The present invention relates to a bending press for sheet metal of the type defined in the preamble of Claim 1.

The invention has been designed for application in the ben¬ ding of very thick sheet metal, for example 5-10 mm thick, but is not limited to this application.

The principle object of the invention is to produce a ver¬ satile bending press of simple design that can carry out bends in one direction or the other, as desired, relative to a plane in which the sheet lies, and that can carry out these bends at any angle within a range from 0 to 90 ^β .

According to the invention this object is achieved by means of a press such as that claimed.

By virtue of this solution to the problem, the press can be selectively set in order to bend the sheet in one direction or the other simply by relatively displacing the tool hold¬ ers, in the direction of introduction of the sheet, from one working position to the other. The angle of bending can be set simply by adjusting the relative working stroke of the tool holders in the direction normal to the plane in which the sheet lies.

The invention will be understood more clearly from the de¬ tailed description which follows of a preferred embodiment of the bending press, which description is given with refe¬ rence to the appended drawings which are provided by way of nonlimiting example and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the press, Figure 2 is a side view thereof on a larger scale and in partial cross-section,

Figures 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e and 3f are side views on a reduced scale showing successive stages in a so-called "ne¬ gative" bending operation, and

Figures 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e and 4f are views similar to the preceding ones, showing successive stages in a so-call¬ ed "positive" bending operation.

With reference to Figure 1, a bending press according to the invention is indicated overall by the reference numeral 10.

The press 10 is associated with a table 12 that feeds the sheets to said press.

The table 12 has a horizontal upper support surface 14 of the known type with balls 16. The upper surface 14 is divi¬ ded up into various parts by longitudinal channels 18 and by a transverse channel 20.

Pushers 22 can move backwards and forwards within the lon¬ gitudinal channels 18, in the direction of the double ar¬ rows X, so as horizontally to feed a sheet to be bent into the press 10 and correctly position it in the place where the bend is to be carried out.

The double arrows X also conventionally indicate the direc¬ tion of introduction of the sheet to be bent in the press, details of which direction will be discussed below.

Abutment elements 24, that serve to centre the sheets transversely with respect to the press 10, can move towards one another and back again in the transverse channels. The direction of movement of the abutment elements 24 is indi¬ cated by the double arrows Y, which also conventionally in¬ dicate the direction parallel to the bends to be carried

out by the press 10. Details of the direction Y will also be discussed below.

The directions X and Y also define a horizontal plane in which the sheet to be bent lies.

Still with reference to Figure 1, the press 10 comprises a sturdy base 26 on which a first immovable lower tool holder 28a is fixed, which will be described in detail when refer¬ ring to Figure 2.

The base 26 carries a slide in the form of clevis pads 30 that slide on the base 26 in the direction X of introduc¬ tion of the sheet in the press. This direction X is again indicated by a double arrow. Associated with each clevis 30 are means for controlling its movements backwards and for¬ wards in the direction X. Preferably, these control means take the form of hydraulic jacks 32, as illustrated.

A sturdy frame 34 is hinged about horizontal pins 35, which are parallel to the transverse direction Y, in the clevis pads 30 constituting the slide.

Control means, preferably in the form of hydraulic jacks 36, are interposed between the slide 30 and the frame 34.

A sturdy transverse plate 38 is fixed on that side of the frame 34 which faces the table 12 and is opposite the side with the pins 35. On its lower side the plate 38 carries a second movable upper tool holder 28b which faces the immov¬ able lower tool holder 28a. The upper tool holder 28b will be described in greater detail below with reference to Fi¬ gure 2.

For now, suffice it to say that the control means 36 are

able to cause the tool holder 28b to move back and forth in an upward and downward movement, substantially in the ver¬ tical direction indicated by the double arrow Z, so as to bend the sheets that are introduced into the press, in con¬ junction with the immovable lower tool holder 28a.

The vertical direction Z is normal to the horizontal plane in which the sheet lies and which is defined by the direc¬ tions X and Y.

Reference will now be made to Figure 2, in order to descri¬ be various details of the lower 28a and upper 28b tool hol¬ ders.

