Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/02—Positioning or observing the workpiece, e.g. with respect to the point of impact; Aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam
  • B23K26/06—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
  • B60R21/02—Occupant safety arrangements or fittings, e.g. crash pads
  • B60R21/16—Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags
  • B60R21/20—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components
  • B60R21/215—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components characterised by the covers for the inflatable member
  • B60R21/2165—Arrangements for storing inflatable members in their non-use or deflated condition; Arrangement or mounting of air bag modules or components characterised by the covers for the inflatable member characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/02—Positioning or observing the workpiece, e.g. with respect to the point of impact; Aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam
  • B23K26/06—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing
  • B23K26/062—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing by direct control of the laser beam
  • B23K26/0622—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing by direct control of the laser beam by shaping pulses
  • B23K26/0624—Shaping the laser beam, e.g. by masks or multi-focusing by direct control of the laser beam by shaping pulses using ultrashort pulses, i.e. pulses of 1ns or less
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/08—Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
  • B23K26/082—Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/36—Removing material
  • B23K26/362—Laser etching
  • B23K26/364—Laser etching for making a groove or trench, e.g. for scribing a break initiation groove
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/36—Removing material
  • B23K26/40—Removing material taking account of the properties of the material involved
  • B23K26/402—Removing material taking account of the properties of the material involved involving non-metallic material, e.g. isolators
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C14—SKINS; HIDES; PELTS; LEATHER
  • C14B—MECHANICAL TREATMENT OR PROCESSING OF SKINS, HIDES OR LEATHER IN GENERAL; PELT-SHEARING MACHINES; INTESTINE-SPLITTING MACHINES
  • C14B5/00—Clicking, perforating, or cutting leather
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K2103/00—Materials to be soldered, welded or cut
  • B23K2103/30—Organic material
  • B23K2103/32—Material from living organisms, e.g. skins
  • B23K2103/34—Leather
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K2103/00—Materials to be soldered, welded or cut
  • B23K2103/50—Inorganic material, e.g. metals, not provided for in B23K2103/02 – B23K2103/26

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for introducing a weakening line by material removal on a coating material, as is known generically from the published patent application WO 2005/049261 A1.
• airbag systems are standard in vehicles or in public transport in general today. In order not to disturb the aesthetic feeling of the passengers, the airbags are arranged as invisible as possible behind parts of the interior trim of the vehicles.
• the inner lining is usually made of stable and flat plastic or composite moldings. Since the airbags are ejected through the interior trim in the event of a deployment, airbag flaps must be provided.
• the airbag flaps are often formed by specially designed portions of the interior trim which have predetermined breaking points along the edges of the airbag flaps, which ensure a secure and defined tearing of the interior trim.
• cover materials are generally flexible and thin-walled materials, such as plastic films, synthetic leather, textile knitted fabrics, microfiber nonwovens or natural leather.
• cover materials are generally flexible and thin-walled materials, such as plastic films, synthetic leather, textile knitted fabrics, microfiber nonwovens or natural leather.
• weakening lines are added. For optical reasons, the introduction usually takes place from the invisible back of the coating material. In addition to a precisely adjustable remaining tear strength of the weakening line, the highest quality demands on the surfaces are only met if the
• CONFIRMATION COPY Line of weakness on the passenger side facing the coating material is visually and haptically imperceptible.
• the weakening line is introduced with a knife-like blade. With the blade, the coating material on the back either scored or partially, to about half of the material thickness, cut. As a coating material to be cut, a vinyl layer is described here. The depth of cut is adjusted by means of a resting on the back of the coating material, mechanical support member to which the blade has a matched to the material thickness distance.
• the process is obviously well suited.
• natural cover materials such as leather, which has inhomogeneities in material thickness and material texture
• the principle of depth of cut adjustment is not suitable because there are no means for reacting to the inhomogeneities.
• the view side of leather in places with low material thickness can be worked on the whole only with a relatively small depth of cut.
