Bending machine and method for bending a workpiece out of a flat material

Abstract

Bending machine and method for bending a workpiece out of a flat material The invention relates to a bending machine (10) for bending a workpiece (12) out of a flat material, such as a sheet for example. A section (14) to be bent may be reshaped relative to a clamped section (16) of the workpiece (12) about at least one bending axis (18), wherein the bending machine (10) comprises: a machine frame (20); a first side clamping wall (22); a second side clamping wall (24) which can be moved relative to the first side clamping wall (22); and at least one bending unit (26, 28) comprising at least one bending tool (30). The first side clamping wall (22) and the second side clamping wall (24) are designed to clamp the workpiece (12) on a clamping plane (32). Furthermore, the bending unit (26, 28) is arranged on at least one of the first and second side clamping walls (22, 24) and is designed to bend the workpiece (12) section (14) to be bent relative to the clamped workpiece (12) section (16) about the at least one bending axis (18). According to the invention, the bending unit (26) has at least one linear guide (34-46), by means of which the bending tool (30) is linearly guided in order to be moved on an advancement plane (48).

Claims

1. A bending machine for bending a workpiece out of a flat material, a section to be bent being reshapable relative to a clamped section of the workpiece about at least one bending axis, the bending machine comprising: a machine frame; a first side clamping wall; a second side clamping wall which is movable relative to the first side clamping wall; at least one bending unit comprising at least one bending tool, the bending tool comprising a hook-shaped bending section; the first side clamping wall and the second side clamping wall being designed to clamp the workpiece in a clamping plane; and the bending unit being arranged on at least one of the first and second side clamping walls; wherein the bending unit has at least one linear guide, by means of which the bending tool is linearly guided in order to be moved in an advancement plane to bend the section of the workpiece to be bent relative to the clamped section of the workpiece about at least one bending axis, the bending unit comprising a base element mounted movably on the side clamping wall associated with the base element, the bending tool mounted to the base element so as to be linearly movable with respect to the base element; and wherein the bending unit is designed to move the bending tool in a push bending mode in a first direction and in a pull bending mode in a second direction, which is substantially opposite the first direction, wherein in the push bending mode, the hook-shaped bending section is pressed against the section to be bent, and the section to be bent is pushed away from the bending unit about the bending axis, and wherein in the pull bending mode the hook-shaped bending section is pressed against the section to be bent, and the section to be bent is pulled towards the bending unit about the bending axis, wherein the bending unit is designed to first partially reshape the section to be bent in the push bending mode and then further reshape the section to be bent in the pull bending mode.

2. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the side clamping walls define a clamping area of the bending machine, within which the clamped section of the workpiece is situated, and wherein the side clamping walls are arranged at an angle of less than 90° to each other and define a triangular cross-section of the clamping area.

3. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein a bending unit is arranged on each of the side clamping walls.

4. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the bending unit comprises at least one drive for the bending tool, which is designed to move the bending tool in the advancement plane.

5. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the advancement plane intersects the clamping plane.

6. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the linear guide is integrated in the base element.

7. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the side clamping wall associated with the at least one bending unit comprises a surface facing away from the clamping plane, said surface being at an angle with respect to the clamping plane, and wherein the bending unit comprises at least one further linear guide mounted to the surface facing away from the clamping plane, by means of which the base element is linearly guided in order to move in a further advancement plane.

8. The bending machine according to claim 7, wherein the bending unit comprises at least one drive for the base element, which is designed to move the base element in the further advancement plane.

9. The bending machine according to claim 7, wherein the further linear guide is partially integrated into the side clamping wall associated with the bending unit.

10. The bending machine according to claim 7, wherein the further advancement plane is arranged parallel to the surface of the side clamping wall associated with the bending unit.

11. The bending machine according to claim 7, wherein the advancement plane intersects the further advancement plane, the base element is triangular in cross-section, and the advancement plane and the further advancement plane enclose an angle defined by the triangular geometry of the base element in cross-section.

12. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second side clamping walls has a bending edge which defines the bending axis when bent by the bending unit, wherein the bending tool is movable so as to bend the workpiece around the bending edge by at least 120°.

13. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the bending tool comprises a hook-shaped bending section.

14. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the bending unit comprises a bending tool carrier, to which the bending tool is secured in an exchangeable manner.

15. The bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the base element comprises a plurality of elements, the plurality of elements collectively forming a three-sided cross-section.

16. A method for bending a workpiece out of a flat material, using a bending machine according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is clamped in the clamping plane by the first side clamping wall and the second side clamping wall; and wherein a section of the workpiece to be bent, for bending relative to a clamped section of the workpiece by means of the bending tool linearly guided in the advancement plane, is reshaped about the bending axis by moving the bending tool linearly guided in the advancement plane.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the bending tool is moved along a movement path produced by superimposing a plurality of linear movements, the movement path being non-linear.

18. The bending machine according to claim 1 wherein the advancement plane is at an oblique angle to the clamping plane.

Description

(1) In the following, the present invention is described by way of example with reference to the attached figures. The drawing, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. A person skilled in the art will also expediently consider the features individually and combine them to form further meaningful combinations. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a bending machine according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a section of a rear side of the bending machine;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of a section of the bending machine;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of a section of the bending machine, cut in a sectional plane perpendicular to a bending axis of the bending machine;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a schematic perspective sectional view of a section of the bending machine, cut in a further sectional plane perpendicular to the bending axis of the bending machine;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a schematic side view of a further section of the bending machine;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a schematic side view of further section of the bending machine in a state immediately before bending;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a schematic side view of the section of FIG. 7 in a first bending state; and

(10) FIG. 9 shows a schematic side view of the section of FIG. 7 in a second bending state.

(11) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a bending machine 10 according to the invention. FIG. 2 shows a section of a rear side of the bending machine 10 in a perspective view. In addition, FIG. 3 shows a side view of a section of the bending machine 10. In the following, reference is made in part to a number of these figures at the same time. The bending machine 10 is designed for bending a workpiece 12 out of a flat material. In the case shown, the workpiece 12 is a sheet metal.

(12) The bending machine comprises a machine frame 20. The bending machine 10 is installed on a flat substrate via the machine frame 20. A surface normal of the flat substrate defines a vertical direction 98, with a vertical axis of the bending machine 10 (not shown) being arranged parallel to the vertical direction. The bending machine 10 also has a longitudinal axis (not shown) and a transverse axis (not shown), which are arranged parallel to a longitudinal direction 100 and a transverse direction 102 respectively. In the present case, the vertical direction 98, the longitudinal direction 100 and the transverse direction 102 are arranged in pairs perpendicular to each other.

(13) In addition, the bending machine 10 comprises a first side clamping wall 22 and a second side clamping wall 24. The first side clamping wall 22 is an upper side clamping wall in the case shown, while the second side clamping wall 24 is a lower side clamping wall.

(14) The first side clamping wall 22 and the second side clamping wall 24 are designed to clamp the workpiece 12 in a clamping plane 32. The clamping plane 32 is arranged parallel to the flat substrate or parallel to the horizontal direction 102 and perpendicular to the vertical direction 98. The workpiece 12 is clamped in such a way that it comprises a clamped section 16 and a section 14 to be bent. The section 14 to be bent and the clamped section 16 are connected in one piece and are directly adjacent to each other.

(15) The embodiment shown is to be understood as a purely exemplary arrangement of the side clamping walls 22, 24. Thus, in an alternative embodiment, the first side clamping wall 22 may be a lower side clamping wall and the second side clamping wall 24 may be an upper side clamping wall. In addition, arrangements are also conceivable in which the side clamping walls 22, 24 are arranged in such a way that the clamping plane 32 is parallel and/or at any other angle to the vertical direction 98.

