Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Andrey M Ilinich

S George Luckey, Jr

Stephen Kernosky

Christopher John May

Feng Ren

David John Hill

Alan John Gillard

Sergey Fedorovich Golovashchenko

Amanda Kay Freis

Garret Sankey Huff

Michael William Danyo

Nia R Harrison

Jason Scott Balzer

Laurent Bernard Chappuis

Mark Stephen Salmonowicz

Alexander Mamutov

Kiran Kumar Mallela

Dennis Cedar

Brett D Irick

Keith Zobay

Joseph Yarnevich

Christopher Taylor

Nicholas Kalweit

Ryan Hoffman

John Michael Fritz

John Patrick Joyce

Peter A Friedman

Evangelos Liasi

Vijitha Senaka Kiridena

Liang Huang

George Luckey, Jr

Douglas Piccard

Vijitha Seraka Kiridena

Brian Michael Brown

Yuan Gan

Tom Kandow

Thomas Kandow

Vyacheslav Mamutov

A method of joining substrates includes positioning the substrates on a die and pressing a self-piercing rivet until it penetrates into the bottom substrate and deforms the bottom substrate into a relief of the die defined by at least: a raised central portion, an outer portion disposed about a central axis of the die, a side surface disposed about the central axis, and an annular channel disposed about the central axis and disposed, in a radial direction, between the raised central portion and the outer portion. The side surface connects the outer portion to the top surface. The annular channel is recessed axially from the raised central portion and at least a part of the outer portion that is adjacent to the annular channel. The annular channel is radially inward of a toe of the self-piercing rivet after the deforming the bottom substrate into the relief.

Self-piercing rivet die, assembly, and method of joining materials with a self-piercing rivet

A stamped part includes a first blank, a second blank, and a weld joining the first blank to the second blank. The weld includes opposing ends. At least one of the opposing ends of the weld is recessed from adjacent edges of the first and second blanks.

Methods of forming and stamping tailor friction stir welded blanks with enhanced edge stretch

A method of applying a marking to a part in a stamping die includes moving a component of the stamping die, the component having a mechanical application device secured thereto. A controlled volume of a marking medium flows through the mechanical application device during the moving such that a volume of the marking medium is controlled by the moving of the component during a stamping die operation. In one form, the component is an upper die of the stamping die.

Mechanical applicator for use in stamping die process to apply thermo-chromatic ink to aluminum heat treated panels

An apparatus for forming a part is provided, which includes a die. The die includes a round orifice, a central mandrel disposed within the round orifice, and a plurality of bridges and a corresponding plurality of portholes between the bridges. The bridges and the portholes extending around the central mandrel. A spacing of the bridges around the mandrel is non-equiangular. The die allows a material to be extruded through the die to form a round, closed geometry tube from the material such that the round, closed geometry tube has non-equiangular welds after emerging from the die.

Hydroforming of porthole extrusion with non-equiangular seams

A device for incrementally forming a plurality of workpieces includes a frame configured to receive a workpiece, at least one clamp configured to secure the workpiece to the frame, a first sacrificial material layer configured to be secured to at least one surface of the workpiece, and a first forming tool configured to impart a first force directly to the first sacrificial material layer and incrementally form the workpiece to a desired geometry based on a tool path of the first forming tool. The frame, the at least one clamp, the first sacrificial material layer, and the first forming tool are configured to impart a first force directly to the first sacrificial material layer secured to at least one surface of a first workpiece with the first forming tool and incrementally form the first workpiece to a desired geometry based on a tool path of the first forming tool.

Device to reduce tool marks in incremental forming

A forming die includes a first die component with a male bead and a second die component with a female bead. The male bead and the female bead form a bead with a reverse bead geometry with the male bead having a groove and the female bead having a protrusion complimentary with the groove such that the protrusion is aligned with the groove when the male bead extends into the female bead. The male bead includes a push surface, a pair of sidewalls extending from the push surface to a main surface of the first die component, and the groove extends inwardly into the rib. And the female bead includes a stop surface and a pair of sidewalls extending from the stop surface to a main surface of the second die component, and the protrusion extends outwardly from the stop surface into the female bead.