• the very thin epidermis of the leather which accounts for most of the tear strength, remains completely intact.
• a method in which weakenings are introduced by means of lasers into a layered decor composite is disclosed in the patent DE 10 2006 054 592 B3.
• a decorative composite usually consists of a decorative material on the visible side and a decor carrier material, between which one or more layers of upholstery are arranged.
• the weakening is introduced in several successive operations. In a first operation, a non-penetrating preweakening of the decor carrier, so that in the pre-weakened areas in at least a second operation, a Nachschwambaung, in the form of the decor carrier penetrating perforation occurs. Between the pre-weakened areas or the perforation holes remain unattenuated webs, which are nachgeschwharit in a second step with at least one blind hole.
• Another laser method is described in the publication DE 1 1 2006 000 443 T5.
• An instrument panel is composed at least of a base layer and a thinner skin layer (view side) made of plastic.
• the perforation holes are introduced from the side of the base layer and can extend into the skin layer.
• the depth of the perforation holes is adjusted by the monitored position of a focal point of the laser beam relative to the skin layer of the instrument panel.
• the distances (here division) of the perforation holes are adjusted by changes of the Pulswiederholfrequenz (here cycle period). Also in this document, the adaptation of the depth of perforation to an unhomogeneous skin layer such. B. leather not mentioned.
• the introduction of the line of weakness into natural leather takes place via several process steps.
• the back of the leather is pretreated by being soaked in the area of the predetermined breaking point with a low-viscosity and hardening agent.
• the paint used for this purpose should be up to 75% of the material thickness in the Penetrate the back of the leather before it hardens.
• the hardened leather which remains permanently in the leather, embrittles the leather in the area of the weakening line. After embrittlement, the weakening line is introduced into this area in the form of a groove or another line-shaped depression.
• the aim is not to achieve a minimum possible residual wall thickness of the leather, whereby at least when introducing the weakening line there is no risk of damaging the view side of the leather.
• the predetermined breaking effect in the region of the depression is achieved here by the embrittlement of the leather.
• the disadvantage of the embrittled area is that it certainly has a negative impact on the tactile properties on the side of the leather.
• a method in which the line of weakness is produced by perforation of a natural leather or other fibrous materials by means of a pulsed laser is disclosed in the publication WO 2005/049261 A1.
• the perforation is composed of a plurality of individual perforation holes, which are arranged along the weakening line separated by remaining webs.
• the introduction of the weakening line takes place during a one-time relative movement of the laser relative to the covering material, one perforation hole after the other being completed successively.
• influence is taken on the depth of the perforation, or set the remaining wall thickness of the coating material.
• measures by which the heat load of the coating material is kept low during laser processing For this purpose, the production of successively arranged on the line of weakness Perforationslöcher with short or ultra-short laser pulses and with appropriate pauses between the individual laser pulses. According to the procedure described, it must be assumed that these pauses are achieved by lowering the pulse frequency so that the energy inputs of the otherwise higher-frequency laser pulses can not accumulate over time.
• the coating material is either subcooled or preshrunk before laser processing or special fixatives are applied to the back.
• this method can be used to produce a weakening line with a defined breaking strength and a significantly lower fluctuation range of the tear strength.
• the fixation of the fibers prior to the introduction of the weakening line requires, in addition to the laser processing, at least one additional process step for the application of the fixing agent.
• the use of a fixing agent especially if this is applied only in sections and not over a large area, leads locally to an undesirable haptic change of the coating material on the view side.
• the processing process is slowed down by the pauses between the laser pulses and the reduced pulse frequency of the laser.
• the object of the invention is to provide a method by means of which laser can be introduced less costly in a fibrous coating material lines of weakness, without changing the view side of the fibrous coating material optically and haptically.
• the parameters of the laser pulse are chosen such that it causes an energy input which leads to a heating of the coating material at a temperature above an ablation threshold at the respective impact location, but the temperature in areas of the coating material adjacent to the respective impact location below one Limit temperature
• the repeated repetition of the scanning movement advantageously takes place until a minimal residual wall thickness is reached on the viewing side.
