MXPA06010512A - Method and device for the production of a split bearing arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for producing a split bearing arrangement, in which a top bearing part (6) is separated in several machining stations from a basic bearing part (5) that is monolithically joined thereto via a severing breaking process on a predefined plane of breakage (10) by applying a certain force, whereupon the two parts are joined back together by means of a screw connection comprising at least two screws. The basic bearing part (5) and the top bearing part (6) are fixed on an adapter device (1) that is conveyed from one machining station to another while the top bearing part is retained at least during some processes in the machining stations via a retractable auxiliary support (13) which is disposed on the adapter device and catches the top bearing part outside the area of the screw connection.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A SECTIONAL BEARING ARRANGEMENT DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for producing a sectional bearing arrangement, in which in various machining stations an upper bearing part is separated in a predefined fracture plane from a base bearing part monolithically connected to this is a process of separation by fracture by application of force, after which the two parts are joined together again by means of a screw connection comprising at least two screws. The invention further relates to a device for producing a sectional bearing arrangement, in which the workpiece consisting of a base bearing part and an upper bearing part monolithically connected thereto is transported to at least one separation station. by fracture for separating the upper bearing part from the base bearing part and to a screwing station for reassembling - together the upper bearing part and the base bearing part by means of at least one screw connection comprising two screws . The bearing arrangements of the previous type are Ref. 175361 comprised of, for example, work pieces such as crankcases, tie rods or the like. Since the trajectory of the fracture will vary during the fracture separation process, it must be ensured that each separate upper bearing part (generally referred to as a "cap" in the case of a tie rod) remains on the bearing part. corresponding base (generally referred to as a "rod" in the case of a tie rod). In most known production devices and methods, this placement is ensured by inserting the screws of the screw connection prior to the current fracture separation process and thus joining the respective base bearing part to the corresponding upper bearing part to exclude a confusion. However, even if the screws are not completely screwed, ie if they have a set of different mm with respect to the longitudinal axis of the screws, there is a risk that the screws can at least be contiguous, if not still inclined, during the separation process by fracture, which will cause damage to the connection by screws, a reduction of tensile strength and consequently a loss of quality in the connection. Therefore, the production devices and methods have already been implemented, in which the piece of The respective upper bearing is separated from the base bearing part after the fracture separation process, removed from the process and returned as soon as the required work steps after the fracture separation process have been completed. However, due to process separation, such a procedure presupposes a considerable amount of logistical and technical effort. in terms of procedure and device, without placement errors being completely addressed by this. The object of the present invention is to provide a method and a production device, in which damage to the bolts as well as positioning errors with respect to the upper bearing parts are completely excluded. In the terms of the method, the object is solved according to the invention by fixing the base bearing part and the upper bearing part in an adapter device which is transported from one machining station to another while the upper bearing part It is retained at least during some processes in the machining stations via a retractable auxiliary support placed in the adapter device and coupling the upper bearing part outside the area of the screw connection In terms of the production device, the object is solved from according to the invention providing a transport mechanism via which an adapter device supporting the workpiece is transported from a machining station to at least one subsequent machining station, with the adapter device being equipped with a retractable auxiliary support which is fixedly fixed in the adapter device for coupling the upper bearing part of the workpiece outside the screw connection. The invention is based on the concept of combining the advantages of conventional production methods and devices, in which the screws are placed prior to the fracture separation process, with the advantages of a screwless fracture separation method. According to the invention, this is achieved by arranging an auxiliary support which is placed on both bearing parts throughout the complete production sequence, with the auxiliary support finally adopting the function of inserted screws in a new way and ensuring that the piece of respective upper bearing will remain in the corresponding base bearing part throughout the entire production process. In other words, the auxiliary support is not placed in a particular station but rather, due to its arrangement in the adapter device, it will remain in the area of both bearing parts, and therefore in the workpiece, in the entire process from full production In principle, the auxiliary support 'can - have several designs. It may consist of one or several support members that engage the upper bearing part at a suitable point depending on its shape. It can be operated mechanically, pneumatically or also hydraulically. The use of adapter devices to receive and hold work pieces during production processes with a number of machining stations is already known in the field of production lines. However, the use in a method to produce a sectional bearing arrangement and the arrangement of an auxiliary support in the adapter device as well as its specific arrangement in conjunction with the advance and retraction option is completely new and opens up a surprising number of possibilities for the process flow. One of the possibilities is provided by the option to advance and retract the auxiliary support. Accordingly, during certain work stages, and in particular during transportation from one machining station to the next, the upper bearing part needs to