Patent ID: 6796157
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: B21D

Abstract:
A sheet metal bending machine comprising:a housing having a mouth and a table adjacent the housing mouth; a clamping mechanism comprising an elongate anvil positioned above said table and which is movable between a raised position in which sheet metal can be inserted in said clamping mechanism and a lowered position in which sheet metal is clamped between said anvil and said table: an upper fink pivotally mounted to said housing and a lower link pivotally connected to a lower end of said upper link; said anvil being operatively and pivotally connected to a lower end of said lower link; whereby the pivoting of said links relative to each other moves said anvil between its raised and lowered position: and a bending mechanism comprising an elongate bending bar and a drive; said bending bar being mounted in said housing to be pivotal between a start position in which said bending bar is substantially parallel to said table and a finished position in which said bending bar is pivoted upwardly; said drive being operable to move said bending bar from its start position to its finished position; wherein, when said bending bar is in its start position and said anvil is in its lowered position a forward edge of said bending bar is proximate a rearward edge of said anvil; wherein said links pivot over center when said anvil is in its lowered position to lock said anvil in said lowered position; said bending bar operatively engaging said links when a bending operation is complete to move said links back over center to unlock said links and to allow said anvil to be moved back to its raised position.