Exterior mandrel for multiaxis bender
US5272905A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 14, 1992 |
| Grant date | Dec 28, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 14, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB21D9/125
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A tube support mandrel for use with a multiaxis tube bender acts to support the outer surface, rather than the inner surface, of the tube, and so may be used with tubes that are open on one side, or which otherwise do not have a complete, enclosed interior. In the disclosed embodiment, the mandrel includes a stack of thin steel plates, each of which has a central hole that matches the outer surface of the tube. A partially urethane overmold encases and retains the plates together with the central holes aligned. When the tube is forced through the bender, it passes through the aligned plate holes, which closely confine and support its cross sectional shape while flexing to accommodate the curvature being bent into it.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.