Patent ID: 7124486

Claim:
A digitally controlled machine for curving, forming, folding and bending a bar, comprising: a bed, a folding snout coupled with the bed, and a rotary bending tool associated with the bed and coupled with the folding snout, wherein the bending tool is carried by a conical tool support for obtaining folds in selected planes, and wherein the bar is movable along a line of travel through the folding snout and past the bending tool; a turner coupled with a motor and the tool support, wherein the tool support is axially movable by the turner in a direction which is perpendicular to the line of travel of the bar; and a gripper coupled with the turner and having jaws for selectively engaging the tool support, wherein the jaws of the gripper are automatically tightened and loosened so that the jaws are automatically loosened when the turner reaches an end of axial travel in a direction away from the bending tool and the folding snout, and so that the jaws are automatically tightened when the turner moves axially in an opposite direction, toward the bending tool and the folding snout; wherein the automatic loosening and tightening of the gripper is coupled with movement of the turner in an axial direction so that the automatic loosening and tightening of the gripper and the axial movement of the turner is performed by the same apparatus.