JP2008254012A - Spot joining equipment and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide spot joining equipment capable of providing a high quality spot joined article by eliminating generation of flashes as much as possible by removing surplus metal built up from the surface of a material or by greatly reducing the quantity of such surplus metal. <P>SOLUTION: The spot joining equipment pressurizes and presses a main body 3 having a pin 4 projecting from the distal end face 3a while rotated, against an overlapped part of a superimposed first and second metallic plate, 1, 2, softens/stirs the overlapped part with the frictional heat by the sliding contact, and thereby spot-joining the overlapped part, wherein on the outer periphery of the main body 3, there is installed a cutter 5 for cutting and removing the surplus metal built up from the surface 1a of the metallic plates by the softening/stirring with the frictional heat. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a spot bonding apparatus and a spot bonding method for bonding metal plates by spot bonding.

  As an apparatus for spot-joining aluminum, a friction stir welding apparatus has been proposed in which a rotary body having a pin at a tip is pressed against an aluminum plate while rotating at high speed, and the aluminum is softened and agitated to perform spot joining (for example, , Described in Patent Document 1).

When a pin provided at the tip of the rotating body is rotated and pressed against aluminum at high speed, frictional heat is generated between them, and the aluminum is softened by the frictional heat. Then, the pin enters the softened aluminum and the rotating body is centered, and then the tip surface of the rotating body comes into contact with the aluminum, and the aluminum rotates plastically by the high speed rotation of the rotating body, and the upper and lower aluminum plates are stirred. And integrated.
JP 2005-161382 A

  In such a friction stir welding apparatus, the rotating body penetrates into (embeds in) the material and rotates at a high speed, so that surplus metal plastically flowing from the periphery of the rotating body rises on the surface of the material. If this is left as it is, it becomes a burr and unevenness is generated on the joint surface, and a troublesome deburring process is required in the subsequent process.

  In addition, it is difficult for the paint to adhere to the burrs, which causes rust. Therefore, the quality of the product spot-bonded by this friction stir welding apparatus is impaired.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a spot bonding product that can eliminate the occurrence of burrs as much as possible by removing surplus metal raised from the surface of the material or significantly reducing the amount of surplus metal to provide a high-quality spot bonded product. It is an object to provide a bonding apparatus and a spot bonding method.

  In the present invention, at least the first metal plate and the second metal plate are overlapped with each other, and the main body portion having the pin portion protruding from the tip surface is pressed and pressed while rotating, and the frictional heat generated by the sliding contact is applied. A spot welding device that softens and stirs metal and spot-joins these overlapped parts, and reduces the amount of surplus metal that reduces the amount of surplus metal that rises from the surface of the metal plate by softening and stirring with the frictional heat on the outer periphery of the main body. Means is provided.

  Further, the present invention is to press and press at least the first metal plate and the second metal plate on the overlapped portion while pressing and pressing the main body portion having the pin portion protruding from the tip surface, and friction caused by the sliding contact. It is a spot joining method in which the metal is softened and stirred by heat and spot-joined these overlapping parts, and the excess metal rising from the surface of the metal plate is removed by cutting with a cutter provided on the outer periphery of the main body part, or It is reduced by being housed in a space of a housing member provided on the outer periphery of the main body.

  According to the spot bonding apparatus of the present invention, the surplus metal amount reducing means for reducing the surplus metal amount that rises from the outer periphery of the main body portion to the metal plate surface is provided on the outer periphery of the main body portion. The amount of surplus metal can be reduced by the reduction means. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the burr | flash after spot joining can be reduced significantly, and high quality spot joining can be performed.

  On the other hand, according to the spot joining method of the present invention, the excess metal rising from the surface of the metal plate is removed by cutting with a cutter provided on the outer periphery of the main body, or the space portion of the housing member provided on the outer periphery of the main body. Therefore, the occurrence of burrs can be greatly reduced, and a high-quality spot bonded product can be provided and the deburring process can be eliminated.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

“First Embodiment”
First, the configuration of the spot bonding apparatus according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described.

  1A and 1B show a spot bonding apparatus according to a first embodiment, FIG. 1A is a front view thereof, FIG. 1B is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. 2 is a process chart sequentially illustrating a spot bonding process by the spot bonding apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spot bonding apparatus according to the first embodiment has an overlapping portion in which a first metal plate 1 and a second metal plate 2 made of, for example, an aluminum alloy used for an automobile body or the like are overlapped. A friction stir welding apparatus that pressurizes and presses the main body portion 3 having the pin portion 4 protruding from the tip surface 3a, softens and stirs the metal by frictional heat generated by the sliding contact, and spot-joins these overlapping portions. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate are both made of an aluminum alloy. However, the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate are not limited to the aluminum alloy, and may be a steel material. The present invention can be applied.