• the speed of the scanning movement and the pulse repetition frequency of the pulsed laser beam are advantageously matched to one another.
• the laser beam can be switched on and off advantageously in accordance with a fixed regime during the repeated scanning movement, wherein the along the line introduced weakening line has the shape of a slot-land line with an alternating juxtaposition of slots and webs.
• the slots have a slot length in the range of 2 - 5 mm and the webs a web length in the range of Yz to the slot length.
• the laser pulses of the laser beam are generated with a short-pulse laser whose laser pulses have a length of 1-10 ps, which are emitted at a pulse repetition frequency of 10-100 kHz.
• the laser pulses of the laser beam can advantageously be generated with an ultrashort pulse laser whose laser pulses have a length of 10-1000 fs, which are delivered at a pulse repetition frequency of 10-100 kHz.
• the monitoring of the minimum residual wall thickness advantageously takes place with a sensor which has a spatial resolution corresponding to the size of the location of impact.
• Fig. 1 shows the basic sequence of the method with a suitable arrangement
• Fig. 2 shows a section of the coating material with a portion of a completely introduced weakening line.
• a defined weakening line 2 is introduced into a fibrous covering material 1, on which the fibrous covering material 1 can tear with a defined breaking strength.
• Under the fibrous coating material 1 is here to understand mainly natural leather.
• the introduction is effected by removal of material by means of a pulsed laser beam 31.
• the weakening line 2 is introduced on a rear side 12 of the fibrous coating material 1 facing away from the viewer in the later installed state, whereby it is completely invisible and non-tactile on a viewing side 11 facing the observer.
• a short-pulse laser 3 is used to generate the pulsed laser beam 31, which laser pulse with pulse lengths of ⁇ 10 ns and with pulse repetition frequencies in the range of 10 kHz to 100 kHz can deliver.
• the pulse lengths can also be shorter and pulse repetition rates can be higher.
• the method is fundamentally based on the use of the pulsed laser beam 31. If in the following only the laser beam is mentioned, it is assumed that it is always the pulsed laser beam 31.
• the laser beam 31 emanating from the short-pulse laser 3 and focused on the rear side 12 of the fibrous coating material 1 is guided linearly along a line 21 by a relative movement. Along this line 21, consequently, the weakening line 2 is introduced.
• both the laser beam 31 and the fibrous coating material 1 can be moved.
• all known from the prior art means such as scanners (only for the laser beam 31), robots, linear drives, etc. can be used.
• the relative movement takes place through the laser beam 31 moved by a scanner.
• high pulse energies can be achieved with short-pulse lasers 3.
• a high energy input occurs in a small area and in a very short time, which leads to an ablation threshold in the covering material 1.
• a plasma is formed at each laser pulse, whereby the coated with the laser pulse coating material 1 evaporates explosively at the respective impact location 24.
• the material removal takes place by so-called laser ablation.
• the laser ablation proceeds so rapidly that only a very small amount of local heating can occur at the location 24 since there is no time to dissipate this local heating by conduction in areas of the fibrous coating material 1 immediately adjacent to the point of incidence 24.
• the local heating in the adjacent fibrous coating material 1 will always be kept below a limit temperature. If the limit temperature is exceeded, a change in the structure of the fibrous coating material 1 would already occur in the regions adjoining the impact location 24, leading to the perception of the weakening line 2 on the viewing side 11.
• the design of the weakening line 2 can be done in different ways.
• it is constructed from a juxtaposition of oriented in the direction of the line of weakness 2 slots 22, which are each separated by a remaining web 23 from each other.
• material removal takes place in the region of the slots 22, with the exception of a residual wall thickness R remaining on the side 11 of the view. Due to the residual wall thickness R, the slots 22 remain invisible on the viewing side 11.
• the slots 22 and webs 23 have along the weakening line 2 a slot length SLL and a web length STL, which lie in the range of a few millimeters.
