Patent GB-1034436-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for forming metallic sheet members
IPC: B21D22/06
Filed: 1963-02-18
Abstract: 1,034,436. Making vehicle parts; deforming tubes and rings; shearing. WALLACE EXPANDING MACHINES Inc. Feb. 18, 1963 [Feb. 23, 1962], No. 6410/63. Headings B3A, B3E and B3W. A method of forming sheet metal parts comprises forming a sheet of metal into a tubular member, forming the member into a number of connected parts and thereafter separating the formed connected parts. An open-ended longitudinally welded sheet metal cylinder is transferred to a horizontally disposed expander 91, Fig. 7 (not shown), of a preforming unit 92, rotated into a vertical plane and expanded into a rectangular shape 60 by four dies 102 radially horizontally slidable upon a table 100 under the influence of a vertically disposed fluid operated wedge-shaped member 106 connected to the dies on their inner inclined surfaces by T-shaped keys 107. Upward and downward movement of the member 106 contracts and expands the dies respectively. The blank 60 is subsequently transferred to an expander apparatus 9, Fig. 3, comprising two pairs of expanding inner dies 27, 28 and four complementary shaped outer contracting dies 56 (not shown) and shaped and stretched therebetween. The dies 27, 28 are fixed to carriers 25, 26 which are radially horizontally slidable along keys 22, 61 arranged on a base plate 10 and top plate 17 within a cylindrical member 20 and are expanded and contracted by a fluid operated cross-shaped taper-sided wedge member 37 which is slidably coupled via T-shaped slots in the inner tapered faces of the carriers by T-shaped keys 42, 43. The tapered surfaces 32 of the carrier 25 are at a greater angle than the surfaces 33 of the carrier 26 and hence the dies 27 move a greater radial distance than the dies 28. The dies 56 are mounted on radially slidable carriers 55 actuated by a fluid-operated cam ring 65 provided with inwardly facing cam surfaces 66 having T-shaped keys which co-operate with complementary surfaces and slots on the outer faces of the carriers. In operation the blank 60 is placed about the contracted dies 27, 28, the dies 56 moved to their innermost positions and the member 37 lowered to expand the dies 27, 28 and form the walls of the blank into left and right-hand vehicle doors connected by scrap portions 79, Fig. 4 (not shown). The formed blank is subsequently ejected by fluidoperated rods 86 and automatically transferred to a cutting apparatus which separates the door parts by a single cut along the scrap portions 79. The formed blank is dropped into the cutting apparatus, Fig. 8 (not shown), on to supports 192, fluid-operated latching elements 181 are swung into engagement with pins 187 to look the upper end of an anvil structure 146 against horizontal movement, the anvils 146 are moved outwardly by fluid means to engage and position the blank and a fluid-operated cam 167 actuated to move cutters 157 radially inwardly to effect the severing of the door parts from the scrap portion 79. Four cutter assemblies 140 are mounted for radial movement on support plates 127 via guides 141 thereon which extend over a base plate 143 of each assembly, each plate 127 being slidably mounted and radially adjustable via rods 132 on guide members 130. A fluid motor 142 fixed to each plate 127 is also coupled to the base 143 on which is mounted the vertically extending anvil 146 which comprises a die carrier 147 on which is mounted a shaped die 150 used as work positioning means and having an indentation 156 complementary to that of the cutter. The cutter 157 is fixed to a die carrier 165 which is radially slidable on the base 143 between side members 160 and is actuated by the fluid-operated vertically slidable cam member 167 keyed thereto. Pins 202 fitted to the die carriers engage bores 200 in the anvil carrier to ensure alignment of the members. Preferably the cutter and anvil dies produce pairs of notches during the cutting operations which are used to position the parts, in a subsequent trimming operation. The separated parts are subsequently carried away on conveyers 120. Articles such as car bumpers, doors and bonnets may be produced by the method.