The invention relates to a method for producing a flat spiral spring, in particular a spring sheet for covering a cooling area of a piston of internal combustion engines, said spring sheet being formed at least as an annular disk-shaped segment (12), wherein a strip-shaped material (23) is fed to a bending device (27) that comprises at least one drum (29), said drum rotating about a rotational axis (31), and the strip-shaped material (23) is supplied in a tangential alignment to the lateral surface (36) of the drum (29) such that a lateral wall (20) which determines the thickness of the strip-shaped material (23) rests against at least some sections of a contact surface (37) on the lateral surface (36) of the drum (29). The contact surface (37) of the drum (29) has a radius which substantially corresponds to an internal radius of the strip-shaped material (23) to be bent into the segment (12), and at least one deflecting device (32) is aligned at a distance to the drum (29) such that the strip-shaped material (23) is guided in a forced manner between the drum (29) and the deflecting device (32), and the strip-shaped material (23) is bent so as to follow the drum (29) by means of the deflecting device.

A ceiling system for under-deck installation includes ceiling panels and retaining clips. Each ceiling panel has a first interlocking bracket and an oppositely spaced second interlocking bracket formed along the sides of the ceiling panel. The ceiling system is installed by installing a number of retaining clips along the length of the second interlocking bracket of a panel and then inserting the first interlocking bracket of the next panel in the second interlocking bracket of the first panel so that the retaining clips secure an edge of the first interlocking bracket of the next panel. Subsequent ceiling panels are connected in this manner to form the ceiling panel system.

A variable thickness process and system for processing steel strips to obtain a profile with at least two different thicknesses along its width which includes at least one heating step, and at least one stretching step and one straightening step.

A variable thickness process and system for processing steel strips to obtain a profile with at least two different thicknesses along its width which includes at least one heating step, and at least one stretching step and one straightening step.

A plate-shaped workpiece forming method of post-machining a pocket (3) on a curved inner surface of a plate-shaped workpiece (2) in a state where the plate-shaped workpiece (2) curved by a curving machine (10) is spread flat. The method includes a curving step (A) of setting a net curve radius (R.sub.0) obtained by adding a curve radius contraction amount (R.sub.1) due to spring-in to a finished curve radius (R) of a plate-shaped workpiece (2), taking into account an amount of contraction of the curve radius of the plate-shaped workpiece (2) between before and after machining of a pocket (3) due to spring-in, and curving the plate-shaped workpiece (2) so as to achieve the net curve radius (R.sub.0); and a pocket machining step of post-machining the pocket (3) by flatly spreading the curved plate-shaped workpiece (2).

A plate-shaped workpiece forming method of post-machining a pocket (3) on a curved inner surface of a plate-shaped workpiece (2) in a state where the plate-shaped workpiece (2) curved by a curving machine (10) is spread flat. The method includes a curving step (A) of setting a net curve radius (R.sub.0) obtained by adding a curve radius contraction amount (R.sub.1) due to spring-in to a finished curve radius (R) of a plate-shaped workpiece (2), taking into account an amount of contraction of the curve radius of the plate-shaped workpiece (2) between before and after machining of a pocket (3) due to spring-in, and curving the plate-shaped workpiece (2) so as to achieve the net curve radius (R.sub.0); and a pocket machining step of post-machining the pocket (3) by flatly spreading the curved plate-shaped workpiece (2).

A roll stamping apparatus includes sets of rollers that rotate while facing each other so as to press opposite surfaces of a material which is continuously supplied to move between the rollers. The sets of rollers have molding portions with a stamping structure applied to outer surfaces so as to mold the material, wherein a plurality of sets of rollers are disposed along a movement direction of the material, the respective molding portions of the sets of rollers are formed to sequentially change a cross section of the material along the movement of the material, and the molding portion of at least one set of rollers before a final set of rollers through which the material finally passes is a set of over-molding rollers having a length in a circumferential direction longer than the molding portions of the final set of rollers.

A roll stamping apparatus includes sets of rollers that rotate while facing each other so as to press opposite surfaces of a material which is continuously supplied to move between the rollers. The sets of rollers have molding portions with a stamping structure applied to outer surfaces so as to mold the material, wherein a plurality of sets of rollers are disposed along a movement direction of the material, the respective molding portions of the sets of rollers are formed to sequentially change a cross section of the material along the movement of the material, and the molding portion of at least one set of rollers before a final set of rollers through which the material finally passes is a set of over-molding rollers having a length in a circumferential direction longer than the molding portions of the final set of rollers.

An apparatus for the support and the controlled advancement of a sheet in a bending machine for forming a cylindrical or conical structure, in particular of a truncated cone structure, comprises a base structural frame adapted to be positioned upstream of said bending machine, with respect to an advancement direction of the sheet, a plurality of conveying modules which can be mounted, removable, on the structural frame so as to generate a plan of modular support and advancement which can be configured geometrically according to the shape and dimensions of the sheet to be produced; the modular support and advancement plane is geometrically configured to keep the sheet metal part supported by the plane in a flat condition; an lifting and tilting device configured to vary the position of the structural frame, supporting the conveying modules, from a horizontal lying position to an inclined lying position in which the support and advancement plane is inclined downwards towards the bending machine; repositioning and position correcting members configured to orient and arrange the sheet in a correct position before starting a bending cycle and configured to correct, during the bending cycle, the position of the sheet to impose it a predetermined advancement trajectory towards and through the bending machine. The relative method is also envisaged.

An apparatus for the support and the controlled advancement of a sheet in a bending machine for forming a cylindrical or conical structure, in particular of a truncated cone structure, comprises a base structural frame adapted to be positioned upstream of said bending machine, with respect to an advancement direction of the sheet, a plurality of conveying modules which can be mounted, removable, on the structural frame so as to generate a plan of modular support and advancement which can be configured geometrically according to the shape and dimensions of the sheet to be produced; the modular support and advancement plane is geometrically configured to keep the sheet metal part supported by the plane in a flat condition; an lifting and tilting device configured to vary the position of the structural frame, supporting the conveying modules, from a horizontal lying position to an inclined lying position in which the support and advancement plane is inclined downwards towards the bending machine; repositioning and position correcting members configured to orient and arrange the sheet in a correct position before starting a bending cycle and configured to correct, during the bending cycle, the position of the sheet to impose it a predetermined advancement trajectory towards and through the bending machine. The relative method is also envisaged.