Claims:WE CLAIM
1. A die assembly (100), comprising:
a first cam (108);
a second cam (110);
a cam insert (106), and
a bucket cam (112) coupled to said second cam (110),
wherein said first cam (108) associates with a first section of a panel (114), and said second cam (110) associates with a second section of said panel (116), during a forming operation.

2. The die assembly (100) according to claim 1, wherein said first cam (108) and said second cam (110) are mutually oriented at an angle in a range from about 60 degrees to about 120 degrees.

3. The die assembly (100) according to claim 1, further comprising a prime mover (102) to actuate said first cam (108) and said second cam (110).

4. The die assembly (100) according to claim 1, wherein said panel (118) comprises a sheet metal, composites, plastics, aluminum, stainless steel, metal, alloy or combination thereof.

5. The die assembly (100) according to claim 1, wherein said first section of panel (114) is a ‘A’ pillar cam flange of a fender.

6. The die assembly (100) according to claim 1, wherein said second section of said panel (116) is a door area of a fender.

7. The die assembly (100) according to claim 3, wherein a rod (104) is attached to said prime mover (102), said first cam (108) and said second cam (110).
8. The die assembly (100) according to claim 3, wherein said prime mover (102) is selected from an electrical prime mover, a pneumatic prime mover, an electropneumatic prime mover, a hydraulic prime mover or combination thereof.

9. A method of manufacturing a panel (200), comprising:
actuating (210) a first cam (108) by a prime mover (102) to form a first section of a panel (114);
actuating (220) a second cam (110) by a rod (104) attached to said prime mover (102); and
actuating (230) a bucket cam (112) by said second cam (110) to form a second section of said panel (116).

