JP3367939B2 - Manufacturing method of catalytic converter - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a catalytic converter, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a catalytic converter in which a catalyst carrier is supported in a tubular member via a buffer member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, an automobile is equipped with a catalytic converter. As a method of manufacturing the same, a ceramic mat is wound around the outer periphery of a catalyst carrier as a cushioning member, and a casing (cylindrical shape) is compressed while compressing the mat. A method of press-fitting into a member is common. However, while there is a request to make the mat thick and soft in order to secure a cushioning function, there is a request to make the mat thin and hard to facilitate press fitting into the casing, and these are contradictory matters. The situation is that they have no choice but to manufacture the product, seeking a compromise point for the requirements of both parties.

Therefore, in the conventional method, it has been pointed out that the catalyst carrier cannot be sufficiently protected by the mat and the catalyst carrier is damaged, or the catalyst carrier and the mat are damaged when being pressed into the casing. In order to solve these problems, a method has been proposed in which the catalyst carrier and the mat are inserted into the tubular member and then the tubular member is compressed from the outside to compress the mat in an appropriate amount. For example, US Pat.
9698, JP-A-64-60711, JP-A-9-2
No. 34377 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-170424.

On the other hand, regarding the case for holding the catalyst carrier, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-110823, in order to eliminate the inconvenience such as the workability of the conventional method of welding the case main body and the cone portions at both ends thereof, the both ends are eliminated. A catalyst carrier holding case has been proposed in which at least one of the cone portions and the case body are integrally formed by expanding or contracting a pipe material. In this publication, one end of a tube material having the same diameter as the case main body is contracted to integrally form a cone portion and a conduit, a catalyst carrier and a cushion material are inserted into the tubular portion, and the opening side portion is attached to the case main body portion. It is described that the remaining cone portion and the conduit are integrally formed by contracting the remaining portion by spinning. However, a specific method of spinning is not disclosed, and performing spinning on the case body is not described.

Similarly, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-112259 discloses a conventional method for manufacturing a monolith catalytic converter in which a flange of an upper member and a lower member is welded while a monolith catalyst is held inside the upper member and the lower member. Alternatively, in order to eliminate the inconvenience of the conventional method of welding the tubular portion and the cone portions at both ends thereof, the insertion process of inserting the monolith catalyst into the tubular pipe material and the opening of both ends of the pipe material A method for manufacturing a monolith catalytic converter having a drawing step of drawing into a circular shape has been proposed. Regarding the drawing process, it is described that a die-type drawing device or a spinning drawing device is used, and a spinning drawing device is shown in FIG. 9 of the publication, while rotating the pipe material around the axis, It is described that a roller is pressed against one end opening of the pipe material. Further, in FIG. 5 of the publication, there is also a method of forming a ring-shaped recess in the tubular portion by pressing a pressing jig with a roller attached to the pipe material after the step of inserting the monolith catalyst into the pipe material and the drawing step are performed. It is disclosed.

[0006]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention
In the method of manufacturing a catalytic converter described in Japanese Patent No. 10823 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-112259, spinning is exemplified as the drawing, and this spinning is specifically described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-110823. Although there is no detailed explanation, FIG. 9 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-112259
As specifically disclosed in, the method of rotating a work piece to be processed and pressing a single roller is a method that has been generally performed as a form of drawing processing. it is obvious. If a method different from such a general spinning process is used, this should be explained. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-146232 relates to a method for treating an end portion of a grooved pipe material, which is a field completely different from a method for manufacturing a catalytic converter, and relates to a tip end of a grooved pipe material in which a groove is formed on an inner surface in a length direction Rotate the rotating mechanism with the part facing the forming roll, and revolve and rotate the forming roll based on the rotation of the rotating mechanism, and squeeze to reduce the diameter of the tip of the grooved pipe material by the radial movement of the forming roll. A method of processing is disclosed. Incidentally, as the forming roll, one roll is used as before.

Further, regarding the method of supporting the catalyst carrier in the tubular member through the buffer member, which is described in the above-mentioned publication,
Since both are compression processing using a die or compression processing using a pressing die, it is processed only by the compression force in the circumferential direction or the radial direction. It does not flow easily in the longitudinal direction, which may cause buckling of the tubular member and uneven thickness. As a result, the amount of compression of the mat becomes non-uniform, and the force for supporting the catalyst carrier is likely to be non-uniform, so it cannot be said to be the optimum method. Even if the buckling of the tubular member or the non-uniformity of the wall thickness is not caused, it is possible to obtain the roundness accuracy of the tubular member by the above-described method and make the compression amount accuracy of the mat uniform over the entire circumference. It's extremely difficult. Thus, there has been a strong demand for a technique capable of uniformly and accurately compressing the mat in the longitudinal direction over the entire circumference by a predetermined amount.

