Described herein is a new method and device for operating a hemming head of the type comprising a hemming roller (101) and a second, opposed, roller (102), which are rotatable about respective axes contained in one and the same plane. The method includes variation of the position of the second roller that is opposed to the hemming roller as a function of a signal indicating the force exerted by said second roller on the metal sheet and/or as a function of a signal indicating the position of the head along the machining path.

A vertical Pittsburgh Seam closing apparatus having a base supporting surface, a track mechanism for moving a carriage assembly which holds seam forming members used to close a Pittsburgh Seam, a pair of upper and lower guide members for guiding the duct section into a proper vertical position, and upper and lower clamping members positioned inside the duct section and adjacent the inside portion of the Pittsburgh Seam to be closed, the upper guide members and clamping member being selectively movable and adjustable for accommodating different duct section lengths. In one embodiment, the seam forming assembly includes three roller members mounted in vertical arrangement to each other, one roller member being V-shaped in configuration and the other two roller members being substantially cylindrical in shape. The V-shaped roller member may also include one or more projecting members for forming dimples in the closing process to prevent shifting and/or slipping of the closed seam.

A roller hemming device includes a backing metal, a guide roller, a bending roller, a pressing unit, and a swinging unit. The backing metal includes an abutment surface and a guide surface. The abutment surface is brought into abutment against a first panel member. The guide roller is moved in an extending direction of the guide surface with abutting against the guide surface. With being moved synchronously with the guide roller, the bending roller presses a bent peripheral edge portion of the first panel member via the backing metal such that the bent peripheral edge portion of the first panel member is pinched between the bending roller and the guide roller, and folds the bent peripheral edge portion of the first panel member back to a periphery edge portion of a second panel member. The pressing unit presses the bending roller toward the backing metal.

The present disclosure provides a roller hemming apparatus including a hemming bed including a frame and a die, wherein the hemming bed is detachably coupled to a workpiece, and a roller head including a plurality of hemming rollers that is configured to hem an edge of the workpiece by stages. A press force that presses the edge of the workpiece is adjusted by moving the plurality of the hemming rollers along a first direction with a first cylinder when each hemming roller of the plurality of hemming rollers hems the edge of the workpiece.

A hemming device includes an anvil for placing a work, a presser material handling portion, a conveyance robot, and a roller hemming robot. The anvil includes an anvil main body portion, a positioning device, a gripping device, and a device-side ATC device to be attached to and detached from a conveyance-robot side ATC device. The presser material handling portion includes a frame portion having a shape corresponding to a shape of the work, a positioning device, a gripping device, a presser provided to press the inner panel at a position at which the presser does not interfere with a final shape, and a device-side ATC device to be attached to and detached from the conveyance-robot side ATC device. With this configuration, processing time is reduced and replacement operation of the anvil is simplified, and therefore productivity is improved.

An embodiment of a tool assembly includes a spring-loaded shaft assembly disposed along a first axis, a hub, and a roller disk. The hub is connected to a distal end of the spring-loaded shaft assembly. The hub has an upper hub portion adjacent to the distal end of the spring-loaded shaft assembly aligned with the first axis, and a lower hub portion extending along a second axis. The second axis forms an angle relative to the first axis. The roller disk is joined to the lower portion of the hub, and has a working surface about its perimeter. The roller disk is rotatable about the second axis parallel to the second portion of the hub. The working surface includes a profile along its width such that an effective radius of the roller disk varies along a width thereof.

A roller hemming processing device that has first to fifth processing surfaces and that rolls the respective processing surfaces while pressing the respective processing surfaces against a hemming flange in such a posture that an axis of a roller is parallel to an outer panel is used. A pre-processed portion obtained by bending the hemming flange to form a right angle with an inner flange is molded by using the third, fifth and fourth processing surfaces in a stepwise manner such that the angle of inclination with respect to the axis decreases. The pre-processed portion is inclined toward an inner panel side by using the second processing surface. An inclined wall portion that is inclined to contact the inner panel, and a hem portion that is in close contact with the inner panel are molded by simultaneously using the first and second processing surfaces.

A die includes a plastic positioning body configured to position a door outer panel to be set in a predetermined posture by being abutted along an edge of an edge of the door outer panel. This positioning body includes a metal inset (or metal inserts) having a higher surface hardness than the plastic at application portion (or portions) where force is applied from areas when these areas, in which deformation resistance at the door outer panel is locally increased, are bent back. The metal insert is in a half-embedded state in which one part of the metal insert(s) is exposed from a surface of the application portion while the remaining part is embedded inside the application portion.

A gas-charging and flanging machine (10) includes a sealed chamber (13a). The gas-charging and flanging machine is used for carrying out, inside the sealed chamber, charging of a gas into a workpiece (20) and flanging of the workpiece (20) by spinning and pressing. The gas-charging and flanging machine charges a gas into a workpiece and flanges the workpiece on the same machine such that production efficiency can be improved.

An apparatus for seaming roof assemblies having a modular provision of tooling stations is disclosed herein. Such an apparatus includes multiple tooling stations that may be added or removed on demand in order to facilitate different degrees of seaming engagements as needed. Such a device utilizes horizontal rollers to provide seaming of overlapping roof panel ends to reduce the potential for separation thereof after building erection has been undertaken, further impeding water egress therethrough and wind updraft damage, at least, as well. The modular device thus provides a manner of selecting specific numbers of horizontal rollers for seaming contact with metal roof panels, thereby allowing for different types of panels and end structures thereof, as well as reduce the propensity for jamming of such multiple rollers during utilization. The method of utilization of such a modular device is encompassed herein as well.