Conduction pre-heating of sheet for hot forming

Abstract

A method for producing components by hot forming includes receiving a blank having a patched region and a non-patched region; pre-heating the patched region of the blank in a pre-heat station to a pre-heat temperature by thermal conduction without pre-heating at least a portion of the non-patched region to the pre-heat temperature, to provide a pre-heated blank; transferring the pre-heated blank from the pre-heat station to a furnace; heating the entire blank in the furnace to an austenite temperature, wherein the austenite temperature is higher than the pre-heat temperature; transferring the heated blank from the furnace to a press; and shaping the heated blank in the press.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing components by hot forming, the method comprising:
 receiving a blank having a patched region and a non-patched region;   pre-heating the patched region of the blank in a pre-heat station to a pre-heat temperature by thermal conduction without pre-heating at least a portion of the non-patched region to the pre-heat temperature, to provide a pre-heated blank;   transferring the pre-heated blank from the pre-heat station to a furnace;   heating the entire blank in the furnace to an austenite temperature, wherein the austenite temperature is higher than the pre-heat temperature;   transferring the heated blank from the furnace to a press; and   shaping the heated blank in the press.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pre-heating the patched region of the blank in the pre-heat station includes:
 receiving the blank having the patched region and the non-patched region between an upper platen and a lower platen in the pre-heat station;   applying contact pressure to the patched region of the blank received in the pre-heat station; and   providing energy to heat and maintain the respective upper and lower platens at a desired platen temperature.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the pre-heating the patched region of the blank in the pre-heat station further includes:
 determining, using one or more physical processors, whether the patched region of the blank in the pre-heat station has reached the pre-heat temperature; and   monitoring and controlling surface temperatures of the respective upper and lower platens of the pre-heat station to heat the patched region of the blank in the pre-heat station to the pre-heat temperature by thermal conduction without pre-heating at least the portion of the non-patched region to the pre-heat temperature, to provide the pre-heated blank.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patched region comprises a patch attached to a base of the blank. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising attaching the patch to the base of the blank by welding. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the welding comprises spot welding. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising attaching the patch to the base of the blank by a mechanical joining procedure. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein an outer periphery of the patch is smaller than an outer periphery of the base of the blank. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the blank includes a base blank and a patch blank attached to the base blank, and
 wherein the patched region of the blank includes the patch blank and at least the portion of the base blank that is attached to the patch blank.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the non-patched region includes portions of the base blank that are surrounding the patch blank, and
 wherein the non-patched region is not pre-heated to the pre-heat temperature in the pre-heat station.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the non-patched region includes portions of the base blank that are adjacent to the patch blank, and
 wherein the non-patched region is not pre-heated to the pre-heat temperature in the pre-heat station.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-patched region does not include the patch blank. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the blank is a monolithic blank. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the blank is a tailor welded blank formed by a tailor welded blank procedure,
 wherein the tailor welded blank includes blank members that are welded together during the tailor welded blank procedure, and   wherein the blank members have different strengths and/or different thicknesses.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the blank is a tailor rolled blank formed by a tailor rolled blank procedure, and
 wherein the tailor rolled blank includes variable thickness portions.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the patched region is thicker than the non-patched region.