• the rectangularly oriented width of the slots 22 is determined by the focusing of the pulsed laser beam 31. In a conventional beam diameter in the beam focus of about 20 ⁇ the width of the slots 22 is about 30 pm.
• the tear strength of the weakening line 2 is adjusted via the matched to the properties of the fibrous coating material 1 residual wall thickness R of the coating material 1 in the slots 22 and over the web length STL, wherein the web length STL is about Vz to% of the slot length SLL and the slot lengths SLL in Range of 2 - 5 mm. Depending on requirements, other web and slot lengths STL and SLL can be used.
• the thickness of the material removal when the laser beam 31 impinges once at the impact location 24 is in the range between 30 and 100 ⁇ m.
• a multiplicity of laser pulses at the same point of incidence 24 are required in order to achieve a corresponding depth T of the weakening line 2 or the material removal up to the residual wall thickness R.
• the pulsed laser beam 31 performs a repeated, linear and, compared to the relative movement of the prior art, faster scanning 32 relative to the fibrous coating material 1 from.
• the pulsed laser beam 31 is switched on and off during the scanning movement 32 in a fixed regime, so that during the scanning movement 32 with the webs 23 separate juxtaposition of slots 22 formed in the fibrous coating material 1.
• the laser pulses delivered with pulse repetition frequencies of 100 kHz lead to material removal.
• the speed of the scanning movement 32 must be at least so great that the points of incidence 24 of two successive laser pulses are spatially separated so that only one laser pulse is emitted per scanning movement 32 at each impact location 24. If a theoretical beam diameter of the focused laser beam 31 of 20 ⁇ is assumed, the scanning movement 32 takes place with at least 200 mm / s.
• the linear scanning movement 32 is repeated continuously. The repetitions are continued until the desired residual wall thickness R is reached in the region of the slots 22.
• the pulsed laser beam 31 performs a continuous and often repeated scanning movement 32 at a sufficiently high speed relative to the fibrous coating material 1. If the line 21 along which the weakening line 2 is to be introduced represents a distance, then the first-time scanning movement 32 leads from one end of the distance to the other end of the distance. The first repetition of the scanning movement 32 begins again with the same sense of direction at the end of the distance at which the first-time scanning movement 32 is started. Between the repetitive scanning movement 32, the switched-off laser beam 31 executes a return between the two ends of the path.
• the same pauses between the repeated impingement of the pulsed laser beam 31 are reached at each incidence of travel 24.
• the pause between two laser pulses at the same impact location 24 is thus at least the duration of a scanning movement 32 and a return. It should be noted that it is neither necessary nor necessary for the laser pulses to strike exactly the same points of incidence 24 of the preceding scanning movement 32 for each repeated scanning movement 32.
• the speed of the scanning movement 32 is matched to the pulse repetition frequency of the short pulse laser 3 such that neither too large overlaps nor large gaps between adjacent points of incidence 24 occur at the points of incidence 24.
• the scanning movement 32 could also be done with constantly changing sense of direction by the switched laser beam 31 is constantly guided back and forth between the ends of the track.
• different lengths of pauses between the laser pulses of the repeated scanning movement 32 would result.
• the intervals of different lengths lead to the ends of the weakening line 2 rising temperature level in the areas adjacent to the impact 24 areas of Fas- ry coating material 1, since there can sum up the energy inputs.
• the higher energy input would quickly lead to exceeding the limit value. temperature and thus lead to changes in the structure of the fibrous coating material 1.
• the repeated scanning movements 32 occur without interruption one after the other.
• the pause between two laser pulses at the same impact location 24 is at least as long as the duration of a fully executed scanning movement 32.
• the control of the residual wall thickness R is carried out with a sensor 4, which is arranged opposite the short-pulse laser 3 in the direction of the laser beam 31 on the side 11 of the fibrous coating material 1.
• the sensor 4 continuously measures the strength of a portion of the laser pulses transmitted through the fibrous coating material 1, so that the laser beam 31 can be switched off when the desired minimum residual wall thickness R is reached, even before complete passage through the fibrous coating material 1.