be fixedly retained in the base bearing part. However, it will be necessary during certain stages of work and in some machining stations to return at least inoperative or completely retract the auxiliary support, specifically at a stage in which the connection by screw has not yet been or has not been established or fixed ~ ^ completely ": The-" advance "option" '"retraction-allows a previously unattainable flexibility during several stages of work, even without limiting the advantages of a machining process using an adapter device.To ensure reliable machining, the base bearing part must be fixed to the adapter device in all machining stations, this fixation can be implemented by internal or external fastening devices, however, a particularly advantageous solution is obtained when the base bearing part is fixed to the adapter device by providing one or more locking cylinders which interact with corresponding covers in the adapter device In principle, the auxiliary support can be designed to assume the function of holding the upper bearing part in the basic bearing part during the process fracture separation, however, it may be useful in the case of certain materials and forms of The workpiece will fix the main supports that act from outside in the fracture separation station, which will act resiliently on the upper bearing part during the fracture separation process. In principle, the workpiece can in fact be fed directly to the atomization station after the process of separation by fracture. However, it is provided according to the invention that the basic bearing part and the upper bearing part will undergo a release and cleaning process in the fracture plane after the fracture separation process. The release and cleanup process can be implemented in several ways. It is advantageous that the release process is performed by vibration or impact. A vibration or impact device, which catches the upper bearing part and puts it in contact with the basic bearing part in the fracture plane in a rapid sequence, can be provided for this purpose in the relevant station. The metal particles generated by the fracture separation process, which are present loosely in the fracture surface, can therefore be removed. This process can be assisted by a blowing, suction or brush device. During the action phase of vibration or impact, the upper bearing part must be fixed exactly parallel to the fracture plane with respect to the basic bearing part, while at the same time being held in a vertically loose manner to the fracture surface. It is useful in this regard to provide fixation pins having fastening or fastening pins which can be Insert in the holes for the screws. During this process, the auxiliary supports are retracted for the blow, suction or brush cleaning process so that the upper bearing part can move relatively far away from the base bearing part to still form an opening, without the connection between these two parts is suspended by this and consequently possible positioning errors mentioned above may occur.In principle, the fixing and securing pins can be arranged in any way, however, it is advantageous in the case of a connection by screw comprising two screws, joining together the two fastening and fastening pins required for this at one end via a fork and operating the fork by means of a feed cylinder to perform the necessary insertion and retraction movement. The practice incorporates what is known as a fracture separation slot in the previous work piece to the process of separation by fracture to define the plane of separation by fracture. This slot can be produced in several ways. It is advantageous to incorporate the groove by a laser in the area of the fracture separation plane. In this regard, it is useful to incorporate the fracture separation slot by a laser in a separate station arranged immediately before the split separation station. It is advantageous to supply the screws for the screw connection immediately after the release and cleaning process, to insert these into the required perforations for this purpose and finally the screws at a predetermined torque. This process will conveniently take place at a separate screw station arranged downstream of the release and cleaning station. However, it may also be useful to perform the release and cleaning process after inserting and tightening the screws, rather before doing so. For this purpose, it will be necessary to loosen the screws again after they have been tightened and unscrewed to such an extent that the upper bearing part can be lifted a little away from the base bearing part. The release process described above by vibration or impact as well as the aid by blow, suction or brush application can take place at this stage. Due to the arrangement of the screws, the auxiliary support is therefore in its retracted position. It is understood that the screws will then have to be inserted and tightened again. Depending on the process flow, this can be done by returning the cleaning and release station to the screw station or an additional screw station. In principle, the workpiece can be transported from one machining station to another in any form, adapted in each case to the spatial circumstances, the manufacture as well as the workpiece relevant to the machining. However, a carousel arrangement has proved particularly useful in this respect, with the individual machining stations being placed around it and the transport of the adapter device to and from the individual machining stations thereby being performed. Accordingly, a loading and unloading station, a laser station, a fracture separation station, a release and cleaning station, as well as a screw station can be provided in the region of the carousel arrangement. A particularly advantageous arrangement, however, will be obtained when the loading and unloading station, the screw station and the laser station, as well as the fracture separation station and the release and cleaning station are each combined in one double station in such device. of production. Therefore, different processes can be carried out simultaneously in the different stations, thus minimizing the delays in the respective stations. A production device designed in this way is therefore capable of machining a large number of work pieces per unit of time without a loss of quality that could be possible if the machining stations were connected in series in a conventional manner and the workpieces to be machined were guided through them gradually. The essential elements, aspects and process steps of the invention are described and explained with more. Detail later by reference to the attached figures.

Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of an adapter device with a workpiece in the form of a crankcase having an auxiliary support which engages an upper bearing part of the crankcase, i.e. which is in the advanced position, Figure 2 shows the arrangement according to Figure 1 with the auxiliary support retracted from the upper bearing part of the crankcase, Figures 3a-3k show a schematic representation of the upper bearing part of the crankcase according to figures 1 and 2 with the auxiliary support in different stages of machining and in different machining stations of the production device of the invention, and Figure 4 shows a schematic sketch of the machine of a production device of the invention equipped with a carousel arrangement to perform the method of the -invention. The exemplary embodiment of an adapter device 1 as shown in a vertical cross-section in Figures 1 and 2 lies in the transport mechanism 2 and is essentially profiled in channel, ie it has a U-shaped cross section. The part Working in the form of a crankcase 3 lies inside the adapter device profiled in channel 1 and is provided (when viewed in the drawing plane) with a number of bearing arrangements 4 arranged in series, each consisting of a base bearing part 5 as well as an upper bearing part 6. The lower part of the crankcase 3 lies on the covers 7 and the side of the crankcase facing the bearing arrangement 4 ends on a cover 8. On the opposite side of the arrangement of bearing 4, the adapter device is equipped with two fixing cylinders 9 via which the crankcase 3 can be pressed on the covers 7 and 7 and can therefore be fixed to the adapter device. To divide the bearing arrangement 4, the upper bearing part 6 must be separated from the bearing part 5 which is connected monolithically to this along a plane of action 10. This takes place via the separation process by fracture, known per se, which is known as a separation-by-fracture station, in which a breaking force is applied to the perforations of the bearing arrangement 4 in a known manner via a fracturing mandrel which is typically divided into two parts. As can be taken from FIGS. 1 and 2, the support pistons 11 are placed at an acute angle to each other on that side of the adapter device 1 opposite the fastening cylinders 8, with the support pistons being fixed at the front end of the support cylinders 12 which together form the auxiliary support 13 for the upper bearing part 6. As already mentioned, Figure 1 shows the auxiliary support 13 in a position that engages the upper bearing part, ie in its advanced position, while Figure 2 shows the support pistons 11 of the auxiliary support 13 in a retracted position, i.e., lifted away from the upper bearing part 6. In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the upper bearing part 6 is retained in the base part 5 base by a screw connection comprising two screws as soon as the fracture separation process has been carried out. The mounting holes for screws as well as the necessary threads are incorporated for this purpose of a known manner in the upper bearing part 6 and the base bearing part 5 in a drilling station (not shown) prior to the fracture separation process. The crankcase thus prepared is then transported by the transport mechanism 2 via the adapter device 1 to the first station of the production device, in which the fracture grooves 14 are incorporated in the fracture plane. This technology is known and can be realized in several ways, preferably however by removing the material using a laser. A schematic representation of this procedure is shown in Figure 3a. The auxiliary support 13 is retracted in this stage. After incorporating the fracture grooves 14, the crankcase 3 is transported to the fracture separation station via the transport mechanism 2 in the adapter device. Since the upper bearing part 6 is still monolithically connected to the base bearing part in this step, the auxiliary support 13 is still in its retracted condition, as can be taken from Figure 3b. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the main supports 15 are advanced prior to the subsequent fracture separation process, with the main supports resiliently engaging the upper bearing part 6 in a known manner and preventing the It is known as a torsional fracture during the fracture separation process. After the termination of the fracture separation process, the auxiliary support 13 is first advanced and the main support 15 is then retracted, as shown schematically in Figure 3c. By doing so, the auxiliary support 13 ensures that the upper bearing part 6, which has already been separated from the base bearing part 5 in this step, can not be released from the base bearing part 5 and therefore be confused with another piece of upper bearing. After the retraction of the main support 15, a fixing means 16 is advanced, as shown schematically in figure 3d. In the present exemplary embodiment, the fastening means 16 comprises two fastening