operative positions.

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