(16) The side clamping walls 22, 24 have a planar design. In the case shown, the side clamping walls 22, 24 are steel plates. The side clamping walls 22, 24 each have a clamping surface 84, 86, which are applied to the workpiece 12 in the clamped state thereof. The clamping surfaces 84, 86 are arranged parallel to the clamping plane 32. In a region of the clamping surfaces 84, 86 the side clamping walls 22, 24 taper, with the clamping surfaces 84, 86 being smaller than a cross-section of their respective side clamping walls 22, 24 perpendicular to the bending axis 18 in a region of constant thickness of the respective side clamping walls 22, 24.

(17) The side clamping walls 22, 24 define a clamping area 106 of the bending machine 10, within which the clamped section 16 of the workpiece 12 is situated. The side clamping walls 22, 24 are arranged at an angle of less than 90° to each other and define a triangular cross-section of the clamping area 106. In the case shown, this angle is about 60°, for example. The workpiece 12 emerges from the clamping area 106 between the side clamping walls 22, 24 into a bending area of the bending machine 10, within which the section 16 of the workpiece 12 to be bent may be swiveled during bending.

(18) The bending machine 10 has at least one table 88, on which the workpiece 12 is placed. The table 88, for example, is arranged so that it may be moved within the clamping area 106. In addition, the table 88 may be either movable relative to the machine frame 20 or fixed. In the case shown, the table 88 may be extended parallel to the clamping plane 32. Furthermore, the table 88 may be moved parallel to the vertical direction 98, for example by at least a few centimeters. In a clamped state, the workpiece 12 is clamped between the side clamping walls 22, 24 and additionally set down in some sections on table 88. The bending machine 10 also includes a positioning unit (not shown), which is designed to move workpiece 12 parallel to a surface of the table 88. If the workpiece 12 is released by the side clamping walls 22, 24, it may be advanced between the side clamping walls 22, 24 by means of the positioning unit.

(19) The bending machine 10 may have a plurality of tables arranged next to each other, for example if the bending machine 10 is composed of a plurality of sections.

(20) The first side clamping wall 22 is attached to a plurality of carriers 90, of which only one is provided with a reference sign. The carriers 90 are swivel-mounted on the machine frame 20. The second side clamping wall 24 is fixed to the machine frame 20. By swiveling the carriers 90, the first side clamping wall 22 may be swiveled relative to the second side clamping wall 24 appropriately, whereby the workpiece 12 may be clamped and released.

(21) As mentioned above, it is also possible that both side clamping walls 22, 24 may be moved relative to the machine frame 20. The bending machine 10 may have suitable drives for this. In this way, the side clamping walls 22, 24 may be moved, for example, perpendicular to the clamping plane 32 and/or also parallel to it. In principle, it is also possible to move the workpiece 12 in the clamping plane 32 by moving the side clamping walls 22, 24 once or several times and by suitably clamping and releasing the workpiece 12 parallel to the clamping plane 32 once or several times.

(22) The bending machine 10 also comprises a first bending unit 26, which is arranged on the first side clamping wall 22. In the case shown, the bending machine 10 further comprises a second bending unit 28, which is arranged on the second side clamping wall 24. The first bending unit 26 and the second bending unit 28 are arranged substantially identically and mirror-inverted. In the following, only the design of the first bending unit 26 will be discussed primarily. However, the description of the first bending unit 26 may be transferred to the second bending unit 28 accordingly. In principle, however, there may be design differences between the bending units 26, 28. As mentioned above, different bending units may be used. It is also conceivable that only one or more upper or only one or more lower bending unit/bending units is/are present.

(23) The first bending unit 26 is designed to bend the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent relative to the clamped section 16 of the workpiece 12 about a bending axis 18 of the bending machine 10. The bending axis 18 runs parallel to the longitudinal direction 100. The bending axis 18 defines a connecting area of the clamped section 16 of the workpiece 12 and the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent.