and holding pins 17, which are joined together via a fork 18. Additionally, a vibration or impact device 19 is arranged in the area of the fastening means. . As can be seen from Figure 3e, the fastening and holding pins 17 are inserted into the screw holes in a further work step and consequently the upper bearing part 6 is fixed exactly in position parallel to the fracture plane 10 with respect to the base bearing part 5, while at the same time is held loosely perpendicular to the fracture plane. The auxiliary support 13 is retracted in this step and the vibration or impact device 19 is advanced and brought into abutment against the upper bearing part 6, as shown schematically in Figure 3e. The function of vibration or impact is then performed and consequently the metal particles possibly adhering to the fracture plane are released. Since the upper bearing part 6 is held loosely by the fastening and holding pins 17, the upper bearing part, if necessary, can still be removed from the base bearing part 5 to a limited degree and the fracture surface It can be cleaned additionally by blowing, suctioning or brushing. In a subsequent step, the auxiliary support 13 is advanced again and consequently the upper bearing part 6 is fixed exactly with respect to the base bearing part 5. The vibration or impact device 19 can be uncoupled and the means of Fixation 16 are retracted in this stage. In a subsequent work step, the screws are placed and inserted into the perforations, as shown schematically in Figures 3g and 3h. After supplying the screws, a screwing device is provided in a subsequent work step. The The screws are then tightened to a predetermined torque, as schematically shown in Figure 3k. During the steps described (FIGS. 3f to 3k), the upper bearing part 6 is accurately retained on the base bearing part 5 at all times and therefore not only the confusions described above are excluded but it is also ensured that the upper bearing part 6 is securely retained in the base bearing part 5 in a position exactly corresponding to the position prior to the fracture separation process, ie in such a way that the elevations and depressions of the fracture surface of a piece correspond exactly to the depressions and elevations of the fracture surface of another piece. According to the invention, this situation is also ensured throughout the entire course of production since the upper bearing part is retained in the base bearing part in precise positioning and positioning either by the auxiliary support 13 or (as shown in Figure 3e) by the fastening and holding pins 17. It is a further advantage of the process according to the invention that the screws are only inserted and tightened after the termination of the fracture separation process and therefore A high quality screw connection is always ensured. The damage to screws or even a bending of the screws during the fracture separation process is therefore excluded. After tightening the screws to a predetermined torque, the auxiliary support is retracted and the crankcase thus machined is transported to an additional processing stage via the adapter device 1 and the transport mechanism 2. In the production device as shown schematically in figure 4, a so-called carrousel arrangement 21 is selected as the central transport mechanism 2, with the different stations being placed at the periphery thereof. An additional feature of this particular arrangement is that two stations are combined in a double station. The transportation of a station to the subsequent station is marked by the arrows in Figure 4. The sequence is revealed by the position numbers given in each circle, which designate the workflow in the carousel arrangement in conjunction with the different stations . In more detail, the workflow in the production device as suggested in Figure 4 is as follows: In position 1, the workpiece is placed in the "adapter" device, aligned and fixed by means of the fastening cylinders.The auxiliary supports are in the r position brought in this stage (see figure 2). position 1, ie the charging station, the adapter device is transported to the carousel arrangement (position 2) together with the fixed workpiece and from here to the laser station (position 3). fracture separation has been incorporated into the laser station, the adapter device is fed back to the carousel arrangement in position 4 in conjunction with the work piece and moved to position 5 via a rotation of the carousel arrangement, where It is subsequently transported to the separation station by fracture (position 6) and, after separation by fracture, to the release and cleaning station (position 7). work separated by fracture and cleaned then returned to the carousel arrangement (position 8) and reach position 9 via a rotation of the carousel arrangement, of this the adapter device together with the work piece are fed later to the station screw-in (position IO), in which the screws are rotated and tightened to a predetermined torque.