Forming die with reverse bead geometry

A method includes identifying a location of a locating feature disposed on an exterior profile of a lower substrate, the locating feature configured to identify a specified location of the exterior profile, positioning a self-piercing rivet along an upper substrate according to the identified location of the locating feature, and installing the self-piercing rivet through the upper substrate and into the lower substrate.

Surface features for locating net substrate buttons to enable self-piercing riveting (SPR) on brittle and low toughness materials

A method of forming a stamped part includes forming a tailor welded blank by friction stir welding (FSW) a first blank to a second blank, removing a FSW start spot and a FSW stop spot from the tailor welded blank using a machining process such that a finished tailor welded blank is formed and stamping the finished tailor welded blank into the stamped part such that a weld formed by FSW the first blank to the second blank is plastically deformed. The first blank and the second blank can be aluminum alloy blanks and a predetermined amount of material is machined from the FSW start spot and the FSW stop spot, the predetermined amount of material being equal to or greater than a thickness of the first blank and the second blank.

A dimpled substrate for use in an assembly having joined substrates is provided that defines at least one preformed interior cavity, at least one preformed exterior profile adjacent the interior cavity and defining a wall therebetween, and at least one locating feature configured to identify a location of the at least one preformed exterior profile. In one form, the locating feature is disposed in the preformed exterior profile or adjacent to the preformed exterior profile. Alternatively, the locating feature is a notch formed into the dimpled substrate away from the preformed exterior profile.

A method and a system are disclosed for making an article of manufacture from a blank defining an internal opening. A stack of blanks are aligned and the internal openings of the blanks in the stack of blanks are machined by a rotary cutting tool to a finished dimension. The blanks are clamped together before machining in a numerically controlled machine tool. The blanks are subsequently formed individually in a sheet metal forming operation in which the inner perimeter of the internal openings is expanded as the blank is formed.

Method of machining an opening in a plurality of blanks

A method of treating an aluminum material to increase adhesive bond durability is disclosed. The disclosed method includes a first aging step of heating an aluminum component to a first temperature no more than 150&#xb0; C. (302&#xb0; F.) for a first time period followed by a second aging step including heating the aluminum component to a second temperature greater than the first temperature for a second time period.

Multi-step aging process for improved bond durability

A method of producing a laminated article comprising placing a first metal skin, a core, and a second metal skin freely onto each other as discreet layers to provide a layered component; and forming the layered component into a shaped article via a die prior to producing a laminated article by applying pressure and heat to the shaped article, wherein at least the first skin moves relative to the core and/or second skin during the forming.

Method of manufacturing a lightweight laminate

A method of incrementally forming workpiece is provided by the present disclosure. In one form, the method includes securing a sacrificial material layer to at least one surface of the workpiece, imparting a force directly to the sacrificial material layer with at least one forming tool, and incrementally forming the workpiece to a desired geometry based on a tool path of the forming tool.

Method to reduce tool marks in incremental forming

A method of forming a part includes extruding a billet through a die, forming a round, closed geometry tube from the billet, and hydroforming the round, closed geometry tube. The extrusion die contains an orifice with a central mandrel, a plurality of bridges, and a corresponding plurality of portholes between the bridges. A spacing of the bridges around the mandrel is non-equiangular. As a result, the round, closed geometry tube has non-equiangular welds after emerging from the die.

A system and method for applying a marking to a part in a stamping die is provided by the present disclosure. The system includes a mechanical application device having a controlled volume of a marking medium that is coupled to movement of the stamping die. In one form, the controlled volume of the marking medium is not regulated by either an external pneumatic source of an external electrical source.

Growing community of inventors

Dearborn, MI, United States of America

Andrey M Ilinich