• the entire weakening line 2 is recorded locally with high resolution.
• the spatial resolution is at least so high that a single incidence 24 of the laser pulses can be located.
• a locally differentiated shutdown of the laser beam 31 is also possible within the slots 22. If the minimum residual wall thickness R has already been reached at an impingement location 24, a local shutdown of the laser beam 31 takes place at this impingement location 24 in the next scanning movement 32. In the remaining slot 22, the removal of material continues unchanged.
• the scanning movements 32 are repeated until the desired residual wall thickness R is reached in all slots 22 of the weakening line 2, at each impact location 24.
• an optimum residual wall thickness R can be produced in each individual slot 22, taking into account all possible inhomogeneities of the fibrous coating material 1 and with spatial resolutions on the order of the locations of incidence 24.
• a fibrous coating material 1 of conventional Leather of about 1 mm thick requires approximately 50 scanning movements 32 to introduce the line of weakness 2.
• this and the sensor 4 are connected via a closed control loop.
• the method can be used to particular advantage in the weakening of natural leather, but is not limited thereto. It can be used to advantage for other flexible and inhomogeneous fibrous coating materials 1 such as felt or synthetic microfiber web.
• 31 picosecond lasers with laser pulse lengths of 1 to 10 ps and pulse repetition frequencies of 10 to 100 kHz or femtosecond lasers with laser pulse lengths of 10 to 1000 fs and pulse repetition frequencies of 10 to 100 kHz are used to generate the pulsed laser beam.
• the sensors 4 used for measuring the residual wall thickness R can also be used to determine the residual wall thickness R.
• the detection of light and acoustic or thermal sensors 4 are suitable as long as the signal detection is fast and sensitive enough to prevent the breakthrough of the laser beam 31 through the fibrous coating material 1.
• sensors 4 can be used. It can also synchronous to the scanning movement 32 of the laser beam 31 entrained scanner, the the flat recorded measurement signals to a single sensor 4 feeds used.
• the laser beam 31 is focused not point-like, but linear.
• the linear focus of the laser beam 31 thus also forms a line shape at the impact location 24, the line shape being oriented in the direction of the line of weakness 2 and advantageously corresponding exactly to the slit length SLL.
• the material removal generated by the laser beam 31 takes place during a laser pulse over the entire slot length SLL. If the scanning movement 32 is synchronized with the regime of the weakening line 2, each laser pulse of the current scanning movement 32 arrives at the same point of incidence 24 of the preceding scanning movement 32. Compared with the punctiformly focused laser beam 31, the residual wall thickness in the region of the slots 22 can not be made so highly resolved, but the processing time is reduced since the scanning movement 32 can be accelerated.
• the residual wall thickness R when inserting the weakening line 2 is minimized to the extent that the local shutdown of the laser beam 31 at one of the impact locations 24 takes place only when the laser pulses break through the viewing side 11.
• the resulting breakthroughs are so small that they have the size of the natural pores in the leather and they are therefore not visible on the side 11.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Laser Beam Processing (AREA)
• Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
• Treatment And Processing Of Natural Fur Or Leather (AREA)

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• 2013
  • 2013-04-24 DE DE201310104138 patent/DE102013104138B3/de not_active Revoked
• 2014
  • 2014-03-25 WO PCT/EP2014/000805 patent/WO2014173486A1/de active Application Filing
  • 2014-03-25 EP EP14714168.3A patent/EP2988905A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2014-03-25 MX MX2015014856A patent/MX362784B/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2014-03-25 CN CN201480022873.0A patent/CN105142849B/zh active Active
  • 2014-03-25 KR KR1020157030768A patent/KR20160004279A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2014-03-25 JP JP2016509315A patent/JP2016518991A/ja active Pending
  • 2014-03-25 US US14/786,644 patent/US20160067821A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2014-03-25 BR BR112015026739A patent/BR112015026739A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation

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