Patent ID: 8701288

Claim:
An apparatus for forming a workpiece with an inner surface and an opposed outer surface into a housing of an antipollution device for treating exhaust in which at least one preselected catalyst-bearing brick is positionable, and in which at least one mat is positionable between said at least one brick and the housing to support said at least one brick, at least part of the inner surface defining an initial chamber in the workpiece with at least one initial dimension, the apparatus comprising: a first set of members for engaging the inner surface; a second set of members for engaging the outer surface; a controller for receiving dimensional data for said at least one brick and said at least one mat and for determining at least one calculated dimension based on the dimensional data, said at least one calculated dimension at least partially defining a formed chamber in a main portion of the housing and said at least one calculated dimension being sized for compressing said at least one mat to a preselected density when said at least one brick is positioned in the formed chamber and said at least one mat is positioned between said at least one brick and the main portion of the housing; the controller additionally controlling the first set of members for engaging the workpiece to change said at least one initial dimension to said at least one calculated dimension, such that said at least one mat is compressed to the preselected density when said at least one brick and said at least one mat are positioned in the formed chamber of the main portion of the housing; the first set of members comprising an end sizing element adapted to cooperate with an engagement section of the second set of members to form a workpiece end part between the first and second sets of members into at least one end portion, and at least one transition portion connecting said at least one end portion with the main portion, said first and second sets of members being controlled by the controller such that said at least one end portion of the housing has at least one preselected dimension having a predetermined relation to said at least one calculated dimension; the end sizing element of the first set of members comprising a transition part adapted to cooperate with a transition part of the engagement section of the second set of members to form said at least one transition portion therebetween; and the second set of members additionally comprising an outer surface adapted to engage a preselected proximal part of the outer surface of the main portion, to resist deformation of the main portion while said at least one end portion and said at least one transition portion are formed, the second set of members being controlled by the controller to position the outer surface of the second set of members at least partially based on the dimensional data.