Patents by Inventor Tobias Hägele

Tobias Hägele has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10294536
    Abstract: A method for producing partially hardened steel components in which a blank composed of a hardenable sheet steel is subjected to a temperature increase and shaped into a component; the component is transferred to a tool in which the heated component is cooled and thus quench hardened; during the heating of the blank or component in order to achieve the temperature increase to a temperature required for the hardening in regions that are to have a lower hardness and/or higher ductility, cooling elements are spaced apart from the surface by a small gap; the cooling element is dimensioned so that the thermal energy acting on the region that remains ductile flows through the component into the cooling element, characterized in that in order to space the cooling element apart from the component, micro-nubs or knobs are used, which are distributed over the area of the cooling element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: voestalpine Metal Forming GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Sommer, Tobias Hägele, Reiner Kelsch, Dieter Hartmann
  • Patent number: 10000823
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing partially-hardened components from steel sheets, in which a component that is cold-formed from a hardenable steel sheet material is heated, in a furnace, to a temperature below the austenitization temperature (<AC3), and a radiating element acts upon the component in sections where said component is to be austenitized (<AC3), this radiating element having a component-side contour that corresponds to the contour of the component in the section to be austenitized. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out said method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: voestalpine Metal Forming GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Hartmann, Roland Ziegler, Tobias Hägele
  • Publication number: 20150027601
    Abstract: A method for producing partially hardened steel components in which a blank composed of a hardenable sheet steel is subjected to a temperature increase and shaped into a component; the component is transferred to a tool in which the heated component is cooled and thus quench hardened; during the heating of the blank or component in order to achieve the temperature increase to a temperature required for the hardening in regions that are to have a lower hardness and/or higher ductility, cooling elements are spaced apart from the surface by a small gap; the cooling element is dimensioned so that the thermal energy acting on the region that remains ductile flows through the component into the cooling element, characterized in that in order to space the cooling element apart from the component, micro-nubs or knobs are used, which are distributed over the area of the cooling element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Andreas Sommer, Tobias Hägele, Reiner Kelsch, Dieter Hartmann
  • Publication number: 20140345757
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing partially-hardened components from steel sheets, in which a component that is cold-formed from a hardenable steel sheet material is heated, in a furnace, to a temperature below the austenitisation temperature (<AC3), and a radiating element acts upon the component in sections where said component is to be austenitised (<AC3), this radiating element having a component-side contour that corresponds to the contour of the component in the section to be austenitised. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out said method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2012
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Inventors: Dieter Hartmann, Roland Ziegler, Tobias Hägele
  • Patent number: 8597441
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing partially hardened steel components in which a blank is subjected to a temperature increase that is sufficient for a quench-hardening and after reaching a desired temperature, the blank is transferred to a forming tool in which the blank is quench-hardened or the blank is cold-formed and the component obtained by the cold-forming is then subjected to a temperature increase. During the heating of the blank or component, absorption masses rest against and/or are spaced with a small gap apart from regions that are intended to have a lower hardness and/or higher ductility; with regard to its expansion and thickness, its thermal conductivity, and its thermal capacity and/or with regard to its emissivity, the absorption mass is dimensioned so that the thermal energy acting on the component in the region to remain ductile flows through the component into the absorption mass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Voestalpine Metal Forming GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Sommer, Dieter Hartmann, Tobias Hägele
  • Publication number: 20120097298
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing partially hardened steel components in which a blank is subjected to a temperature increase that is sufficient for a quench-hardening and after reaching a desired temperature, the blank is transferred to a forming tool in which the blank is quench-hardened or the blank is cold-formed and the component obtained by the cold-forming is then subjected to a temperature increase. During the heating of the blank or component, absorption masses rest against and/or are spaced with a small gap apart from regions that are intended to have a lower hardness and/or higher ductility; with regard to its expansion and thickness, its thermal conductivity, and its thermal capacity and/or with regard to its emissivity, the absorption mass is dimensioned so that the thermal energy acting on the component in the region to remain ductile flows through the component into the absorption mass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2010
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Inventors: Andreas Sommer, Dieter Hartmann, Tobias Hägele