Therefore, in the present invention, in a method of manufacturing a catalytic converter in which a catalyst carrier is supported in a tubular member through a buffer member, the buffer member is uniformly reduced in diameter together with the tubular member, so that the catalyst carrier is suitable. It is an object to manufacture a catalytic converter so that it can be supported by

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method of manufacturing a catalytic converter according to the present invention is characterized in that, as described in claim 1, a buffer member is wound around the outer periphery of a catalyst carrier to form a tubular member. The tubular member is fixed to the tubular member so as to prevent rotation of the tubular member about the axis thereof, and the tubular member is included in a range including at least a part of the buffer member of the tubular member. A plurality of spinning rollers that are arranged evenly around the outer circumference of the tubular member and that revolve around the outer circumference of the tubular member in a circular locus of the same diameter and that are driven in the radial direction of the tubular member.
Radial direction of the tubular member while moving in the axial direction of the tubular member
By driving the subjected to spinning, the axis of the buffer member
While uniformly compressing the cushioning member along the direction,
The outer circumference of at least a part of the buffer member of the cylindrical member.
Reduced in diameter etc, in which the catalyst support was decided to hold the tubular member. Thus, in the state where the tubular member as the workpiece is fixed in a non-rotatable manner, the plurality of spinning rollers are brought into close contact with the outer surface of the tubular member, and at least the range including the cushioning member is subjected to the spinning process. The plastic flow of the material forming the shaped member is smoothly performed. As a result, the tubular member is uniformly reduced in diameter with good accuracy,
The cushioning member is also highly accurately and uniformly reduced in diameter.

Further, as described in claim 2, the outer diameter of the catalyst carrier and the inner diameter of the tubular member are measured in advance, and a target diameter reduction amount for the buffer member is calculated based on the measurement result, wherein the spinning roller based on the target diameter reduction
It is preferable to drive the tubular member in the radial direction. The measurement of the inner diameter of the tubular member may be direct or indirect, and includes, for example, the case of measuring the outer diameter of the tubular member and then subtracting the thickness of the tubular member.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, the spinning roller reduces the diameter of a range including a part of the buffer member together with the tubular member, and the at least one end portion of the tubular member is provided with the above-mentioned diameter. Necking may be performed by a spinning roller to form a neck on the tubular member. Accordingly, before and / or after the step of reducing the diameter of the tubular member and the buffer member by the spinning roller, necking processing for the end portion of the tubular member can be continuously performed in one step.

In the above method for manufacturing a catalytic converter, as described in claim 4, in a state where both ends of the tubular member are fixed, at least a part of the buffer member of the body portion of the tubular member is included. The spinning process is performed on the range, and the cushioning member is leveled along the axial direction of the cushioning member.
At least the buffer portion of the tubular member while compressing into
Uniformly reduced in diameter a portion of the periphery around the wood, prior to the catalyst support
It may be configured to be retained in the cylindrical member .

Further, as described in claim 5, the outer diameter of the catalyst carrier and the inner diameter of the tubular member are measured in advance, and a target diameter reduction amount for the buffer member is calculated based on the measurement result. wherein the spinning roller based on the target diameter reduction
It is preferable to drive the tubular member in the radial direction. The step of measuring the outer diameter of the catalyst carrier and the inner diameter of the tubular member and calculating the target diameter reduction amount for the buffer member based on the measurement result can be automatically processed.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the diameter of the range including the tubular member together with the tubular member is reduced by the spinning roller, and then the body of the tubular member is fixed. At least one end of the tubular member may be necked by the spinning roller to form a neck on the tubular member.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a method of manufacturing a catalytic converter having the above structure will be described with reference to the drawings. First, as shown in FIG. 1, a cushioning mat MT constituting a cushioning member of the present invention is wound around the outer periphery of a catalyst carrier CS, fixed with a flammable tape or the like if necessary, and a tubular member 4 is formed.
(In addition, after processing, it is stored in an outer cylinder or a housing). In this case, the catalyst carrier CS and the cushioning mat MT wound around the cushioning mat MT inside the tubular member 4 are not pressed against the inner surface of the tubular member 4 (that is, not press-fitted). It will be housed gently. Therefore, there is no possibility that the catalyst carrier CS and the buffer mat MT will be damaged in this step.

In this embodiment, the catalyst carrier CS
Is made of ceramics, but may be made of metal.
Further, although the tubular member 4 is a stainless steel pipe,
Not limited to this, other metal tubes may be used.
The buffer mat MT is composed of an alumina mat which hardly expands due to heat in the present embodiment, but a thermal expansion type vermiculite type mat may be used.
In the present invention, the type of mat is not limited.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, one end of the tubular member 4 is clamped by the clamp device 12 and fixed so as not to be rotatable and axially movable. Then, for a range including at least a part of the cushioning mat MT of the tubular member 4, spinning is performed by a plurality of spinning rollers 28 that revolve around the outer periphery of the tubular member 4 in a circular locus of the same diameter. That is, the spinning rollers 28, which are preferably arranged at equal intervals around the outer periphery of the tubular member 4, are made to closely contact the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 4 and revolve, and the orbit is reduced and the axial direction (right in FIG. 2) is reduced. Direction) to perform spinning. For example, a cushioning mat MT obtained as a result of diameter reduction
When the compression amount is about 2 to 4 mm, the revolution radius of the spinning roller 28 may be reduced by 2 to 4 mm.