A sheet which is to be bent or is in the course of being bent is illustrated by dashed lines and is indicated by the reference L.

Each lower 28a and upper 28b tool holder carries a corres¬ ponding bending tool 40a, 40b and a corresponding clamping tool 42a, 42b. Each bending tool 40a, 40b is in the form of a tempered steel bar that extends in the transverse direc¬ tion Y across the entire width of the press and has active edges at the front 44a, 44b and rear 46a, 46b, respective¬ ly, the terms "front" and "rear" referring to the direction X of introduction of the sheet.

Preferably, as illustrated, the edges 44a, 44b and 46a, 46b are rounded in order to facilitate the progressive bending of thick sheets.

Each clamping tool 42a, 42b is preferably made up, as illu¬ strated, of a series of pads 48a, 48b evenly distributed across the width of the press 10, i.e. in the transverse direction Y.

The pads 48a of the lower tool holder 28a are also visible in Figure 1.

The clamping tools 42a, 42b formed by the series of pads 48a, 48b respectively, are mounted in the relevant tool holders 28a, 28b in such a way that they retreat against the force of means of elastic repulsion.

Preferably, these means of elastic repulsion are in the form of respective hydraulic piston-and-cylinder units 50a, 50b. In each of these units, the cylinder 52a, 52b is for¬ med in the relevant tool holder 28a, 28b, while the piston 54a, 54b carries the relevant pad 42a, 42b at one of its projecting ends that faces the opposite tool holder.

Each piston 54a, 54b is under an opposing hydraulic pressu¬ re exerted, through the interposed sheet L, by the bending tool 40a or 40b immediately opposite it. This concept will be clarified below.

As a result of its being mounted on the pivoting frame 34 secured to the slide 30, which is in turn operated by the jacks 32 (Figure 1), the upper tool holder 28b can be moved in the direction of the arrow X between two working posi¬ tions which, as will be seen, serve to produce a downward, so-called "negative", bend and an upward, so-called "posi¬ tive", bend respectively, in a sheet L.

In Figure 2 the two tool holders 28a, 28b and their bending tools 40a, 40b and clamping tools 42a, 42b are shown in so¬ lid lines in the position which corresponds to a "negative" bend.

The sheet L is gripped between the lower bending tool 40a and the upper clamping tool 40b. The upper bending tool 40b

is in a retracted position (towards the inside of the press) with respect to the lower bending tool 40a. This po¬ sition is such as to cause the front active edge 44b of the upper tool 46b to cooperate with the rear active edge 46a of the lower tool 40a during the bending operation.

The sheet L simply rests on the clamping tool 42a, above which there is no bending tool.

In order to carry out a "negative" bend, a programmer or other control system, by controlling the relevant jacks 36, causes the upper tool holder 28b to execute reciprocating strokes of increasing amplitude so as to produce the bend in a succession of strokes.

Thus, in the outward movement of a first reciprocating stroke, the sheet is bent through a certain angle according to the configuration indicated by Li; in the outward move¬ ment of a second reciprocating stroke, the sheet is bent through a greater angle, according to the configuration in¬ dicated by L _a ; in the outward movement of a final recipro¬ cating stroke, the sheet is bent through an angle of 90" according to the configuration indicated by L ₃ .

As will be understood, by programming the number and ampli¬ tude of the reciprocating working strokes (for example by employing a digital control system), it is possible to pro¬ duce any desired angle of bending, the angle of the bend being proportional to the number and amplitude of the suc¬ cessive reciprocating strokes.

As will also be understood, on each downward stroke of the upper tool holder 28b, the upper sheet-clamping tool 42b retreats elastically, by virtue of the fact that the pis¬ tons 54b can withdraw back into the cylinders 52b, whilst

still maintaining, by virtue of the hydraulic pressure, the mechanical pressure which grips the sheet L between the pads 48b and the lower bending tool 40a.

The sequence of operations for bending the sheet downwards or "inversely" is more clearly illustrated in Figures 3a , 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e and 3f.

In Figure 3a, the upper tool holder 28b has been set in the position corresponding to this type of bending and illus¬ trated in solid lines in Figure 2.

