Bending system
US7131309B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 9, 2004 |
| Grant date | Nov 7, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 11, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB21D43/006
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A bending system comprising a series of bending stations, each equipped with a bending head. Workpieces are conveyed from one bending station to the next by grippers suspended from a two-axis gantry, that preferably grasp the workpiece at an intermediate portion. Each bending head grasps the tube at a different intermediate position, and in the preferred embodiment each bending station is capable of rotating to position the bending dye such that the free end of the workpiece being bent can be oriented in the bending plane without interference by an adjacent bending station. These features reduce the space requirements of the system considerably. A multi-level dispensing apparatus may be provided to load the bending heads. The bending system is preferably operated by computer, allowing the bending of long workpieces to precise configurations under the control of a single operator.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.