Specifically, from the position A to the position B in FIG. 2, the diameter of the cylindrical member 4 is gradually changed by the spinning roller 28 to form a constant diameter from the position B to the position C, and from the position C. Necking is performed on the right side by a spinning roller 28 so that the diameter is sharply reduced. As a result, the reduced diameter portion 4a is formed from the B position to the C position, and the tapered portion 4b and the bottleneck portion 4c are formed on the right side from the C position. It should be noted that the diameter reduction processing from the A position to the C position and the necking processing from the C position to the right side may be performed in separate steps. However, if the steps are continuously performed in this manner, the takt time is reduced. It is efficient because it can be shortened and the energy of the processing machine can be reduced. Therefore, the buffer mat MT
Is reduced in diameter together with the tubular member 4, and the catalyst carrier CS is supported in the tubular member 4 in a stable state.

Further, the tubular member 4 processed as described above.
Are reversed by 180 degrees, and as shown in FIG. 3, the other end of the tubular member 4 is necked by the spinning roller 28 in the same manner as above. In this embodiment, the work of reversing the tubular member 4 in this case is to release the clamped state of the tubular member 4 by the clamp device 12 after the process of FIG. 4 is taken out, inverted, and mounted again on the clamp device 12. If a robot is used for loading and unloading the workpiece such as the tubular member 4 as well, a better work efficiency can be obtained. Then, the other end of the tubular member 4 is clamped by the clamp device 12, and the unprocessed portion on the left side of the position B in FIG. 2 is processed by the spinning roller 28 in the same manner as described above, and the tapered portion 4b and the bottleneck are formed. Part 4c
To form.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mandrel 40, which can move back and forth in the axial direction, is inserted into the end of the tubular member 4 and necking is performed by the spinning roller 28, whereby the bottleneck 4c Shape accuracy is improved. Processing using this mandrel 40 will be described later. In addition, after necking is first performed on one end of the tubular member 4, the reduced diameter portion 4a is formed by spinning.
May be formed, and finally the other end of the tubular member 4 may be necked, and in this case as well, continuous processing by the spinning roller 28 can be performed.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Following the steps shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, instead of the step shown in FIG. 3, a cylinder which is a workpiece as shown in FIG. The mandrel 40 is arranged so that the axis of the mandrel 40 is inclined with respect to the axis of the strip-shaped member 4, and necking processing by the spinning roller 28 is performed. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, a tapered portion 4e and a bottleneck portion 4f having an axis inclined with respect to the axis of the reduced diameter portion 4a are formed at the other end of the tubular member 4. Alternatively, although not shown, a taper portion and a bottleneck portion having an axis eccentric to the axis of the reduced diameter portion 4a can be formed. Further, both ends of the tubular member 4 are provided with a reduced diameter portion 4a.
It is also possible to perform necking by appropriately combining a coaxial shaft, an inclined shaft, and an eccentric shaft with the shaft. The spinning method including the eccentric axis and the tilt axis is disclosed in JP-A-11-147138 and JP-A-11-15.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 1535, and these processing methods can be applied to the molding of the end portion of the tubular member 4.

The structure of the spinning apparatus used for manufacturing the above catalytic converter will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 6 shows a necking processing state in the process of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 and 6, on the base BS, the machining target central axis Xe of the end portion of the tubular member 4 becomes the X axis (in FIG. 5, the central axis Xt of the tubular member 4 and the machining target central axis Xe. Are on the same plane, so they coincide with each other), and a pair of X-axis guide rails 5 parallel to this.
Is fixed to one side (right side in FIG. 5) on the base BS, and the housing 20 is movably arranged along the X-axis guide rail 5. A ball socket 7 is fixed to a lower portion of the housing 20, and a screw shaft (ball screw) 8 screwed to the ball socket 7 is arranged on the base BS in parallel with the X-axis guide rail 5 and is driven by a servomotor 9. It is rotatably supported. Thus, when the screw shaft 8 is rotationally driven by the servomotor 9, the housing 20 is configured to move along the X axis.

On the other hand, the other side of the base BS (left side in FIG. 5)
A base 1a is formed on the base 1a, and a pair of Y-axis guide rails 10 orthogonal to the X-axis guide rails 5 are fixed on the base 1a. A pair of sliders 11 that support the table 6 are movably arranged on the Y-axis guide rails 10, and a clamp device 12 is supported on the table 6. The clamp device 12 includes a lower clamp 13 rotatably supported by the table 6 and an upper clamp 17 arranged above the lower clamp 13, and the tubular member 4 is interposed between the lower clamp 13 and the upper clamp 17. Is pinched. A ball socket 14 (FIG. 6) is fixed to the lower portion of the table 6, and a screw shaft 15 that is screwed into the ball socket 14 is arranged on the base 1a in parallel with the Y-axis guide rail 10.
It is rotatably supported by. Thus, when the screw shaft 15 is rotationally driven by the servo motor 16, the table 6 and the clamp device 12 are configured to move along the Y axis.

