JP2024037494A - Marking method - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved marking method is provided. [Solution] In the marking method of adding a marking to a part (cover 1), when a sheet metal is irradiated with laser light and cut into a predetermined shape, the marking is attached to a part of the cut surface (tip part 221). The laser beam is irradiated so as to form a corresponding step portion (5). According to this marking method, the stepped portion 5 is formed on a part of the cut surface of the cover 1 by changing the laser cutting program, so even if the surface of the sheet metal is plated. , markings can be added while suppressing the influence on the surface quality of the sheet metal. Furthermore, a semi-permanently permanent mark can be added to the cover 1 without increasing costs. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a method for attaching markings to parts.

Parts are sometimes labeled with manufacturing dates, lot numbers, etc. for quality control and traceability management. The markings are applied using a method depending on the material of the part. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of forming an uneven pattern on the surface of a packaging box for packaging a cosmetic container by irradiating a laser beam. By forming a pattern on the surface of the packaging box by laser beam irradiation rather than printing, it becomes possible to easily handle cases where the manufacturing number or lot number of cosmetics changes sequentially.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-302113

However, if a mark is applied to a part whose surface properties are important, such as a part whose surface is plated, by irradiation with laser light, there is a risk that the surface may be denatured.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an improved method for attaching labels to parts.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the marking method according to the present invention has the following features.
A labeling method for labeling parts, the method comprising:
When irradiating a sheet metal with a laser beam and cutting it into a predetermined shape, irradiating the laser beam so as to form a stepped portion corresponding to the marking on a part of the cut surface;
Marking method.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an improved method for attaching labels to parts.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cover. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the main parts of the electrical connection box with the cover assembled to the box body. FIG. 3 is a front view of the eaves section provided with a stepped section. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the stepped portion.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to each figure. In the following embodiment, an example will be shown in which a label is attached to a sheet metal cover (cover 1) as an example of a component.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cover 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the main part of the electrical connection box in a state where the cover 1 is assembled to the box body 30. FIG. 3 is a front view of the eaves section 20 provided with a stepped section (recessed section 51). FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the stepped portion 5. As shown in FIG. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 1, "front-back direction", "left-right direction", and "up-down direction" will be defined. The "front-back direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 1 includes a sheet metal cut into a predetermined shape by irradiating a laser beam, and closes the opening 37 of the box body 30 (see FIG. 2). The cover 1 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed in the vertical direction. The sheet metal that constitutes the cover 1 has a sealing part 10 and an eaves part 20. The sealing part 10 has a rectangular flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and covers a side wall 35 and an opening 37 of the box body 30, which will be described later (see FIG. 2). The eaves section 20 is provided around the sealing section 10 and projects outward from the side wall 35, that is, in the front-back, left-right directions, with the cover 1 closing the opening 37. The cover 1 is assembled to the box body 30 by screwing bolts inserted into bolt insertion holes provided in the eaves section 20 into screw holes provided in the flange section of the side wall 35.

As shown in FIG. 2, the box body 30 has a side wall 35, a bottom wall (not shown), and an opening 37 surrounded by the side wall 35. The box body 30 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed in the vertical direction. The box body 30 is made of the same metal material as the cover 1. The surfaces of the side walls 35 and the bottom wall are plated to ensure corrosion resistance. The side wall 35 is provided with an insertion hole through which the electric wire is inserted, and a circuit structure connected to the electric wire is housed in a space surrounded by the side wall 35 and the bottom wall.

The electrical connection box configured by assembling the cover 1 to the box body 30 is mounted on a vehicle, and is interposed, for example, between a secondary battery and a plurality of power supply targets, and distributes power to each power supply target.

As shown in FIG. 2, the entire surface of the sealed portion 10 of the sheet metal forming the cover 1 is plated. The eaves part 20 is connected to a first part 21 connected to the end of the sealing part 10 and extending in the front, rear, right and left directions, a second part 23 bent approximately 90 degrees downward from the first part 21, and connected to the second part 23. and a third portion 22 extending downward. In the eaves portion 20, both surfaces of the first portion 21, both surfaces of the second portion 23, and the rear surface of the third portion 22 are plated. In the eaves portion 20, the side of the third portion 22 facing the box body 30 and the tip portion 221 corresponding to the cut surface when the sheet metal is cut into a predetermined shape are not plated. The part of the cover 1 that is not plated is the eaves part 20 and does not affect the airtightness, and the tip part 221 is spaced apart from the sealing part 10 that seals the opening 37 of the box body 30. This area does not require plating as it is less susceptible to corrosion.

