1. Field of the Invention
A metal shaping apparatus to shape a metal blank into one of a plurality of configurations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 201,827 discloses a sheet metal pan machine comprising a metallic block or blocks containing a slot to receive the edge of the blank from which the pan is to be formed. The slot has inclination relative to the top of the block to give proper bevel to the sides of the pan. The block sections are removable to adjust the length of the machine for making of different sizes or shapes of pans.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,729,265 shows a metal forming tool to bend and shape linear metal strips comprising a plurality of cooperating pre-contoured solid block-like sections arranged end to end in closely spaced relation including a groove in each block-like section to receive a flexible metal member seated in and extending lengthwise then through the grooves.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,314 discloses a movable blank-holder of a bending press including a series of segments and a pair of motor-driven carriages each of which has an entraining member which can selectively engage and release the segments in order to move them for re-arrangement purposes. Each of two segments disposed at opposite ends of the series includes a shoe-holder to support a shoe to carry a respective slide having a driving portion and each shoe has a driven portion. These driving and driven portions have facing cooperating pressure and sliding faces arranged in a manner such that a movement of the slide towards the center of the press is converted into an oblique movement of the respective shoe such that it is released from a lateral channel-shaped bend already formed in a metal sheet without sliding on the sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,024 teaches a bending press comprising a movable blank-holder formed by a series of sections in which two spaced-apart sections form shoes with projections pointing in opposite direction so that each can be engaged in a channel-shaped bend which has already been made. Each shoe is supported by a shoe-holder body by means of inclined guides such that when the movable blank-holder moves away from the fixed blank-holder, the two shoes move towards one another in order to release their projection from the channel-shaped bends. Each shoe and the respective shoe-holder body are interconnected by positive drive means for moving the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,041 relates to a guide means disposed between a blade-holder and the frame of a bending press comprising a slide movable along an axis perpendicular to the plane of the metal sheet to be bent. The blade-holder is coupled to the slide so as to be movable along an axis inclined to a plane perpendicular to the plane of the sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,293 discloses a press comprising a pair of tool holders mounted in a frame to support a die and punch. At least one of the tool holders is motor driven and movable towards the other tool holder. The press includes a first driver arranged to make one of the tool holders travel towards the other tool and a second driver to make the same tool holder or the other tool holder perform a working stroke to bend the sheet metal and to effect any coining of the bend.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,307 shows a bending tool for a bending press comprising an upper die member detachably secured to a vertically reciprocable ram for bending a flat metal work-piece to a predetermined depth in a lower female bending die. The bottom surface of the female bending die cavity is formed by a plurality of flat headed pins in side by side slots or bores. The heads of the pins form the bottom flat surface of a longitudinal groove which forms the bottom die cavity surface. The vertical adjustment of the pins is provided by the interfitting combination of a left side wedge assembly, a middle wedge assembly and a right side wedge assembly. The interfitting prevents displacement of any one of the supporting assemblies for the pins to assure improved bending precision.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,402 relates to an apparatus for adjusting the tool length of a bending machine comprising a ram having a lower end, a top tool body mounted on the lower end of the ram, a bottom tool mounted below the top tool body, a top tool including a pair of central dies mounted longitudinally movably on the lower end of the ram, a plurality of upper split dies arranged outside the central dies and mounted reversibly to the upper die row, a plurality of thin upper dies inserted reversibly between the central dies and being thinner than the upper split die, and upper corner dies arranged on both left and right ends of the upper split die, a shift mechanism for sliding the central dies reversely at the central portion of the lower portion of the ram, a drive mechanism for sliding the upper corner dies to the longitudinally symmetrical positions of the lower portion of the ram, shafts pivotably disposed at the back of the central dies and upper corner dies, a plurality of the upper split dies wedged to the shafts and reversed in pivoting of the shaft to be selectively inserted between said central die and upper corner die, a wedge releasing mechanism for releasing the upper split die from the wedge to be received in the corresponding upper die in pivoting the shaft, and a mechanism for selecting the number of the thin upper dies supported by the shaft at the back of the central dies so as to be reversed.
U.S. Pat. No. 506,234 teaches a tinner's stake comprising a series of telescoping independently extendable sections each forming a guide and holder for the next smaller section.