Apparatus and method for making an automotive bumper beam

An apparatus for making a vehicle bumper beam having a tubular cross section and comprising two longitudinally extending chambers defined by a plurality of walls including a single continuous front wall common to both chambers, respective spaced pairs of inner and outer side walls and respective rear walls, the chambers being connected to one another by a central portion of the continuous front wall and a web formed by two flanges, the apparatus comprising:

• a first roll former having a first pair of rollers for intermediately forming the inner side walls for each of the chambers, as well as the flanges by passing a substantially flat sheet of material through the first pair of rollers;
• a second roll former having a second pair of rollers for intermediately forming the front wall, the outer side wall, and the rear wall for each of the chambers, as well as the central portion of the continuous front wall, simultaneously, by continuously passing the sheet of material through the second pair of rollers;
• a third roll former having a third pair of rollers for exactly forming the front wall, outer side wall, rear wall, and inner side wall of each of the chambers, as well as the central portion of the continuous front wall and the flanges by continuously passing the sheet of material through the third pair of rollers;
• and simultaneously forming an indentation on the central portion of the continuous front wall;
• and
• a fourth roll former having a fourth pair of rollers for bending the sheet of material into a final tubular cross-section by placing edges of the flanges in opposition to one another thereby forming a web between the two chambers' inner side walls, and forming an obtuse angle in the outer side walls with the angle opened towards the inner side walls;
• the tubular cross-sectional shape achieved by continuously passing the sheet of material through a pair of rollers on a roll former.