US 2006/0123620 A1 · Vehicular body panel or component part and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

A vehicular body panel or component part having a reinforcing backing plate reconciled or joined to a part of a blank material at a position wherein a bending formation is implemented. The backing plate has one or more apertures formed in at least one lateral row at a location equivalent to the position of the bending formation. When forming the blank material and the backing plate concurrently by a bending operation, the backing plate becomes intimately associated with the blank sheet to avoid the backing plate from locally separating from the blank material and from forming a gap relative thereto, with a resultant improved product quality.

Claims4

Dependent claims

An apparatus for manufacturing a blank material for use as a vehicular body panel, the apparatus comprising:

upper and lower blanking die halves including cutter segments and die segments and relatively movable toward and away from each other to simultaneously blank out a blank material from a sheet metal and a backing plate from a scrap portion of the sheet metal;
backing plate transfer means for transferring the backing plate, which is formed by blanking with the cutter segments and the die segments, from a blanking area to a mounting area both defined within the upper and lower blanking die halves;
and
backing plate joining means for joining the backing plate and the blank material together at the mounting area.

1 more element

An apparatus for producing a vehicle body panel blank reinforced with a backing plate, comprising:

(a) a blanking press having a cooperating pair of upper and lower blanking dies relatively movable toward and away from each other to simultaneously cut out a vehicle body panel blank and a backing plate respectively from a sheet metal and from a scrap portion of the sheet metal which is produced when the vehicle body panel blank is cut, the blanking press having a blanking station where the backing plate is cut, and a joining station where the vehicle body panel blank and the backing plate are joined together;
(b) transfer means incorporated in the lower blanking die and operative in synchronism with operation of the blanking press for automatically transferring the backing plate from the blanking station to the joining station;
and
(c) joining means incorporated in the blanking press for joining the backing plate and the vehicle body panel blank at the joining station while the upper and lower blanking dies are brought together.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/351,949Filed 10 Feb 2006

Priority

JP 2000-20888410 Jul 2000

Published

15 Jun 2006

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification22 codes

B21D 39/00
Application of procedures in order to connect objects or parts
B21D 28/06
Punching blanks or articles with or without obtaining scrap ; Notching: making more than one part out of the same blank; Scrapless working
B21D 35/007
Characterized by the material of the blank or the workpiece: layered blanks
B62D 25/105
Bonnets or lids , e.g. for trucks, tractors, busses, work vehicles: for motor cars

Family

Application09/901,000Division · filed 9 Jul 2001

Application10/909,715Division · filed 2 Aug 2004

Application11/351,949Division · filed 10 Feb 2006

US 2002/0003054 A1Published application

US 2005/0000745 A1Published application

US 7,143,514 B2Related patent

US 7,596,861 B2Related patent

US 2006/0123620 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Vehicular body panel or component part and method for manufacturing same

Life of this patent

Vehicular body panel or component part and method for manufacturing same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims4