US 2023/0356283 A1Published application

Method of manufacturing press-formed product, apparatus for transporting heated workpiece, and hot-press manufacturing line

AssigneeNippon Steel Corporation

InventorsToshiya SUZUKI, Naruhiko NOMURA, Koichi HAMADA, Yujiro TATSUMI

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Abstract

A method of manufacturing a press-formed product includes: a heating step; a transportation step; and a pressing step. The transportation step includes: using claws of a pair of first arms to support the lower surface, at both ends, of a first heated workpiece and lift the workpiece; using claws of a pair of second arms to support the lower surface, at both ends, of a second heated workpiece and lift the workpiece; transporting the first heated workpiece with the lower surface supported, at both ends, by the claws of the pair of first arms and the second heated workpiece with the lower surface supported, at both ends, by the claws of the pair of second arms, where the first and second heated workpieces overlap each other in the direction normal to the sheet surfaces; driving the pair of first arms to lower the first heated workpiece to a pressing location on a press machine; and driving the pair of second arms to lower the second heated workpiece to a pressing location on the press machine.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing a press-formed product comprising:

a heating step in which at least two sheet-shaped workpieces are simultaneously heated by a heating device;
a transportation step in which the at least two heated workpieces heated at the heating step are transported by a transportation apparatus to a press machine;
and
a pressing step in which the at least two heated workpieces transported to the press machine at the transportation step are processed by the press machine,
the transportation step including:
driving a pair of first arms rotatably mounted on a base frame included in the transportation apparatus to cause claws of the pair of first arms to support a lower surface, at both ends, of a first heated workpiece of the at least two heated workpieces and lift the workpiece;
driving, using a system separate from that for the pair of first arms, a pair of second arms rotatably mounted on the base frame included in the transportation apparatus to cause claws of the pair of second arms to support a lower surface, at both ends, of a second heated workpiece of the at least two heated workpieces and lift the workpiece;
transporting the first heated workpiece with the lower surface supported, at both ends, by the claws of the pair of first arms of the transportation apparatus and the second heated workpiece with the lower surface supported, at both ends, by the claws of the pair of second arms, where the first and second heated workpieces overlap each other in a direction normal to a sheet surface of the first heated workpiece;
driving the pair of first arms to lower the first heated workpiece supported by the pair of first arms to a pressing location on the press machine;
and
driving the pair of second arms using the system separate from that for the pair of first arms to lower the second heated workpiece supported by the pair of second arms to a pressing location on the press machine.

8 more elements

An apparatus for transporting a heated workpiece comprising:

a base frame movable in a lateral direction perpendicular to a top-bottom direction;
a pair of first arms rotatably mounted on the base frame;
a pair of second arms rotatably mounted on the base frame;
a first drive unit adapted to drive the first arms;
and
a second drive unit adapted to drive the second arms,
the pair of first arms including:
a pair of first bases arranged in the lateral direction of the base frame and extending from the base frame in the top-bottom direction;
and a pair of first claws extending, with a bend, from the respective first bases in the lateral direction,
the pair of second arms including:
a pair of second bases arranged in the lateral direction of the base frame and extending from the base frame in the top-bottom direction;
and a pair of second claws extending, with a bend, from the respective second bases in the lateral direction,
wherein the first drive unit rotates the pair of first arms relative to the base frame to change a lateral distance between the first claws,
the second drive unit rotates the pair of second arms relative to the base frame to change a lateral distance between the second claws,
the first and second drive units are configured, independently from each other, to be capable of controlling rotation of the first arms and rotation of the second arms, respectively,
the pair of first claws are capable, when close to each other in the lateral direction, of supporting a lower surface of the first heated workpiece at both ends as determined along the lateral direction,
the pair of second claws are capable, when close to each other in the lateral direction, of supporting a lower surface of the second heated workpiece at both ends as determined along the lateral direction, and
a location of the pair of first claws in the top-bottom direction and a location of the pair of second claws in the top-bottom direction are different from each other.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/042,643Filed 23 Aug 2021
Priority: JP 2020-14507228 Aug 2020
Published: 9 Nov 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification29 codes

B21D 43/105
By grippers: manipulators, i.e. mechanical arms carrying a gripper element having several degrees of freedom
B30B 15/30
Details of, or accessories for, presses; Auxiliary measures in connection with pressing: feeding material to presses
B21D 22/208
Deep-drawing: by heating the blank or deep-drawing associated with heat treatment
B21D 43/04
Advancing work in relation to the stroke of the die or tool: by means in mechanical engagement with the work