As a driving means, for example, a hydraulically driven cylinder 18 is arranged above the upper clamp 17 to support the upper clamp 17 so that the upper clamp 17 can be moved up and down. When the tubular member 4 is attached or detached, the upper clamp 17 is mounted. 17 is driven upward. A semi-cylindrical clamp surface is formed on the upper surface of the lower clamp 13, and the upper clamp 1
A semi-cylindrical clamp surface is also formed on the lower surface of 7, and when the tubular member 4 is sandwiched between these clamp surfaces, the clamp surface is held so as not to be rotatable and axially movable. . Further, a positioning device 19 is arranged on the side of the clamp device 12 opposite to the housing 20, and the tubular member 4 is arranged so that one end of the positioning device 19 abuts against a stopper 19a of the positioning device 19.

The positioning device 19 is mounted on the lower clamp 13 so that it can move together with the clamping device 12. In the positioning device 19, a stopper 19a is supported by a cylinder 19b so as to be movable back and forth in the axial direction, and the stopper 19a is configured to be positionally adjustable with respect to the lower clamp 13 in the X-axis direction. Thus, the axial positioning of the tubular member 4 can be appropriately and easily performed in the steps of FIGS.

After the tubular member 4 is arranged on the clamp surface of the lower clamp 13 so that one end thereof abuts on the stopper 19a, the upper clamp 17 is moved to the hydraulic cylinder 1.
When driven downward by 8, the tubular member 4 is held at a predetermined position between the upper clamp 17 and the lower clamp 13. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the central axis Xt of the tubular member 4 is different from the central axis Xr of the main shaft 2 described later with respect to the base BS.
It is configured to be located on the same plane (at the same height from the base BS) parallel to.

Further, the table 6 on the left side of FIG. 5 is embedded with a rotation driving means composed of, for example, a motor 31, and the output shaft 31a of the motor 31 extends upward in FIG. 1, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the base BS. It is configured to be taken out and engaged with the lower clamp 13, and the lower clamp 13 can be rotationally driven about the output shaft 31a. An arc-shaped guide groove 32 centered on the output shaft 31a is formed on the upper surface of the table 6, and a guide roller 33 fitted into the guide groove 32 is rotatably supported on the lower surface of the lower clamp 13. Has been done. Thus, the lower clamp 13 is configured to rotate along the guide groove 32 and be rotationally driven about the output shaft 31a. FIG. 2 shows the lower clamp 13 rotated by a predetermined angle. Shows.

Next, on the right side of FIG. 5, the main shaft 2 is located on the same plane parallel to the base BS with respect to the central axis Xt of the tubular member 4, and the machining target central axis Xe of the tubular member 4 is obtained. It is arranged substantially coaxially so as to face the tubular member 4, and is supported by the housing 20 so as to be rotatable about bearings 20a and 20b about the central axis Xr. The main shaft 2 of the present embodiment is configured as a double pipe by a cylindrical outer pipe 21 and an inner pipe 23, and is connected to a transmission mechanism 50 described later.

Further, the connecting rod 41 of the mandrel 40 is supported so as to be able to advance and retreat in the axial direction independently of the main shaft 2 so as to penetrate the hollow portion of the inner pipe 23. That is, the connecting rod 41
Is floatingly supported on the inner pipe 23 of the main shaft 2 via bearings, and therefore is configured to be movable in the axial direction regardless of the rotation and axial movement of the main shaft 2. The mandrel 40 is formed so as to match the shape inside the open end of the tubular member 4. The base end of the connecting rod 41 is supported by a cylinder 42 for driving back and forth, and the cylinder 42 is supported by the base BS via the bracket 1c.

The outer pipe 21 of the main shaft 2 is connected to a pulley 22b via a gear train 22a, and this pulley 22b is connected to a motor or the like (not shown) of a rotation driving means via a belt (not shown). The outer tube 21 is rotationally driven by this motor or the like. A flange 24 is provided at the tip of the outer tube 21.
Is fixed, and when the outer tube 21 is rotationally driven, the flange 24 rotates about the central axis Xr. On the other hand, the inner pipe 23
Are rotatably supported with respect to the outer tube 21 and the flange 24. The support plate 25 is attached to the tip of the inner pipe 23.
Are fixed, and the support plate 25 is rotationally driven together with the inner tube 23 about the central axis Xr.