  The spot joining apparatus includes a main body part 3, a pin part 4 projecting from a front end surface (shoulder) 3a of the main body part 3, a cutter 5 which is a surplus metal amount reducing means provided on the outer periphery of the main body part 3, and a main body The rotary drive motor 6 rotates the part 3 at a high speed, and pressurizing means (not shown) pressurizes the main body part 3 against the overlapping part.

  The main body 3 is made of a metal having excellent wear resistance and is formed as a cylindrical body. The main body 3 is attached to the top surface 3b with a rotation drive shaft 7 of a rotation drive motor 6, and is rotated at a high speed by the rotation drive motor 6. The front end surface 3a of the main body 3 is a shoulder portion that rotates while being pressed and softens and stirs the metal with frictional heat generated by the sliding contact of the metal plate surface 1a.

  The pin part 4 is made of a metal having excellent friction resistance, like the main body part 3, and is formed as a cylindrical body. The pin portion 4 is provided so as to protrude from the distal end surface 3 a with its axis aligned with the axis of the main body 3. The pin portion 4 may be formed integrally with the main body portion 3 or may be formed as a separate body.

  The cutter 5 serves to cut and remove excess metal that rises from the surface of the metal plate, and is provided integrally with the outer periphery of the main body 3. In the present embodiment, the two cutters 5 are integrated with the main body 3 at a target position facing each other. By rotating the main body 3, the excess metal rising from the periphery of the main body 3 to the metal plate surface 1 a can be cut and removed by the cutting edge 5 a of the cutter 5.

  The lower end surface 5b of the cutter 5 is a metal when the pin portion 4 and the distal end side portion of the main body portion 3 enter the softened metal and push the main body portion 3 to the joining completion position (the state of FIG. 2D). The position is in contact with the plate surface 1a. In other words, the lower end surface 5b of the cutter 5 is disposed at an upper position from the front end surface 3a of the main body 3 at a position where the pushing amount L is pushed into the softened metal.

  The rotation drive motor 6 is a servo motor whose rotation is controlled by a command from a control unit (not shown), and rotates the main body unit 3 at a high speed.

  The pressurizing means is composed of, for example, a pressurizing cylinder, and is configured to move the main body portion 3 up and down by an elevating shaft 8 attached to the rotation drive motor 6 to pressurize and press the overlapping portion.

  Next, a spot joining method for spot joining two metal plates using the spot joining apparatus configured as described above will be described.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2A, after the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate 2 to be spot-bonded are overlapped, the pin portion is directly above the overlapped portion to be spot-bonded. The main body 3 provided with 4 on the front end surface 3a is disposed. And the rotation drive motor 6 is operated and the main-body part 3 is rotated. At this time, since the cutter 5 is integrally provided on the outer periphery of the main body 3, the cutter 5 rotates together with the main body 3.

  Next, the pressure cylinder is operated while rotating the main body 3 at a high speed to lower the elevating shaft 8. Then, the main body 3 attached to the tip of the elevating shaft 8 approaches the metal plate, and the pin portion 4 contacts the metal plate surface 1a as shown in FIG. When the metal plate surface 1a is rubbed by the pin portion 4 that rotates while being pressed, frictional heat is generated between them, and the metal (here, aluminum) is softened by the frictional heat. The softening of the metal causes the material to plastically flow, and the pin portion 4 enters the metal. When the pin portion 4 enters the metal, the main body portion 3 is centered, and the rotation center of the main body portion 5 is determined.

  Next, when the front end surface 3a of the main body 3 rotating while being pressed contacts the metal plate surface 1a, frictional heat is generated between them, and the metal is softened by the frictional heat. Due to the softening of the metal, the front end portion of the main body portion 3 enters into the back as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the softened metal rises from the outer periphery of the main body 3 to the metal plate surface 1a.

  When the main body 3 enters the position where the spot joining end position is reached, as shown in FIG. 2D, the surplus metal 9 protruding from the metal plate surface 1a by the cutter 5 rotating integrally with the main body 3 is formed. Cut and removed.

  When the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate 2 are plastically flowed and joined to each other, the main body 3 is raised to complete the spot joining. As a result, the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate 2 are joined. In addition, the metal plate surface 1a is a substantially flat surface free from bumps.

  If several spots are joined to the overlapping portion of the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate 2 as described above, these two metal plates can be reliably joined. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the burr | flash after spot joining can be eliminated, and high quality spot joining can be performed.

