Patent ID: 7861566

Claim:
A bending press for making tubing from a substantially planar and longitudinally extending metal sheet having two longitudinally extending edges, the press comprising: an upper support beam and a lower support beam both extending horizontally and transversely of the longitudinal sheet edges with the upper support beam above the sheet and the lower support beam below the sheet; a pair of benders at respective edges of the sheet, slidable horizontally and transversely to the edges of the sheet on the upper and lower support beams, and each having: a respective pair of bending tools shiftable in a vertical direction transversely of a horizontal plane of the sheet and engageable with opposite faces of the sheet at the respective edges, a respective tie rod extending transversely in the direction adjacent the respective pair of bending tools, and respective actuator means braced transversely in the direction between the respective tie rod and the respective pair of bending tools and extensible in the direction to tension the respective tie rod and press the respective pair of bending tools against opposite faces of the sheet at the respective edge to deform the respective edge, each tie rod having one end slidable on one of the upper and lower support beams and an opposite end bearing via the respective actuator means on the other one of the upper and lower support beams; and respective clamping means engageable between the benders and the upper and lower support beams for releasably locking each of the benders to the upper and lower support beams at any of a plurality of positions offset transversely of the edges of the sheet.