Apparatus for flattening the bent-up edge of a sheet workpiece

Abstract

A sheet workpiece having an edge bent over on one face of the workpiece towards the center of the workpiece is continuously displaced in a transport direction over a flat support surface that lies against the other face of the workpiece at the bent-over edge. Compressed air is blown from a guide in a flow direction extending transverse to the transport direction, outwardly from the workpiece center, and generally parallel to the surface so as to blow this bent-over edge flat. A plurality of nozzles inclined slightly down toward the surface and backwardly in the transport direction may be employed, as a single elongated nozzle producing a band-shaped current of air may be used, or a plurality of nozzles spread out in a two-dimensional array. Such a flow of air may also be directed from both faces at the workpiece edge in order to flatten out this edge no matter which way it is bent over. When a plurality of nozzles are employed each nozzle may be formed as a plug secured in a support plate having an inclined outlet passage and rotatable in order to vary the flow direction.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.