  It should be noted that the burrs and surplus generated due to plastic flow are difficult to attach paint, and even if paint is attached, thread rust and the like are likely to occur due to changes over time. However, according to the present embodiment, burrs and surplus generated during the bonding can be removed by the cutter 5, so that the coating film can be stably formed on the spot bonding portion, and the rust Occurrence can be suppressed.

“Second Embodiment”
3A and 3B show a spot bonding apparatus according to the second embodiment, FIG. 3A is a front view thereof, FIG. 3B is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a process chart sequentially illustrating a spot bonding process by the spot bonding apparatus according to the second embodiment. It is.

  The spot bonding apparatus according to the second embodiment does not integrate the cutter 5 into the main body 3 but makes the cutter 5 rotatable relative to the main body 3 on the outer periphery of the main body 3. Along the axis of the main body 3, the main body 5 is relatively movable.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a rotating body 11 having a cutter 5 attached thereto is rotatably attached with a bearing 10 interposed on the outer periphery of the main body 3. A rotation drive motor 12 that allows the rotating body 11 to rotate on the outer periphery of the main body 3 is provided separately from a drive source (rotation drive motor 6) that allows the main body 3 to rotate.

  Further, the cutter 5 has a cutter lifting / lowering means separately from a drive source (pressurizing means) for moving the main body 3 up and down. The cutter lifting / lowering means is composed of, for example, a drive cylinder, and is movable relative to the main body 3 by a lifting shaft 13 attached to a rotary drive motor 12 that rotates the cutter 5. Since the cutter 5 is relatively movable with respect to the main body 3, a distance L (a push amount pushed into the softened metal) from the front end surface 3 a of the main body 3 to the front end surface 5 b of the cutter 5 is set. It is possible to adjust freely.

  According to the spot bonding apparatus configured as described above, the cutter 5 can be rotated with respect to the main body 3 coaxially with the main body 3 and can be moved freely. The excess metal that has been softened and raised at the timing when the (shoulder) 3 a contacts the metal plate surface 1 a can be removed from the initial stage by the cutter 5. Therefore, the driving torque of the rotary drive motor 12 that rotates the cutter 5 can be reduced, and the life of the cutter 5 can be extended.

  In order to perform spot bonding using the spot bonding apparatus of the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 (A), after the main body 3 is disposed immediately above the overlapping portion to be spot-bonded, a rotary drive motor is provided. 6 is operated to rotate the main body 3.

  Next, while the main body 3 is rotated at a high speed, the pressure cylinder is operated to lower the elevating shaft 8, and the pin 4 is brought into contact with the metal plate surface 1a as shown in FIG. Thereby, frictional heat is generated, and the metal is softened by the frictional heat to cause plastic flow, and the pin portion 4 enters the metal.

  When the pin portion 4 enters the metal, or before that, the rotary drive motor 12 that rotates the cutter 5 is operated to rotate the cutter 5 around the peripheral surface of the main body portion 3.

  And simultaneously with the front end surface 3a of the main-body part 3 rotating while being pressed contacting the metal plate surface 1a, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cutter lifting and lowering means is operated to move the cutter 5 downward, The metal plate is brought into contact with the surface 1a. By doing so, it is possible to quickly remove surplus metal that is softened by sliding contact with the main body 3 in the initial stage and rises from the outer periphery of the main body 3 to the metal plate surface 1 a by the cutter 5.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4D, when the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate 2 are plastically flowed and joined together, the main body portion 3 is raised to complete the spot joining.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, since burrs and surplus metal (excess metal) can be removed at the initial stage, the driving torque of the cutter 5 can be reduced and the life of the cutter 5 can be extended. It becomes.

“Third Embodiment”
5A and 5B show a spot bonding apparatus according to a third embodiment. FIG. 5A is a front view thereof, FIG. 5B is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the spot bonding apparatus according to the third embodiment does not use the cutter 5 as a surplus metal amount reducing unit, but includes a space portion 14 that accommodates surplus metal rising from the metal plate surface 1 a. The member 15 is movable relative to the main body 5 along the axis of the main body 5.

  The accommodating member 15 is formed as a disc body that is slidably attached to the rail 16 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the main body 3 along the axial direction. On the lower surface 15a of the housing member 15, a space portion 14 for housing surplus metal is formed. The space portion 14 is deep in the vicinity of the central portion around the axis of the main body 3 and shallow in the vicinity of the outer side away from the center. The housing member 15 is movable along the rail 16 by a driving source (not shown).