The support plate 25 is provided with three spiral guide grooves 25a as shown in FIG. 7, and each of the guide grooves 25a moves in the radial direction as the support plate 25 rotates. A guide pin 26 is arranged. These guide pins 26 are respectively held by three supporting members 27, and a spinning roller 28 is rotatably supported by each supporting member 27 as shown in FIG. Then, when the inner tube 23 is driven to rotate, the spinning roller 28 moves to the central axis Xr.
The support member 27 is driven in the radial direction along the guide groove 25a according to the rotation of the support plate 25 so that the spinning roller 28 approaches and separates from the central axis Xr. Driven to. That is, the operation of the spinning roller 28 is performed during the rotation of the support plate 25, and the spinning roller 28 revolves while changing its orbit diameter.

The transmission mechanism 50 connecting the outer pipe 21 and the inner pipe 23 uses a flexible meshing drive device, and the pair of outer rings 5 engaged with the outer pipe 21 and the inner pipe 23 respectively.
1, 52, and a flexible gear wheel 53 that meshes with a tooth groove of the same number of teeth formed on the inner surface thereof and has a tooth profile of a different number of teeth, and rotates the gear wheel 53. A wave forming wheel 54 is provided which is supported so as to be capable of being meshed with each other at two positions opposed to the tooth grooves of the outer wheels 51 and 52. The wave forming wheel 54 is rotationally driven by the drive reduction motor 55. Outer rings 51, 52 are support gears 56,
Drive gear 58 supported by 57 and meshing with the support gear 56
Is attached to the outer pipe 21, and a driven gear 59 meshing with the support gear 57 is attached to the inner pipe 23.

The above-described flexible meshing drive device is, for example,
Wave gear device what is known as (Harmonic Drive Systems, Inc.'s registered trademark "Harmonic Drive")
Although the explanation of the operating principle is omitted, a differential mechanism is formed which causes a relative speed difference between the outer wheels 51 and 52 in accordance with the rotational driving of the outer tube 21. When the outer tube 21 is rotationally driven, the support plate 25 is rotationally driven via the inner tube 23 due to the differential between the outer rings 51 and 52, and each support member 27, and thus each spinning roller 28, is rotated by the central axis. It moves in the radial direction with respect to Xr.

A plurality of the spinning rollers 28 are provided in order to absorb an intermittent impact, but it is ideal that the three spinning rollers 28 are arranged at equal intervals as in this embodiment. Further, the spinning roller 28 may have any movement path as long as it can be displaced in the radial direction. As the driving means and the differential mechanism of the spinning roller 28, other means such as a planetary gear mechanism may be used.
The motors 9, 16, 31, 55, etc., and the cylinder 1
Each driving means such as 8, 19b and 42 is electrically connected to a controller (not shown), and a control signal is output from this controller to each driving means to be numerically controlled.

Then, in FIG. 5, first, with the upper clamp 17 of the clamp device 12 raised, the cylindrical member 4 to be machined is arranged on the clamp surface of the lower clamp 13, and the stopper of the positioning device 19 is arranged. The cylinder 18 is driven at a predetermined position where the cylinder 18 is in contact with the cylinder 19a. This allows
The upper clamp 17 descends, the tubular member 4 is sandwiched between the lower clamp 13 and the upper clamp 17, and is held in a non-rotatable state. At this time, the central axis Xt of the tubular member 4 is positioned so as to be coaxial with the central axis Xr of the main shaft 2 (different from the state of FIG. 6). Each spinning roller 28 is retracted outside the outer diameter of the tubular member 4.

Next, the housing 20 is driven forward along the X-axis guide rail 5 (moved leftward in FIGS. 5 and 6), and is retracted from the center of the output shaft 31a of the clamp device 12 by a predetermined distance. The spinning rollers 28 are stopped in a position. Then, the mandrel 40 is driven forward so that the mandrel 40 is located in the opening at the one end of the tubular member 4.

From this state, the main shaft 2 is driven to rotate about the central axis Xr, and each spinning roller 28 is moved to the central axis Xr.
The support plate 25 is rotationally driven via the speed change mechanism 50, and each spinning roller 28 moves in the radial direction toward the central axis Xr. At the same time, the spinning rollers 28 are driven backward along the X-axis guide rails 5 (moved to the right in FIGS. 5 and 6). As a result, each spinning roller 28 rotates (that is, rotates) itself while rotating (that is, revolves) about the central axis Xr while being pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the end of the tubular member 4. ,
It is radially driven in the direction of the central axis Xr, and the spinning process is performed. Similarly, a plurality of processing cycles are performed to form the reduced diameter portion 4a as shown in FIG. Furthermore,
Both ends of the tubular member 4 are necked by a spinning roller 28 to form a final tapered portion 4b and a bottleneck portion 4c as shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the pressing force is constantly applied in the axial direction by the plurality of spinning rollers 28 revolving at equal intervals on the circular locus of the same diameter, so that the tubular member is formed. 4, spinning is performed with uniform and smooth plastic flow in the circumferential direction. Further, since the pressing force is balanced about the axis of the tubular member 4 (around the axis), the spinning roller 28 is prevented from tilting the tubular member 4 to one side or separating the spinning roller 28. The pressing force can be efficiently converted into plastic flow without waste.

