A bending method is a method for bending a workpiece by a bending system including a bending machine equipped with tools including a punch and a die provided so as to be relatively movable, a manipulator configured to position the workpiece with respect to the tools, and a control device configured to control the bending machine and the manipulator to perform bending, the method including resetting, during an automatic operation of the bending of the workpiece by the bending machine, a pushing amount of the punch with respect to the die or an original position of the punch for each predetermined trigger condition.

A first tool retention member of a first tool exchange unit retains a first tool to be exchanged in a state of being engaged in an engagement hole of the first tool. A second tool retention member of a second tool exchange unit retains a second tool not to be exchanged in a state of being engaged in an engagement hole of the second tool. Subsequently, the first tool exchange unit moves in a left-right direction in a state in which a movement of the second tool exchange unit in the left-right direction is stopped.

A back gauge for a back gauge positioning system of a bending machine includes a stop finger on which at least one stop surface is configured, and a base unit that is configured for coupling with the back gauge positioning system. The stop finger is coupled with the base unit by a linear guide, and the stop finger can be displaced relative to the base unit between a pushed-forward working position and a retracted position. The stop finger and the base unit are coupled with a first spring element, by which the stop finger is pre-loaded into its working position, and a locking device is configured, by which the stop finger can optionally be locked in the working position or is released into its retracted position for displacement counter to the spring force of the first spring element.

A received beam amount acquisition section 60 acquires a received beam amount per unit time of a beam receiver 52 at certain sampling time intervals. A beam shielding detection section 66 detects presence or absence of beam shielding of a monitoring beam B by determining whether or not the acquired received beam amount per unit time of the beam receiver is lower than a determination threshold Th for detecting the presence of beam shielding of the monitoring beam B. A detection sensitivity of the beam shielding detection section 66 is configured to be switched from a normal sensitivity mode to a high sensitivity mode when bending is initial processing based on a predetermined processing program, and an acquired height position of the beam receiver 52 is lower than a predetermined second height position LP2.

A method for calibrating a metal profile blank configured as a hollow-chamber profile having at least one solid wall. A pressing tool is closed in a main direction about one end region of an element of the profile blank until surfaces of the pressing tool lie against a pair of surfaces of the profile blank to be calibrated, deforming and bending the at least one end region of the element. The pressing tool is closed in a secondary direction perpendicular to the main direction until surfaces of the pressing tool lie against surfaces of the at least one end region, and wedge-like limbs of a drive element of the pressing tool engage wedge-like dies of the pressing tool. The pressing tool is closed further in the secondary direction, subjecting the profile blank to plastic deformation so as to reduce or eliminate the bending of the end region.

A multi-stage incremental sheet forming system includes a forming tool, and at least one control unit in communication with the forming tool. The at least one control unit is configured to determine a convex hull of a target structure to be formed by the forming tool. The at least one control unit is further configured to operate the forming tool according to a first tool path in relation to an initial structure to form an intermediate structure having a shape based on the convex hull of the target structure. The at least one control unit is further configured to operate the forming tool according to a second tool path in relation to the intermediate structure to form one or more inward features into the intermediate structure to form the target structure.

An automated bending machine for bending metal sheet material, provided with driving means which are integrated in a table and/or ram depending on whether the driving means are designed for moving and arranging bottom tools and/or top tools respectively on the respective tool holder of the automated bending machine, whereby the driving means are such that several tool segments can be simultaneously controlled with the latter in order to make these multiple tool segments simultaneously undergo a movement, independently from one another, along the tool holder concerned.

The invention relates to a bending machine (100) configured to bend a metallic workpiece (200), having a controller (130) configured to control a bending operation, wherein the controller (130) has at least one interface (340) configured to obtain information about a time-dependent springback of the workpiece (200) to be bent and to obtain a time indication of a subsequent further machining of the workpiece (200) to be bent, wherein the controller (130) is configured to calculate an adapted bending angle (α) based on the springback and the time indication, and wherein the bending machine (100) is configured to bend the bending operation beyond a bending angle (β) to be bent up to the adapted bending angle (α). Due to the adapted bending angle, the workpiece (300) has the correct bending angle (β) to be bent at the time of subsequent further machining.

In certain embodiments described herein, a heated line forming system includes a heating coil system configured to produce a heated line on a surface of a metal part. The heated line forming system also includes an air knife cooling system configured to maintain a dry area for the heated line, and to direct a coolant (e.g., cooling water, liquified gases such as liquid argon, solidified gases such as carbon dioxide snow, and so forth) around the heated line via a spray mechanism such that the coolant does not flow or splash into the heated line on the metal part. In certain embodiments, the heated line forming system includes multiple induction coils arranged along a line and spaced a short distance apart, but which, when operated simultaneously together, form a heated line on a surface of a metal part.

A method for selecting optimum operation performance criteria for a metal working process. The method includes the step of developing a process model relating process parameters for the operation with performance variables for said operation, wherein the process parameters and performance variables are retrievable via integrated multiple data sources, and selecting at least one optimization technique to define a function, said function including process parameters. Moreover, the method includes generating the function for optimization by using acceptable tolerances of a product to be machined as a basis to define ranges for performance variables along with ranges for process parameters, and applying the at least one optimization technique to said function, whereby optimum operation performance criteria are calculated for the process model including process parameters and performance variables to obtain a set of requirements to be used for controlling the metal working process.