  According to the spot joining apparatus configured as described above, the burrs and surplus generated by the plastic flow can be stored in the space portion 14 of the housing member 15, so that the height of the protrusion protruding from the metal plate surface 1a is increased. It can be suppressed as low as possible, and the occurrence of rust can be suppressed.

  In order to perform spot bonding using the spot bonding apparatus according to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 (A), the main body 3 is disposed immediately above the overlapping portion to be spot-bonded, and then a rotary drive motor. 6 is operated to rotate the main body 3.

  Next, while the main body 3 is rotated at a high speed, the pressure cylinder is operated to lower the elevating shaft 8, and the pin 4 is brought into contact with the metal plate surface 1a as shown in FIG. 6B. Thereby, frictional heat is generated, and the metal is softened by the frictional heat to cause plastic flow, and the pin portion 4 enters the metal.

  Then, at the same time as the front end surface 3a of the main body 3 rotating while being pressed contacts the metal plate surface 1a, the housing member 15 is moved downward along the rail 16 as shown in FIG. Is brought into contact with the metal plate surface 1a. By doing so, it is possible to store the surplus metal that is softened by sliding contact with the main body portion 3 in the initial stage and rises from the outer periphery of the main body portion 3 to the metal plate surface 1 a in the space portion 14.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6D, when the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate 2 are plastically flowed and joined to each other, the body portion 3 is raised to complete the spot joining.

  Thus, in 3rd Embodiment, since these can be stored in the space part 14 of the accommodating member 15 in the initial stage of a burr | flash and a surplus metal (surplus metal), a burr | flash and a surplus metal amount are reduced significantly. Since there is no pointed portion, the generation of rust can be suppressed.

  Although specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied have been described above, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and are not limited to the above-described embodiments.

  In the embodiment described above, an example in which two metal plates, the first metal plate 1 and the second metal plate 2, are spot-joined is described, but the present invention is used to spot-join three or more metal plates. It can also be applied.

1A and 1B show a spot bonding apparatus according to a first embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a front view thereof and FIG. 1B is a bottom view thereof. FIG. 2 is a process diagram sequentially showing a spot bonding process by the spot bonding apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a spot bonding apparatus according to the second embodiment, wherein (A) is a front view thereof and (B) is a bottom view thereof. FIG. 4 is a process diagram sequentially showing a spot bonding process by the spot bonding apparatus according to the second embodiment. 5A and 5B show a spot bonding apparatus according to a third embodiment. FIG. 5A is a front view thereof, and FIG. 5B is a bottom view thereof. FIG. 6 is a process diagram sequentially showing a spot bonding process by the spot bonding apparatus of the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st metal plate 2 ... 2nd metal plate 3 ... Main-body part 4 ... Pin part 5 ... Cutter (excess metal amount reduction means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 6 ... Rotation drive motor for main-body parts 9 ... Surplus metal 11 ... Rotating body 12 ... Rotation drive motor for rotators 14 ... Space part 15 ... Housing member (excess metal amount reduction means)

Claims (6)

At least the first metal plate and the second metal plate are overlapped with each other, and the main body part having the pin part protruding from the front end surface is pressed and pressed while rotating, and the metal is softened and stirred by the frictional heat generated by the sliding contact. A spot joining apparatus for spot joining these overlapping portions,
A spot bonding apparatus characterized in that a surplus metal amount reducing means for reducing the amount of surplus metal rising from the surface of the metal plate by softening and stirring with the frictional heat is provided on the outer periphery of the main body. The spot bonding apparatus according to claim 1,
The surplus metal amount reducing means comprises a cutter that cuts and removes surplus metal rising from the surface of the metal plate. The spot bonding apparatus according to claim 2,
The said cutter is integrally provided in the said main-body part, and rotates with this main-body part. The spot joining apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The spot bonding apparatus according to claim 2,
The cutter is rotatable relative to the main body on the outer periphery of the main body, and is movable relative to the main body along the axis of the main body. A spot bonding apparatus characterized by the above. The spot bonding apparatus according to claim 2,
The surplus metal amount reducing means has a housing member having a space for housing surplus metal rising from the surface of the metal plate, and the housing member is relative to the main body along the axis of the main body. Spot welding device characterized by being freely movable. At least the first metal plate and the second metal plate are overlapped with each other, and the main body part having the pin part protruding from the front end surface is pressed and pressed while rotating, and the metal is softened and stirred by the frictional heat generated by the sliding contact. A spot joining method for spot joining these overlapping portions,
The excess metal rising from the surface of the metal plate is removed by cutting with a cutter provided on the outer periphery of the main body part, or is stored in a space part of a housing member provided on the outer periphery of the main body part to reduce it. Spot joining method.

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