(24) The first bending unit 26 has at least one linear guide 34-44 with which the bending tool 30 is linearly guided for displacement in an advancement plane 48 (see FIG. 3). In the case shown, the first bending unit 26 has six linear guides 34-44. The linear guides 34-44 are arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction 100.

(25) The second bending unit 28 also has six linear guides 46, of which only one is provided with a reference sign for reasons of improved clarity.

(26) However, as mentioned above, a bending machine according to the invention may also have a single bending unit in a modification, which bending unit may be arranged on any side clamping wall. It is also conceivable that a bending machine according to the invention comprises structurally different bending units.

(27) The first bending unit 26 comprises a bending tool carrier 80, to which the bending tool 30 is secured in an exchangeable manner (see also FIG. 7). In the case shown, the bending tool 30 is placed with a form fit against the bending tool carrier 80 and is also screwed to it. The bending tool carrier 80 is substantially planar. One main plane of extent of the bending tool carrier 80 extends parallel to the advancement plane 48. The linear guides 34-44 are designed for linear guidance of the bending tool carrier 80. Since the bending tool 30 is secured to the bending tool carrier 80, the linear guides 34-44 guide the bending tool 30 as a result of this.

(28) The first bending unit 26 comprises a base element 54 movably mounted on the first side clamping wall 22, on which base element the bending tool 30 is mounted so as to be linearly movable. The linear guides 34-44 for the bending tool 30 are integrated in the base element 54.

(29) The first bending unit 26 comprises a further linear guide 56, with which the base element 54 is linearly guided for displacement in a further advancement plane 64. The further linear guide 56 guides the base element 54 parallel to a surface of the first side clamping wall 22. In the case shown, the bending unit 26 comprises four further linear guides 56-62 for the base element 54, which are arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction 100. The other linear guides 56-62 for the base element 90 are arranged offset in the longitudinal direction 100 relative to the linear guides 34-44 for the bending tool 30.

(30) The base element 54 has a triangular cross-section perpendicular to the bending axis 18. The base element 54 is designed as an element with a triangular cross-section extended in longitudinal direction 100. An upper side of the base element 54 is arranged parallel to the advancement plane 48. In addition, a lower side of the base element 54 is arranged parallel to the further advancement plane 64. The upper and lower sides of the base element 54 enclose an angle of less than 90°. However, it is also conceivable that the upper and lower sides of the base element 54 enclose an angle of 90°. The further advancement plane 64 is again arranged parallel to an upper side of the first side clamping wall 22.

(31) In FIG. 3, the bending machine 10 is shown in a state in which the first bending unit 26 has moved forward into an area of the bending axis 18. Furthermore, in the state shown in FIG. 3, the second bending unit 28 has moved back on the second side clamping wall 24, i.e. moved away from the bending axis 18, so that the largest possible bending area in front of the second side clamping wall 24 is released, into which the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent may be bent optionally.

(32) By moving the base element 54 in the further advancement plane 64 relative to the first side clamping wall 22 and by moving the bending tool 30 in the advancement plane 48 relative to the base element 54, the bending tool 30 may be moved along a movement path to bend the workpiece 12. By superimposing the movements in the advancement plane 48 and in the further advancement plane 64, a total movement of the bending tool 30 relative to the clamping plane or relative to the workpiece 12 may be produced, and a very wide variety of movement paths may be produced. This will be discussed again below.

(33) When moving the base element 54 relative to the first side clamping wall 22, the advancement plane 48 is also moved relative to the bending axis 18 along the other advancement plane 64. The other advancement plane 64, on the other hand, is stationary relative to the bending axis 18.

