Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Laurent Bernard Chappuis

S George Luckey, Jr

Andrey M Ilinich

Michael William Danyo

Keith Zobay

Sergey Fedorovich Golovashchenko

Amanda Kay Freis

Peter A Friedman

Garret Sankey Huff

Aindrea McKelvey Campbell

Stephen Kernosky

James Engle

Brett D Irick

Andrei Viktorovich Vlassov

Sergey Sergeyevich Kolesov

Richard J Hare

George A Eros

Daniel R Waun

Ronald David Ketelhut

Ronald Russo

George Stanczuk

Jerome A Berendt

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 assembling vehicle-body components includes positioning a first component on a second component. The first component has a different coefficient of thermal expansion than the second component and one of the first and second components defines a slot. The method also includes loosely installing a bolt though the slot and the first and second components, and creating a joint in the first and second components. The method further includes heating the first and second components, which causes the first and second components to move relative to each other due to thermal expansion in response to the heating. This movement causes the joint to fail. The method also includes tightening the bolt.

Vehicle body structure

A marking system for a rolled metal coil to provide markings containing data about material properties within the metal proximate the markings. The material property data may be used for allocating blanks from the coil for different vehicle body stampings. A monitoring device may be configured to provide material property data of metal during formation of a coil. A marking device may be configured to provide a 2D-matrix as the marking on a surface of the coil. A controller may be programmed to, in response to receiving the data, utilize the marking device to provide the 2D-matrix containing the material property data on the coil proximate a location of the material property. The 2D-matrix may also allow for the traceability of a finished part back to the coil it was blanked and subsequently formed from.

Marking the surface of metal coils with material property data

A manufacturing process including a quality control procedure for verifying the completion of forming processes, heat treating and chemically treating parts. Sheet formed blanks, tubular blanks, extrusions and casting are traced through a manufacturing process from the time the parts are received. Metallurgical data relating to parts as received is recorded and marked on the parts. Forming data, heat treating data and chemical treating data may also be recorded by scanning and marking parts throughout the manufacturing process.

Process control for post-form heat treating parts for an assembly operation

A method and tool for forming a hem flange pre-hem and a final hem on a sheet metal panel wherein elastomeric tooling elements are used to apply radial compression during a forming operation. The elastomeric tooling elements are compressed and apply pressure to a side of the sheet metal panel, for example an aluminum panel, that is stretched during a forming process step. A foil layer may be placed between the sheet metal blank and the elastomeric tooling element to reduce friction and further improve forming performance.

Flanging and hemming process with radial compression of the blank stretched surface

An automotive door assembly ( ) includes an inner door ( ) having an inner panel ( ). The inner panel ( ) has a first seat ( ) and a second seat ( ) integrally formed therein. The first seat ( ) has a first side member ( ) fixedly attached thereto for separating an exterior of the door assembly ( ) from a door cavity thereof. The first side member ( ) also reinforces the automotive door assembly ( ). Likewise, the second seat ( ) a second side member ( ) has fixedly attached thereto for separating the exterior of the door assembly ( ) from the door cavity thereof. The second side member ( ) also reinforces the automotive door assembly ( ). The inner panel ( ), the first side member ( ), and the second side member ( ) have an outer door ( ) attached thereto for enclosing the door cavity.

Inner door for an automotive vehicular door assembly

Aluminum automotive door assembly

A precision holding system for a vehicle hood includes a frame extending vertically and at least one pair of arms spaced transversely and extending horizontally from the frame. Each arms includes a master control pin disposed within a portion of a vehicle hood to locate the vehicle hood relative to the frame and a plurality of master control surfaces to hold the vehicle hood in a horizontal, design position while an adhesive between components of the vehicle hood cures.

Precision holding system for a vehicle hood

Growing community of inventors

Grosse Ile, MI, United States of America

Laurent Bernard Chappuis