Patent ID: 6959572

Claim:
A fixture for supporting a workpiece on a press for bending and/or twist correction of the workpiece, the press being of the type having a workpiece support area and a movable ram, said fixture comprising: a base adapted for support on the press workpiece support area; a pair of workpiece supports, said workpiece supports being mounted at spaced locations on said base, and each including a bearing having a workpiece mount for receiving a workpiece therein, the workpiece being supported along a support axis for engagement by the press ram intermediate said workpiece supports for bending correction when mounted in said workpiece mounts in said bearings, said bearings each allowing movement in at least one plane including the support axis when the workpiece is engaged by the press ram and rotationally around the support axis; at least one of said workpiece supports including a rotation restricting member connected to the one bearing in said one workpiece support to restrict rotational movement of said one bearing and a first workpiece portion supported therein around the support axis while allowing movement of said one bearing and at least the first workpiece portion in the plane of the support axis; and the other of said workpiece supports including a rotation imparting member connected to the other of said bearings and adapted for movement by the press ram, said rotation imparting member imparting rotational movement to said other bearing and a second workpiece portion supported therein around the support axis when moved by the press ram such that the rotational position of the second workpiece portion is changed with respect to the rotational position of the first workpiece portion for twist correction of the workpiece; at least one of said workpiece supports being movable toward and away from the other of said workpiece supports whereby the distance between said bearings and workpiece mounts may be changed; said one workpiece support being slidably mounted on said base for sliding movement parallel to the workpiece support axis; each of said workpiece supports including a bearing mount and a swivel bearing mounted therein concentric with the workpiece support axis; said rotation restricting member including a projection connected to at least one of said swivel bearings and a receptacle having walls extending parallel to the workpiece support axis, said projection extending into said receptacle such that said receptacle walls limit movement of said projection to a direction parallel to the support axis.