(34) The advancement plane 48 intersects the further advancement plane 64, and an intersection line of the advancement plane 48 and the further advancement plane 64 is arranged parallel to the bending axis 18. If the bending tool 30 and/or the base element 54 is moved appropriately, the intersection line may coincide with the bending axis 18. In addition, both the advancement plane 48 and the further advancement plane 64 intersect the clamping plane 32. If the bending tool 30 and/or the base element 54 is moved appropriately, intersection lines of the clamping plane 32 and the advancement plane 48 as well as of the clamping plane 32 and the further advancement plane 64 may coincide, for example also with the bending axis 18. The advancement plane 48 is set at an angle of 25° relative to the further advancement plane 64, for example. This angle corresponds to an angle between the upper and lower sides of the base element 54. In addition, the further advancement plane 64 is tilted relative to the clamping plane 32 by, for example, 30°. This angle corresponds to a half angle between the side clamping walls 22, 24.

(35) However, as mentioned above, other angles between the advancement plane 48 and the further advancement plane 64 are also conceivable.

(36) According to a further embodiment of the invention, the base element 54 is composed of a plurality of elements, each of which is linearly movable relative to the other (not shown). According to one embodiment of the invention, these elements each have a triangular cross-section, so that a plurality of advancement planes arranged at an angle to one another are formed in addition to the advancement plane 48 of the bending tool 30. One of these elements may be mounted on the corresponding side clamping wall 22, 24 in such a way that it may move linearly, whereas the bending tool 30 may be mounted on another of these elements in such a way that it may move linearly.

(37) FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of a detail of the bending machine 10, cut in a cutting plane perpendicular to the bending axis 18 The first bending unit 26 has a drive 50 for the bending tool 30, which is set up to move the bending tool 30 in the advancement plane 48. As may be seen in FIG. 1, the bending machine 10 comprises two drives 50, 52 for the bending tool 30. The drives 50, 52 for the bending tool 30 are of identical design in the case shown, which is why only the drive 50 is described in more detail.

(38) The drive 50 is integrated in the base element 54. The drive 50 may be moved together with the base element 54.

(39) The drive 50 is a linear drive. The drive 50 comprises a ball screw drive 73, with a spindle of the ball screw drive 73 being integrated into the base element 54. A nut running on the spindle of the ball screw drive 73 is secured to the bending tool carrier 80. This allows the bending tool carrier 80 and thus the bending tool 30 to be moved relative to the base element 54 in the advancement plane 48 by means of the drive 50.

(40) The drives 50, 52 for the bending tool 30 are arranged offset to the linear guides 34-44 for the bending tool 30 in the case shown. In an alternative embodiment, however, linear guides for the bending tool 30 may also be integrated in the drives 50, 52.

(41) FIG. 5 shows a schematic perspective sectional view of a detail of the bending machine 10, cut in a further sectional plane perpendicular to the bending axis of the bending machine 10 The first bending unit 26 comprises a drive 66 for the base element 54, which is designed to move the base element 54 in the further advancement plane 64. In the case shown, the first bending unit 26 comprises two drives 66, 68 for the base element 54. The drives 66, 68 are arranged on the first side clamping wall 22. The drives 66, 68 for the base element 54 are identical in the case shown, which is why only the drive 66 is described in more detail.

(42) The drive 66 is a linear drive. The drive 66 comprises a ball screw drive 72. The drive 66 for the base element 54 is partly integrated in the base element 54 and partly in the first side clamping wall 22. The base element 54 forms a receiving space for the spindle of the ball screw drive 72. The spindle of the ball screw drive 72 is stationary relative to the first side clamping wall 22. A nut running on the spindle of the ball screw drive 72 is secured to the base element 54. This allows the base element 54 to be moved relative to the first side clamping wall 22 in the further advancement plane 64 by means of the drive 66. During this movement the base element 54 entrains the bending tool 30 or the advancement plane 48 with it.

(43) The drives 66, 68 for the base element 54 are arranged offset to the linear guides 56-62 for the base element 54 in the case shown. In an alternative embodiment, however, linear guides for the base element 54 may also be integrated in the drives 66, 68.

