US 5,174,146 AGranted

Method and device for forming a part in relief on a sheet metal blank

AssigneeSollac

InventorsGerard Heurteboust, Jean-Francois Seconde

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Abstract

The method forms a part in relief on a sheet metal blank (10) by means of a die and a punch. There are carried out on at least a localized zone of the blank (10 of FIG. 2), whose dimension exceeds the dimension of the part in relief, a preforming operation and a shaping operation resulting in the forming of the part in relief. In the course of the preforming operation, a succession of stepped undulations are progressively produced in an intermediate zone of the localized zone located between the future high part of the part in relief and the periphery of the localized zone, and, in the course of the shaping operation, the stepped undulations of the intermediate zone are progressively unfolded and the part in relief is simultaneously formed. The invention also provides a device for carrying out this.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method for forming a raised portion on a thin work-hardened sheet metal blank, the sheet metal blank having a given thickness and a given dimension, said raised portion being raised in a direction of said given thickness of said sheet metal blank, comprising:

providing one die and one punch and carrying out a preforming operation on at least a localized zone of the sheet metal blank with said one die and said one punch to form a plurality of stepped undulations on said sheet metal blank, the given dimension of said sheet metal blank exceeding a dimension of said raised portion to be formed on said sheet metal blank;
and
then carrying out a shaping operation on said plurality of stepped undulations with another die and another punch for forming said raised portion on said sheet metal blank;
said preforming and shaping operations both being press operations;
said preforming operation including:
progressively producing a succession of said plurality of stepped undulations on said sheet metal blank by use of said one die and said one punch, said plurality of stepped undulations being formed in an intermediate zone of said localized zone, said given thickness of said sheet metal blank being reduced in said intermediate zone;
said intermediate zone being located between a position on said sheet metal blank where said raised portion is to be formed on said sheet metal blank and a periphery of said localized zone;
said localized zone further being surrounded by undeformed portions of said sheet metal blank;
and
said plurality of stepped undulations being formed by pressing said one die only on one side of said sheet metal blank;
and said shaping operation including:
progressively unfolding said plurality of stepped undulations at said intermediate zone by using said another die and said another punch and simultaneously forming said raised portion on said sheet metal blank.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.