A smart active control hemming device is provided. The device includes a robot arm and a hemming roller unit that is disposed at a front end portion of the robot arm. The hemming roller unit includes a plurality of hemming rollers, a control motor that is driven with an electric motor to adjust a hemming pressure or position of at least one of the hemming rollers, and a pressure detection sensor that detects a hemming pressure of the hemming roller in which a hemming pressure is adjusted by the control motor.

The present invention relates to methods of working sheet metal and an apparatus. Methods include providing a sheet metal workpiece having first and second surfaces opposed to each other and at least one edge, bending the workpiece to form at least a first sidewall portion, the first sidewall portion thereby defining a curved fold region in the sheet metal workpiece adjacent the first sidewall portion. The first anvil tool and a first forming tool are provided for contact with and constraint of the first and second surfaces of the sheet metal workpiece respectively. The forming tool and/or anvil tool are then slid along the curved fold region to cause shear material transfer in the curved fold region to further deform the curved fold region. Methods can allow for formation of components of similar shape as made at present by deep drawing methods, but with less wastage of the starting material.

A roller hemming processing apparatus adapted to perform a hemming processing has a hemming die, on which a panel-like workpiece having a hemming flange portion on a periphery portion thereof, is positioned and supported, a roller hemming processing tool that is moved along a longitudinal direction of the hemming flange portion to bend the hemming flange portion at a root portion thereof while pressing the hemming flange portion toward the hemming die, and a nesting block disposed at a part of the periphery of the hemming die. The nesting block performs positioning of the workpiece by being brought into contact with the root portion of the hemming flange portion with which the workpiece is formed. The nesting block is elastically supported to be retractable in the pressing direction and to be swingably displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the hemming flange portion.

A method for setting a roller hemming process for hemming a plurality of identical component arrangements comprises guiding a hemming roller arranged on a robot by the robot in accordance with a predetermined hemming path for forming a hemming flange of a component of a component arrangement, wherein a hemming process force acting on the hemming roller by the robot during forming is detected, wherein the hemming process force can be changed by a corresponding control of the robot, and a target hemming quality to be achieved is predetermined. The robot is controlled to achieve the target hemming quality, taking into account the detected hemming process force and an actual geometry of a formed hemming flange resulting from the forming process.

A method and apparatus for forming and trimming an associated corner region formed from a flat plate. A die and a knife assembly includes a die that is movable in opposed reciprocating directions within a first plane. A support assembly for the corner region holds the corner region at oblique angle with respect to the plane.

A hemming apparatus having a hemming die that includes a seat configured to support a first panel and a second panel relative to one another; a hemming bed positioned between the seat and an outer periphery of the hemming die; and a reference surface between the hemming bed and outer periphery of the hemming device, wherein a robot is configured to move the roller about the outer periphery of the hemming die in a manner where the roller simultaneously contacts each of a first terminal edge of the first panel and the reference surface to fold the first terminal edge of the first panel over a second terminal edge of the second panel to create a flange that secures the first panel to the second panel.