Further, since neither the tubular member 4 nor the connecting rod 41 rotates, a structure for firmly pressing the tubular member 4 can be easily constructed, and the tubular member 4 is shaken due to the rotation. It is possible to avoid problems such as Further, according to the present embodiment, since the necking processing for both ends of the tubular member 4 can be continuously performed in one step, the processing time can be significantly shortened as compared with the conventional method. Moreover, since the reversing work of the tubular member 4 can be easily performed without stopping the rotation of the spinning roller 28, the tact time can be reduced and the energy efficiency can be improved.

The above spinning process can be automated by the following processing. First, the target thickness T of the buffer mat MT is stored in the memory of a computer (not shown). Then, a conventional measuring device (not shown) is arranged at a predetermined position, and the outer diameter D1 of the catalyst carrier CS and the inner diameter D2 of the tubular member 4 are measured and stored in the memory. Further, based on these measurement results, the computer calculates the gap C between the outer surface of the catalyst carrier CS and the inner surface of the tubular member 4. That is, the gap C can be obtained as C = (D1-D2) / 2, and when the target thickness T of the cushioning mat MT is subtracted from this gap C, the diameter reduction amount (diameter portion) of the tubular member 4 is 2 It becomes a value P (= C−T) that is one-half.
This value P is set as the target diameter reduction amount S, and the spinning roller 28 is driven in the radial direction by the target diameter reduction amount S (that is, the revolution radius is reduced) with reference to the position where the spinning roller 28 is in contact with the outer surface of the tubular member 4. .

As a result, the buffer mat MT can be accurately compressed to the target thickness T without depending on the size of the catalyst carrier CS and the size of the tubular member 4.
Thus, the diameter of the tubular member 4 is uniformly reduced and the cushioning mat MT is also uniformly reduced with stable accuracy. still,
As a method of measuring the inner diameter D2 of the tubular member 4, the tubular member 4
The outer diameter may be directly measured by a measuring device (not shown) and then the thickness thereof may be subtracted to obtain. Furthermore, the roundness of the tubular member 4 and the catalyst carrier CS may be measured and added to the compression amount around the circumference. A general contact sensor or a non-contact measuring instrument such as a laser may be used as the measuring instrument. Further, the movement of the measuring device can be efficiently processed by using the robot as described above, and the robot for loading and unloading the tubular member 4 may also serve as the robot. The above computer may be prepared alone or a computer for spinning may be used.

FIG. 8 shows that the diameter of the tubular member 4 is increased near the end of the cushioning mat MT in order to prevent the catalyst carrier CS from moving in the tubular member 4 in the axial direction. As a result, a step 4d is formed on the tubular member 4 as shown in FIG.
Specifically, the spinning roller 28 can be easily formed as shown in FIG. 8 only by changing the setting of the revolution diameter of the spinning roller 28 at that portion, and as a result, compression near the end of the cushioning mat MT is achieved. The amount can be particularly large. The step 4d may be formed near both ends of the cushioning mat MT, or may be formed only near one end. In this way, the tubular member 4 can be formed into a desired shape by controlling the spinning roller 28 as appropriate.

In each of the above-described embodiments, only one end of the tubular member 4 is clamped by the clamp device 12, but when the tubular member 4 to be processed is short, spinning is performed. Processing is not easy. Therefore, a method by which the spinning process can be easily performed even when the processing target is short will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 9 to 12.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, a cushioning matt MT is wound around the outer periphery of the catalyst carrier CS, fixed with a flammable tape or the like if necessary, and housed in the tubular member 4. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, one end of the tubular member 4 is clamped by the clamp device 120. This clamp device 1
A step portion 121 is formed at 20, and axial movement of the tubular member 4 is restricted. Then, the pressing device 122 including the stepped columnar pressing member causes the other end portion side of the tubular member 4 to be clamped along the axis of the tubular member 4 by the clamping device 120.
Press in the direction. A step portion 123 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the pressing device 122, the cylindrical portion 124 is housed in the tubular member 4, and the step portion 123 restricts the axial movement of the tubular member 4. Thus, both ends of the tubular member 4 are fixed by the clamp device 120 and the pressing device 122 so that they cannot rotate and cannot move in the axial direction. The clamp device 120
Is preferably a collet type, and the pressing device 1
Instead of 22, a collet type clamp device may be used.