The cover 1 irradiates a sheet metal as a base material with a laser beam and when cutting it into a predetermined shape, the laser beam is irradiated on the cut sheet metal so as to form a stepped portion 5 on a part of the cut surface. It has been subjected to bending processing. The predetermined shape corresponds to the outer shape of the eaves section 20. The stepped portion 5 corresponds to a mark indicating the manufacturing date or lot number of the cover 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the stepped portion 5 includes a plurality of recesses 51, 52, 71, 81, 82, 91 and a convex portion 72 provided at the tip 221 of the eaves portion 20, and includes a plurality of concave portions 51, 52, 71, 81, 82, 91 and a convex portion 72. show. As shown in FIG. 4, the recess 51 is formed into a rectangular shape by recessing a portion of the tip 221 upward. The plurality of recesses 51 are arranged at predetermined intervals from each other. This predetermined interval substantially matches the size of the recess 51 in the left-right direction.

The stepped portion 5 shown in FIG. 3 has recesses 52, 51 (second recesses, first recesses) in numbers corresponding to numbers indicating manufacturing dates. In the leftmost portion 5A of the stepped portion 5, two recesses 52 and two recesses 51 are provided side by side from the left side. The recess 52 is formed in a rectangular shape like the recess 51, but is formed deeper than the recess 51. The recess 52 and the recess 51 have the same size in the left-right direction. In this example, the deep recess 52 represents the tens digit, and the shallow recess 51 represents the ones digit. Therefore, portion 5A means the number "22". The central portion 5B of the stepped portion 5 includes six recesses 51, meaning the number “6”. Two recesses 52 and three recesses 51 are provided side by side in the right portion 5C of the stepped portion 5, and the portion 5C means the number "23".

The step portion 5 includes recesses 71, 81, 82, and 91 and a convex portion 72 (step shape) that are different from the recesses 51 and 52 in at least one of size and shape. In this example, the concave portions 71, 81, 82, and 91 and the convex portion 72 are each formed into a rectangular shape, and are used as the year, month, and day separators 7, 8, and 9. The partitions 7, 8, and 9 form steps that are distinguishable from the recesses 51 and 52 representing numbers, respectively. Delimiters 7, 8, and 9 allow multiple numbers or number strings to be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner.

The partition 7 includes two recesses 71 and one protrusion 72 located between the two recesses 71. Separator 7 indicates that the recesses 51 and 52 provided on the left side indicate the "year" in which the cover 1 was manufactured. The recess 71 has the same depth as the recess 52 and is smaller in size in the left-right direction than the recess 52. The convex portion 72 located between the two concave portions 71 has the same vertical position as the bottom surface of the concave portion 51, that is, the amount of displacement from the original contour of the tip portion 221.

The partition 8 includes two recesses 81 and one recess 82 located between the two recesses 81 . Separator 8 indicates that the recesses 51 and 52 provided on the left side represent the "month" in which the cover 1 was manufactured. The recess 81 has the same depth as the recess 51 and is smaller in size in the left-right direction than the recess 51. The recess 82 has the same depth as the recess 52 and is smaller in size in the left-right direction than the recess 52.

The partition 9 includes one recess 91 . Separator 9 indicates that the recesses 51 and 52 provided on the left side indicate the "day" on which the cover 1 was manufactured. The recess 91 has the same depth as the recess 51, and its size in the left-right direction is approximately twice the size of the recess 51 in the left-right direction.

The partitions 7, 8, and 9 can be used as depth standards because the recesses 71, 81, 82, and 91 or the convex portions 72 have the depth of the recesses 51 and 52. Therefore, even if only one of the recesses 51 and 52 is included as the number of recesses corresponding to the number, the digit of the number can be determined by referring to the depths of the delimiters 7, 8, and 9. I can understand it. For example, in the case of the part 5B of the stepped portion 5, only the recess 51 is included, but since the partition 8 includes recesses 81 and 82 with two levels of depth, the recess 51 corresponds to a shallow step, and the recess 51 corresponds to a shallow step. It is understood that it represents the number of places.

