Method and apparatus for bending an elongate workpiece

• Main Authors: TRAMMELL; LARRY L, HAMETNER; ALBERT L
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.08.1990
• Subjects: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVINGMATERIAL; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PUNCHING METAL; REGULATING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS ORPROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL

Apparatus for bending an elongate workpiece to a desired configuration includes a memory for storing information representative of the desired configuration and information representative of bending operations to be performed by a bending machine. A position sensor is used to scan a workpiece that has been bent using the bending machine, and thereby generate information representative of the actual configuration of the workpiece. The information representative of the actual configuration of the workpiece is compared with the information representative of the desired configuration and, in the event that there is a difference between the actual configuration and the desired configuration, and the difference is beyond a predetermined tolerance, the information representative of bending operations is modified in a manner such as to reduce the difference.