Apparatus and method for manufacturing lock washers

A method for producing a lock washer, comprising the steps of:

• forming a generally planar blank of resilient metal with a central aperture and an outer periphery;
• forming two tool locating holes in said blank, said holes spaced from said central aperture, said holes spaced a selected distance from each other;
• forming a first cut in said blank, said cut defining a first tab at a selected orientation relative to said two locating holes;
• forming a third tool locating hole in said blank, said third hole spaced from said central aperture, said third hole being spaced said selected distance from one of said two locating holes;
• forming a second cut in said blank, said cut defining a second tab at said selected orientation relative to said one hole and said third hole;
• orienting a forming tool with respect to said locating holes, said forming tool having means for bending a tab out of the plane of the blank;
• bending said first tab out of the plane of the blank using said forming tool;
• orienting said forming tool with respect to the third hole and said another locating hole;
• and
• bending the second tab out of the plane of the blank using said forming tool.

A method for producing a lock washer, comprising the steps of:

• (a) forming a generally planar blank of resilient metal with an outer periphery and a central aperture;
• (b) forming first, second, third and fourth locating holes in said blank, said locating holes spaced from said central aperture, said first and second holes being spaced a selected distance from each other, said third and forth holes spaced the selected distance from each other;
• (c) forming a first cut in said blank, said first cut defining a first tab in said blank at a selected orientation relative to said first and second locating holes;
• (d) forming a second cut in said blank, said second cut defining a second tab in said blank at said selected orientation relative to said third and fourth locating holes;
• (e) orienting a forming tool with respect to said first and second locating holes, said forming tool having means for bending a tab out of the plane of the blank;
• (f) bending said first tab out of the plane of the blank using said forming tool;
• (g) orienting said forming tool with respect to said third and fourth locating holes;
• and
• (h) bending said second tab out of the plane of the blank using said forming tool.

A method for producing an assortment of lock washers, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a plurality of blanks formed of generally planar resilient metal, some of said blanks having a different configuration from other of said blanks, each of said blanks including a central aperture, an outer periphery, a tab, and two locating holes spaced from said central aperture and spaced from each other a selected distance and at a selected orientation relative to said tab;
• (b) providing a tool having two locator pins and means for bending a tab out of the plane of a blank;
• (c) orienting said two locator pins with respect to said two locating holes of a selected blank;
• (d) actuating the tool to bend the tab of the selected blank out of the plane of the selected blank;
• and
• (e) repeating steps (c) through (d) for each of said blanks.

A method for producing a lock washer, comprising the steps of:

• providing a generally planar blank formed of resilient metal, said blank including a central aperture and a first tab;
• providing a generally planar template adapted to receive said blank, said template including a first pair of locating holes, said locating holes spaced a first selected distance from each other;
• providing means for orienting said blank with respect to said template, said orienting means including at least one lug on one of said blank and said template and at least one lug-receiving aperture on the other of said blank and said template;
• orienting a forming tool with respect to said first pair of locating holes in said template, said tool having means for bending a tab out of the plane of a blank;
• orienting said blank with respect to said template with said at least one lug received in said at least one lug-receiving aperture whereby said first tab is at a first selected orientation relative to said first pair of locating holes;
• and
• bending said first tab out of the plane of said blank using said forming tool.