System and method for automatically bending a surgical rod are provided. The system includes a linear movement device configured to axially feed the surgical rod, a rotational movement device configured to rotate the surgical rod as it is axially fed, and a bending device including a roller to impose bending forces against the rod. The rod is free from contact with the bending device after it is axially fed past the roller.

Machine for working tubes, in particular a hairpin bender machine for simultaneously working a plurality of tubes intended, in particular, to make heat exchangers, said machine comprising a device for feeding and moving tubes to be worked, a unit for bending said tubes, a cutting member configured to cut said plurality of tubes.

An apparatus to feed bars is disclosed that comprises a feed device suitable to support a plurality of bars and to make them available to a transfer device. The transfer device is configured to transfer the bars, received from the feed device, toward a delivery zone, and comprises at least one gripping and holding element, configured to take at least one bar from the feed device and to transfer it, by means of rotation around an axis of rotation, toward the delivery zone. The axis of rotation is located, during use, substantially parallel to the longitudinal development of the bars.

A steel bar transverse stepping conveying equipment is provided, including a base, and a front movable clamp area and a rear fixed clamp area arranged on the base. The front movable clamp area and the rear fixed clamp area are connected by a rear fixed clamp area connecting guiderail mechanism for relative translation. A method for controlling the steel bar transverse stepping conveying equipment is further provided. The steel bar transverse stepping conveying equipment is provided with a plurality of clamp mechanisms. A front-movable-clamp-area clamp clamps the steel bar and shifts the steel bar to a next position step by step; then the steel bar is clamped by a rear fixed clamp area clamp, and the front-movable-clamp-area clamp is released and returned to an original position; and the previous action is repeated until the stepping conveying of the steel bar is completed.

System and method for automatically bending a surgical rod are provided. The system includes a linear movement device configured to axially feed the surgical rod, a rotational movement device configured to rotate the surgical rod as it is axially fed, and a bending device including a roller to impose bending forces against the rod. The rod is free from contact with the bending device after it is axially fed past the roller.

A system and method for bending a surgical rod using an automated bending system includes receiving an indication of a plurality of line segments defined on the rod and an indication of an angle measurement to be formed between at least two adjacent ones of the plurality of line segments. Bending parameters to perform on the rod to form the angle measurement between the at least two adjacent ones of the plurality of line segments are determined and operation of the automated bending system is controlled using the bending parameters to create an angle having the angle measurement between the at least two adjacent ones of the plurality of line segments.

An alignment apparatus is capable of suppressing widening of legs of hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes and aligning the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes in the horizontal direction at a regular pitch. The alignment apparatus includes: a plurality of outer guide plates that have rollers, which contact upstream sides of legs of the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes that have been stopped by a stopper apparatus, and that contact outer side surfaces of the legs; a horizontal movement apparatus that moves the outer guide plates in a horizontal direction; an up-down movement apparatus that moves the outer guide plates in an up-down direction; and a control unit that drives the horizontal movement apparatus to move the outer guide plates a predetermined distance toward an insertion position, and then drives the up-down movement apparatus to raise the outer guide plates by a predetermined distance to change an orientation of the hairpin-shaped heat-exchanger tubes to the horizontal direction.

An apparatus is provided for protectively hold an elongated object during bending and stretching of the elongated object. The apparatus includes a shell, sleds and roller sets. The shell includes a wall, support portions longitudinally extending on an internal face of the wall, and grooves separated from one another by the support portions. Each of the sleds is inserted in a corresponding one of the grooves. Each of the roller sets includes rollers attached to a corresponding one of the sleds. Each of the rollers includes a tread. The treads together provide an axial tunnel. A surface of the elongated object is in contact with the concave treads of the rollers when the elongated object is rolled in the axial tunnel during bending or stretching of the elongated object.

A device for manipulating a hollow shaft configured to create a pivot link between a first element and a second element. The manipulation device comprises a cylindrical body having a diameter variable by radial contraction or radial expansion of the cylindrical body, a module for controlling the diameter of the cylindrical body configured so that the diameter of the cylindrical body has alternatively at least a first diameter suitable for the cylindrical body to be displaced in the hollow shaft and a second diameter suitable for the cylindrical body to be blocked in the hollow shaft. The cylindrical body comprises an end configured to protrude from the hollow shaft when the cylindrical body is blocked in the hollow shaft. The manipulation device allows the alignment of the orifices due to the end configuration of the cylindrical body.

A gripper truck assembly for moving a workpiece with respect to a machining station includes a gripper truck, a gripper arm extending from a proximal end connected to the gripper truck to an opposite distal end, a gripper including at least one jaw moveable between a closed position for gripping the workpiece and an open position for releasing the workpiece. The gripper is connected to the distal end of the gripper arm by a joint configured to permit a rotation of the gripper, a hydraulic gripper actuator accommodated in the gripper arm and operatively connected to the gripper for actuating the at least one jaw of the gripper between the open position and the closed position, a gripper rotation actuator for actuating the rotation of the gripper with respect to the gripper arm about the gripper rotation axis.