CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This PCT International Patent Application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/358,335, filed July 5, 2022, titled “System And Method To Excise Mechanical Property Samples,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates a system and method for excising mechanical property samples. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for excising mechanical property samples with high-pressure water cutting.

2. Related Art

[0003] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] Particularly in the automotive industry, it is typically desirable to form parts from materials having a sufficient balance of strength, hardness, and ductility. During a production cycle of the parts, it is oftentimes necessary to remove samples from various sections of a part and test its material qualities. For example, the production cycle may include forming parts from stamping, casting, or other forming techniques. However, removing samples for testing can be difficult. Moreover, in many automotive parts, certain sections need to have different material properties than other sections of the same part. [0005] The current method to remove or excise samples from parts is to use a band saw to manually rough out a sample from the part. Unfortunately, depending on the part, many saw cuts are extremely difficult and create high levels of heat in the sample. The band saw can also be risky to operator safety. In some instances, the high levels of heat can change the material properties of the sample, such that the test readings are not accurate. Before testing, the rough cut sample is often loaded into a fixture in a computer numerical control (“CNC”) machine to mill the sample geometry. Depending on the material and shape of the part, additional steps may be required, such as changing the program to accommodate different sample geometries (e.g., different tensile bars, 3 pt. bend test samples). In addition, a QA technician manually files the sides to remove any burrs, etc.

[0006] Accordingly, there is a continuing desire to further develop and refine systems and methods for excising mechanical property samples, such that they are not subject to one or more of the above-described limitations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other embodiments for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent embodiments do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not to be interpreted as a complete and comprehensive listing of all of the objects, aspects, features and advantages associated with the present disclosure.

[0008] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method of excising mechanical property samples is provided. The method comprises the steps of: placing a part into a fixture bracket; generating a profile of the part; providing a moving member with a cutting unit; moving the cutting unit with the moving member around sample locations; and a spraying high-pressure water with the cutting unit to remove the sample locations from the part.

[0009] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The inventive concepts associated with the present disclosure will be more readily understood by reference to the following description in combination with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic view of a system for excising mechanical property samples with high-pressure water cutting according to an example embodiment;

[0012] Figure 1A shows a fixture bracket of the system of Figure 1 holding a part;

[0013] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a control system of the system for excising mechanical property samples with high-pressure water cutting according to an example embodiment; and

[0014] Figure 3 is a method flow chart illustrating steps of excising mechanical property samples with high-pressure water cutting according to an example embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENT

[0015] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, the subject disclosure is directed to a system and method for excising mechanical property samples with high-pressure water cutting. However, the example embodiments are only provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0016] Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the views, the method for excising mechanical property samples with high-pressure water cutting is intended for providing a faster and more accurate sample removal.

[0017] A system 10 for excising mechanical property samples according to an example embodiment is shown in Figure 1. The system 10 is designed to hold a part 12 and includes a fixture bracket 14, a cutting unit 16 (e.g., a water jet cutter), and a moving member 18 (e.g., a servo table) with a three-dimensional (X, Y and Z) movement capability. The part 12 can be designed with a geometry for use in an automotive application.

[0018] In use, the fixture bracket 14 holds one of the parts 12 or the cutting unit 16 in place while the moving member 18 moves the other of the part 12 and the cutting unit 16 to remove one or more samples from the part 12. As illustrated, the part 12 may include one or more sample locations 20 in different sections of the part 12. The sample locations 20 may correspond to sections of the part 12 having different material quality requirements (e.g., strength, hardness, and ductility). The system 10 may further include a control system 100 for dictating operation of the cutting unit 16 and the moving member 18. In some embodiments, the cutting unit 16 and moving member 18 may be configured as a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) water jet cutter. The CNC waterjet cutter uses high speed, high density, and high-pressure water, or another fluid, to cut various different materials. In some embodiments, the cutting unit 16 may only use fluid to cut the part 12, may use abrasive particles in addition to fluid, or combinations thereof.

[0019] The control system 100 is illustrated in Figure 2 and may include a controller 108 that includes a processor 110, a communications unit 112 (for example associated with wired or wireless internet, Bluetooth, or other short and long range connections), and a memory 114 having machine-readable non-transitory storage. The memory 114 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 110, cause the processor 110 to, at least, perform the methods described herein.

[0020] Programs and/or software 116 are saved on the memory 114. Profde data 118 (e.g., part geometries, material properties, and sample locations) of at least one part 12 (e.g., a plurality of different parts) is also saved on the memory 114. The communications unit 112 may connect to a user interface system 105 for selecting various profile data 118 and operations. The processor 110 carries out instructions based on the software 116 and profile data 118, for example, providing instructions to the cutting unit 16 and/or moving member 18 to cut sample locations 20. In some embodiments, the profile data 118 may include previously produced three-dimensional drawings (e.g., CAD drawings). [0021] In some embodiments, the control system 100 may illustrate an imaging system 104 with a plurality of sensors that are in communication with the communications unit 112, allowing one or both of transmittal and receipt of information. The imaging system 104 may include at least one imaging device 107. The at least one imaging device 107 may include sensors, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) devices, depth cameras, 3D imaging cameras, RFID tracking, etc. For example, the imaging device 26 may include SICK 3D Vision sensors, Zivid One Plus, Intel® Real Sense™ Depth Camera D435i, or other instrumentations. The at least one imaging device 107 may capture geometric features of the part 12, which can be saved as profde data 118 associated with the part 12.

[0022] The subject invention further includes a method 200 of excising mechanical property samples with high-pressure water cutting. In some embodiments, at 202, the method 200 may include a step of forming a part from casting, stamping, and/or another forming technique. For example, a metal blank may be placed in a stamping apparatus, or heated material may be placed in a casting, to form the part 12. The part 12 is typically formed of metal and may have a geometry desirable for use as an automotive component.

[0023] In some embodiments, at 204, the method 200 may include a step of placing the part 12 into the fixture bracket 14. For example, the part 12 may be clamped into a fixed location with the fixture bracket 14. In some embodiments, at 204, the method may alternatively include placing a cutting unit 16 in the fixture bracket 14.

[0024] In some embodiments, at 206, the method 200 may include a step of generating a profile of the part 12. For example, a previously drafted 3-dimensional drawing and/or a shape extrapolated from an imaging device may be generated that includes a geometry, thickness, material property, sample locations, and scale. [0025] In some embodiments, at 208, the method 200 may include a step of providing the moving member 18 with the cutting unit 16. For example, the moving member 18 may include a servo table that is moveable along three dimensions and the cutting unit 16 may include a water jet cutter. In some embodiments, at 208, the method may alternatively include connecting the part 12 to the moving member 18 (when the cutting unit 16 is connected to the fixture bracket 14 at step 204).

[0026] In some embodiments, at 210, the method 200 may include a step of cutting and removing sample locations 20 from the part 12. For example, the processor 110 may utilize the profile data to move the moving member 18 and cut the sample location 20 with the cutting unit 16.

[0027] In some embodiments, at 212, the method 200 may include a step of reviewing the material characteristics of the samples and saving them into the profile data.

[0028] It should be appreciated that the foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration. In other words, the subject disclosure it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varies in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of disclosure.