Patent ID: 11911817
Assignee: FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Field: Machine tools (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus for forming a part comprising:
a die having:
a round orifice;
a central mandrel disposed within the round orifice; and
a plate including a plurality of bridges and a corresponding plurality of portholes between the bridges, the central mandrel disposed at a center of the plate, the bridges and portholes disposed around the central mandrel, the bridges extending in a radial direction of the plate from the central mandrel, the bridges each including flat side surfaces extending along a direction parallel to an axial direction of the plate, each of the portholes being defined by adjacent ones of the flat side surfaces of the bridges,

wherein a spacing of the bridges around the central mandrel is non-equiangular, and
wherein the die allows a material to be extruded through the die to form a round, closed geometry tube from the material such that the round, closed geometry tube has non-equiangular welds after emerging from the die.