EP0273608A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of making styling models
Assignee: Ford-Werke GmbH
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Filing: 1987-12-04
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2007-12-04
Abstract
Abstract A method for making automotive styling models of any desired scale includes using electronically controlled measuring and machining techniques to cut interior and exterior surfaces into a styrofoam block (10) and applying settable, moldable machinable materials (20,22) on the base formed by the machined block for accurate machining fabrication.
Inventors
- 👤 Guilliano M. Zuccato
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 18:06
CPC Classifications
B; B62; B62D; B62D65/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S264/00; Y10S264/39
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of making a styling model of a body portion of an automobile, the method comprising the steps of providing a block (10) machinable foam material, machining surfaces (14) in the block corresponding to desired internal surfaces of the styling model, laying up fiberglass (20) on the machined surfaces, hardening the fiberglass, applying a layer of machinable epoxy based material (22) over the fiberglass (20) and certain outer surfaces of the block (10), hardening the epoxy based material (22), machining the epoxy based material (22) to define the external surfaces of the model (28) and separating the model (28) from the remainder of the foam block.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
107 words
A method of making a styling model of a body portion of an automobile, the method comprising the steps of providing a block (10) machinable foam material, machining surfaces (14) in the block corresponding to desired internal surfaces of the styling model, laying up fiberglass (20) on the machined surfaces, hardening the fiberglass, applying a layer of machinable epoxy based material (22) over the fiberglass (20) and certain outer surfaces of the block (10), hardening the epoxy based material (22), machining the epoxy based material (22) to define the external surfaces of the model (28) and separating the model (28) from the remainder of the foam block.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the machining of said internal and external surfaces is effected through a step comprising a computer controlled milling step in which design data defining the surfaces is stored and utilized to control the machining.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the foam block is fabricated from styrofoam.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
21 words
A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the epoxy based material is a tooling foam.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as claimed in Claim 4 and further comprising adding a flexible woven reinforcing material to the tooling foam during the applying step.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
140 words
A method as claimed in Claim 1 and further comprising creating a reduced scale clay model of an automobile having substantially completely defined external surfaces, electronically scanning the reduced scale model to measure and store data representative of the external surfaces, removing clay from one symmetrical side of the reduced scale model to define the internal surfaces of the styling model, electronically scanning the reduced scale model to measure and store data representative of the internal surfaces, doubling the data to define the other symmetrical side of the model internal surfaces, and wherein said step of machining surfaces in the block includes machining all internal surfaces defined in the second scanning step into the block and said step of machining epoxy based material includes machining the epoxy base material to provide all external surfaces defined in the first scanning step.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method as claimed in Claim 6 and further comprising a computing step for translating the data collected in the first and second scanning steps into data representative of the external and internal surfaces of a full scale automobile body and prior to the machining steps.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in Claim 6 or 7, wherein the creating and removing steps are effected by the manual formation of the clay from which the reduced scale model is fabricated.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
101 words
A method as claimed in Claim 1 and further comprising creating and storing data representative of the external surfaces of the body portions of the automobile and creating and storing data representative of the internal surfaces of the body portions, and wherein said step of machining surfaces in the block includes machining all internal surfaces defined by the data stored in the second creating and storing step into the block and said step of machining epoxy based material including machining the epoxy based material to provide all external surfaces defined by the data stored in the first creating and storing step.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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