Ball plunger for use in a hydraulic lash adjuster and method of making same
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorGary Janowiak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of cold-forming a ball plunger blank includes providing a slug having a generally cylindrical surface extending between a first end and a second end, transferring the slug to a first forming station, at the first forming station forming an indentation in at least one of the first and second ends, and rotating the slug and transferring the slug to a second forming station. The method further includes extruding a first bore through the first end while simultaneously forming a hemispherical surface at the second end, backward extruding a second bore at the first end, and forming a counterbore in the second end.
Claims19
A method of cold-forming a ball plunger blank comprising the steps of:
- providing a slug having a generally cylindrical surface extending between a first end and a second end;
- transferring the slug to a first forming station;
- at the first forming station, forming an indentation in at least one of the first and second ends;
- rotating the slug and transferring the slug to a second forming station;
- extruding a first bore through the first end while simultaneously forming a hemispherical surface at the second end;
- backward extruding a second bore at the first end;
- and
- forming a counterbore in the second end.
A method of cold-forming a ball plunger blank using a cold-forming machine having a cutoff station and five forming stations each with a die section and a punch section, the method comprising:
- at the cutoff station, shearing wire to a desired length to form a slug having a generally cylindrical surface extending between a first end and a second end;
- transferring the slug to the first forming station such that the first end faces the die section and the second end faces the punch section;
- rotating the slug and transferring the slug to the second forming station such that the first end faces the punch section and the second end faces the die section;
- at the second forming station, simultaneously extruding a first bore through the first end and forming a hemispherical surface at the second end;
- at the third forming station, backward extruding a second bore at the first end;
- at the fourth forming station, forming a counterbore in the second end;
- and
- at the fifth forming station, further forming the hemispherical surface to near final dimensions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.