Method and apparatus for flexible manufacturing a discrete curved product from feed stock

• US 6,813,923 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trico Products Corporation (Crowne Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Trico Products Corporation (Crowne Group LLC)
• Inventors: Peck, David E., Jones, Jerald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolan, Ed
• Application Number:
  US10/448,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20030209049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 723/792, 72/148, 72/149, 72/153, 72/162, 72/311, 72/54, 723/421, 723/422, 723/425, 723/426, 723/429.4, 723/77, 219/121.6, 219/121.73, 219/121.78, 219/121.8, 219/121.82, 219/121.83, 219/121.85
• US Class Current: 72/342.5
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 11/10 Bending specially adapted to produce specific articles, e.g. leaf springs making or bending leaf springs B21D53/886
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 11/20 Bending sheet metal, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/006 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/16 Bands or sheets of indefinite length
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/04 Steel or steel alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/03 Observing, e.g. monitoring, the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/073 Shaping the laser spot
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0846 for moving elongated workpieces longitudinally, e.g. wire or strip material
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 15/00 Making specific metal objects by operations not covered by a single other subclass or a group in this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/38 Wiper blades provided with liquid spreading means B60S1/524; provided with gas spreading means B60S1/546
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/3875 rectangular section
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/382 the backing strip being an essentially planar reinforcing strip, e.g. vertebra
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 2001/3898 method for manufacturing wiper blades
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 1/00 General methods or devices for heat treatment, e.g. annealing, hardening, quenching or tempering
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 1/34 Methods of heating C21D1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 9/52 for wires; for strips ; for rods of unlimited length

Abstract

An apparatus for manufacturing a discrete curved product from a feed stock includes a source of heat that is adapted to impose a focused beam of light on at least one surface of a work piece to cause the surface of the work piece to expand and thereby move in the general direction of the heat source so as to impart a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece. In addition, a method of manufacturing a discrete curved product from feed stock is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing a discrete curved product from a feed stock, said apparatus comprising:

a source of heat that is adapted to impose a focused beam of heat on at least one surface of a work piece, said beam of heat defining a major axis and a minor axis on the work piece, said major axis of said focused beam of heat being disposed substantially transverse to the relative movement of the work piece with respect to the beam of heat to cause the surface of the work piece to expand and thereby move in the general direction of the heat source and impart a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece;

a cooler adapted to cool the work piece after it has been heated by said source of heat; and

a tempering device employed to temper the work piece after it has been cooled.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat imposes a beam of heat having substantially an oval shape and wherein said beam of heat substantially traverses the surface of the work piece.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat imposes a beam of heat defining substantially a line of heat extending substantially transverse to at least one surface of the work piece.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat is a laser that produces a diffuse beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the direction of said laser thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat is a water cooled, plasma, infrared lamp that produces a beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the general direction of said infrared lamp thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cooler is disposed so as to cool the work piece adjacent to the point of impingement of the focused beam of heat on the surface of the work piece.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tempering device is a second source of heat disposed in non-contacting relationship to the work piece.

8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tempering device is a laser that impinges a beam of light on the work piece thereby tempering the work piece.

9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said tempering device is a pair of opposed direct diode lasers that impart a pair of defocused laser beams onto the work piece.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tempering device is an infrared lamp.

11. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tempering device is a water stabilized plasma infrared lamp.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including a plurality of sensors that operatively sense predetermined parameters of the work piece as the predetermined radius of curvature is imparted thereto and a neural network coupled to said plurality of sensors, said neural network adapted to receive data sensed by said plurality of sensors, to compare the sensed data with stored data and to generate signals to said source of heat thereby operatively controlling same.

13. An apparatus for manufacturing a discrete curved product from a feed stock, said apparatus comprising:

a source of heat that is adapted to impose a focused beam of heat on at least one surface of a work piece, said beam of heat defining a major axis and a minor axis on the work piece where the major axis of said focused beam of heat is disposed substantially transverse to the relative movement of the work piece with respect to the beam of heat, said transverse focused beam of heat acting to cause the surface of the work piece to expand and thereby move in the general direction of said source of heat to thereby impart a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece about said major axis; and

a cooler adapted to cool the work piece after it has been heated by said source of heat.

14. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said source of heat imposes a beam of heat having substantially an oval shape such that the beam shape defines a major axis and a minor axis and wherein said beam of heat substantially traverses the surface of the work piece.

15. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said source of heat imposes a beam of heat defining substantially a line of heat extending substantially transverse to at least one surface of the work piece.

16. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said source of heat is a laser that produces a diffuse beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the direction of said laser thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said source of heat is a water cooled, plasma, infrared lamp that produces a beam of light directed toward at least one surface of the work piece thereby heating the work piece and causing the surface to expand such that the work piece moves in the general direction of said infrared lamp thereby imparting a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece.

18. A method of manufacturing a discrete curved product from a feed stock, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a focused beam of heat on at least one surface of a work piece wherein the beam of heat defines a major axis and a minor axis on the work piece and the major axis of the focused beam of heat is disposed substantially transverse to the relative movement of the work piece with respect to the beam of heat to cause the surface of the work piece to expand and thereby move in the general direction of the heat source and impart a predetermined radius of curvature to the work piece; and

cooling the work piece immediately after it has been heated by the source of heat.

19. A method as set forth in claim 18 further including the steps of tempering the work piece after it has been cooled.