(44) In the case shown, the drives 50, 52 for the bending tool 30 and the drives 66, 68 for the base element 54 differ at least in that the drives 50, 52 for the bending tool 30 are angled, whereas the drives 66, 68 for the base element 54 are straight. However, any combinations are possible. For example, only straight or only angled drives may be used. In addition, angular gears or the like may be used to offset some or more drives and/or to arrange them at an incline and/or at an angle. In principle, the drives 50, 52, 66, 68 may be adapted to an existing installation space and, if required, may be straight, angled, offset to each other, connected via a suitable power transmission, etc.

(45) As described above, in an alternative embodiment, in addition, at least one of the drives 50, 52 for the bending tool 30 and/or at least one of the drives 66, 68 for the base element 54 may be a lever drive or another suitable drive for moving the bending tool 30 or the base element 54 along the corresponding linear guides 34-44, 56-62. For example, a hydraulic drive is also conceivable.

(46) In the following, a bending operation of the bending machine 10 will be described in more detail. In FIG. 4 it may be seen that the first side clamping wall 22 has a first bending edge 74. In addition, the second side clamping wall 24 has a second bending edge 76. When bending with the first bending unit 26, bending is performed around the second bending edge 76. The section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent is bent here around the second side clamping wall 24 by exerting a bending force on the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent by means of a suitable movement of the bending tool 30. In this case, the second bending edge 76 defines the bending axis 18. Similarly, when bending with the second bending unit 28, the first bending edge 74 defines the bending axis 18. In the following, only bending around the second bending edge 76, i.e. bending by means of the first bending unit 26, will be described in greater detail. However, the bending machine 10 is, as mentioned, designed for double bending, and therefore the description is to be understood analogously for bending with the second bending unit 28.

(47) FIG. 6 shows a schematic side view of a further section of the bending machine 10 The bending tool 30 may be moved in such a way that the workpiece 12 may be bent around the second bending edge 76 by at least 130°. In the case shown, the workpiece 12 may be bent around the second bending edge 76 by a maximum bending angle 108 of 140°. The maximum bending angle 108 is not shown to scale in FIG. 6, but only drawn schematically. The maximum bending angle 108 may be achieved if the second bending unit 28 on the second side clamping wall 24 is moved as far away as possible from the bending axis 18. The section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent may then be bent over an angle range of, for example, 140°, thus allowing small inside angles to be formed. If the first bending unit 26 is moved back in a similar way for bending with the second bending unit 28, the bending area 106 may extend over an angular range of, for example, up to 280°. If the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent is so short that it does not reach the second bending unit 28 in a bent state, an even larger bending angle may be achieved, which is then limited by the second side clamping wall 24. In this case, for example, it is possible to bend by up to 150°. Depending on the design and/or application, these angles may also be larger than those mentioned.

(48) FIGS. 7-9 show side views of a further detail of the bending machine 10 in different states. In FIG. 7 the bending tool 30 has been moved up to the clamping plane 32. The bending tool 30 is placed against the section 14 of the tool 12 to be bent. FIG. 7 thus shows a state immediately before bending.

(49) The bending tool 30 has a bending section 78, which is brought into contact with the workpiece 12 during reshaping. The bending section 78 may exert a bending force on the workpiece 12 when the bending tool 30 is moved relative to the workpiece 12.

(50) The bending section 78 is hook-shaped. The bending section 78 has a hook-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 100.

(51) In principle, however, other tools are also conceivable. Here, different bending tools are possible, for example with rounded, pointed, flat and/or angled bending sections. It is also conceivable that a cutting tool is used instead of a bending tool. In particular, the bending units 26, 28 may be equipped with different tools, and, for example, one of the tools may also be a bending tool and one of the tools may be a cutting tool. A person skilled in the art will select suitable tools for the specific application.

(52) The bending section 78 has an inner surface 92 and an outer surface 94. The inner surface 92 is a hook inner surface. The inner surface 92, for example, is composed of a plurality of substantially flat sections which are rounded and merge into each other. Similarly, the outer surface 94 is composed of a plurality of substantially flat sections, with transitions being formed as rounded edges.

