Sheet metal bending apparatus
AssigneeThe Lockformer Company
InventorMarshall John Ryan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for bending sheet metal wherein a plurality of forming rolls are utilized. The rolls are situated at succeeding stations, and a first bending station includes a roll having forming protrusions in spaced apart relationship on the roll surface. The roll also defines drive elements which are engageable by the sheet so that movement of the sheet against a roll drive element operates to drive the roll and to thus move a forming protrusion into contact with the sheet for bending the sheet. Shift means are associated with this roll for locating the drive elements and protrusions in different positions to thereby control the particular drive element engaged by the sheet whereby the particular forming protrusion which performs the bending function can be pre-selected.
Claims12
In an apparatus for bending a metal sheet wherein a plurality of forming rolls progressively bend a sheet portion, the improvement in a first bending station of the apparatus comprising a first roll, means for mounting said first roll for rotation about its axis, forming protrusions positioned in spaced apart relationship on the surface of said first roll, roll drive elements engageable by said sheet and carried by said first roll, movement of said sheet against a drive element operating to move a forming protrusion into contact with the sheet for bending the sheet, and including means for angularly shifting the position of said first roll relative to said mounting means to thereby determine the drive element engaged by the sheet and to thereby determine the protrusion contacting the sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.