10. The method (200) according to claim 9, wherein said prime mover (102) is selected from an electrical prime mover, a pneumatic prime mover, an electropneumatic prime mover, a hydraulic prime mover or combination thereof.
, Description:FIELD OF INVENTION
[001] The present invention generally relates to a die assembly and more particularly, to a die assembly capable of performing more than one operation. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a panel, more particularly to an automobile panel.
BACKGROUND
[002] Presently, sheet metal parts are used to form a vehicle part. Manufacturers use multiple dies or a die assembly to manufacture these sheet metal parts. A die assembly essentially consists of an upper die, a lower die, a punch holder, a die holder, a cam insert and a prime mover.
[003] For manufacturing one single part of sheet metal, multiple operations need to be performed on a panel at multiple stations. Each station consists of a single die, performing a single operation on the sheet metal. Multiple number of dies are required to get the final product, for example, say a vehicle part, leading to prolonged manufacturing time and high cost. Multiple forming operations are required to be performed at each die station which include for example cutting, bending, drawing, stamping etc.
[004] In a die assembly, prime movers are primarily used to actuate an upper die, a lower die and cams. The prime movers commonly employed include electric motors, hydraulic or pneumatic rams and the like. Separate use of prime movers leads to complex design of die and results in the wastage of unused power.
[005] Presently, a die assembly is used to perform a single operation and includes a single prime mover. Use of a single die with a single prime mover leads to high cost and requires more time for finishing the operation. There are dies which can perform multiple forming operations, but these require individual prime movers to actuate them. The design of such dies are complex and are difficult to design due to space constraints in the manufacturing line.
Therefore, there is a need of a die assembly capable of performing more than one forming operations that uses a single prime mover.
OBJECTIVES OF THE DISCLOSURE
[006] Some of the objectives of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
[007] An objective of present disclosure is to provide a die assembly.
[008] Another objective of present disclosure is to provide a die assembly which uses a single prime mover to perform more than one forming operation.
[009] Yet another objective of present disclosure is to provide a method of manufacturing a panel using a die assembly.
[0010] Other objectives of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, a die assembly (100) is described. The die assembly includes a first cam (108), a second cam (110), a cam insert (106) and a bucket cam (112). The bucket cam (112) is coupled to the second cam (110). The first cam (108) is configured to associate with a first section of a panel (114), and the second cam (110) is configured to associate with a second section of the panel (116) during a forming operation.
[0012] In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a panel (200) is included. The method includes actuating (210) a first cam (108) by a prime mover (102) to form a first section of a panel (114); actuating (220) a second cam (110) by a rod (104) attached to the prime mover (102); and actuating (230) a bucket cam (112) by the second cam (110) to form a second section of the panel (116).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The foregoing and other features of embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements.
[0014] Fig 1 Illustrates a schematic view of a die assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0015] Fig 2 Illustrates a flow chart to depict a method of manufacturing a panel using a die assembly, according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0016] Fig 3 Illustrates a fender for a vehicle having first section of panel and second section of panel, according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] In this disclosure, a number of embodiments are provided to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present invention to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
[0018] As a general practice followed in various embodiments of this disclosure, no additional or specific details has been provided for processes, apparatus set-ups, or for techniques that are well known and reported in the state of the art.
[0019] The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining an embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including” and “having” are open-ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
[0020] When an element is referred to as being “mounted on”, “engaged to”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly mounted, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
[0021] The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
[0022] Terms such as “inner”, “outer”, “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
[0023] The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results. Any discussion of materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
[0024] Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention discloses as shown in Fig. 1, a die assembly (100) is described. The die assembly (100) includes a first cam (108), a second cam (110), a cam insert (106) and a bucket cam (112). The bucket cam (112) is coupled to the second cam (110).
[0025] In another embodiment of the present invention, the first cam (108) and the second cam (110) are actuated by a prime mover (102). In another embodiment of the present invention, the prime mover (102) powers the cam insert (106) and the cam insert (106) in turn powers the first cam (108) and second cam (110). In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the prime mover (102) includes a rod (104) which connects the first cam (108) to the second cam (110).
[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, a forming operation includes, but is not limited to, cutting, bending, drawing, stamping, forging, polishing, piercing, rolling, threading, swaging, extruding, finishing and the like.
[0027] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, during a forming operation, the first operation is performed by the first cam (108) on a first section of the panel (114) (not shown in the Fig 1) and a second operation is performed by the second cam (110) on a second section of the panel (116).
[0028] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the first cam (108) and the second cam (110) are mutually oriented to each other at an angle in the range from about 60 degrees to about 120 degrees. In another embodiment of the present invention, the first cam (108) and the second cam (110) are oriented perpendicular to each other to perform the first operation on the first section of the panel (114).
[0029] In another embodiment of the present invention, the prime mover actuates the second cam (110), and the bucket cam (112). In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the bucket cam (112) is coupled to the second cam (110) and is disposed at an angle with respect to the second cam (110) to perform the second operation on the second section of the panel (116). In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the bucket cam (112) is coupled to the second cam (110) and is disposed at an angle in the range from about 60 degrees to about 120 degrees with respect to the second cam (110) to perform the second operation on the second section of the panel (116).
[0030] The second cam (110) is coupled to the bucket cam (112) to perform the second operation on the second section of the panel (116). In one embodiment of the present invention, the second cam (110) and the bucket cam (112) are coupled by mechanical means to perform the second operation on the second section of the panel (116). The mechanical coupling means include but is not limited to oldham coupling, magnetic coupling, donut coupling, bushed pin coupling and beam coupling.
[0031] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a panel (200) is provided. The method includes the steps of: (a) actuating (210) a first cam (108) by a prime mover (102) to form a first section of a panel (114), (b) actuating (220) a second cam (110) by a rod (104), and (c) actuating (230) a bucket cam (112) by said second cam (110) to form a second section of said panel (116). The second cam (110) is attached to said prime mover (102).
[0032] In another embodiment of the present invention, the first section of the panel (114) is a “A” pillar cam flange of a fender. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the second section of the panel (116) is a door area of a fender.
[0033] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the panel (300) is made from sheet metal, composite, plastics, aluminum, stainless steel, or metal alloy and combinations thereof. In another embodiment of the present invention, the panel (300) is a sheet metal panel.
[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention, the die assembly (100) is used to manufacture a door area of a fender. In another embodiment of the present invention, the die assembly (100) is used to manufacture a door area of an automobile fender.
[0035] In accordance to one embodiment of the present invention, the die assembly (100) comprising the first cam (108), the second cam (110), the cam insert (106), and the bucket cam (112) performs the two operations in perpendicular direction.
[0036] According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a die assembly (100) is shown in Fig 1. The prime mover (102) powers the first cam (108) through the cam insert (106). The first cam (108) and second cam (110) are connected through a rod (104) which is actuated by the prime mover (102). During operation, as the prime mover powers the first cam (108), the power is transferred to a second cam (110) through the connecting rod (104). The second cam (110) is attached to a bucket cam (112), and it performs the second forming operation at an angle in the range from about 60 degrees to about 120 degrees. In one embodiment of the present invention, a single prime mover (102) is used to power two cams, for example, the first cam (108) and the second cam (110) to perform the two operations using the die assembly (100).
[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention, the prime mover (102) is used to power the cams to perform the operation. In another embodiment of the present invention, a single prime mover (102) is used to power first cam (108) and second cam (110).
[0038] In another embodiment of the present invention, the panel is selected from the group consisting of sheet metal, composites, plastics, aluminum, stainless steel, metal, alloy or combination thereof.
[0039] In one embodiment of the present invention, the prime mover (102) is selected from an electrical prime mover, a pneumatic prime mover, an electropneumatic prime mover, a hydraulic prime mover or combination thereof. In another embodiment of the present invention, the prime mover (102) is an electrical prime mover. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the prime mover (102) is an electric motor.
[0040] In one embodiment of the present invention, the forming operation includes a first operation and a second operation. In another embodiment of the present invention, the forming operation may include a mechanical forming operations, which include but is not limited to cutting or piercing, rolling, threading, swaging and combinations thereof.
[0041] According to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig 2 shows a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing a panel (200). The method (200), comprises actuating (210) a first cam (108) to form a first section of a panel (114). The power from prime mover (102) is transferred to a cam insert (106) and to the first cam (108). The method includes actuating (220) the second cam (110) by a rod (104) which is attached to the prime mover (102). The power from the prime mover (102) is transferred to the second cam (110) through the rod (104) attached to the prime mover (102). The method further includes actuating (230) the bucket cam (112) by the second cam (110) to form a second section of the panel (116). In one embodiment of the present invention, the first cam (108) and second cam (110) are mutually oriented at an angle in the range from about 60 degrees to about 120 degrees. The motion from the second cam (110) is transferred to the bucket cam (112) at an angle in the range from about 60 degrees to about 120 degrees.
[0042] According to another embodiment of the present invention, during a forming operation, a first operation is performed by the first cam (108) on the first section of said panel (114) and a second operation is performed by the second cam (110) in association with the bucket cam (112) on the second section of said panel (116).
[0043] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, Fig 3 demonstrates a manufactured panel having a first section of said panel (114) and a second section of said panel (116).
[0044] The present disclosure described herein above has several advantages including, but not limited to: the die assembly is used to perform at least two operations on a single die, hence time of performing operations is saved and it will save the manufacturing cost The die assembly as per invention reduce the operator fatigue & saves the operation space.
[0045] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the foregoing description. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0046] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of the various embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
[0047] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the various embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. These and other changes in the various embodiment of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.