Subsequently, a plurality of spinning rollers 28 revolving around the outer periphery of the tubular member 4 in a circular locus around the outer periphery of the tubular member 4 in the range including at least the cushioning matt MT of the tubular member 4 are described above. Spinning is performed as in the embodiment. That is, the spinning rollers 28 arranged at equal intervals around the outer periphery of the tubular member 4 are made to closely contact the outer peripheral surface of the tubular member 4 and revolve, and the orbit is reduced and the axial direction (to the right in FIG. 9). To perform spinning processing.
As a result, the cushioning matt MT is reduced in diameter together with the tubular member 4, the reduced diameter portion 4a is formed in the body of the tubular member 4, and the catalyst carrier CS is appropriately supported in the reduced diameter portion 4a. When the processing shown in FIG. 9 is performed, the spinning roller 28
Is located between the clamp device 120 and the pressing device 122, so that the support member 2 in the device shown in FIG.
It is necessary to change the shape of 7, etc., but if the left part of the device of FIG. 2 is replaced, or if a dedicated device is separately prepared and two units are installed in parallel, a continuous process is set. be able to.

Next, after retracting the pressing device 122, the clamped state of the tubular member 4 by the clamping device 120 is released, and the tubular member 4 is taken out by a robot hand (not shown), as shown in FIG. The reduced diameter portion 4a formed on the body of the member 4 is gripped by the clamp device 12 shown in FIG. 2 and fixed so as not to rotate and move axially. Then, on one end of the tubular member 4, the diameter of the tubular member 4 is gradually changed by a plurality of spinning rollers 28 in the same manner as described above to form the tapered portion 4b, and then the mandrel 40 is attached to the tubular member 4. In a state where the bottle neck portion 4c is inserted into the end portion of the container, necking is performed so that the diameter is rapidly reduced. Further, the tubular member 4 processed in this manner is arranged 180 degrees upside down, and as shown in FIG. 11, the other end of the tubular member 4 is also rotated in the same manner as above.
Necking processing according to No. 8 is performed. The reversing operation of the tubular member 4 in this case is the same as that in the above-described embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. Then, the other end of the tubular member 4 is clamped by the clamp device 12, and
The spinning roller 28 is processed in the same manner as described above to form the tapered portion 4b and the bottleneck portion 4c.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 12, after the step of FIG. 9 in which the reduced diameter portion 4a is formed in the body portion of the tubular member 4, the tubular member 4 is formed.
Both ends of the tubular member 4 are machined so as to leave a step 4e formed between both ends of the cylindrical member 4a and the reduced diameter portion 4a.
Also, the bottle neck portion 4c may be formed.

[0048]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects. That is, in the method for manufacturing the catalytic converter according to claim 1, the buffer member is wound around the outer periphery of the catalyst carrier and accommodated in the tubular member, and rotation about the shaft of the tubular member is prevented. The tubular member is fixed, and the tubular member is evenly arranged around the outer periphery of the tubular member with respect to the range including at least a part of the cushioning member, and revolves around the outer periphery of the tubular member with a circular locus of the same diameter. And a plurality of spinning rollers that are driven in the radial direction of the tubular member,
In the radial direction of the tubular member while moving in the axial direction of the tubular member.
The spinning process is performed by driving, and the plastic flow of the material forming the tubular member is smoothly performed, the tubular member is uniformly reduced in diameter with good accuracy, and the cushioning member is also highly accurate and uniform. Since the diameter of the catalyst carrier is reduced, the catalyst carrier can be properly supported with a uniform pressure. Further, when the buffer member is wound around the outer periphery of the catalyst carrier and housed in the tubular member, it is not necessary to previously compress the buffer member as in the conventional case, and the buffer member can be housed easily. The simplification is possible and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, as described in claims 2 and 5, the outer diameter of the catalyst carrier and the inner diameter of the tubular member are measured in advance, and a target diameter reduction amount for the cushioning member is calculated based on the measurement result, and the target diameter reduction is performed. If the spinning roller is driven in the radial direction of the tubular member based on the diameter amount, the tubular member can be uniformly and uniformly reduced in diameter without being affected by changes in materials such as the tubular member. At the same time, the cushioning member is uniformly reduced in diameter.

Further, in the method for manufacturing the catalytic converter according to the third and sixth aspects, the diameter of the range including the tubular member together with the tubular member is reduced by the spinning roller, and at least one end of the tubular member is reduced. On the other hand, necking is performed by a spinning roller to form a neck on the tubular member, and the necking on the end of the tubular member can be continuously performed in one step, so that the tact time can be reduced. , Energy efficiency is also improved.

