Press assembly having a press tool
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMichael Palmore Matlack, Steven Michael Shewchuk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A press tool for a press assembly includes an additive manufactured body including a plurality of stacked layers of additive manufacturable material extending between an interior side and an exterior side. The interior side has a part forming surface including a surface profile for forming a part. The exterior side has a plurality of hollow cores defined by longitudinal walls and lateral walls meeting at joints. Press inserts are coupled to the longitudinal walls and the lateral walls at the exterior side. The press inserts are configured to be pressed inward by a pressing load during a pressing operation for forming the part. The press inserts distribute the pressing load along the longitudinal and lateral walls.
Claims25
A press tool for forming a part, the press tool comprising:
- an additive manufactured body comprising a plurality of stacked layers of additive manufactured material extending between an interior side and an exterior side, the interior side having a part forming surface including a surface profile for forming the part, the exterior side having a plurality of hollow cores defined by longitudinal walls and lateral walls meeting at joints;
- and
- press inserts separate and discrete from the additive manufactured body, the press inserts being coupled to the longitudinal walls and the lateral walls at the exterior side, the press inserts including channels receiving corresponding longitudinal walls and lateral walls, the press inserts configured to be pressed inward by a pressing load during a pressing operation for forming the part, the press inserts distributing the pressing load along the longitudinal walls and the lateral walls.
A press assembly for forming a part, the press assembly comprising:
- a frame including a press surface for generating a pressing load and a thermal unit for generating a thermal load configured for at least one of heating or cooling;
- a press tool coupled to the frame and engaging the press surface, the press tool having an additive manufactured body comprising a plurality of stacked layers of additive manufactured material extending between an interior side and an exterior side, the interior side having a part forming surface including a surface profile for forming a part, the exterior side having a plurality of hollow cores defined by longitudinal walls and lateral walls meeting at joints, the hollow cores being in thermal communication with the thermal unit for receiving the thermal load, the press tool having press inserts separate and discrete from the additive manufactured body, the press inserts being coupled to the longitudinal walls and the lateral walls at the exterior side, the press inserts including channels receiving corresponding longitudinal walls and lateral walls, the press inserts having abutment surfaces engaging the press surface of the frame and being pressed inward by the pressing load from the frame during a pressing operation for forming the part, the press inserts distributing the pressing load along the longitudinal and lateral walls.
A method of forming a part comprising:
- providing a press tool having an additive manufactured body comprising a plurality of layers extending between an interior side and an exterior side, the interior side having a part forming surface including a surface profile for forming the part, the exterior side having a plurality of hollow cores defined by longitudinal walls and lateral walls meeting at joints;
- coupling one or more press inserts to the longitudinal walls and the lateral walls at the exterior side, the press inserts including channels receiving corresponding longitudinal walls and lateral walls;
- loading the press tool with the press inserts into a frame of a press assembly;
- and
- pressing the frame inward during a pressing operation to impart a pressing load against the press inserts, the press inserts distributing the pressing load along the longitudinal and lateral walls to form the part against the surface profile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.