Patent ID: 6694790
Filing Date: 2004-02-24
Classification: B21D

Abstract:
Superplastic forming die equipment for the simultaneous superplastic forming of pairs of metallic blanks into a plurality of shaped parts, said die equipment comprising a lower forming die, an upper forming die, said dies being relatively movable between opened and closed positions with respect to one another, each of said dies having part forming surfaces, one of said dies having a gas distribution nozzle associated therewith for delivering pressurized part forming gas for said equipment, a mid plate for operative disposition between upper and lower blanks to form a sandwiched and portable assembly of a pair of blanks so that said assembly can be physically transferred from a storage station and operatively mounted between said dies for the superplastic forming of said pair of blanks, said mid plate having a perimeter wall of predetermined thickness with upper and lower faces that support upper and lower blanks of said pair of blanks sandwiching the mid plate therebetween, said blanks and mid plate cooperating to define a forming gas chamber therebetween when said dies are in said closed position, said mid plate having a bore therein for reception of said nozzle when said dies are in said closed position, said mid plate further having a gas passage that extends from said bore through said perimeter wall into said forming gas chamber, said forming dies being adapted to respectively engage said upper and lower blanks to effect the perimeter sealing of said gas chamber and to permit said gas distribution nozzle to operatively enter said bore when said dies are in a closed position, said nozzle pneumatically communicating with said bore and said passage so that a pressurized gas supplied thereto effects the charging of said chamber with pressurized gas and the simultaneous displacement of the upper and lower blanks onto the forming surfaces of said forming dies.