By providing partitions 7, 8, and 9 on the right side of the part where the recesses 51 and 52 representing the numbers are arranged in the step part 5, the step part 5 can be displayed with the sheet metal (cover 1) turned upside down. It can prevent misreading of numbers.

In the stepped portion 5, the maximum number of spaces are on the left side of the recess 52 at the left end of the portion 5A, between the partition 7 and the recess 51 at the left end of the portion 5B, and between the partition 8 and the recess 52 at the left end of the portion 5C. For example, a space is secured in which a number of recesses corresponding to "31" can be arranged linearly (in the left-right direction).

The manufacturing date or lot number represented by the stepped portion 5 may be expressed in binary notation. For example, "June 23, 2022" can be expressed as "10110, 110, 10111" by the two-step step portion 5, with a shallow step being "0" and a deep step being "1". By converting numbers into binary numbers and forming the step portion 5, large numbers can be expressed in a small space.

According to the above embodiment, when manufacturing the cover 1 by cutting out a predetermined shape from a sheet metal base material using a laser cutting method, by changing the laser cutting program, markings can be placed on a part of the cut surface. A step portion 5 corresponding to the above can be formed.

Conventionally, there are various methods for attaching markings such as lot numbers to parts or products. In the case of a method of attaching a separate part to the target part, such as by pasting a label with a lot number written on it, if the target part is small, it may be difficult to attach it, and the cost of the separate part and labor will be high. Laser printing can provide semi-permanent markings when markings are made using brightness or darkness, for example, but when the material of the target part is limited and the surface texture is important, such as on a plated surface. is difficult to apply. In the case of a method in which a date mark is set in a mold and characters are engraved on the surface of the part, it is possible to provide a semi-permanent mark during the molding process using the mold, but an uneven shape is formed on the surface. For parts such as the sheet metal cover of an electrical connection box, where the surface must be plated to ensure corrosion resistance, laser printing cannot be applied to avoid deterioration of the surface, and adding labels etc. is costly. is difficult to apply because of the increase in In addition, the method of setting a date mark on the mold is for small-volume production that does not use a progressive die, and in the case of a production method that involves bending with a single die after laser cutting, the date mark is punched and engraved. It is necessary to add an additional process, and there is a concern that the cost will increase.

In contrast to the conventional method described above, according to the marking method of the embodiment described above, the stepped portion 5 is formed on a part of the cut surface (the tip portion 221) of the cover 1 by changing the laser cutting program. , semi-permanently permanent markings can be added to the cover 1 without increasing costs. In addition, even if the surface of the sheet metal is plated, since the stepped portion 5 is formed at the end where no plating is required, markings can be added while suppressing the effect on the surface quality of the sheet metal. .

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, numerical value, form, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited. For example, the recesses 51, 52, 71, 81, 82, 91 or the protrusion 72 forming the stepped portion 5 are not limited to rectangular recesses, but may be U-shaped or the like. Further, the stepped portion 5 may be formed mainly of a convex portion instead of a concave portion. In the above embodiment, the recesses 51 and 52 representing the numbers and the recesses 71, 81, 82, 91 or the projections 72 representing the divisions 7, 8, and 9 have different sizes in the left and right direction. Even if the sizes are the same, it is sufficient that the partitions 7, 8, and 9 form a step that can be distinguished from the recessed portion representing the number. Further, in the above embodiment, the step portion 5 is formed on the tip portion 221 by laser cutting, but it is also possible to form the step portion 5 by punching, for example.

Here, the features of the marking method, components, and electrical connection box according to the embodiments of the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [8].

[1] A labeling method for attaching a label to a part (cover 1),
When a sheet metal is irradiated with a laser beam and cut into a predetermined shape, the laser beam is irradiated so as to form a stepped portion (5) corresponding to the marking on a part of the cut surface (tip portion 221). ,
Marking method.

According to the labeling method having the configuration [1] above, even if the surface of the sheet metal is plated, the label can be applied while suppressing the influence on the surface properties of the sheet metal. Moreover, according to the labeling method with this configuration, semipermanently permanent labels can be attached to parts without increasing costs.