After this process, the adapter device is transported to the unloading station (position 12) via position 11 in the carousel array. The finished work piece is removed from the adapter device and discharged at this stage. The use of a carousel arrangement 21 as a central transport mechanism and the configuration of the loading and unloading station on the one hand, the screw station and the laser station on the other hand, as well as the fracture separation station and the release and cleaning station in a double station each have the advantage that the work steps shown below can be carried out simultaneously, that is, there is no need to wait until the previously fully machined workpiece has been discharged before a new workpiece can be loaded. The sequence can therefore be selected on the basis of the carousel arrangement 21 so that in the period of time during which a work piece is provided with a fracture separation slot in the laser station, a previous workpiece , which has already been provided with a fracture separation groove, can at the same time undergo a fracture separation process in the fracture separation station and any of the possible metal particles can be Remove from this in the release and cleaning station. Accordingly, the delays in the individual stations can be reduced and the number of machined parts per unit of time is increased. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims (21)

1. CLAIMS Having described the invention as above, the content of the following claims is claimed as property: 1. Method for producing a sectional bearing arrangement, characterized in that in various machining stations, an upper bearing part is separated in a predefined fracture plane. of a basic bearing part monolithically connected to this track a fracture separation process applying force, then the two parts are joined together again by means of a screw connection comprising at least two screws, the basic bearing part and the Upper bearing part are fixed in an adapter device that is transported from one machining station to another while the upper bearing part is retained at least during some processes in the machining stations via a retractable auxiliary support placed in the adapter device and coupling the upper bearing part outside the connection area by screws, the basic bearing part and the upper bearing part are subjected to a release and cleaning process in the fracture plane after the fracture separation process, and the location of the upper bearing part is set exactly parallel to the fracture plane with respect to the basic bearing part during the release and cleaning process, while the upper bearing part is held loosely in a direction perpendicular to the fracture plane. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the basic bearing part is fixed to the adapter device in all machining stations. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that there are main supports acting in a resilient manner on the upper bearing part during the fracture separation process. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the release process is carried out by vibration or impact. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cleaning process is carried out by blowing, suctioning or brushing. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a fracture separation slot is incorporated in the fracture plane by a laser prior to the fracture separation process. 7. Method of compliance with one or more of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the screws are inserted and tightened to a predetermined torque after the release and cleaning process. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the transport of the adapter device to and from the individual machining stations is carried out via a carousel arrangement. 9. Device for producing a sectional bearing arrangement, characterized in that the work pieces consisting of a basic bearing part and a upper bearing part monolithically connected to this are transported to at least one fracture separation station to separate the upper bearing part of the basic bearing part along a fracture plane and to a screwing station for joining together the upper bearing part and the basic bearing part by means of at least one screw connection comprising two screws, a transport mechanism is provided, via which an adapter device supporting the workpiece is transported from a machining station to at least one subsequent machining station, with the adapter device being equipped with an auxiliary support retractable which is fixed to the adapter device for coupling the Upper bearing part of the workpiece outside the connection by screws, and a release and cleaning station is provided after the fracture separation station, in which a fixing means is provided for an exact fixation in the location parallel to the plane of structure and for a loose fastening in a direction perpendicular to the fracture plane. Production device according to claim 9 for carrying out the method according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixing cylinders interacting with the covers are arranged in the adapter device for fixing the basic bearing part to the adapter device. 11. Production device according to claim 9 or 10 for carrying out the method according to claim 3, characterized in that the main supports are provided in the separation station by fracture, which are placed in resilient abutment against the piece of Upper bearing during the fracture separation process. Production device according to one or more of the preceding claims 9 to 11, for carrying out the method according to claim 4, characterized in that the cleaning and release station is equipped with a vibration device or. impact which acts on the upper bearing part. Production device according to one or more of the preceding claims 9 to 11, for carrying out the method according to claim 5, characterized in that the cleaning and release station is equipped with a blowing, suction or brush device. Production device according to one or more of the preceding claims 9 to 13, characterized in that the fixing means comprises fixing and holding pins which can be inserted into the screw holes. 15. Device for the production of according to claim 14 for a screw connection comprising two screws, characterized in that two fastening and fastening pins are provided, which are joined together at one end via a fork. 16. Production device according to claim 15, characterized in that the fork is connected to a feed cylinder. Production device according to one or more of the preceding claims 9 to 11, for carrying out the method according to claim 6, characterized in that a laser station is provided before the fracture separation station. 18. Production device according to one or more of the preceding claims 9 to 17, for carrying out the method according to claim 7, characterized in that a screw station is provided after the release and cleaning station in the screwing station the screws are inserted and tightened to a predetermined torque by means of a screwing device. Production device according to one or more of claims 9 to 18 for carrying out the method according to claim 8, characterized in that the support mechanism is designed essentially as a carousel arrangement, with the machining stations being distributed around its periphery. The production device according to claim 19, characterized in that a loading and unloading station, a laser station, a fracture separation station, a cleaning and release station, as well as a screwing station are provided in the region of the carousel arrangement. Production device according to claim 20, characterized in that the loading and unloading station, the screw station and the laser station, as well as the fracture separation station and the release and cleaning station are each combined in a double station.