B4 I Subproject B4: Manufacturing of bifurcated profiles by integrated forming, milling and joining operations

Problems

Bifurcated Profiles such as a multichambered profiles can be find in many different branches. These profiles are mainly manufactured out of aluminium alloys by bar extrusion. For steel materials substantial technological and economic restrictions exists by using this process. Using roll forming, mulitchambered profiles only can be realized with laminations, which raise the profiles weight. As a result there are no innovative manufacturing processes or production lines without these disadvantages (see Fig. 1).

Targets

Within this project the fundamentals of a synchronised production line for manufacturing bifurcated profile shapes by the combination of forming-, cutting, joining and coating processes shall be developed. For the realisation of the continuous flow production, the tolerance of the individual processes and a low failure rate could be identified as an essential requirement.

Earlier research results allocate the high attractiveness of the continuous flow production, if it is possible to ensure stable processes and combination of these. For the combination of linear flow splitting, roll forming, HSC-milling and joining by laser processes different reconfigurable process sequences could be identified and realised. These results enable the possibility of a continuous flow production (see Fig. 2).

Procedure

On the one hand the linear bend splitting process is integrated into the synchronised production line. On the other hand the early detection of process failures, their cause and the identification of remedial actions is part of the research. The main focus in this field is on the qualification of suitable measuring methods and data processing as well as the detection of restrictions between process parameters and product quality determining features.