In a forming machine including upper and lower bases (12, 14), a connecting portion (16) extending between the upper and lower bases to cooperate therewith in defining a work space (18), said upper base having a front wall (100), said lower base having a front wall (88), and said machine having a rear wall (60) common to the upper and lower bases and connecting portion;
- an intermediate wall (90) spaced rearwardly from said front walls (88, 100) and forwardly of said rear wall (60) defining the front vertical wall of said connecting portion;
- and upper and lower slides (20, 22) respectively mounted on the upper and lower bases for rectilinear movement, the improvement comprising:
- said upper base (12) having a pair of vertically spaced, horizontal upper and lower walls (116, 117) extending rearwardly from said front wall (100) above said work space;
- a pair of horizontally spaced vertical front and rear bosses (118, 119) extending between the upper and lower walls (116, 117) of the upper base (12);
- said lower base (14) having a pair of horizontal, vertically spaced, upper and lower walls (108, 110) extending rearwardly from said front wall (88) beneath said work space;
- a pair of vertical, horizontally spaced front and rear bosses (112, 114) extending between the upper and lower walls (108, 110) of the lower base (14);
- said front and rear bosses (118, 119) of said upper base (12) being in substantially co-planar relationship with the front and rear bosses (112, 114), respectively, of the lower base (14);
- said intermediate wall (90) being spaced from said rear bosses (114) and (119) on the sides thereof opposite the front bosses (112, 118) and extending between the lower wall (117) of the upper base (12) and the upper wall (108) of the lower base (14);
- aligned openings (134) in said rear and intermediate walls (60, 90);
- a headstock (128) projecting into the work space (18) and having a tubular housing (130) supported in said openings (132, 134);
- upper and lower slides (20, 22) mounted respectively on the lower wall (117) of said upper base (12) and the upper wall (108) of said lower base (14);
- upper and lower synchronizing racks (50, 52) mounted respectively on said upper and lower slides (20, 22);
- a synchronizing gear (48) lying in a plane and rotatably mounted on said headstock housing (130) in meshed engagement with said synchronizing racks (50, 52);
- and a pair of opposed, upper and lower forming racks (24, 26) mounted respectively on said upper and lower slides (20, 22) on the opposite side of said synchronizing racks (50, 52) from said intermediate wall (90);
- whereby said slides and forming racks are rectilinearly moveable in opposite directions in synchronized relationship;
- upper and lower hydraulic motors (30, 32) respectively mounted on the upper and lower bases operable to respectively move the upper and lower slides in opposite directions in parallel relationship to each other, said upper hydraulic motor having an output member (38, 192) connected with said upper slide in the space enclosed by said front and rear bosses (118, 119) and upper and lower walls (116, 117) of said upper base and forwardly of the plane of said synchronizing gear (48);
- said lower hydraulic motor having an output member (38, 192) connected with said lower slide in the space enclosed by said front and rear bosses (112, 114) and upper and lower walls (108, 110) of said lower base and forwardly of the plane of said synchronizing gear (48) so that said hydraulic motors apply forces on said slides to cause reciprocation thereof on the opposite side of said synchronizing gear from said intermediate wall;
- a pair of tie rod connections extending between the upper and lower bases to control deflection therebetween, each tie rod connection including a sleeve having opposite ends respectively engaged with the upper and lower bases, and each tie rod connection also having a tie rod extending through the sleeve thereof between the upper and lower bases and including a nut threaded thereto for compressing the sleeve and tensioning the tie rod in a preloaded manner to provide the prevention of deflection between the bases.