(53) The bending section 78 also comprises an end section 96, which forms a foremost section of the bending tool 30. In one area of the end section 96, the inner surface 92 transitions into the outer surface 94. The end section 96 has a curved surface which is circular arc-shaped when viewed parallel to the longitudinal direction 100. According to a bending variant, the workpiece 12 may be bent with the end section 96 in such a way that the end section 96 always lies against workpiece 12 along a line extending parallel to the bending axis 18. The curved surface of the end section 96 rolls over the workpiece 12 so that there is preferably no sliding between workpiece 12 and bending tool 30, which could possibly scratch the workpiece 12. This rolling is produced in accordance with the invention by selecting a movement path of the bending tool 30 and thus of the end section 96 appropriately so that the end section 96 does not slip relative to the section 14 of workpiece 12 to be bent.

(54) FIG. 8 shows a state in which the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent has been bent through 90°. This bending was performed with the end section 96 of the bending section 78. In the state shown in FIG. 8, the end section 96 lies against the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent.

(55) Starting from the state shown in FIG. 7, bending of the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent out of the clamping plane 32 is first performed in a push bending mode, in which the bending tool 30 is moved in a first direction. This first direction is variable. A corresponding movement of the bending tool 30 in the first direction takes place relative to the first side clamping wall 22 towards the bending area 106 and away from the clamping area 104.

(56) If the workpiece 12 is to be bent by a larger angle, for example by an angle of 140°, bending is then carried out in a pull bending mode. In the pull bending mode, the bending tool 30 is moved in a second direction different from the first direction. The second direction is also variable. The second direction is substantially opposite the first direction. A corresponding movement of the bending tool 30 in the second direction takes place relative to the first side clamping wall 22 away from the bending area 106 towards the clamping area 104. In the pull bending mode, the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent is brought into contact with the inner surface 92 of the bending section 78. The hook-shaped bending section 78 then pulls the section 14 of workpiece 12 to be bent further around the second bending edge 76 in the pull bending mode, starting from the state shown in FIG. 7.

(57) By sequentially executing the push bending mode and the pull bending mode, the section 14 of workpiece 12 to be bent may thus initially be bent up to a limit angle, in the case shown about 90°, and starting from this limit angle may be further bent in the pull bending mode.

(58) The bending machine 10 is equipped with an electronic control unit 82, which is shown schematically in FIG. 1, to control the movement of the bending tool 30 or the base element 54 in the advancement plane 48 or in the further advancement plane 64. The electronic control unit 82 is designed to produce a movement path for the bending tool 30 by superimposing at least two linear movements. In the case shown, these linear movements are the movement of the bending tool 30 in the advancement plane 48 and the movement of the base element 54 in the further advancement plane 64.

(59) The invention further relates to a method for bending the workpiece 12, wherein the workpiece 12 is clamped in the clamping plane 32 by means of the side clamping walls 22, 24 and in which the section 14 of the workpiece 12 to be bent, for bending relative to the clamped section 16 of the workpiece 12 by means of the bending tool 30 linearly guided in the advancement plane 48, is reshaped about the bending axis 18 by moving the bending tool 30 linearly guided in the advancement plane 48. In this case, the bending tool 30 is moved along a movement path that is produced by superimposing a plurality of linear movements. In the case shown, these linear movements are the movement of the bending tool 30 in the advancement plane 48 and the movement of the base element 54 in the further advancement plane 64.

(60) According to the embodiment shown, the bending machine 10 has a longitudinal extent of about 3.2 m. However, any other dimensions are conceivable. In this case, a number of linear guides and/or drives may be expediently adapted so that, for example, a larger number may be used for longer bending machines.

(61) In principle, a bending mode is also conceivable in which both bending units 26, 28 are used simultaneously. For example, one bending unit may be used to provide a countersupport, so that the other bending unit bends a section to be bent around a bending tool of the counter-supporting bending unit.