According to the method of manufacturing the catalytic converter of the fourth aspect, spinning is performed on the range including at least a part of the buffer member in the body of the tubular member with both ends of the tubular member fixed. Processed along the axial direction of the cushioning member
While compressing the cushioning member evenly, at least the tubular member
The diameter of the outer circumference of part of the cushioning member is reduced evenly so that the catalyst carrier is
Since it is held in the tubular member, the spinning process can be easily performed even when the tubular member is short, so that the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a buffer mat is wound around an outer periphery of a catalyst carrier and housed in a tubular member in a method for manufacturing a catalytic converter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a method of manufacturing a catalytic converter according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a tubular member is subjected to spinning processing by a spinning roller to reduce the diameter of a buffer member together with the tubular member, and FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where necking processing is performed on an end portion by a spinning roller.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a necking process by a spinning roller is performed on the other end of the tubular member in the method of manufacturing the catalytic converter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a necking process is performed on the other end of the tubular member about the tilt axis by a spinning roller in the method for manufacturing the catalytic converter according to another embodiment of the present invention. is there.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an entire spinning apparatus used in the method for manufacturing the catalytic converter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which a part of the spinning processing apparatus used for the method for manufacturing the catalytic converter according to the embodiment of the present invention is partially broken.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a supporting plate and a supporting member of the spinning device used in the method for manufacturing the catalytic converter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 8] In a method for manufacturing a catalytic converter according to still another embodiment of the present invention, a tubular member is subjected to spinning processing by a spinning roller, the buffer member is reduced in diameter together with the tubular member, and FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a catalytic converter in which one end is necked by a spinning roller.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a tubular member is subjected to spinning processing by a spinning roller to reduce the diameter of the buffer member together with the tubular member in the method for manufacturing the catalytic converter according to another embodiment of the present invention. Is.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a method of manufacturing a catalytic converter according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which a tubular member is subjected to spinning processing by a spinning roller to reduce the diameter of the buffer member together with the tubular member, and FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which necking processing is performed on the end portion of the with a spinning roller.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which a necking process using a spinning roller is performed on the other end of the tubular member in the method of manufacturing the catalytic converter according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which one end of the tubular member is necked by a spinning roller in the method of manufacturing the catalytic converter according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 spindles, 4 tubular members, 4a reduced diameter portion, 4b tapered portion, 4c bottleneck portion, 9, 16, 31, 5
5 motors, 18, 25 cylinders, 12, 120
Clamping device, 21 outer tube, 23 inner tube, 25 support plate, 25a guide groove, 27 support member, 28 spinning roller, 40 mandrel, 50 speed change mechanism CS catalyst carrier, MT cushioning mat

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ identification code FI B21D 41/04 B01D 53/36 C (56) References JP-A-9-112259 (JP, A) JP-A-11-147138 (JP, A ) JP-A-9-234377 (JP, A) JP-A-2000-263161 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F01N 3/28 B01D 53/86 B21D 22/14 B21D 41/04

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A buffer member is wound around an outer periphery of a catalyst carrier and accommodated in a tubular member, and the tubular member is fixed so as to prevent rotation of the tubular member about an axis thereof. The tubular member is evenly arranged around the outer circumference of the tubular member with respect to a range including at least a part of the buffer member, and the tubular member revolves around the outer circumference of the tubular member in a circular locus of the same diameter and the tubular shape. a plurality of spinning rollers for driving in the radial direction of the member, the
Radial direction of the tubular member while moving in the axial direction of the tubular member
By driving the subjected to spinning, the axis of the buffer member
While uniformly compressing the cushioning member along the direction,
The outer circumference of at least a part of the buffer member of the cylindrical member.
A method for manufacturing a catalytic converter, characterized in that the diameter of the catalyst carrier is reduced and the catalyst carrier is held in the tubular member . 2. The outer diameter of the catalyst carrier and the inner diameter of the tubular member are measured in advance, a target diameter reduction amount for the cushioning member is calculated based on the measurement result, and the spinning roller is calculated based on the target diameter reduction amount. 2. The method for manufacturing a catalytic converter according to claim 1, wherein the catalyst is driven in a radial direction of the tubular member . 3. The cylinder is configured such that the spinning roller reduces a diameter of a range including a part of the cushioning member together with the tubular member, and at least one end of the tubular member is necked by the spinning roller. The method for manufacturing a catalytic converter according to claim 1, wherein a neck portion is formed on the strip-shaped member. 4. With the both ends of the tubular member fixed,
Perform the spinning process to a range that includes at least a portion of the cushioning member of the barrel portion of the cylindrical member, the buffer
Evenly compress the cushioning member along the axial direction of the member.
Out of at least a part of the cushioning member of the tubular member
The diameter of the circumference is uniformly reduced, and the catalyst carrier is placed inside the tubular member.
The method of manufacturing a catalytic converter according to claim 1, wherein 5. The outer diameter of the catalyst carrier and the inner diameter of the tubular member are measured in advance, a target diameter reduction amount for the cushioning member is calculated based on the measurement result, and the spinning roller is calculated based on the target diameter reduction amount. 5. The method for manufacturing a catalytic converter according to claim 4, wherein the catalyst is driven in a radial direction of the tubular member . 6. The diameter of a range including a part of the buffer member together with the tubular member is reduced by the spinning roller,
5. The catalyst according to claim 4, wherein the body of the tubular member is fixed, and at least one end of the tubular member is necked by the spinning roller to form a neck portion of the tubular member. Converter manufacturing method.