[2] The marking includes numbers,
The step portion has a number of recesses (51, 52) corresponding to the number,
The labeling method described in [1] above.

According to the labeling method having the configuration [2] above, it becomes possible to easily grasp numbers such as the manufacturing date or lot number according to the number of recesses (51, 52).

[3] The stepped portion has a first recess (recess 51) and a second recess (recess 52) having a different depth from the first recess.
The labeling method described in [1] or [2] above.

According to the marking method having the configuration [3] above, different digits of a number can be expressed by the difference in depth between the first recess and the second recess.

[4] The stepped portion has a stepped shape (recessed portions 71, 81, 82, 91, convex portion 72) that is different in at least one of size and shape from the recessed portions (51, 52).
The labeling method described in [2] above.

According to the labeling method configured in [4] above, when the label includes multiple numbers, such as manufacturing date or lot number, the step shape is used as a separator between the numbers to make it easier to understand. Can be displayed. Further, by providing a break on the right side of the numbers, for example, it is possible to prevent the numbers represented by the stepped portions from being misread when the sheet metal is turned upside down.

[5] The stepped portion has a stepped shape (recessed portions 71, 81, 82, 91, convex portion 72) that is different in at least one of size and shape from the recessed portion,
The step shape includes a recess (convex part 72, recess 81, 91) having the same depth as the first recess, and a recess (recess 71, 82) having the same depth as the second recess.
The labeling method described in [3] above.

According to the labeling method configured in [5] above, when the label includes multiple numbers or number strings, such as manufacturing date or lot number, it can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner by using the stepped shape as a delimiter. . Moreover, since the stepped shape has the depth of the first recess and the depth of the second recess, it can be used as a reference for the depth of the recess. Therefore, for example, when the first recess represents the ones digit and the second recess represents the tens digit, the stepped portion represents the number of recesses corresponding to the number, and only one of the first recess and the second recess represents the number. Even when it is not included, the digit of the number can be understood by referring to the depth of the step shape.

[6] Bending the cut sheet metal to form the part;
The labeling method according to any one of [1] to [5] above.

According to the marking method configured in [6] above, in the step of cutting out the developed shape of the part from the sheet metal by laser cutting, the marking by the stepped part is given to the cut surface, so that the part formed by the subsequent bending process There is no need to perform a separate marking process.

[7] A part (cover 1) to which a marking is attached,
Equipped with sheet metal cut into a predetermined shape,
A part (cover 1) having a stepped portion (5) corresponding to the marking on a part of the cut surface.

[8] A box body (30) having a side wall (35) and an opening (37) surrounded by the side wall, the surface of the side wall being plated;
a cover (cover 1) that closes the opening;
The cover includes a sealing part (10) that covers the side wall and the opening, and an eaves part (10) provided around the sealing part and protruding outward from the side wall when the cover closes the opening. 20) and a sheet metal comprising;
The sheet metal is plated at the sealed portion, and has a stepped portion (5) corresponding to the marking on a cut surface along the outer shape of the eave portion.
Electrical connection box.

1 Cover 5 Step portions 5A, 5B, 5C Portion 10 Sealing portion 20 Eaves portion 21 First portion 22 Third portion 23 Second portion 30 Box body 35 Side wall 37 Opening portions 51, 52, 71, 81, 82, 91 Recessed portion 72 Convex part 221 tip part

Claims (6)

A labeling method for labeling parts, the method comprising:
When irradiating a sheet metal with a laser beam and cutting it into a predetermined shape, irradiating the laser beam so as to form a stepped portion corresponding to the marking on a part of the cut surface;
Marking method. The marking includes numbers;
The step portion has a number of recesses corresponding to the number,
The marking method according to claim 1. The stepped portion has a first recess and a second recess having a different depth from the first recess.
The marking method according to claim 2. The stepped portion has a stepped shape that is different from the recessed portion in at least one of a size and a shape.
The marking method according to claim 2. The stepped portion has a stepped shape that is different in at least one of size and shape from the recessed portion,
The stepped shape includes a recess having the same depth as the first recess and a recess having the same depth as the second recess.
The marking method according to claim 3. Bending the cut sheet metal to form the part;
The marking method according to claim 1.

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