In Figure 3b, the upper tool holder 28b executes a first downward movement in the direction of the arrow Z so as to bend the sheet L through a first angle.

In Figure 3c, the upper tool holder 28b is raised in the direction of the arrow Z _z until the upper sheet-clamping tool 48b is no longer in contact with the sheet L; the sheet is then made to advance a short distance in the di¬ rection of the arrow Xj. with a view to continuing the bend¬ ing according to a curved configuration.

In Figure 3d, the upper tool holder 28b is lowered once again in a second working stroke in the direction of the arrow Z ₃ in order to continue the bending.

In Figure 3e, the upper tool holder 28b is raised once again in the direction of the arrow Z._ and the sheet L is made to advance a short distance once again in the direc¬ tion of the arrow X ₂ with a view to completing a 90 ^β -bend.

In Figure 3f, the upper tool holder 28b is lowered for a third time in the direction of the arrow Z ₃ in order to complete the 90"-bend in the sheet L.

In order to carry out an upward or "positive" bend in the sheet L, the upper tool holder 28b is brought, via the jacks 32, into the other working position, partially illus¬ trated in dot-and-dashed lines in Figure 2.

In this other working position the functions of the edges of the bending tools and the functions of the clamping tools are reversed: the sheet L is gripped between the up¬ per bending tool 40b and the lower clamping tool 42a; the bending is carried out between the rear edge 46b of the up¬ per bending tool 40b and the front edge 44a of the lower bending tool 40a; on each downward stroke of the upper tool holder 48b, the lower clamping tool 42a retreats elastical- ly under the thrust of the upper bending tool 40b, whilst still maintaining the mechanical pressure which grips the sheet L between the two tools; the upper clamping tool 42b, which in this particular situation is found to the left (in Figure 2) of the lower clamping tool 42a, i.e. close to the table 12 of Figure 1, simply retreats, withdrawing into the tool holder 28b without deforming that part of the sheet between the support surface 14 of Figure 1 and the lower clamping tool 42a.

The sequence of operations for bending the sheet upwards or "positively" is more clearly illustrated in Figures 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e and 4f.

In Figure 4a, the upper tool holder 28b has been set in the position corresponding to this type of bending and illus¬ trated in dashed lines in Figure 2.

In Figure 4b, the upper tool holder 28b executes a first downward movement in the direction of the arrow Z _x so as to bend the sheet L through a first angle.

In Figure 4c, the upper tool holder 28b is raised in the direction of the arrow Z ₂ until the upper tools 40b, 48b are no longer in contact with the sheet L; the sheet L is then made to advance a short distance in the direction of the arrow X _x with a view to continuing the bending accord¬ ing to a curved configuration.

In Figure 4d, the upper tool holder 28b is lowered once again in a second working stroke in the direction of the arrow Z ₃ in order to continue the bending.

In Figure 4e, the upper tool holder 28b is raised once again in the direction of the arrow Z _* and the sheet L is made to advance a short distance once again in the direc¬ tion of the arrow X _a with a view to completing a 90°-bend.

In Figure 4f, the upper tool holder 28b is lowered for a third time in the direction of the arrow Z ₃ in order to complete the 90*-bend in the sheet L.

The detailed description given above and with reference to the drawings refers to a preferred embodiment of the bend¬ ing press according to the invention in which the plane m which the sheet lies is horizontal and the direction normal to this plane is approximately vertical, and in which the press comprises an upper tool holder which can move both vertically, in order to carry out the bending strokes, and horizontally, in order to pass from an upward bending ac¬ tion to a downward bending action, whilst the lower tool holder is immovable.

Naturally, the invention extends to any press of the type claimed in which the aforesaid plane in which the sheet lies is not horizontal and the direction normal to this plane is not approximately vertical. Similarly, either of

the tool holders could be movable .whilst the other is im¬ movable or, alternatively, both tool holders could be cap¬ able of relative movement; either of the two tool holders could be displaceable between the two working positions in order to bend the sheet in one direction or the other, and either of the tool holders could execute the bending stro¬ ke.