Bending machine and bending method

A bending machine including a movable table to which a first tool is attached along a lateral direction, and a fixed table arranged to be opposed to the movable table in a vertical direction and to which a second tool is attached along the lateral direction, the movable table being moved in the vertical direction to pressurize a workpiece between the first tool and the second tool in order to carry out bending of the workpiece, the bending machine comprising:

• an elevating mechanism configured to move the movable table in the vertical direction;
• an inclination mechanism capable of adjusting an inclination state showing an inclination to left and right of the fixed table;
• a crowning mechanism configured to curve a part of the movable table;
• and
• a control device configured to control the elevating mechanism, the inclination mechanism, and the crowning mechanism, wherein
• the control device sets the inclination state of the fixed table and also sets a curved state of the movable table to conform to the inclination state of the fixed table in order to carry out partial bending to pressurize a limited pressurized range compared to a pressurized range when the workpiece is pressurized by using entire areas of the first tool and the second tool in the lateral direction, and
• the control device changes a combination of the inclination state of the fixed table and the curved state of the movable table and repeats the partial bending while causing a transition of the limited pressurized range in order to carry out entire area bending to pressurize the workpiece over an entire area in the lateral direction.

A bending method of carrying out bending of a workpiece in which a bending machine including a movable table to which a first tool is attached along a lateral direction and a fixed table arranged to be opposed to the movable table in a vertical direction and to which a second tool is attached along the lateral direction, carries out bending of a workpiece by moving the movable table in the vertical direction to pressurize the workpiece between the first tool and the second tool, the bending method comprising:

• setting an inclination state of the movable table;
• setting a curved state of the fixed table so as to conform to the inclination state of the movable table;
• carrying out partial bending to pressurize a limited pressurized range compared to a pressurized range when the workpiece is pressurized by using entire areas of the first tool and the second tool in the lateral direction;
• and
• carrying out entire area bending to pressurize the workpiece over an entire area in the lateral direction by changing a combination of the inclination state of the movable table and the curved state of the fixed table and repeating the partial bending while causing a transition of the limited pressurized range.