US 11,794,272 B2
Automatic joining system
Hisashi Hori, Shizuoka (JP); Kosuke Yamanaka, Shizuoka (JP); Takeshi Handa, Shizuoka (JP); Kiyomi Tsuchiya, Shizuoka (JP); Satoshi Takahashi, Tokyo (JP); and Nobuki Takahashi, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to NIPPON LIGHT METAL COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/633,506
Filed by NIPPON LIGHT METAL COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Aug. 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/030453
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 7, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/025155, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 11, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-146253 (JP), filed on Aug. 8, 2019; application No. 2019-146254 (JP), filed on Aug. 8, 2019; application No. 2019-146255 (JP), filed on Aug. 8, 2019; application No. 2019-146256 (JP), filed on Aug. 8, 2019; application No. 2019-146257 (JP), filed on Aug. 8, 2019; application No. 2020-134885 (JP), filed on Aug. 7, 2020; application No. 2020-134886 (JP), filed on Aug. 7, 2020; application No. 2020-134887 (JP), filed on Aug. 7, 2020; and application No. 2020-134888 (JP), filed on Aug. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0347788 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. B23K 20/00 (2006.01); B23K 20/12 (2006.01)
CPC B23K 20/123 (2013.01) [B23K 20/1245 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automatic joining system, comprising:
a fixing device that fixes a first metallic member and a second metallic member arranged on a platform in a state where a butting portion including a step is formed by butting end surfaces to each other such that a front surface of the second metallic member is lower than a front surface of the first metallic member;
a friction stir device that includes a rotating tool performing friction stir and performs friction stir joining of the butting portion;
a measuring unit that measures a ridge line position of the first metallic member; and
a controlling device that controls the fixing device and the friction stir device, wherein
the rotating tool includes a base end side pin and a tip end side pin formed continuously to the base end side pin, a taper angle of the base end side pin is greater than a taper angle of the tip end side pin, and a stepwise pin step portion is formed on an outer periphery of the base end side pin,
the controlling device sets a target moving route along which the rotating tool moves when the friction stir joining of the butting portion is performed, based on the ridge line position before the friction stir joining is performed, and also sets a modified moving route at a position displaced toward the first metallic member side in substantially parallel with respect to the target moving route, and
the friction stir device controls the rotating tool to move along the modified moving route and thereby performing the friction stir joining along the target moving route while maintaining a predetermined aiming angle of the rotating tool and while pressing a plastic fluidized material by a stepped bottom surface of the pin step portion.