Patent ID: 7503197

Claim:
Apparatus for piercing a hole through the opposed first and second tube walls of a hydroformed tube while the tube is within the die cavity formed by a pair of hydroforming dies, comprising: a punch bore in one of the hydroforming dies, said punch bore extending into the die on opposed sides of the die cavity and adjacent to the first and second tube walls; a single punch mounted in the punch bore adjacent the first wall of the tube; a punch actuator for advancing the punch to make a first hole by punching a first slug from the first wall and then travel across the cavity and make a second hole by punching a second slug from the second wall of the tube and then push the slugs into the punch bore beyond the second wall; and a support mechanism including: a support rod slidably mounted in the punch bore adjacent the second wall of the tube and having a support face for supporting the second wall against rupture by the hydroforming pressure; a yieldable compression spring for yieldably supporting the support rod and having a first end engaging the support rod on a side thereof opposite the support face and a second end; a support actuator engaging the second end of the spring to normally maintain the compression of the compression spring so that the spring biases the support rod against the second wall of the tube with sufficient force to support the second wall of the tube against rupture by the hydroforming pressure and yet yield upon the punch actuator having made the second hole by punching a slug from the second wall of the tube into the punch bore beyond the second wall, said support actuator being further actuatable to withdraw force from the second end of the spring so that compression spring extends and force is relieved from the support rod, and said support actuator having a shoulder for engaging with the support rod upon still further actuation of the actuator so that the support rod is further withdrawn by the actuator independent of effort by the spring to withdraw the support rod away from the second wall of the tube and away from the punch and the slugs so that the slugs are released for disposal.